Enginoob

Everybody who reads this site should know by now that Sheri and I are going to be moving away from Roanoke come spring, and that the location has yet to be determined. Here are the contenders thus far, and my thoughts/options for each:

• Washington, D.C.: The easiest place to find a job, and easily the last place I want to be, period. The traffic is horrible, its full of self-important people, and its incredibly expensive to rent or buy there. The only advantage to living there is that I already have a good group of friends in town, and its not far from Newport News, where Sheri’s brother lives. I do not. want. to. live. here…..but it might be a necessity.

• Norfolk/Newport News, VA: A slightly better option than D.C., if only because Steve and Wendy live there. I’m not a big beach guy, and there isn’t any good mountain biking or skiing closer than 5-6+ hours away. Maybe I could get into surfing or ocean kayaking or something.

• Groton,Connecticut: My friend Mike Palmer lives and works here for General Dynamics Electric Boat. I would be doing submarine work if I lived here, which would be pretty cool. Probably wouldn’t be too expensive to live there, and relatively close to pretty good skiing in Vermont/New Hampshire. I would certainly rather live here than anywhere else on the east coast, with the exception of Bath, Maine, where they also do submarine work. Word is that they aren’t hiring right now though..

• Seattle, WA: Certainly a beautiful city set in an amazing piece of the country. We could spend years finding new things to do in the city, and the outdoor options are pretty endless. World class mountain biking and skiing within an hour or two drive, and only a few hours across the border to British Columbia. Right now my job options here are probably limited to The Glosten Associates, Jensen Maritime, and Elliot Bay Design group. Glosten would be a fantastic company to work for, but it sounds like they might not be hiring more than 3 or 4 people this year, so the competition will probably be stiff. City traffic and living expenses are a couple drawbacks- the rental market isnt horrible, but it’s very very expensive to buy up there. Definitely my #2 option, if #1 doesn’t work out.

• Boulder, CO: Number one on my list, and while I am trying not to get my hopes up, I REALLY want the job lead I have here. Everything that Seattle has, but with cheaper living expenses, and closer to family and friends on the east coast. This is also Sheri’s number one choice, which counts for a lot in the decision making process. I have a sit-down interview there in a couple weeks, and I am really hoping it all works out.

If none of these work out, I’m moving to Salt Lake City and working for Backcountry.com.

I kid, I kid.

Sort of.