Just another morning here

Some days I wake up when the sun comes up, but usually I go to back to sleep. I wake up grudgingly, eat breakfast, and drag myself off to work at 9 am. Usually I arrive around 915, but no one cares. It's beautiful in the morning; dim clear light, cool wet air, and wind stirs in the trees like a sleeping lover. When it's foggy, I think about clouds coming over mountaintops in New Hampshire. It's the perfect temperature, and I think, "If all day were like this, I would LIVE outside."

By 1130 the clouds have burned off, the light has turned harsh and golden, and the temperature, while not baking (it's only June), is TOO hot for comfort. The wind gets weak and sluggish, and the air dries out. Three more months of summer are still to come: July and August will be oven-baking heat (read, 98-105) by 11 am, and September will mostly be like June. Summer in Texas is a physical experience unmatched in the U.S.A., and really only surpassed in discomfort by the Middle East and Central Asia, where smart men wear robes to escape the heat and have many wives to distract them. Here in Texas, on good days, I retreat into the office at 11 am to bask in the air-conditioning. I wear shorts, not a robe.

I went to grad school in the great North because I loved hills and trees and thought I would like to escape the hot Texas summers, perhaps forever. I think it is the consensus of everyone who knew me in New England that I probably overshot, a little bit. I don't do well with -20 degrees air temperatures and five-month growing seasons. After grad school, I (much to my surprise and consternation) landed a job in Texas doing just what I wanted to do. Back to the Heat again I went.

As this summer begins to grind on into high gear, I think about a place intermediate between New England and Texas. I love the heat, and I love the cold. I just don't love the HEAT (months of greater than 95 degrees) or the COLD (months of less than 10 degrees). So I've been thinking about...Virginia.

Virginia pros: Not too hot, not too cold. Full of interesting places, and the people are nice. Not so many anti-environment, extreme Republicans there. A long day's drive from Texas, and a day's drive from my girlfriend in NYC. Mountains that have snow and creeks, and a beautiful coastline. BBQ.

Virginia cons: I haven't travelled Virginia extensively (though I've seen a little and liked it). I know only 5 people there (my aunt, uncle, and three cousins in DC), so I'd be lonely at first. Best nearby city is DC, which is a lil HUGE. Gotta find a job. Need lots of vacation to visit family in TX. Have to talk girlfriend into visiting a lot.

These difficulties are surmountable. The real difficulty is just getting myself to commit to this crazy idea of moving to a place just to enjoy the climate and land. But as this summer gets warmer, I think my dream of just throwing everything into my old car and driving northeast will become harder and harder to resist. If this blog suddenly stops for two weeks, you'll know where I went.