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you have some if it right on... Posted by Scott Paterson [Email]  (#13)  [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Scott Paterson) on Thu, 27 Oct 2005 09:18:47
In Reply to: OT: Question for Californians - How do you do it?, Rod  [Profile/Gallery]
, Thu, 27 Oct 2005 09:02:26
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Housing is terribly expensive here, but jobs here also pay significantly more and there are more jobs here now, way more, than in 2000. Traffic was getting to be hell during rush hours (8am-9:30am and 3:45-7:30p), but that has eased considerably. As long as you don't have to go over 17 which usually has one accident per day - which is what really causes traffic problems here in the Bay Area - even in the opposite direction as driver's pause to gawk, but we're down near Stanford University and can get into SF in just 25 minutes. Gas in 2.93 currently for premium - a lot of that is state tax on gas use, so yep, we have expensive gas. It doesn't seem to deter anyone here from driving or from buying SUVs, it seems to me. Insurance is average, but I used to be insured in New York, so maybe it is expensive there too - I know taxes are pretty high in New York since I help out my family in with some of that.
Who said no vacations? We definitely get vacation time - that's how we stay sane, by leaving this area once in awhile.
However, all that said - we have paradise weather here. It's usually sunny and clear and 75-85 here. Winters lately have given us good rain and plenty of water for the garden and for us, with photovoltaic solar panels on the roof, we have free electricity. I think retirement is like anywhere else - it's up to you to save and most companies match 401K contribution upto a percentage (3-6%). Both my wife and I must work to make enough to pay the mortgage and home equity loans plus life expenses, but I bet if we decided to skimp a good bit, that wouldn't be necessary. Then there are a bunch of friends of mine who actually did make a bundle from the dot.com era and don't have to work at all... but that's a whole other story. It's very dense here. Before my brother and I tore out our kitchen and rebuilt it, our neighbors could look into our kitchen window, through our hallway, through the bathroom, out the bathroom window, and into our neighbors kitchen windows. It's definitely cramped, depending on where you want to live. For a long time, I thought for sure that eventually, I'd move back to the beautiful New England area near Hanover NH or Northampton MA, but we're now weather wimps and there's so much going on in this area, there's never a dull moment. Last night, I went to a private screening of Favela Rising that a friend of mine worked on (did a lot of altitude camera work) in which the slums of Rio de Janiero are spotlighted (especially the group AfroRagae and their work preventing kids from joining the drug armies). Catch it if you can - it's brilliant, award winning filmmaking...
Anyway, we manage - AND, there's the Bay Area Saab Club which has been having really excellent Saab events plus we have at least 4 great Saab dealers, two dealers within 15 minutes drive, plus one of the best indies in the nation, Paul Perry's The Swedish Auto Factory (a site sponsor too) just 15 minutes away. When I really get in a jam with the Sonett, they can fix any of my foul ups. Paul's won many a concours award with his Sonetts at Saab Owner's Conventions and he races one of them at Laguna Seca regularly.
-Scott
_______________________________________ Saabnet.com Webmaster Saabs Owned: 1973 Saab Sonett III (Current) 1983 Saab 900 Turbo 1985 Saab 900 Sedan 1990 Saab 900 1992 Saab 900S 1999 Saab 9-3 Turbo 2005 Saab 9-2X Aero (RIP 95K/Accident-guy ran stop sign) 2005 Saab 9-2X Aero (Current) 2007 Saab 9-3 SportCombi 2010 Saab 9-3X Wagon Winner 1996 Saab Owners Convention Rally Novice Class Winner 1999 Saab Owners Convention Rally (All Classes) Also Founder of two non-profits: Poverty2Prosperity.org RunClubMenloPark.org
, Thu, 27 Oct 2005 09:02:26
, Mon, 31 Oct 2005 11:46:54
, Sun, 30 Oct 2005 19:25:15, Sat, 29 Oct 2005 00:25:19
, Thu, 27 Oct 2005 22:58:03, Thu, 27 Oct 2005 15:04:01, Thu, 27 Oct 2005 20:22:23
, Thu, 27 Oct 2005 18:23:02, Thu, 27 Oct 2005 12:16:37, Thu, 27 Oct 2005 14:30:32, Thu, 27 Oct 2005 14:58:17, Thu, 27 Oct 2005 14:39:58, Thu, 27 Oct 2005 15:01:43, Thu, 27 Oct 2005 12:03:28, Sat, 29 Oct 2005 00:45:46, Mon, 31 Oct 2005 07:20:17, Thu, 27 Oct 2005 11:16:58, Thu, 27 Oct 2005 10:15:32, Thu, 27 Oct 2005 09:18:47 <-- Viewing This Message
, Thu, 27 Oct 2005 09:13:48, Thu, 27 Oct 2005 09:20:30
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