Thursday, September 11, 2014

The Call of Portland

We just learned that some friends of ours who have lived in Eugene for the last fifteen years are moving away to Portland.  It's job related and we're sad to see them go, because we do things with them; they're nice, intelligent, dynamic people.

I'm hoping we'll be able to stay in touch.  Portland is about a two hour drive away, and the saying in Eugene is "water only flows down-hill," meaning it's typical for Eugene friends to visit Portland friends, but not the other way around.  It seems we've a lot of friends who've recently moved to Portland.

Mark and I sometimes think of moving to Portland, and the discussion usually goes something like, "The great thing with Portland/Eugene is that it's a large/small urban center/college town.   The problem with Portland/Eugene is that it's a large/small urban center/college town."  

From a professional writing standpoint, Portland has the advantage of being the seat of SFWA, and going to OryCon would be a zillion times easier.   Going to Seattle for Clarion events wouldn't have a five and a half hour car ride associated with it, either.  I'd miss the Eugene Wordos, though.

From a personal standpoint, and looking ahead, when my parents get older, visiting and caring for them them in Corvallis will be easier to do from Eugene than doing so from Portland.  (Pause to imagine complicated elder care arrangements and co-habitations...) 


Ah well.   On a completely different front, my hair has developed a fan base on campus.


Project:  Cyborg Fairytail
Word Count:  about 300 new words plus editing over an hour

Workout:  about 150 calories in 12 minutes, plus clanking machines.

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