And for more uplifting mashery, check out GWB covering Imagine over at Wax Audio.

Imagine indeed. One can only hope there are better things in store for 2008. Sigh.

I am thoroughly enjoying my first, honest-to-goodness Vermont snowstorm in 14 years. (And our area saw some spectacular autumn colors this season, too.) Inches and inches of fluffy white powder everywhere. And it snowed for ages. I’m really home.

Can’t say the husband is quite as thrilled with the wintery weather, but he’s getting there…. By the end of the day, he was marveling at the amount of snow we got, and romping in it with the dog.

While we were enjoying the white stuff here, Seattle was experiencing biblical rains. Major flooding, power outages, downed trees…you name it. Makes me glad I’m here.

I don’t even know who the hell AFI are–I realize that probably dates me–but this video made me laugh. (Via MeFi)

_{I will get to that story about moving across the country, and moving into our “new” house…soon.}

As promised, here is the list of Things I Won’t Miss About Seattle… Or, more accurately, Things I Don’t Miss About Seattle. (For balance, please see the list, Things I Miss About Seattle.) Over the next few posts after this, I will attempt to recap our travels east, and tell the tale of moving into our old farmhouse after having it bought it sight unseen.

But now, without further ado…

Things I Don’t Miss About Seattle

• Traffic: I don’t know if I really need to elaborate on this, but suffice it to say, traffic in Seattle simply sucks. Some days I would decide not to go anywhere just because the prospect of creeping along roads—with signs depicting speed limits that almost taunted me along the way—only to arrive at my destination to discover absolutely no parking, well, just didn’t seem like a good one. (I’m not averse to public transportation, either, but sadly, public transportation in Seattle leaves MUCH to be desired. Unless you really like spending LOTS of time on a bus. That’s why I voted for the monorail—see below.)
• Seattitude: You know that air of condescension and the hipper-than-thou-attitude oozing from certain music store clerks? Well, imagine that pervading popular coffeeshops, clubs, barbershops, the alternative press, and even entire neighborhoods. It’s like these places were populated by carbon copies of Jack Black’s character in High Fidelity, but without the funny.

• The Stranger (alternative weekly): See “Seattitude,” but add “extra mean and nasty” to the equation. ‘Nuff said.
• Seattle “Politeness”: Ah, Seattle and its paradoxes. The yin to Seattitude’s yang is Seattle politeness. Just in case you weren’t sure, there is such a thing as being too polite. This becomes particularly evident at any Seattle four-way stop. Person to my right: Just go, already!
• Seattle “Niceness”: Similar to politeness, but slightly different. Sufferers of Seattle niceness are very warm when they meet people, but cold when it comes to connecting with them. They offer, almost pathologically, “to get together sometime,” with absolutely no intention of ever following through. This condition is highly contagious. Hopefully now that I have relocated, I have rid myself of this insidious disease. For more on Seattle niceness, see this Seattle Times article.
• Natural “Disaster” Ill-Preparedness: Last winter proved to me that Seattle is absolutely screwed if there’s ever a major natural disaster. Or if it snows.
• Earthquakes: I was there for four of them, and it was four too many—particularly that big one in February of 2001.
• Vern Fonk Ads: Okay, so maybe I will miss them a little…. (YouTube link)
• The EMP Building: Or as I like to call it, the Technicolor Blob. It’s just ugly.
• Seattle Politics: If there’s a place that could make you feel like your vote doesn’t count, Seattle’s it. Things you vote for don’t happen, and things you vote against do. Or the city makes you vote on an item ‘til they get the result they want, winning through sheer “voter exhaustion.” Monorail, anyone? (I voted for it every time, but alas….)

But I’ll start at the beginning…or at least where I left off. I never delivered the Things I’ll Miss About Seattle and Things I Won’t Miss About Seattle posts, so I’ll start there. Well, I’ll start with Things I Will Miss…or Do Miss. Whatever. Editor’s note: I began writing this list before I left, so I’ve edited the future tense out of the older parts (but I’ve left in edit marks so you can see what’s been changed). And please be aware, this list is far from being comprehensive.

So here goes…
Things I Will Miss About Seattle

• Our Friends: The wonderful friendships we’ve established, of course, are were what will make made leaving hard. But now our Seattle-area friends have a reason to visit Vermont, and we have ample reasons to return to Seattle to visit.
• View of the Olympics: The view from the end of my street is was breathtaking.
• Bald Eagles: Almost every day on my way to work (before my leave of absence), I would see the same bald eagle perched in one of the trees along Bothell Way. I’m pretty sure I won’t be seeing any of those in Vermont.
• Our Vet: I used to work for our vet, so I know knew exactly what goes went on behind the scenes. That’s why I feel felt very confident about bringing all four of our animals there. Plus, Dr. Mortimer simply rocks. (Ed. note: No need to change tense there, ’cause he continues to rock.) I really hope I can find a vet as caring and compassionate as he is.
• Abundance of Writing Work: Go to http://seattle.craigslist.org on any given weekday, and there are a healthy number of writing opportunities listed… Not to mention the many gigs available through the myriad contract agencies around here there. It’s been was comforting to know that these jobs are were out there should if things ever go went awry. In contrast are the http://burlington.craigslist.org listings, which are usually spam or unpaid “opportunities.” While I have work lined up am working at the moment, it’s kind of scary to think about what could happen should that work dry up. Then again, it might be just the incentive I need to become my own boss.

Written after arrival:

• Accessibility to the Arts: Many, many cool acts/shows/exhibits came to Seattle, and I certainly didn’t go see enough of them while there. There are definitely great arts events in Vermont, too, but what you don’t get here is the sheer variety or selection (or sometimes caliber) of offerings.
• The Coffee (duh): Now that I’ve actually arrived in Vermont, I can say with certainty that Seattle does indeed offer more places to get good coffee. You can get good coffee here, but it’s definitely more elusive.
• Mulleady’s and the 74th Street Ale House: (Disclaimer: I once had a share in Mulleady’s, being married to the former owner and all.) Burlington has some great places to eat, but I’ve had trouble locating any spots quite like the 74th and Mulleady’s, with just the right combination of pub atmosphere and fantastic, affordable grub.
• Cellular Coverage: I can’t get a cell phone signal in my house. And it’s not like we’re in the middle of nowhere. In fact, we’re on the edge of a little village area, where we have–gasp–cable and municipal water! Apparently reception is spotty throughout this area, despite it being along a major thoroughfare (Rte 15 in Chittenden County). Even more frustrating, if I just step a few feet away from my house, I’ll get a bar or two on my phone. WTF, Verizon? Can you hear me now?

And here’s one I wasn’t expecting to add:

• The IPA: I used to think nothing could beat the Vermont area’s microbrews, but now I’m not so sure. I’ve had one hell of a time trying to find an IPA that even comes close to Diamond Knot or Hale’s Mongoose. Harpoon is okay, but still lacks that incredible bite I love so much.

Vermont wants to secede?

Vermont’s Senator Leahy gives Gonzales a well-deserved grilling

Vermont Senate calls for impeachment of Bush and Cheney

Vermont emissions law challenged by US automakers

And, as a follow-up to a previous post:

Vermont musician pleads guilty to drug charges

In other Vermont-related news, we are making slow and steady progress on our move there. We’ve sold our pick-up truck and bought our moving vehicle, an eight-person-capacity passenger van with a row of seats removed to make room for our four-legged family members. Should be a fun drive. Google maps puts it at approximately 46 hours, so we’re thinking five days would be humane, give or take a day. We’re also in the process of buying a house in Vermont, but I’ll say more about that as our closing date nears. (We found both the van and the house on the web–I don’t know how people did this kind of thing before the internet…)

Coming soon: Things I Will Miss About Seattle, followed by Things I Will Not Miss About Seattle

Yikes. So March isn’t turning out to be such a great posting month after all. I’ve been busy with work, and also, busy preparing for a move back east. I know they say you can’t go home again, but I’m going to anyway. In a couple of months we’ll be headed back to my homeland, Vermont, and consequently hubby will be a bit closer to his, too (3,000 miles as opposed to 6,000). Now we’re working out the logistics of trying to get four animals across the country. Heh. I’m thinking we should videotape the journey, ’cause I’m sure it will be, um, entertaining.

As for what we’re going to do in Vermont, Dave is going to get into the real estate thang, and I’m going to write for…well, some company. There’s a possibility I may retain my job (in some capacity) with the company I work for now, which would be a wonderful thing. Writing about gear while living in Vermont–what more could one ask for?

Incidentally, Consumerist pointed me to a great site that rates moving companies: MovingScam.com. Some of the stories there are pretty frightening. I think we’re going to go with the you-pack-it/freight option. Judging from what folks say, that is one of the safer ways to go.

Okay, that’s it for tonight. I’ll have more–and more interesting–things to say next time!

Did you know March is Boycott the RIAA Month? Well, get out there and buy some DRM-free music already! I’ve had a subscription to eMusic for a couple of months now, and it has really helped me to kick the iTunes habit. I know their deals aren’t as good as they used to be, but I haven’t yet found an alternative that boasts an equally wonderful selection of unshackled tunes….