After that I was then taken for some briefings on some internal procedures. That was rather painless as that my previous employer had this way of over-engineering the presentation to where it took longer to go thru all of that. Then it was a visit to the company cafeteria, as that the coffee and cookies are free and it's customary for people there to take a coffee break.......I'll say that it's encouraged by management, and hey, if they want me to grab some coffee on their nickel then I'll take it.
At that point it was time to start my new assignment. I was given some reading material on one of our hot projects and ten minutes into reading this I knew that I had made the right choice in accepting their offer. Well, it was the offer I most wanted to get out of the existing possibilities, but it was nice to have that feeling re-confirmed.
I could write a few pages on what we are doing, but company policy will not allow that. No, it's not classified or anything like that; it's that what we're doing is proprietary and the potential for industrial espionage is there. I could name this employer and direct you to their website, but I'm not going to do that. Those family and friends who need to know already know.
I will say this: I am doing the neatest job that I've ever gotten to do in my life! Mark back in San Jose was right when he predicted this. He admitted being tempted to send in a resume to this firm.
* * * * * * *
There is naturally a collection of concerns that one has when undergoing a transition like this. I'm not worried about losing this job or anything like that, even though the industry can be brutal. I think we're the best at what we do so I have confidence in this company.
The concern though is whether or not I will be able to afford a house in the Las Vegas valley. The market here is taking off and the market in Tucson is not. I have heard some chatter that it is picking up in Tucson, but people who want to leave the People's Republic of California are more likely to land in Las Vegas than they are in Tucson. There is no state income tax here and the climate is business-friendly. In Tucson, the city council is doing all they can to discourage business, no doubt a consequence of their left-wing leanings.........meaning that they view all for-profit businesses and corporations as evil, and thus these enterprises must be punished with taxes, fees, and bureaucracy.
The upshot of that means that Tucson is on its way to becoming a retirement community, with only service-oriented industries. The high tech jobs are disappearing. They're going to Phoenix, Las Vegas, Dallas, Orlando, Huntsville and other places. So, that translates into a dismal housing market in Tucson.
Now I could sell and get some money out of my house. Not as much as I'd like, of course. The value was nearly doubled in 2004 but when the foreclosure wave emerged prices dropped to 2000 levels....the year that I bought my house.
Las Vegas was hit harder by the bubble burst than most other cities. I think the typical house ran up to $400k and a lot of people moved here from southern California. Then the bubble burst, with Vegas having one of the highest foreclosure rates in the nation and those who kept their houses found out that they owed more money on their house than what it was worth (this hit Phoenix metro as well).
The crash here has since happened, but it's picking up again. This new wave started in California, and quickly migrated to over here, and it might be picking up some in Phoenix.
So the big concern here is, will I be able to afford a house here should I sell in Tucson?
* * * * * * *
One option is to keep the house in Tucson and rent it out. I could easily clear a good chunk more in rent than what I'm paying on my mortgage. That scenario of course would mean returning in Tucson when I'm really ready to retire. Sheila loves the house, and I do too. The lot sizes in Vegas though are small....you have to wonder why they don't build rowhouses like you see in Philadelphia and cram 'em in. I personally wish my back yard in Tucson was bigger than it is, but it would be even smaller in Vegas. I might have room for a BBQ grill and a few lounge chairs and that's it.
So the second concern here is, the quality of house I could get here if I could get one.
* * * * * * *
The third concern is the school situation. I had a good chat with the chief of security at my new employer. He said that if kids are in the mix, live either in Henderson or in Summerlin. If kids are not in the mix, then any good neighborhood would do.
We've already been looking at Henderson. It would mean for a longer commute for me, but we're talking 20 minutes. My boss lives in Henderson and loves it. Henderson is also among the top five safest cities in the country, as reported by the FBI.
The kids of course, are a little apprehensive about the move. I won't interrupt a school year and I need to know that we'll be able to make it here as a family before I commit to a move.
However, I'm also prepared for the possibility that I'll be making frequent visits to Tucson for two years. That is not to my liking nor is it to Sheila's, but if there's another boom here in housing prices that is not reflected in Tucson then we'll definitely have to hang on to the house.
* * * * * * *
Fourth concern.
I'm living in a state with legalized gambling. As related in the previous post, there was a time in my life when I thought gambling was great as hot buttered popcorn and bottled beer, but I don't think that way now. After coming up here for a BTO concert in 2002, I found myself being against legalized gambling for the first time in my life.
What had happened was that I had stayed Downtown, where BTO was playing on a stage set up at Fremont Street between the then Fitzgerald's and the Four Queens. During my time there, I was constantly hit up on by panhandlers. I got tired of it. After the concert, Bob Self made the pronouncement that "The whole town is a trashcan!" and although I was laughing at it, I realized where he was coming from.
That Sunday morning, after gassing up for the return home, I saw this destitute guy walking around in a daze. I'm thinking, this town sure has sure destroyed a lot of people. When I got back to Arizona there was an election later on with three ballot measures seeking to expand Indian gaming in the state.
In the past I would have voted yes on these.
I voted no on all three, since I'm thinking about what I saw in Vegas and also thinking, not in my state.
I do have something of a libertarian streak in me and I believe that a state has the right to legalize gambling. I've done some research as to why Nevada legalized it in 1931, and I want to do a little more reading on this.
As for gambling itself.......I did discover one minor benefit.
I was Downtown yesterday for people-watching, and I stopped off at the Four Queens for a Coors Light. The bartender informed me that if I put ten dollars into the video poker machine that was embedded into the counter right in front of me, he could "comp" me the beer....meaning that it's "free" if you gamble. Otherwise, he'd have to charge me $4.50.
I got to thinking, what's to stop me from leaving the bar before I gamble away the ten dollars? What are they gonna do about it? So I fed ten smackers into the machine and went at it......slowly playing a quarter a hand. I was slow and deliberative in playing my hand. Once I was down to $7.50 in the machine I quit playing, although I pretended to be carefully studying the cards every time the bartender looked over at me.
When I was done, I cashed out.
By my reckoning I paid $2.50 for that beer instead of $4.50, and had a little entertainment along the way.
* * * * * * *
That is going to be it for now.
No comments:
Post a Comment