Davis?

Mr. A has been commuting 70 miles each way to Sacramento for just over a month now. He leaves the house by 5 a.m. to avoid traffic, which even at that time can be horrible. Last night he came home and suddenly started talking about something I tried to bring up before he even started the job – moving to Davis.

As much as I love the peace and beauty of this valley, there are a lot of things I hate about living here. My job, first of all, is boring and a complete dead end. But there just aren't that many things you can do in a town this size, unless you're an entrepreneur or in the wine business, which I am not and don't have any interest in being. Besides, unless you actually own the winery or are a winemaker or vineyard manager or something, the money usually sucks. Economically, it makes no sense for me to live here. Second, after eleven years I still have met only a small handful of people I feel are really friends. Everyone's nice, it's just ... they're not typically my kind of people. It's hard to put my finger on exactly what it is. Maybe it's just that it's so extremely homogenous, even more so than Utah Valley in many ways, if that's even possible. I miss variety. Third, sometimes I feel like it's just too damn small. The town consists of 2.2 square miles and about 8,000 people. That's SMALL. And there just isn't that much going on. I mean, yeah – if you're into food-wine-and-art events, you can stay busy pretty much every weekend. But how many free logo glasses does anyone really need? And how many paintings of vineyards, grapes and glasses of wine can one person be expected to look at in a lifetime? I'm sick of it.

I grew up in a university town and while it too was very small – about the same size as this town, if you don't count the students – it was in many ways a much more interesting environment to live in than this is. More interesting people, more flow of new people in and out, people who were DOING things – thinking about things, creating things, getting out there and interacting about things that are important – and not just kicking back on their new redwood deck at sunset with a glass of wine, enjoying the spectacular vineyard vistas and congratulating themselves on their impeccable taste ....

But gah – blah – it really IS so, so beautiful here. It's amazingly beautiful and I never get tired of it! I love it. Love it. I love how beautiful it is.

But what am I actually DOING here? Maybe I'm like that bee, entranced by the stream of honey ... I don't want to get sucked under.

On the other hand, I know very well that moving to a new place does not turn you into a new person – wherever you go, there you are, and so on. If I want to change things about my life, I can do it here as easily as anywhere else.

But Davis! The most bike-friendly city in the world! Trees, bikeways, greenbelts, parks, food co-ops, highly educated progressive people – a real university! I could go back to school. And Mr. A would be so much closer to work. If I can figure out a way to make a living here, surely I could figure out something to do there. Mr. A thinks I should take a state job, like him. If you work there long enough you get a percentage of your income and full benefits for life.

Anyway. Nothing that needs to be decided this very minute. But I am enjoying thinking about it. Also, feeling kind of terrified about it. Last time I moved somewhere to follow a man's job, it did not go well for me. And it's hot in Davis – even hotter than here. Ugh. Still ....