SPUG: Living in Seattle

[Ken Meyer]

I disagree with the esteemed Tim Maher only in the degree to which you might
receive help in obtaining a job similar to your husband's.  Whereas this is
not something that one should expect as a matter of course, it has become
rather commonplace for employers to help with spousal employment, since so
many couples both have careers these days, and this may be the only way to
recruit the ones you particularly want from other locations, which would
seem to be the case if they are willing to bring you all the way across the
Pacific Ocean -- unless your offer is from some head-hunter who just wants
to create his own income and doesn't really care whether either of you are
more than just marginally qualified for the work at hand or not.  What I'm
saying is that I don't think you would startle, appall, or "turn-off" any HR
people by asking what they would be willing and able to do in this respect.

As for murder, yes, most of them occur between individuals who know each
other, or who have acted aggressively towards each other, and people in this
country seem to rely on weapons to settle disputes disproportionately with
most of the rest of the "civilized" world.  But the number of rather random
fatal events is still significant, if statistically unlikely to occur to any
specific individual; and it would be unfair to gloss over that situation if
you are ultra-cautious or timid in that respect.  For years, I have
possessed a concealed weapon carry permit, but have not owned a concealable
weapon.  I'm currently rethinking that decision, if that gives you any idea.

By the way, Law and Order (the original version) episodes are typically
loosely based on incidents that have actually occurred somewhere in the
country, but not necessarily in New York, to which they are imported for the
purposes of the show.  That is, New York is not a really unsafe place to
live, given baseline prudence in where you go and when you go there.  I was
born there and have worked there.

Ken Meyer


-----Original Message-----

From: spug-list-bounces at pm.org [mailto:spug-list-bounces at pm.org]On
Behalf Of Tim Maher
Sent: Wednesday, August 10, 2005 12:13 PM
To: Jacinta Richardson
Cc: spug-list at pm.org

Subject: Re: SPUG: Living in Seattle

On Tue, Aug 09, 2005 at 01:14:30PM +1000, Jacinta Richardson wrote:
> My husband has just been offered a job (out of the blue) in
> Seattle ...
<SNIP>
> I *presume* that they'd be willing to either provide me a job
> as well or help me find one. As my expertise is similar to my
> husband's, that shouldn't be too hard.


Jacinta,

I don't understand why you're so quick to assume that your
husband's job offer would necessarily include one for you too,
unless that's the way it typically works Down Under.

Here in the USA, I'd be /extremely surprised/ if any company
would feel a duty to arrange employment for the spouse of a new
employee. I'm not saying it's never happened before (for all I
know, Linus' wife might have been set up with her own Mercedes
dealership in Portland to entice them to relocate there), but
it's certainly not the norm here.

Regarding your other questions about housing for Aussies moving
to Seattle, you should talk to our mutual friend Damian, to whom
I once gave the grand tour of Seattle real estate offerings,
while he was considering moving here himself. He won't remember
many details at this point, but I'm sure he can still recollect
his general Antipodean viewpoint on such things as the quality
of neighborhoods, and value for the money.

FYI, /very few/ Seattle software professionals get gunned down
by homicidal maniacs--they mostly kill members of rival gangs, or
people with really fancy shoes, jewelry, or cars. Or those whose
driving they don't appreciate. So if you were to drive and dress
like the rest of us, you'd be safe 8-}

Even better than Down Under, very few of us die from unexpected
venom injections here! 8-}

-Tim
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