Huh. I seem to be watching Macho Men on Ice.

I'm in central Washington, Spokane's all the way on the eastern border.

Oops, sorry. If it's any consolation, I do the same thing with MA, and I'm from there. "What, not on the coast? Must be all the way on the other side!"

Well, until someone else steps up to claim Spokane (not it!), you have to represent.

Spokane is also in the Very Very Red half of the state.

it's a fairly culturally conservative area.

Oh dear. That's something I'm hoping to get further away from, not closer to. Oh, well. It's very good to know. Thanks!

I'm trying to decide if former-star-wars who also was an engineer is worse than a dude with a heavy beancounter rep. I know nothing about this guy, so the fact that radio mentioned him primarily as engineer before manager made me a wee bit hopeful. Gonna have to talk to my dad. He's still really really bitter that they are calling the next big space telescope Webb after an administrator (insert his ickptooi here) rather than oh, I dunno, an astronomer (which is the general accepted thing. When it isn't a geographic name.) He's kinda opinionated on the subject, what with spending nearly a year coming up with an acceptable name for the 3.5 meter on his site.

Oops, sorry. If it's any consolation, I do the same thing with MA, and I'm from there. "What, not on the coast? Must be all the way on the other side!"

Heh. No no, that's fine--I don't expect you to remember the fine points of northwestern geography. (I was in my twenties before I realized that yes, SF and LA really were quite a ways apart...)

Oh dear. That's something I'm hoping to get further away from, not closer to. Oh, well. It's very good to know. Thanks!

Yeah, then Spokane isn't gonna be your thing--you want to be on the west side of the Cascades.

you want to be on the west side of the Cascades.

Fair 'nuff. The climate would suit me better, too, I expect. We'll see if the Tacoma opening comes to anything.

OTOH, you can find bastions of likemindedness even in places with a rep for not. You just have to hold your nose at the fed your place elects. See- Chapel Hill or my friend's home in Boise. I was chagrined to discover a thriving like-me-political community there, one she is very active in.Or hey, where my aunt used to live in CA if you are not of that bent.

Honestly, that's one of the things I like about tiny NM. You go from commune living hippies to die-hard conservative ranchers to yuppies. And sometimes really weird things happen. Like the rancher team up with the environmentalists (can't quite recall where this was a big deal. Montana? Wyoming?)

Yes, I wish everyone around me was right-thinking like me, but...dialog and creative solutions are also good.

Susan W. - ~Ma to your Dad. And punctuation to you.