It never rains here
This long-legged mistress is a mystery,
She is fake and beautiful
With no soul
But never changes.

The year is like a stack of blue cubes,
Square as windows of an Internet Company
Reflecting the sky
Of daily brightness
And vapid valleys streaming in cars
Climbing one hill and another
Which exit only for take-out coffee

The ocean is untouchable
Cold, colorless darkness
A metaphor for “the beach”
Where you may look, but don’t touch
It’s all a part of the perfection,
And you can insert your image everywhere.

The natives, having pushed out
Indians, Mexicans
But sit in trees and fight for the condor,
Must always defend how beautiful
And bounteous their land is,
Vain and proud of their humility,
Political correctness and perfection.
I listen, but only hear
The sky, void of thunder.

I really like living in CA, but I could think of a few places I wouldn’t mind moving to!

Low cost of living doesn’t mean much if you’re comparing areas with vastly different opportunities of course. But cities like Austin and Dallas offer world-class dining, shopping, entertainment, arts, culture, and music; and they also have thriving business economies and good job markets for most industries.

I’ve had friends move to Chicago, NY, and LA from here, and I can’t imagine trading up so much in terms of cost of living. I know there are lots of people who say they live in expensive cities because their jobs don’t exist in other places–but unless you work in fashion or media or you’ve founded a company in one of those areas, there’s often little basis for those claims.

There’s nothing wrong with choosing to live in an expensive area, of course. But if you’re struggling to make ends meet or if you can’t even afford to do all the fantastic things in your city, then moving to a less expensive area can be the quickest way to increase your wealth and your lifestyle.