My dream house

While we didn't remain there I am glad that for a while we lived in rural Ohio. While it was mst3kmoxie who found us the house, over our time there I grew to love it. I miss it, but I am glad of what it taught me of what makes me happy. Once the children are grown it should be quite affordable to move back to somewhere that ticks all the boxes, especially if I may telecommute or otherwise work from home. I therefore think it worth noting now what I liked, while I still remember well.
( what living in rural Ohio taught me about the kind of house that I like )

Basically, I want what is actually fairly common in rural America. I can wait. Our previous house was nice indeed: many of the rooms had tall windows, the house had three porches, the garage was enormous, but that's all surplus to requirements.

It's relevant to make a note about regret. I generally avoid some experiences because I fear that I would rather like them and then have to live with the knowledge that I miss them but amn't in a position to make them a routine part of my life. A nice thing about having enjoyed living in the house I now remember fondly is that I am at least patient: it is much easier to miss it knowing that I am likely to be able to return someday to a more modest version of it. When I did live there I was mindful of how I should appreciate it at the time.

Good actors

Wonderfalls is a quirky, imaginative television comedy. Like so very many good shows it was canceled prematurely by Fox. The first episode suffices as a representative taste. Hannibal is a rather darker television drama with good production values and it's worth watching the first season if you enjoy creepiness. (The film of the same title is okay but not at all the same thing.) Caroline Dhavernas appears in both shows and I was struck by how different in manner she seems between the two. Okay, they're separated by around a decade but I don't think people usually change much. I am therefore guessing that she might actually be a good actress. In my opinion there aren't too many of those around, at least as represented among the actors who appear on our screens in recurring roles: it's far more common for actors to consistently appear approximately the same in manner and personality, though sometimes they seemed good but once established have taken an easier typecast path.

Drop in net pay

Aha, I now have something concrete against which to try budgeting: the Times Higher Education reports,

A lecturer on £46,414 a year – the median salary for the sector in 2014-15 – will pay an extra £1,175 a year (about £100 a month) owing to the twin changes from April if they are part of the USS career average scheme …

That's pretty much my position. Ouch. I am sure that our gym membership will be one casualty.

Update: Yes, our gym membership was a casualty.

Lawns

The grass outdoors feels quite dry. Perhaps the year's lawn-mowing season has arrived.

We don't have a large yard here; the cheapest electric mower suffices, annoying though it is to have to avoid the cable.