Peter, your opening post made me sad. As a native Californian myself, there are a multitude of things I dislike as well as a multitude of things I love about this place. All in all, it is tough to dislodge oneself from a place called home for some thirty-odd years and start anew.

There are plenty of good people in the world, and moving gives you a better opportunity to meet more of them. Good luck.

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"Nothin' up my sleeve. . ." --Bullwinkle J. Moose