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.

Why do I get the feeling "Rumble" from West Side Story should be playing in the background... hehe To rockandroller: Honestly, I'd really like a house that was built around 1900-1920. I will settle for a slightly newer one, but that is my ideal. I like them for he same reason that I still prefer bound paper books... you're touching what others have touched, sitting where others have sat, loving what others have loved. It's a very visceral connection to the past. To MyTwoSense: I currently live in New Mexico. I know how to drive on ice though... my dad grew up in Washington and he taught me. I haven't had experience with more than 8" or so of snow at a time though. (Raised in Hawaii, went to college in CA, moved to NM from there.) I'm hoping that "old money" has lots of friendly faces and little kids in Shaker Square... hehe. And isn't going to complain about chickens. That is, if I move to Shaker Square. To AJ93: LoL! Yeah, I have lots of experience with that... even though I don't have kids of my own yet. My sibs are all 7-10yrs younger than I am (the last three are basically triplets) so I got to help with lots of baby rearing. To jjames0408: I will order that book asap! I grew up in an area that was predominately non-white and had lots of racism (against whites) so it was really tough begin blond haired and blue eyed. I am hoping for somewhere that has a good mixture and isn't predominately anything. However, if I have to settle since I'm moon-glow pale my kids will probably be too and I'd like them not to have the same experience I did growing up (getting beat up or picked on because you're white sucks). All but one of my sibs are mixed race (though sadly only one was the correct mix to fit in well where we grew up) and I'd like for them and their children to be able to visit and feel really comfortable. My sister lives in a very racist town right now and I worry for her (she's 19... the HS football team has been in the local news for making racist comments at games, ugh). I'll look at "Old Brooklyn" too. I need to keep referring to maps of the districts though because they all seem to just feed into one another. To KJP: You are awesome! I am a very very visual person and those maps are wonderful! Thank you! I had not heard of empty houses being called blight before being on this board... and we have lots of them here. That's actually how I'm currently making part of my income; fixing up and either renting or reselling houses that were boarded up and unused. The fact that Cleveland seems to be trying to fix their "blighted" area speaks highly of the real estate market there. Those new houses are cute and they would be fine to live in, I'm sure, but they don't have quite the same feel as those that have been around for 100yrs. I have nothing against new construction and it's possible I might end up in a newer home but it's not really what I am looking for at this time. Oh, here's an important question... I love thrift stores, where are most of the thrift stores (or the best ones) located? (Best = cheap and fair quality... but mostly cheap. I'm talking about like 4/$1 books, $10 bookcases, etc.) I will probably be replacing a lot of items like sofas, book cases, etc that I don't want to pay to transport up there so I need to know about where I can get that kind of thing when I get up there. I also like to thrift shop for cooking items and books too. (MTS may decide now that Shaker Square would NOT like "my kind" hehe.) Or maybe good auction houses? Is that common in Cleveland?

To StrapHanger: I understand the inherent gamble in real estate. I currently own in an area that was, until recently, considered the "bad end of town". However, they put in a lot of new businesses and they're revitalized enough that I have done well. It could have just as easily gone the other way though. Oddly, the economic crash did not hit this area as hard as many others, though one might have expected otherwise. It's certainly not a booming area but the market is stable at least. There are also sufficient jobs for anyone who wants to be employed to be so (though it may be something akin to McDonalds). Actually, there's a slight surplus of jobs because there are quite a very government contractors here that require background screening as well as drug tests and that cuts out some of the population who would otherwise apply (for instance, I work with at-risk youth and we are chronically understaffed due to a ridged background check). That is good to hear about Shaker Square though. I do want a racially diverse neighborhood. To rockandroller: Haha, well, at least I am not totally crazy! I just can't see loving walking to and from the garage especially dressed up nice when you're going to work or after a long day at work when you're tired already. Sadly, I do have to agree about new construction. I think most new houses are sort of ugly and samey-same looking. (There are a few exceptions, someone here built a new house in one of the cookie cutter neighborhoods and built it to look like a roman palace, very... not samey-same, hehe.) Here's my favorite house so far: http://www.trulia.com/property/3064999753-3003-Keswick-Rd-Cleveland-OH-44120 has the attached garage and everything. Must remind myself that I cannot move yet! LoL! To BelievelandD1: Well, I haven't moved yet, so I will look everywhere. I'm a little more worried about finding a good school in that area. And I'm still a little lost on terminology... "Near" west side? What is it near? Or is it the west side that is near the east side? I have been looking at that Detroit-Shoreway area as was suggested. I am also going to keep my eye on some of the nearby cities to see if they change their chicken laws. Oh, and greenspace is great but the lots themselves seem about the same in size as anywhere else in Cleveland, so I think I'd be able to do about the same amount of gardening/beekeeping/chicken keeping. I don't really want to plan on using any community gardens/etc for that... especially for the chickens (I get really attached to my pets and I'd be worried someone would hurt them, even accidentally).

To 327: That's very interesting! I love history but don't know much about Ohio or Cleveland. So, would you say that the eastside of the "city proper" is going uphill, maintaining, or going downhill? I know that I've read a few threads on renewal projects for the University Circle area (which is part of the reason I originally picked it). I am hoping if I can get some houses for a reasonable price (and rent them reasonably) I can do well in either University Circle or Shaker Square (though I might choose Shaker over University for the schools if I can get a house that is in Cleveland but in the Shaker Heights school district). My parents did well in real estate so I'm hoping to mimic them to a small degree. Picking a city so far away from where I currently live makes checking out the market a bit hard though. Do you think that the Shaker Square area does well in the area of diversity? As I think I stated before, my siblings are mixed race and I want somewhere they would feel comfortable visiting for extended periods. They have detached garages here too... but they're a carryover from when they were carriage houses I believe. However, since it doesn't snow frequently, deeply, or lastingly it doesn't matter much (everyone had a fit last year when we had 5-8" that lasted about 5 days). I was more thinking of several months of trudging through the snow to get to my car in the garage, then even more time shoveling out snow in an extra long driveway, and long trudges back with groceries or similar. I like snow but it seems like that is somewhat of a design flaw... wouldn't an attached garage be more convenient?

To KJP: Oh, duh! For some reason I was thinking 47% of Cleveland... like maybe the "westside" was 47% of population of the city. Was not thinking about politics at all. Although, I have to admit I am out of the loop. I work nights and am in school full time right now so I miss out on a lot of TV watching or reading for anything outside of class. On a moving related topic... it snows a lot (comparatively) in Cleveland and I see lots of houses with detached garages. It seems like that would be really inconvenient. Or maybe I am over thinking it?

To KPL and Rockandroller: Haha! Well, hopefully he doesn't mind me mucking up the board (or in the future, his neighborhood!) with my talk of messy chickens and old houses! And what is a "Forty-Seven-Percenter"? To MyTwoSense: :::looks at favorite ill-fitting clothes::: This could be a problem... hehe! I don't know about the mousse and clothing comment, but at least you have a good sense of humor =) Shaker Square (or the area around it) is looking rather good though. I wish I had all my ducks in a row (pun intended) to move now since there is a nice fixer-upper that seems perfect (in Shaker Square area and listed as Cleveland but part of the Shaker Heights school district). Oh well, I will continue to window shop and drool over lovely houses! I take it there is some divide between westsiders and eastsiders? Or at least old families/neighborhoods and new?

I guess it's all perspective. When I was growing up in Hawaii we had a patio between our house and our garage (roofed but not enclosed) and our chickens and ducks used to go out there and hang out all the time. (We fed them kitchen scraps and we kids weren't supposed to feed them on the patio but we didn't always mind well). We just hosed it off. The Canada geese here in NM hang out on the golf course too... I think it's cute. I also used to live in front of a slew in CA and we had TONS of geese that lived back there, I loved to watch them and hear them honk when they flew over my house.I think I'm more immune to animals/dirt/etc than most. If you CAN clean it then it's not a big deal. I wonder if geese would come to my house (when I move to Ohio) if I built a little pond... I am thinking about doing ducks in addition to chickens since I just found out they have breeds especially for laying. So I might end up dealing with an er... something-opolis of my own. Maybe it'll be different when I move there though. Ask me when I've lived there 20yrs, hehe. Oh, and I don't golf... so it's just another park to me, hehe. Actually, I'm not really a sports person at all :::hides:::

LoL you guys! I like the other "options" for what a chicken magazine might be about, haha. To surfohio That is neat! I've actually heard of people having them de-gladed and keeping them as pets. I wouldn't go that far but they are cute. To MyTwoSense: We have seasonal geese here too. I dunno, I guess since I've owned ducks and chickens and such the poo doesn't bother me that much. It's a LOT smaller and easier to wipe off than anything a dog makes. But I can see how it could be an issue for some. I guess since I've lived sort of the semi-urban farm life before I am fairly immune to the things that come with having animals around. Actually, until I moved to New Mexico I hadn't been around a feed lot and never understood why people complained about cow-smell, not that normal dairies don't smell like cows but it's a totally different smell. Happy cows really do live in California... because sad cows live in New Mexico =( To doctabroccoli Hehe, yeah, I suppose it would be confusing! It's a big consideration for me though. And it's nice to meet you! To jjames0408: I am not familiar with the terminology... chicken "share"? How is it supposed to work? That is cool though! Actually, I just found out that Ohio has its own breed of chickens... the Buckeye! Haha! I don't know if I'll pick that breed for my chickies but it's still interesting. The more I look into Ohio and Cleveland the more excited I am about moving! I have been window shopping for houses and love what I see. I can't wait! 2014 is starting to seem soooo far away!

To BelievelandD1: I'll think about it. I think I'm one of those people whose "thing" is old houses though, haha. I work a "regular" job right now but also buy and renovate older homes for extra income. And I probably won't be doing owner occupied for the first year so that I can do a 1031 exchange with my rental properties. It's awhile away though so you never know! To MyTwoSense: You don't just hose off the goose leavings? That what we did when we had ducks in Hawaii (pets, not wild, but they do the same thing). I like snakes just fine, I used to have one as a pet but I decided it would be too traumatic to try to move her from CA to NM. My turtle came with me though. And he'll probably come with me to OH too... I love my cat and dog but my turtle is the neatest pet (also he will live at least as long, if not longer, than my cat and dog). And I think woodchucks, chipmunks and even skunks are cool. As long as you don't corner them and you have a locking trash can skunks are kinda cute. Is there a website where I can easily look up the taxes for different areas in Cleveland? I think if I buy a house without a loan even high taxes shouldn't be that bad. Also, is the rental market strong in Cleveland or is it mostly owner occupieds? Or does it depend on the area? To rockandroller: Do you know if the daycares in the Shaker Heights/Shaker Square area are good? (I know it depends on which one a a lot, even more than schools.) Is it hard to find good chlldcare in Cleveland? I ask you since you mentioned that you have a 3yo. Oh, and my dad used to take me to a Unitarian Universalist church when I was little sometimes, it was neat. I don't know that it gave me much of an idea about different religions (since they didn't explain different religions, they just had a sermon like any other church) but it was a good experience. I liked it better than my grandfather's 7th Day Adventist church. I've actually been to lots of different churches (Church of Laterday Saints, New Hope, a Hongwanji, one of the Christian mega-churches, 7th Day, UU...) and I think I liked the Unitarian Universalist the best, though the others were interesting as well.

To rockandroller: Well, you can add me as one of females (in case that wasn't evident, haha). Right now I work in a super social job. I work at a school for at-risk youth in the dorm facility "teaching" independent living. There are some days I really wish I just had an office job where I could shut the door for 30mins to finish paperwork and sit quietly without someone saying "Miss can you..." It can be really really rewarding though and it pays well and it's 3mins from my house so it's not all bad. To willyboy: They have deer and turkey and foxes THERE??? Whoa! Maybe I understand the ordinances about not hunting within city limits now, haha! I thought it was a crazy carryover law. To KJP: Well, I guess it can have its downside... however I do think it's really neat. I would love to have that; live somewhere forever and ever and know everyone and have my (future) kids grow up and know everyone and so on. I do know what you mean about being unwilling to change, I lived in a little farm town in CA that was very similar with lots of old money and old families and they didn't like change at all. Heck, when I was little they were still doing Black Peter (which would probably be terribly un-PC now but was very very fun when I was 3-5). My grandparents still live there and like it. I like some of the community feel but don't like how tiny it is (no museums, music, etc) and they're also by and large very racist (my sister is still living there, long story, and people call her names when she is out walking).

To Keith: What is "higher"? I think it should be okay if I can buy a house with little or no loan on it. I will definitely keep that in mind though. To willyboy: Which "lakes"? And that sounds really cool. I love wildlife and wildlife watching. To rockandroller: Awwww! That is so sweet! Thank you =) IRL I am slightly shy, however I fake outgoing pretty well.