Funny you should ask. I was on one just a few days ago. My mom turned 70 on Friday, so I surprised her by showing up out of the blue. My brother and his wife arrived a few hours later. This was in Jacksonville. We had an awesome time. We went to the beach every day we were there. Great for me, even better for my brother, who lives in the desert.
Fernandina beach is awesome. But I prefer Martha’s Vineyard, particularly Gay Head beach. (Nude chicks! Yay!) If I had money to burn, I’d spend my summers on MV and my winters on Amelia Island.
You’ve heard of a person being your soul mate? MV is my soul home. That’s where I want to die.
I wouldn’t say this in person but, you’re a male? :eek: I always thought you were a girl.
Seriously though, so you’re a Florida man huh? I guess I’ll keep the insults down, I guess. I’ve never been to Florida, so I can’t really comment on the specific places you went to, unfortunately. Though a nude beach seems like something we can discuss in more detail.
While I don’t believe in the idea of a soul mate, I do like the idea of a soul home. Seems more plausible for some reason. I, like your brother, live in the desert and California is where I’ve seen the ocean.
Unless San Diego has changed a ton since I was very young, I wouldn’t mind going back. Even if just for vacation. Been to any of the Cali beaches?
I’m not really a Florida person, but I like Amelia Island, and I have family there, so I love visiting. But I’m a New Englander at heart. Never been to California, but I’d love to swim in the Pacific at some point in my life, as well as the Indian Ocean.
What desert are you in? My brother is in Santa Fe. (Or he will be, once he leaves Florida.) I went out there a year ago and loved it. The sunsets can’t be beat.
I too am in New Mexico and I agree about the sunsets. Will suck to leave them, because I most definately do want to get out of this state. This state offers very little to a 20something male, with regards to entertainment and just general things to do. I could take up drugs I guess lol.
New England huh? I can’t say that I’d ever even consider living over there. Fine for some vacations to see that part of the country, but not to live.
How did you end up in NE? Born, raised and stayed there? Better career opportunities for your field?
There’s not much to do in NM? That wasn’t my experience, but then again my time was filled with family. (Niece got married.) Where else would you go? Since you love the beach so much, you should probably head towards a coast. Or maybe Hawaii! I’ve had dreams of living there. I even have half a dozen books on the subject.
I really love New England in the summer, and fall is amazing here. Winter, not so much. We don’t have much of a spring to speak of. I ended up here because it’s where I went to college, and I just never left. Over the decades I’ve considered moving to Honolulu, San Francisco, and Atlanta, but I’ve never considered it for long. I seriously considered Santa Fe, but the lack of oceans killed that for me.
Another place I’d go is Arizona. Phoenix specifically. The climate of Arizona being near what I’m used to and like. I don’t care much for hurricanes or ten feet of snow for half the year. I’d rather wear less clothes than more. Phoenix would be pretty damn good for me, IMO. Close to home and still close to Cali if I wanna hit a beach.
What are some pros of Atlanta? I’ve never really thought of it as a big “go to” city when it came to moving specifically moving there from a whole other part of the country.
One last thing, never think that it’s too late to up and move. Live that life!
@Others: You guys can join in at any time. Conversations aren’t just a two-person thing.
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie has been a great help for me. It’s important to express interest in the other person, and not go into too much detail about what interests you. Ask them about things you think they’d enjoy talking about. One thing I’ve learned from experience, is that it’s not always your fault if you can’t carry on a conversation with someone; some people just aren’t easy to talk with. Don’t be too quick to blame yourself. And as always, practice makes perfect.
I certainly hope that Lakai is getting something out of this. This is a great learning thread.
I went out with an Iranian woman last night. I was a little apprehensive because I thought we wouldn’t have much in common, being from such different cultures. But in looking for those keywords, we found a lot of common ground. She wants me to call her for a second date.
Covered_In_Bees!, how far is Phoenix from the nearest beach? It strikes me as an 8+ hour drive. Have you considered Palm Springs or Lake Tahoe?
After looking at a Google Map of where Lake Tahoe is, I’d have to say that is probably the eight-hour drive.
Phoenix to Los Angeles is about a six hour drive. Having to get through LA and to a beach would probably be another one hour or so, but this still falls within reason for me personally.
I’m used to doing such long drives. A three hour car ride is nothing to me anymore.
You like long drives? I could never understand that. To me, more than 2 hours in a car is torture. But my sister-in-law loves it. She once drove from New York to Salt Lake City by herself, in a beat-up bug that looked like it wouldn’t last more than a mile. She did something similar last week.
Besides (hugely long) beach access, what are some of your other “must-haves” in a living location?
Now now, I didn’t say I liked long drives, just that I’m used to them and not opposed to them as much as a lot of people seem to be.
How long was the NY to SLC drive? It sounds too damn for me. Especially in a car that doesn’t sound all that comfortable.
Even for me, the beach isn’t particularly a must-have. I just want the weather and climate to be similar to NM and AZ. Sun, heat and wind are preferable to lots of rain, snow and hurricanes.
Having a decent night life would be a plus for a city. Nothing like be able to stay out til three or four in the morning, I just want to be able to go out at midnight for a snack and not have only Village Inn or Denny’s to choose from. It doesn’t even have to be midnight, this stupid city practically closes at about 10PM.
I don’t know how long the NY to SLC drive was. Probably three days. I know she stopped in Salina, KS for a day or two. My great aunts expressed a lot of concern over whether her bug would make it over the Rockies.
Atlanta – At the time, in the mid-80s, my sister was living on Amelia Island, about 3 blocks from where she lives now. She was not very happy, and had heard that Atlanta was one of the most livable cities in the US. Clean, economically stable, and progressive. She invited me to room with her there. I seriously considered it, though I had doubts about living with my own sister. As we were discussing it, she met a guy. They were living together within a month and engaged within two. She decided to stay put, and has been happy there ever since.
I’m totally into politics, but scratch a little below the surface and my eyes start to glaze over. I tried to “study” for my date last night, getting up to speed on the Iranian election, but I just couldn’t get into it. I faked it by saying “Terrible what’s happening there, huh?” and letting her fill in the details.
Have you ever had to fake your way through a conversation?
Well put. I’m going to start using this describe myself when it comes to politics. I keep somewhat up-to-date on what’s going on, but I just cannot for the life of me get up the will or energy to participate in a heated debate.
I tend to think minds are not likely to change, so I’ll state my case, add some clarifications if anyone needs some, but that’s it. Just no energy or will for huge debates.
I’ll take a good conversation over a political debate any day of the week.
Speaking of conversations, nothing immediately comes to mind when I tried to recall if I had to fake a conversation. I try to steer clear of things I won’t really be able to talk about. Though it has the possibility to make for good conversation if the other person is willing to fill in the details as your date did.
I take it your conversational skills helped secure that second date huh?
Personally I always find that making conversation with a complete stranger is always made to flow more smoothly by telling them just how many pressups that you can do,how many women you’ve had and how they all thought that you were the best shag they’ve ever had,how you make lots of money and can drink everyone you know under the table.
Oh yes its never a bad idea to mention to them how their SO is a bit of a Munter and they could do with improving their dress sense.
If you need any other tips needed feel free to ask me.
I just discussed this with my counselor yesterday, so I thought I’d share. She said that conversations start out with general ‘getting to know you’ type stuff, like where you live, or what kind of work you do, etc. But at some point you have to bring up things you are interested in, and see if the other person might be interested in them too. Otherwise the conversation is just hard work. Maybe they gave you a clue in something they already said, but if not you can bring up a movie you saw, or some news item you read that you’d like to talk about. It’s a bit of a risk, because maybe they aren’t interested in that, but if they are, it will be a more natural conversation, not so stilted.
