|
prev home archive next Momentary Thought I'm reading about the history of Pi for a paper I have to do for Math class. One good thing about going to college, I'm learning about things I never would have looked into on my own. And this book is actually quite interesting. Did you know that a boy from India (I think) can recite, from memory, to the thousandth place of Pi? It takes him twenty-five minutes. And the one millionth place of Pi is 1. And they've calculated Pi to 10 billion places so far, and counting. Day-am. High/Low High: Going home at 3:00, so maybe I can get a nap in before school! Woo! Such is the excitement of my life. Low: School tonight, so no cuddling with Calvin. Current Obsession Getting my paper done for Math class before next Wednesday night. Plus, mid-terms the following Saturday. Ugh. Class on a Saturday. It's a crying shame. Grin Source The most obnoxious humor on the planet. And it cracks me up. A new one each day! Woo! Storyteller Bio Dramatis Personnae Who I Read Recipes |
***PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT*** NotifyList.com seems to be having technical difficulties as of late. Those of you on my list will notice that you didn't receive a notification for yesterday's entry, nor will you for today's. I don't know what's going on with them, I can't even access the URL. So! I hope all my listee's are getting my mental vibe... "Check ~Snerkology~ every now and then despite the lack of a notify... Don't miss any juicy tidbits or profound pearls of wisdom and wit... Ohmmmmm..." Heh. Carry on. ******************** Today is March 21st, right? So, it's like the second day of spring, right? Guess what the temperature in my little ol' part of Arizona is? 91 degrees. You read that right, folks. 91 degrees. So much for getting all in shape for bathing suit weather. It's *here*. We went right from the low 70's of last week, skipped the 80's altogether, and here it is in the 90's. Already. Dammit. *Why* do I live here again? Oh yeah, right. My family. My job. Seriously, there are some benefits to where I live, location-wise. Five grocery stores within a one mile radius. Two gas stations within a quarter of a mile. Work is a mile and a half away. There's a really nice park a quarter of a mile away. A mall is being built a half mile away (Nordstrom's, Robinson May, Sears, Dillards...). Downtown Phoenix is fifteen minutes away by one freeway. Scottsdale is twenty minutes away by another freeway. The airport is twenty minutes away. The college district of ASU is fifteen minutes away. There are more strip malls and restaurants and movie theaters and shopping villages, all minutes away, than you can shake a stick at. It's a consumer's dream. But this country girl is going a bit stir crazy. Neighborhoods with walled back yards. No open fields. Traffic (both auto *and* air) audible almost all the time. Noisy neighbors whose homes are mere yards away. Nighttime stars hidden by the city's glare. Smog. I love my house, but I miss owning *land*. My neighborhood is nice, but there are *too many* neighbors. I used to forget to turn on my headlights because the moon was so bright. Now I forget to turn on my headlights because of all the street lights and lighted signs. Arizona itself is a great place. As we're fond of saying, all it lacks is the ocean. If you love sunshine, this is the place to be. If you love dramatic thunderstorms, this is the place to be (in July and August). If you love incredible sunsets, this is the place to be. Camping and hiking are great. In the winter season, you're never more than two hours away from skiing (in the high country). State Parks abound, Indian Casinos are abundant, lake recreation is prolific. The heat in the summer is absolutely stupid, but it's not humid. That fact doesn't help too much when it's 115, but 115 at 20% humidity is better than 115 at 90% humidity. The weather in the winter is wonderful. I rarely need anything more than a sweater, and plantlife is still green and growing. There are, of course, pro's and con's to living anywhere. Maine has multiple feet of snow in the winter, and is rather behind the times when it comes to technology, entertainment, education, and the like. Arizona is well endowed in all of those areas, and the roads are clear and traversable year-round. Arizona has one of the highest rates for auto insurance in the nation. Maine is very far down on the list. Arizona primarily utilizes electricity for heat and a/c, which gets very expensive in the summer when air conditioning is not only a must for the sake of comfort, but a must for the sake of one's health. Maine primarily utilizes oil heating systems, which is very inexpensive. Case in point, at the peak energy useage in Arizona, my electricity bill can run upwards of $250.00. Peak energy useage in Maine saw it at *maybe* $75.00. Maine has a sluggish job and real estate market, with unemployment around 6%, and homes taking sometimes *years* to sell. Arizona's economy is booming, with unemployment at around the 2% mark, and homes selling within hours (in some cases) of being put on the market. Crime and violence in Arizona is a daily, hourly occurrence. In Maine, people still feel comfortable leaving their doors unlocked. It all depends on what you want out of life. Where I'm at right now, Arizona is the best place for me. But if I ever wanted to raise a family, I wouldn't do it here. I'd want my kids to have the same kind of childhood I did, and that's just not possible in Arizona. Northern Arizona is great, though. The Flagstaff area reminds me a great deal of Maine. If we were able to move up there, it would suit the country girl in me a lot better. One of the goals Calvin and I have is to purchase a cabin up north, for weekend "get the hell out of the city" getaways. That, too, would go a long way toward restoring the spirit that city life has been steadily sucking out of me. What I miss about Maine is the country lifestyle. Tap water from the well that is so cold it hurts your teeth, and tastes wonderful. Spring, summer, and fall. Country fairs and gardens that grow incredible produce with hardly any maintenance. Walking through fields and seeing deer grazing in the front yard (and nibbling on the garden!). White Christmases. The ocean (oh, man, the ocean!). Amazing seafood. And tons of other things, not the least of which is my family. What I *don't* miss about Maine is (of course) the snow. Unimproved roads. Narrow minded (not all, but a lot) inhabitants. Crappy school systems. Rusting cars. Mud season. Lack of opportunity. What I would miss about Arizona if I should move away would be the beautiful sunsets. The gorgeous winter weather. The convenience of having all of life's necessities at my fingertips. The smell of the desert after a rain storm (mesquite!). Ground squirrels. The mountains. What I would *not* miss about Arizona is the pollution. The crime. The electricity and auto expense. The crowded living conditions. Rush hour traffic. The hard, disgusting tap water. The rushed, rushed, rushed lifestyle. And, above and beyond anything else, the heat. Dear God, the heat. And it's back again already. |