First Post/Howdy Y'all/An Eventual Move BACK To California (San Francisco: sales, apartment) - (CA) - City-Data Forum

Russbo · 05-13-2009, 01:46 PM

Okay, I don't have a long time to write much as I'm getting ready for work (DVD merchandiser for Disney) so I'll try to make this quick. I am a natural born Southerner. Born in FL, raised in AL and GA all my life and have lived there up until April 1996.

I met a girl named Lorna online who was from the Concord/Bay area. She moved to Redding a short while before we met. She managed to talk me into leaving my nest of home with my parents... at 26, and move to be with her. We were together for three months before we got married in a Reno, NV ceremony Cheesy but wonderful.

I told you those stories to tell you this story. I LOVED Redding. Beautiful, majestic with it's Shasta and Lassen volcanos. Being introduced to take and bake pizza for the first time was fun (never experienced that in Dallas, GA). We had the greatest time there together. Shortly after we had gotten married (I'm talking the very next day), I got a call from my sister telling me our pregnant 20 year old baby sister had been struck and killed by a hit and run driver so the new bride and I had to jump back into the not even unpacked car and drive out to Georgia for the funeral, which we missed... ;(

When we got home, we didn't have jobs as the wife lost her job right before our trip and I couldn't find work (even though I was being painfully picky after just leaving a job in a grocery store I had been in since 1990) so we had to pack up and move in with my parents and those were really hard times.

Well, now, at age 39 (40 in November), and at a place in my life where I feel my dreams are bound to come true, I've spent these past four years learning screenwriting on my own in Sioux Falls, SD. We moved here because times were just too hard for us in Georgia(yeah, sure... wife just didn't like the South, California native that she is) and now we're living with her mother, another California native.

I have to say, every day, it takes all I have to keep my mouth shut. I want my own place (grouchy wife is welcome to come along, if she so desires) and I want to move somewhere where I am not the only one in the house shovelling my way out of 12 inches of snow at times and dealing with below zero temps for three to five months out of the year (or so it seems). I want to live where family isn't up my butt crack wanting to butt in on business that isn't theirs or to constantly being preached to that I need to go to church.

Whenever we watch a TV show or a movie that shows San Francisco or Fisherman's Wharf or any place in the Bay Area, I hear my wife audibly mumble,"Home." As a budding screenwriter (yeah, I know it's a cut-throat business but who has a better shot than I?), I've been told by my peers that it's hard to make it when you live far away from L.A. or from the movie making capital or the world and, to succeed, I must move to California.

My thing is, I have no money to move with and the only way I'm GOING to have any money is by selling my first spec script while I'm here and then move out there when I get the money. Plus, I haven't even talked it over with the wife and she has this huge fear of earthquakes and I'm sure that would be compounded by all these wildfires and fear of getting caught up in one. My concerns of a rejection are visably on the cuff of my shirt.

But, if I can convince her that more people die in tornadoes than earthquakes (of so I've been told) and if I can convince her that we'd survive out there, there may be a shot.

Now, I've read on here just how much so many of you natives hate your state. I was only there for three months in the Spring of 1996 so I can imagine it's gotten much worse there. Moving to a place like Redding isn't going to help my commute to L.A. any quicker so that's out. The Bay Area may as well be cutting me open and staring at me as I hemmorrage money so that, too, is out. I have looked at both Visalia and Bakerfield. Visalia, at this moment in time, seems like a better fit. A little bigger than Sioux Falls but the weather is gorgeous comparitively, all year 'round. And it's only 1.5-2 hours awayfrom pitch meetings and work and whatever there may be I'd need to go to.

So, I carefully ask, hoping not to walk on anyone's feelings here, what can anyone tell me about a move there at this day and age? I'd almost be willing to do odd jobs to make a living or anything I can find until I start selling scripts on a regular basis. I know that may never happen but we all have our dreams, right?

Living in an apartment isn't a big deal. We did it in Redding and in Georgia as well. A loft apartment would be groovy but I know they're expensive and there's no way we could afford that. The idea of bringing the mother in law along scares me poop-less, plus, she's the one I'm trying to escape from to begin with (she's quite territorial by nature and I want to get away from "her" house and junk.

Well, now that I've gone on WAY longer than planned, I'm off to work. Plus, I keep dosing off so I apologize for any misspellings or bad grammer. I look forward to reading your thoughts and seeing how you all feel about adding a new citizen to your already overcrowded state. ;P Thanks, y'all, ahead of time for your comments.

- Russ

country pride · 05-13-2009, 01:49 PM

Welcome to Calif. I was born and raised here, so guess you can say Im a native Californian.
Say....what part of Alabama do/did you live in???

Russbo · 05-13-2009, 01:56 PM

Gadsden, AL. Went to Jacksonville State for one semester and "dropped out". LOL!

Fontucky · 05-13-2009, 02:03 PM

Russbo · 05-13-2009, 02:37 PM

Sorry about the novel. I tend to talk people's ears off... remember, I'm from the South. All we do is talk down there.

bayarea-girl · 05-13-2009, 02:47 PM

If you guys have stable jobs then I would recommend that you stay put until the economy improves. Which part of CA are you considering? This is a sucky economy to try to pick up and move anywhere. What type of work and skills do you both have?

4beanie · 05-13-2009, 03:32 PM

Visalia is an ok town but it does get in the 100's in the summer and it's a good 3 hour drive to LA with the traffic and all. There's not gonna be many jobs available with our current economy. Bakersfield would put you an hour closer to LA, but summer heat is bad and winter Tule fog is bad.
Good luck to you

Russbo · 05-13-2009, 06:33 PM

B.A.G., We're basically... well, here's the thing. Wife just got a job in January with Qwest. She seems to like it - not as stressful as her other job and she gets to work a "normal" schedule. She makes more than I do and that suits me just fine. I however have been employed with Pepsi as a glorified stock boy since 2003 and during big sales (like the current tent sale), it gets a little nuts and I stress out like crazy but at least I'm not in sanitation or a correctional facility as a prison guard. Pay is d***.

I've considered Visalia or Bakersfield but if I can find a fairly decent place with a not too shabby drive time to L.A.... I'm a reasonable guy.

4beanie - Thanks for that info. I may have failed to mention I hadn't planned on moving right away. More than likely, if ever at all, probably next year sometime, if all goes well. How's the heat there in summer? Is it a hot heat or a humid heat? And to be honest, fog doesn't bother me too much. My plan is to just not drive in it. LOL! Thanks y'all! Your replies are greatly appreciated!

18Montclair · 05-13-2009, 06:52 PM

I think Bakersfield is preferable to Visalia because its bigger which usually means more amenities and a huge plus is that its only 100 miles or so from L.A.

Also,
Redding is gorgeous. I drove up to Seattle and was impressed at all the trees and terrain around Redding. Its lovely.

Charles · 05-13-2009, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Russbo

B.A.G., We're basically... well, here's the thing. Wife just got a job in January with Qwest. She seems to like it - not as stressful as her other job and she gets to work a "normal" schedule. She makes more than I do and that suits me just fine. I however have been employed with Pepsi as a glorified stock boy since 2003 and during big sales (like the current tent sale), it gets a little nuts and I stress out like crazy but at least I'm not in sanitation or a correctional facility as a prison guard. Pay is d***.

I've considered Visalia or Bakersfield but if I can find a fairly decent place with a not too shabby drive time to L.A.... I'm a reasonable guy.

4beanie - Thanks for that info. I may have failed to mention I hadn't planned on moving right away. More than likely, if ever at all, probably next year sometime, if all goes well. How's the heat there in summer? Is it a hot heat or a humid heat? And to be honest, fog doesn't bother me too much. My plan is to just not drive in it. LOL! Thanks y'all! Your replies are greatly appreciated!

Any chance you can both make it work in Alabama? Huntsville is very stable, 10,000-20,000 jobs are coming in the next two years. Housing is around $70/sqft in OK neighborhoods.

Huntsville leaders trying to attract young workers to fill BRAC slots

Private jobs to soar because of BRAC - al.com

General: Redstone Arsenal to create 10,000 new jobs | TimesDaily.com | The Times Daily | Florence, AL (http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20080423/NEWS/804230337/-1/COMMUNITIES - broken link)