Brightdreams

You need to read better books =) I've read lots... maybe 2000-3000 books. Not that all of them were stunning, but maybe 100 or so were phenomenal. I like writing too but I'm by no means a good writer. I could probably write one of the poorer novels I've read but do no have the skill to write a phenomenal one... yet. As far as the sun goes I'm not really worried. I was actually trying to be a bit witty saying the best sunrises would be in the east and the best sunsets in the west (since the sun rises in the east and sets in the west) but oh well. I am more funny in person than online I think.

I like chatting about books as much or more than I like writing. I also love their forums. But whatever works for you =) I wish you luck on your novel! This is my second year doing NaNo and I am really hoping to "win" this year!

Thanks surfohio! That is awesome! I am watching out for all those sorts of news things. I am not 100% on how one would keep chickens quiet though... I hope that would be quiet like a dog is quiet (some barking but not all night). Although the breed of chicken I am looking at right now is known for being fairly quiet. Okey dokey... so apparently I need to build a house in the dead center... then I will be on both sides! haha! On the topic of houses, is it common to have issues with dampness or water in basements? I'm a west coaster so I've never actually lived in a house with a basement. When my dad was alive he lived in a house in Roswell with a bomb shelter and it was a huge hassle because it was damp all the time. I do love the idea of the extra space though. I also love that most houses seem to have attics... something else that I didn't grow up with in Hawaii. I will keep checking back here but may not post as much as NaNoWriMo is coming up and I need to get working on world building and character profiles. I also have apparently gone insane because I am going to talk to the after school coordinator to see if they're interested in having me teach writing/NaNo as a class. (Anyone here who wants a buddy feel free to add me!) And thanks again everyone for all your help!

LoL! @ KJP and MyTwoSense

That view does look kind of amazing. What would you expect? I'm amazing, and I live an the most amazing building in Cleveland, which is located in the most amazing neighborhood in Cleveland. HA! :P And so modest too! =)

To Loretto & KJP: Thanks! I've never seen that before. Very interesting! I wonder how much it helps with accidents.

To surfohio: Thanks, I don't know that I'd describe myself as devoted or anything like that. I do have an exceptionally high tolerance for things other people find annoying, though. No idea why. To 327: I don't know about teaching math... remedial math, certainly, but I'm not especially good at upper level high school math (like calculus, etc). I could teach science easily. I'd prefer to teach English, social studies, history, or something of that nature. I wouldn't mind teaching ESL either, although I don't know if there's much need for that in Ohio. I've learned quite a bit of Spanish since I started working in New Mexico (some of it is even polite Spanish, haha!) and after I go to Japan I will have more experience teaching in that area. To KJP: I'm afraid of heights so that probably wouldn't work for me =) And the chickens wouldn't like it, hehe. If I didn't want pets and a yard for kids I would totally consider an apartment though. I am green with envy over those pictures from England! The only international traveling I have done is to Mexico and Canada. What do the jagged white stripes on the side of the street mean? (It made me think of the nursery rhyme "there was a crooked man".) To MyTwoSense: The eastside is looking like a winner really (though I won't make any decisions until I visit, of course). And that is also a great picture =) I love all the green! I have missed having lots of green trees and such living in New Mexico. To Rlucky: What is an "outer suburbia feel"? I don't think I've ever really lived in a suburb. I've lived in just about everything BUT a normal large city... in the country, old cane plantation towns, condos on the beach in Hawaii, etc etc. I really don't like living far away from everything though. There seem to be openings (right now) at Entrepreneurship Preparatory School and Village Preparatory School... which are part of "Breakthrough Charter Schools"? Also several for Shine! and lots for those online ones... Like I mentioned, working with at-risk (which isn't the PC term anymore, it's "at-potential" or something, but I think you know what I mean) kids now so it wouldn't be so bad to work with them there either. I draw the line at physically dangerous but other than that I am cool with whatever. The online jobs might be okay too. I make about 1/3 of my current income from rentals so I could put a little more effort into that and do the online teaching from home. As a random side note, I am watching "The Great Food Truck Race" and they're in Cleveland right now and said that everyone is "Very very friendly and help each other out". I would have to agree! Thanks again guys (and gals =)

To surfohio: I work with at-risk youth right now... 16-24yos. They pretty much all come from "troubled backgrounds", have mental health issues (anger, socially inappropriate behavior, etc), learning disabilities, are/were gang members, etc etc. It's not easy but it'd be nothing new for me to do it in Ohio. Same issues different kids (I would assume). I take it you're a teacher? Or...? I will watch out for "White Hat". The management company can make all the difference. The company that just took over where I work is AWFUL. I would really rather work with younger children but I will take whatever.

To surfohio: That stand up paddleboarding actually looks pretty cool. I am not sure if I have the... er... natual ability for that kind of thing but it could be fun to try =) To Rlucky: Thank you for the advice! And those pictures are neat. That's quite a bit more snow than I think I've ever seen in person. Maybe I am looking in the wrong area but the houses in Detroit-Shoreway seem to be much more distressed than even the one on Keswick. (And I think the price also reflects the need to re-plumb due to theft of copper.) Also the realtors for Detroit-Shoreway are more lazy, haha. They are taking pictures of houses that are filled with clothes and junk. One of the reasons I like the house on Keswick (which I am sure will sell before I ever move to Cleveland, so it's all window shopping at this point) is that it is in the Shaker Heights school district (so good schools) but in Cleveland (so I can have chickens). I will look farther north though. It's hard for me to tell what commute times would be like for the places which are farther east or west. For instance, I've read that Solon schools are pretty good but I don't know what commute times are really like. Also, I really would like to have that walkability feature if possible. It somewhat defeats the whole sustainability thing if I am using oodles of gas all the time to commute. It's doable, don't get me wrong, it's just less desirable. To KJP: I am quite envious of these trips to England you keep talking about! And again, wonderful pictures! I especially like the ones with what I believe is a lighthouse in the background. If I could live somewhere with a view of the water you'd have me sold. I think that is unlikely though. On a different note, I have checked the job market and it does appear that there is a need for teachers in Cleveland and the surrounding area. Does anyone know if it is hard to secure one of these jobs? I have some teaching experience but not much (and with a non-traditional school). Is there more need in a certain area (that may not be apparent just by looking at job listings or that always seems to need educators)? That might help me narrow down housing as well since the closer to work (while remaining within the other parameters) the better.

To surfohio: That is pretty cool! Many millions of years ago, when I was very young, I used to be a boogie boarder. I never could quite master surfing though. But both of my brothers are surfers and snow boarders (they are much better at sports than I am). To BelievelandD1: Actually, being near enough to regularly visit a "beach" was one of the reasons I picked Cleveland over some other cities. I grew up in Hawaii and California and one of the things I miss terribly living in New Mexico is being close to water.

Wouldn't the best sunsets be in the west and the best sunrises be in the east? =) To surfohio: That is truly beautiful! What a wonderful picture! I have to ask about your name... is it actually possible to surf in Ohio? I wouldn't think there'd be large enough waves. (Then I read KJP's link. Okay. So you all have tsunamis apparently. Maybe I wanna live farther away from the water than I thought!) To KJP: I was actually thinking of the book series... I keep forgetting they made it into a TV series too. The books played heavily into my childhood so that is what I remember. Glad I won't need to set up a tie-line to my detached garage though! And that is a hair-raising story! I am glad your niece is okay. Does your whole family live in Ohio? I am not stuck on sunsets. A view of something other than just other houses would be nice but probably isn't in my price range, which is okay. I can look at scenery somewhere else and then go home. I think someplace friendly would be next on my list (after chickens and good schools and transportation/walkability). Oh, and I read the linked story. I did not realize the lake had "surge waves" (sounds like a tsunami to me)... here I thought lakes were safe! You all have given me lots of good help and places to look at when I visit, thanks everyone =)

To KJP: It reminds me of the Little House on the Prairie series where they had a string tied from the house to the barn lest they get lost in the blizzard. I think there would have to be something more important than milk and cookies for me to want to go out in a blizzard. Plus, if you have a well stocked pantry you can substitute and make almost anything... even apple pie without the apples! haha! (In addition to being the crazy chicken lady, I also cook as a hobby.) I do agree about being close though... we lived a good 45mins from the main city in Hawaii and it was always a hassle if you needed to get something or the kids' events didn't run consecutively (I call my siblings "the kids"... and the youngest three are still "the little kids" at 19... yes, yes, I was mini-mom. I still call them and harass them about school and such.). Here are "the kids": (And boy are they lucky, I have much more embarrassing pictures of them, hehe.) Oh, and not to be totally outdone: Snow in New Mexico: But sunsets are more worth writing home about than the snow: (That's my youngest brother in the picture, by the way.) To Keith: Yikes! That sounds miserable... for both of you. Shoveling is not something I am looking forward to. Especially in a situation like that!

To KJP: Those are some fantastic pictures! They put my pics of last year's "big snow" to shame. I don't know if I'd be daring enough to walk to the store in that sort of weather... that's what well stocked pantries are for! Haha! Looks like good cocoa and soup weather though. To jam40jeff: One hopes! I do like snow. I think I'm the only adult who still squeals with delight over big fat flakes. I loved making snow animals last year too (my sister made a mermaid so to follow the theme I did a snow turtle and a snow fish). To mrnyc: Wow... I would say that'd be an awesome story to tell your kids but you might not want to encourage similar behavior, haha! I've actually never been on a frozen pond or river, I take it that it'd be easy to lose your way (I have been out in the ocean far enough not to be able to see the shore, similar idea I would guess). I didn't know that the waves would freeze into a wave shape... for some reason I assumed everything would freeze flat.

To rockandroller: What do you write? Just curious. I'm by no means a professional, I just do it for fun. I don't know what "real" book clubs are like but I have a few friends that I get together with and we all trade books and talk about the ones we've read.

To MyTwoSense: My hair is more light brown now than blond but when I lived in Hawaii and was out in the sun swimming and surfing all the time it was blond (my skin has two shades: moon-glow and boiled lobster). It was an issue growing up in Hawaii. Haoles are not well liked by many of the locals and there are places where you can't go if you're white. You also get bullied at school... both regular bullying and something called "ijime" which is where the whole school (including teachers) do it too. It sucks. I live in Roswell, New Mexico (no alien jokes please, that is NOT my favorite feature of this town). It doesn't snow often, usually not more than 2-3" at a time. We had a (comparatively) big storm last year that gave us about 8" which stuck around for a week or so. People here have exactly zero sense when it comes to driving in ice or snow though. They try to drive the same as if it was dry and sunny out... breaking 5' before a light, turning corners sharply, etc. I'm more scared of the other drivers than of the ice really. I love the pictures =) That is beautiful! I've actually never ridden a train, so that would be fun (at least the first few times, haha). With 8+ laying birds that'd be 8 eggs or so a day so I am sure I'd have more than enough for everyone in the neighborhood to PLEASE TAKE SOME! LoL! To Loretto: Yeah, it's normally not that much but the 8" didn't bother me either. Although I did regret my normal one mile jog about half way into it, hehe... so did my dog for that matter. To rockandroller: Cool, I like the Salvation Army here best... our Goodwill thinks it is a consignment store and wants to sell dresses for $25, blah. I am a big time book horder (I probably have 1000+ books that I just can't part with and about 50 that I've either just finished reading or will read soon). I get new books from the thrift store at least once a week (and they get the ones I don't feel I need to keep or pass on to friends). Ooo... on that topic... are the libraries good in Cleveland? How about book clubs/writing groups? I tried to start up something for NaNoWriMo last year but no one here was interested really. I have four sibs... one looks like me but with green eyes, one is African-Asian-Caucasian, one is Caucasian-African (but light), one is Asian-Caucasian. No idea what their kids look like though. The boys still say they hate kids and won't have any, hehe. One sister wants to adopt and the other is married but no kids yet. I am happy with all races (I work with lots of minorities and at-risk youth) but I know what it's like to live in an area where racism is considered normal and where your race (and your siblings') is discriminated against. If I'm going to settle somewhere I don't want to pick a place where that's going to be a huge issue. I also might foster in the future and don't want any foster kids to have a harder time than necessary.