Community Thread VII

[Sedale Threatt]

$1000 a month? Sure it's possible... are you ok with a male roommate?

Including my housing association fees, I pay $850 a month for a decent townhouse in North East San Antonio. Some might want/need something a little snazzier, or have difficulty with the hot weather and humid climate, or not like S.A. in general. But in terms of affordability (no state income tax in Texas, remember), I can't imagine there are many better places to live. I think Money magazine just rated it as one of the most recession-proof cities in the country.

75 miles up I-35 ain't a half bad place to be.....

I am not cool enough for Austin.

I do like the dueling bumper stickers between the two cities:

Keep Austin weird.

Keep San Antonio lame.

Very apropos in terms of their respective nightlifes.

[milesfides]

I know some people who have tried to get me out to visit them in Austin. Good music and film scene in the past few years. Too distracting?

Hm, Fresno. I wonder what it's like there. It sounds boring enough. I kinda like the idea of being close to a national park.

Thanks for the suggestions, guys.

So far these past few days, at the top of my list is Eureka, Ca., which is next to the ocean AND close to the wilderness - and a little south of Redwood Nat. Park. It seems dead enough, cheap enough. The weather is ideal - 60 degrees year round. That's unbelievable. Also, much of the architecture throughout the city is oddly victorian, which makes it a bit more interesting. Has a fairly high crime rate though, crystal meth and sex offenders seem to be a bit of a problem.

[Erik Eleven]

My book is going through one last read-through and then another quick-fix edit. The cover is being made and looking awesome. Then it's off to two publishers that I've been talking to. Yee-Haw!!! Ay Papi!!! Børk, Børk, Børk!!! Both have shown what actually seems to be legit interest. Should leave my hands within a month. I'm so excited, I'm besides myself. Can't believe that I might actually have a shot at getting a damn book published.

I'll do my own research, but does anyone have any solid knowledge as to how to protect the book before I send it out to the publishers? Someone told me I just have to write "copyright ©2008 MyName" and that should be enough, but I'm always skeptic towards all hearsay/urban myths type talk. The certified mail to yourself thing is not safe when it comes to music, so I doubt that it will be for a book. Does the library of congress copyright protection (PA form stuff) apply to books as well?

The most time consuming part has been to wait for feedback from good friends who volunteered to help proof reading it etc.

[milesfides]

AWESOME. You beat me to it, man. You did it.

I think US law protects unique work once you're done with it, whether it's published or not. If it's sitting on your desk, it's protected. I believe registering it makes it easier to sue somebody else for infringement, and allows you to recover attorney fees, so I think you should do it.

Here's the link that I'm referring to, straight from the US Copyright Office:

http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-general.html#what

"When is my work protected?
Your work is under copyright protection the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form that it is perceptible either directly or with the aid of a machine or device.

Do I have to register with your office to be protected?
No. In general, registration is voluntary. Copyright exists from the moment the work is created. You will have to register, however, if you wish to bring a lawsuit for infringement of a U.S. work. See Circular 1, Copyright Basics, section “Copyright Registration.”

Why should I register my work if copyright protection is automatic?
Registration is recommended for a number of reasons. Many choose to register their works because they wish to have the facts of their copyright on the public record and have a certificate of registration. Registered works may be eligible for statutory damages and attorney's fees in successful litigation. Finally, if registration occurs within 5 years of publication, it is considered prima facie evidence in a court of law. See Circular 1, Copyright Basics, section “Copyright Registration” and Circular 38b, Highlights of Copyright Amendments Contained in the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (URAA), on non-U.S. works. "

[Erik Eleven]

Thank you twofold, miles.

[hermes]

whats the book about EE, if i'm allowed to ask

[Blame Rasho]

I am not cool enough for Austin.

I do like the dueling bumper stickers between the two cities:

Keep Austin weird.

Keep San Antonio lame.

Very apropos in terms of their respective nightlifes.

One is perhaps the biggest college town in the US... another has of like around 4 military stations. It effects the nightlife.

[Erik Eleven]

whats the book about EE, if i'm allowed to ask

It's about sound mixing. I'll elaborate much more once it's released (if ever).

[Erik Eleven]

SashAlex,

Let's get together for a drink at some point this summer. I'm slammed at the moment. Welcome to LA.

[TommyTheCat]

Phil & EE, any help with my warning is appreciated. Since I can't respond or PM the mod and I don't want to make a public post (on a board which he mod's for) which might look like I'm trying to call him out, I'm kind of in limbo.

EE, thanks for the PM and your take. I agree with your assessment. & congrats on the book........that seems like a major undertaking.

Miles, lots of great little cities and towns in oregon that will come cheaper than Eureka with less crime. i'm in medford and an hour drive east gets you to crater lake, an 90 minute drive west gets you to the redwood forest and coast, and an 2 hr drive south gets you to Mt Shasta. also rogue river is minutes away and the upqua and willamette rivers are close by. lots of places to head out and lose yourself if you choose to. on top of that, ashland is close by and offers a small college community with things like the shakespeare theatre & skiing (Mt. Ashland). spring, summer and fall offers great weather but you have to deal with a rainy season and some snow (a couple weeks worth of snow on the floor of the valley) from dec-feb. eugene might be a good option for you also. if you need any info on places in oregon, let me know. here's a cool site for you to check out (you probably already know about it):

http://www.bestplaces.net/col/

[Sedale Threatt]

Other than the rain, Oregon is almost flawless. My sister and an aunt live in Portland; on a nice day, I seriously doubt there's a more beautiful metro area in the U.S. Maybe Seattle, but I've never been there so I can't say.

[LLcoleJ]

Phil & EE, any help with my warning is appreciated. Since I can't respond or PM the mod and I don't want to make a public post (on a board which he mod's for) which might look like I'm trying to call him out, I'm kind of in limbo.

Hey I talked to The Thief- and he wanted he to tell you it was nothing personal and that everyone who used those terms got warnings. Some public some via PM. I did see a warning given to the OP as well.

Let me know if there is anything else.

Other than the rain, Oregon is almost flawless. My sister and an aunt live in Portland; on a nice day, I seriously doubt there's a more beautiful metro area in the U.S. Maybe Seattle, but I've never been there so I can't say.

I lived in portland for 2 years. It was not my kind of place but I can see where you are coming from. On a clear day it was beautiful but there were times when it would be overcast for 2 months straight -- and while I like rain.. that was just to depressing for me. Weather aside.. I found many people there rather --rude. First off , they HATE californians. I had just got a brand new BMW ( Black) before I moved there from LA and in less then a week it was keyed and the window was kicked out. When I talked to the Police and neighbors it was a consensus that the car was too nice and the plates were from Cali. ( black cars with key marks going down both sides really sucks)

On top of that.. there would be times when I would be wearing a Lakers hat at the store and I would get in fights with people and once 2 guys tried to jump me walking home from the store in the middle of the day. Tried being the key word here ... but they were talking smack to me about the Lakers and tried to act tough.

I give portland a big pass from me.. but I can see how others might like it.

[blix]

I am not cool enough for Austin.

I do like the dueling bumper stickers between the two cities:

Keep Austin weird.

Keep San Antonio lame.

Very apropos in terms of their respective nightlifes.

One is perhaps the biggest college town in the US... another has of like around 4 military stations. It effects the nightlife.

Austin is a great place if you're 5 or 55....it doesn't really matter. Never seen the keep SA lame stickers, that's pretty funny. Austin is almost divided into 2 cities - South is very laid back, patio bars, outdoor stuff, etc.....North Austin is a cooler version of Dallas.

I haven't been a nightlife guy in a while, and while the "Live Music Capital of the World" thing gets beaten to death, it's true to a degree. You can pretty much pick a night and go see whatever kind of music you want - not always good.

Miles, ST, and anyone else for that matter - if you're ever in the city let me know. I'd be happy to show you around, or just go grab a bite/drink.

[milesfides]

Phil 2.0, that story is crazy, what do they have against Californians?

But I've personally been subjected to the same Laker-hate here on the east coast. The Lakers are fairly hated throughout the U.S.

TTC, thanks for the link to Sperling's Best Places, that's a great resource. While Eureka looks good to me on paper, those reviews are overwhelmingly negative.

I'm going to look into Medford and Ashland. Both sound pretty nice. What I find interesting in all those reviews of the Northwest, it seems as if there's a major influx of out-of-staters, mostly from California, coming in and raising house prices, pissing off the natives. Maybe that's why they're so hostile to outsiders and people from Cali?

Blix, I'd definitely give you a holler when I'm anywhere near your neck of the woods. It's always cool to meet up with realgmers.

[Danny Darko]

I lived in Washington... same thing there. The pacific northwest sees californians basically the exact same way many americans see immigrants from mexico. Invaders from the south that bring their culture, make things more crowded, and use resources. I got alot of it when I was in Seattle.

Man, my meeting the girlfriends parents story was erased by the system... I don't know if I'm up to doing it a second time.

[TommyTheCat]

Phil, Thanks for the scoop. I'll be more cautious in the future. You might want to tell The Thief to edit the OP because it still has the derogatory term showing.

Miles, there's not much california backlash in S.Oregon because 75% of the population are cali transplants. lots of lakers fans as well and it's always nice to make some extra income off of bets with blazer fans ashland sits about 15 miles north of the cali border with medford coming in at the 35 mile mark and grants pass around 55 miles. we don't get near the amount of rainy days or days with socked in clouds that portland or seattle get. ashland is the most expensive of towns because it's a tourist haven. medford sits in a valley about the size of the san fernando valley and is surrounded by other little towns and farm land. lots of room for growth in the city and according to that site it's grown by 12% since 2000. grants pass is where i used to live and it's smaller than medford, in a small valley surrounded by mountain peaks with lots of pine trees and has the rogue river running through it. i love that place and used to own a small house with 5 acres (but i was an idiot and sold it.............uuuggghhh..............should have rented it out). grants pass is west of medford and is closer to the coast. for that reason, it has more cloudy & foggy weather during the winter than medford. that site also showed the grants pass growth rate at a staggering 29% since 2000.

[LLcoleJ]

TTC, he said he tried to edit and couldnt get it to work. ( new system) and that he is going to take care of the issue.

[Slava]

Been catching up with the movies over the summer after a busy spring semester and watched "The last king of Scotland" yesterday. Looked more like a on again - off again love affair between Amin and the young Scot doctor to me but Forest Whitaker did an amazing job.

[SashAlex]

SashAlex,

Let's get together for a drink at some point this summer. I'm slammed at the moment. Welcome to LA.

OK ! Great ! I'll probably be staying at my cousin in Burbank, on San Fernando st.
I'm arriving tomorrow at 2 : 15 pm. Coming by train from Fresno.

[SashAlex]

Gotta go to bed 'cause I gotta get up early tomorrow...
I'll finally see my dearest LA !
...Staples Center, Santa Monica ! Sounds nice !

Way to go !