Another Pros & Cons List

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

Well, as promised, some possibly HUGE news. There's a new job opportunity that has come up that has great potential for growth & a significant pay raise within the company. The catch is... that it's in San Francisco. I know what you're thinking. "$teve, you love Tahoe. You love your job. Why the hell are you even considering it?" Well, you're right. I do love my job... very much so, even if they may not pay me what I'm worth, I really enjoy the people I work with, the responsibility that my job entails & the experience that I've gained from it. I do love Tahoe... in the summer. I don't have all the details yet, so this is still preliminary... but I just thought I'd give you the heads up, that your boy Dr. Mookie Love may be taking his talents to South Beach... er, San Francisco. There's quite a number of steps between here and there though... so let's break it down. As usual, when I have a possible life-changing decision, I do two things: First, I make a list of Pros & Cons. Second, after doing some research, I contact my Board of Trustees (family & friends) and see what they think about the idea.

Bubbles told me about the opportunity on Monday, so she's obviously in favor of the idea. Or as she put it, "We'd be like peas & carrots again." Obviously referencing one of my favorite movies. The Wingmans, JL Clyde, K-Fish, Lilie, all seem to be in favor of the idea, thinking that the city would appeal more to my social nature... and I really don't like being snowed in for half the year and barely making ends meet financially. My mom really liked the idea too. She's obviously a little scared of her baby boy in the big city and everything... but I'm sure she won't mind visiting from time to time... any time of year. I even talked to Boss Man K... and he was very supportive of it... even when he knows the amount of work that he would be taking on, especially in the short term until he found someone (or four) to replace me.

My dad was the first person to tell me that I may be f**king crazy. I actually didn't tell him about the idea until late last night. He response was pretty much what I expected, which was why I wanted to have information first... but since it was early on, I didn't want it to be an all of a sudden thing. So I told him. "WHAT? SON, NO!!! Sigh... where is this job?" "San Francisco." "WHAT? Are you f**king... WHY?" So I told him about the job opportunity, that I already knew about the cost of living differences, the details were coming & it was just a thought, blah blah blah. "You know... you get like this everytime that you get snowed in. You know that, right?" Well, to look back, moving to Denver was after a futile 6-month search in Vegas at the beginning of the recession. Then the reason for moving back to SLC was not having a job for me in Denver. Then moving out here was because I didn't like being on the bottom of the totem pole again & I had an opportunity to open an office here in this paradise. He's not a huge fan of traffic & large numbers of people... and San Fran has that. He's also scared of his man-child in the big city. That's just the way parents are. He also REALLY doesn't want to help me move... and I can understand that. The thing is... I've grown up in Utah, lived in Denver, I'm not a huge fan of the snow. In Utah, it wasn't that bad... but it gets ridiculous sometimes here... and ice is even worse. If I were a skier & loved that stuff, then this would be perfect for me... but that's not the case. I've been out here a year. I absolutely love the summers, but I find myself tolerating the winter (mainly because of white gold & it's why I have a job here) and it's awfully lonely. I have a few friends but... it's mostly families out here & all the young'uns are matched up. So in the end though, "Son, you know I love you... and I'll support whatever you decide. Get the details, let me know what you decide, and we'll work it out." He even made a joke, "You know, my leg's all healed up now so I guess that means it's time for you to move again." Referring to when he decided to put a hole in his leg helping me load the LAST THING into the moving van when he helped me move here last year.

So yeah, now comes the list of Pros & Cons for this new opportunity / adventure. Here's how I have it broken down, but feel free to make mentions of other things that I might've missed.

Pros - Going to San Francisco
- Great job opportunity with advancement possiblities
- City of culture, excitement & lots of bridges
- Always something to do at any hour
- Single Women!!! - It seems like Alaska here sometimes
- Bubbles - It's always good to have good friends
- Family & friends will visit often & year round
- Three int'l airports with 45 minutes (and a cruise port)
- Public Transportation (less gas expense)
- I can bike year round (and play basketball & stay fit)
- B**ches... by which I mean beaches
- Napa, Half Moon Bay & Napa are less than an hour away
- Monterey & the Redwoods are two hours away
- Yosemite & Tahoe are three hours away (for summer)

Cons - Staying in Lake Tahoe
- Great job with people I enjoy working with already
- Fresh mountain air
- Less likely to get hit by a tsunami (I like the high ground)
- The Lake is gorgeous (but the ocean is in San Fran too)
- Cost of living is lower (but moreso are the wages)
- I don't have to move (that's a big one)

I'm sure there are many more for both sides that I'm just not typing fast enough or something... but that's a good start. So you see the dilemma, I take it. I like where I'm at... but I don't love it. Is it time for a new adventure? Already? Well, I'll keep you posted on events over the next few days (as much as I legally can) but I'm starting to get a little excited at the idea (except the moving part) but again, not all the details are in quite yet. There has to be enough force to break this ionic bond that I have to this place... but the lowering temperature probably helps with the threshold. Anyway, have a great evening everybody!!! I've got some thinking to do...