@phoneboy ??
@kdfrawg Nice! I will probably always think of it as Leningrad, though. Early imprinting and all that. :-)
@matigo Ever thought of taking Japanese citizenship? At some point, if that's where your life, wife, child, and property are, it would make sense.
Почта России tells me my package has reached Russian customs in Leningrad--I mean, St. Petersburg. Meanwhile, the USPS tracking page just says it's "In transit." ?
@matigo That's actually not as bad as I expected. Then again, that's what my brother paid for over 2000 square meters in upstate NY. And it had a four-bedroom house on it.
@matigo Of course, you're in one of the few places on Earth where property values are even more insane than coastal California.
@matigo Pro tip: avoid both hills and beaches/coastal property. If you're 5-10 kilometers away, you're still close enough to enjoy them, but prices are cheaper and so is the property insurance.
@matigo I've spent my entire half-century in southern California, and it's always the same story. That's why I don't live in the hills--I've seen them burn too many times.
@matigo Ironically, our above-normal rainfall that ended the drought also generated above-normal brush growth, which means it'll be a spectacular fire season this summer.