I like taking showers every day and sleeping in a bed.

Heh, mine was a dig based out of a college, and we were bused back to the dorms every night. Comparatively posh.

Yikes, Laga!

Thanks for the advice, bonny, though it makes me want to cry. I have passed it on to my hippie cleaning lady and my realtor.

Speaking of which, there's an open house scheduled today at 1:30EST, so please send many vibes that someone loves it!

Calm~ma vibes for Laga and Nora with additional sell~ma to Nora.

So, we are seriously considering relocating to South Carolina in the next few years. Are we insane? Big pluses include being near a lot of my family, being able to afford a nice house, and just all around less chaotic than SoCal. Minuses? Well, the biggest is that we would be a gay family living in the conservative South. I'm not sure just how terrible that might be. Buffistas that live in the South, what do you think?

Buffistas that live in the South, what do you think?

I live in NC rather than SC, so my experiences might not be spot on. Anyway, there are liberal pockets in NC, such as large parts of Durham, nearly all of Chapel Hill, and parts of Raleigh, where I think gay families could live with a minimum of hassle. However, there are also large swathes of the state where I would have concerns.

I believe SC is somewhat more conservative than NC.

ETA: All that said, yay possible Glamcookie in the southeast!

I think you should forget the conservative south and come to the liberal south instead!

A gay family would cause few waves in Athens, GA, although I don't know any (I can think of one family we are acquainted with where one of the parents is, I think, transgendered, and no gay couples with children.) Decatur, GA (a suburb of Atlanta) is also a very liberal spot. Aside from those places, I am not sure where in my state I would consider living if I were in your shoes. Probably Savannah; there is a big art student population there and a very artsy vibe. SC? I dunno, man. Maybe Charleston, but it struck me as pretty conservative.

So, we are seriously considering relocating to South Carolina in the next few years. Are we insane?

I vote insane.

When Emmett and I drove through SC to visit amych, it was WAY more religiously conservative than NC. Kind of scarily so. I can't see how that'd work for a gay couple with kid.

Come to Decatur, Ga., the reddest spot in the blue Southeast. Judging by the crowd at things like the Fourth celebration and all the festivals, Decatur may have as many gay couples with children as straight.

Depending on where your SC family lives, GC, Durham and related NC places might make for a fairly easy holiday commute.

SC spawned Stephen Colbert, so it can't be all bad, but it's more conservative than NC, for sure.

Greenville, SC is one of my favorite towns. Great urban planning, completely walkable, wonderful restaurants and parks. But it's also a hop, skip, and a jump from Bob Jones University (BJU, haha) where, IIRC women still aren't allowed to wear pants, so, you know, SC has its quirks.

Charleston is lovely, and I've had a lot of fun there. Charleston also has Spoleto, so it's not completely lacking in culture. And this vid came out of Charleston. If there are that many Palin haters there, there's hope, though it's hard to discern the tourist/native ratio there.

But yeah, GC, move here, to NC! JOIN US.

Also, ::waves to everyone:: Sorry I've been gone for so long. I seem to be having a mid-life crisis, which is such a cliche, since I'm turning 40 in a few weeks. But y'all are in my mind and heart, always.

So many hugs and so much love to Maria and your DH. Much ~ma to LeN, with your diagnosis. Good luck with your move, Kate! ~ma to everyone that needs it, because I am miles behind.

I'll be back when I have something interesting to say that isn't pointless, depressing whining about MY ENTIRE LIFE. Or maybe before! Look forward to THAT.