That poor cheesecake never even saw it comin'...
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Whatever. Back to School Can Wait Another Month
So the thing is, I don't know where we should live for the rest of our lives, and apparently it is up to me to make this decision. Boone says he has way fewer requirements than me and keeps putting the question back on my plate.
But my plate is full already, thankyouverymuch, and I just don't want to be responsible for this one. It's too big. It's too permanent. It's too not my career.
Thanks to all the big fat liars (in my head) who told me that "You can live anywhere you want with a dental degree." That may technically be true, but when you start getting into dentist to patient ratios you learn that is not really the case. And then when you add your crazy list of things you want long term things get even more difficult.
For a long time I thought living all over the country was this great thing, but as I have tried to figure out my ideal location I have realized that my experiences have made it HARDER to pick where I want to live, because I know now that there are truly good and bad things in pretty much every region of the U. S.
I think my biggest obstacle is trying to accurately prioritize which things are most important to me and to our family. Lots of things are important to me, but I am realistic enough to concede that no one place has all of these things (in no particular order, because that's really the problem, duh):
Large airport; good concerts; loads of outdoor activities; good restaurants (good seafood and sushi especially); low humidity; no bugs; professional sports teams; large theatrical productions (not just the ones in my home when I'm PMSing); cultural diversity; well educated population; great schools; good health care; distinct seasons; health conscious/active population; not too conservative; educational/career opportunities for me once we get there; Ikea/Costco/farmers markets/Target on every corner, etc. etc.
So for a long time we said Boise was it, but there are way, WAY too many dentists there to make that work, and now we think we might be too left of center (read: "open-minded") anyway.
Then we were all over Denver (and really, it's still my #1 I think), but again, not a lot of practice opportunities there either.
***Side note: for everyone who is about to comment and tell me "But there are TONS of dentists here!", that is not a good thing. If you are getting Val-Pak coupons for free bleaching for life, the area is saturated and Boone wants no part in that.***
Seattle and Portland are nice, but after 6 years of sun, I don't think we can do 70 degree summer days anymore.
Boone is all of a sudden talking about Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico. I know, it's impossible to spell and really? Albuquerque?
He is also all over Bend, OR but really, that is probably too small for me and by the way, unemployment is sitting above 15%. Plus all I can hear when he says it is, "Bend over again".
So that pretty much covers the parts of the west I would even consider. So then we head east, far from family (still), but with better access to lots of big cities and big city things. I could seriously live in Manhattan if it wasn't insanely expensive and as saturated with dentists as the subways are with rats.
The northeast is probably too cold. The deep south is, well, too southern. We are seriously considering North Carolina -- either Charlotte or Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill. But then we have to deal with humidity and bugs and never having a white Christmas. Do I care about white Christmases? I don't know. Every year I think I miss them, and then 3 years ago we were in Idaho Falls in December and the snow made me want to kill myself. Oh yeah, and there's the part where we will live on the other side of the country from all of our family for the rest of our lives, too. And most of the time we LIKE our family and wish we were able to see them more than once or twice a year (at best).
Sigh. So there's my dilemma. Army life has a lot of drawbacks, but maybe I have underestimated the value in NOT getting to choose where you live. I stress out enough trying to order my dinner off a menu and that only stays with me for 12 hours (unless I am traveling, and then...wow...that detail is SO uncalled for).
Seriously, tell us where to live! I'd settle for someone just accurately numbering our list, effectively telling us what is most important to us long term, because clearly, we have no idea what long term even looks like.
The End.
But my plate is full already, thankyouverymuch, and I just don't want to be responsible for this one. It's too big. It's too permanent. It's too not my career.
Thanks to all the big fat liars (in my head) who told me that "You can live anywhere you want with a dental degree." That may technically be true, but when you start getting into dentist to patient ratios you learn that is not really the case. And then when you add your crazy list of things you want long term things get even more difficult.
For a long time I thought living all over the country was this great thing, but as I have tried to figure out my ideal location I have realized that my experiences have made it HARDER to pick where I want to live, because I know now that there are truly good and bad things in pretty much every region of the U. S.
I think my biggest obstacle is trying to accurately prioritize which things are most important to me and to our family. Lots of things are important to me, but I am realistic enough to concede that no one place has all of these things (in no particular order, because that's really the problem, duh):
Large airport; good concerts; loads of outdoor activities; good restaurants (good seafood and sushi especially); low humidity; no bugs; professional sports teams; large theatrical productions (not just the ones in my home when I'm PMSing); cultural diversity; well educated population; great schools; good health care; distinct seasons; health conscious/active population; not too conservative; educational/career opportunities for me once we get there; Ikea/Costco/farmers markets/Target on every corner, etc. etc.
So for a long time we said Boise was it, but there are way, WAY too many dentists there to make that work, and now we think we might be too left of center (read: "open-minded") anyway.
Then we were all over Denver (and really, it's still my #1 I think), but again, not a lot of practice opportunities there either.
***Side note: for everyone who is about to comment and tell me "But there are TONS of dentists here!", that is not a good thing. If you are getting Val-Pak coupons for free bleaching for life, the area is saturated and Boone wants no part in that.***
Seattle and Portland are nice, but after 6 years of sun, I don't think we can do 70 degree summer days anymore.
Boone is all of a sudden talking about Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico. I know, it's impossible to spell and really? Albuquerque?
He is also all over Bend, OR but really, that is probably too small for me and by the way, unemployment is sitting above 15%. Plus all I can hear when he says it is, "Bend over again".
So that pretty much covers the parts of the west I would even consider. So then we head east, far from family (still), but with better access to lots of big cities and big city things. I could seriously live in Manhattan if it wasn't insanely expensive and as saturated with dentists as the subways are with rats.
The northeast is probably too cold. The deep south is, well, too southern. We are seriously considering North Carolina -- either Charlotte or Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill. But then we have to deal with humidity and bugs and never having a white Christmas. Do I care about white Christmases? I don't know. Every year I think I miss them, and then 3 years ago we were in Idaho Falls in December and the snow made me want to kill myself. Oh yeah, and there's the part where we will live on the other side of the country from all of our family for the rest of our lives, too. And most of the time we LIKE our family and wish we were able to see them more than once or twice a year (at best).
Sigh. So there's my dilemma. Army life has a lot of drawbacks, but maybe I have underestimated the value in NOT getting to choose where you live. I stress out enough trying to order my dinner off a menu and that only stays with me for 12 hours (unless I am traveling, and then...wow...that detail is SO uncalled for).
Seriously, tell us where to live! I'd settle for someone just accurately numbering our list, effectively telling us what is most important to us long term, because clearly, we have no idea what long term even looks like.
The End.
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