We've been up here inside the Beltway for a year now, and our friends and family have stepped up the "So whatcha gonna do?" questions.

Some folks might find such queries rude or overly intrusive. I don't. It's only fair for the people close to you to wonder if you'll be at the same address in twelve months. And we don't. The only thing we know for certain is that we want to know what we're doing by the end of this year. Probably won't happen, but that's our hope.

Here's the thing: We like living here. We liked living in Durham. There's probably other places we'd like, but we haven't lived in them yet. So perhaps it's time to compare the two:

D.C./Maryland Lots of free museums Great transit Good restaurants Good beer Good schools Nice folks in the neighborhood Major league sports No turn on red A certain intensity to daily living

Durham (Raleigh, Chapel Hill, etc.) Lots of museums, some free Some transit Good restaurants Good beer Good schools Nice folks in the neighborhood One major league team (if you count the NHL) Sprawl, sprawl, sprawl Folks who don't mind sitting a while

There are other differences, I suppose, but what stands out are the similarlities. Both areas are a couple hours from a good beach and are less than an hour from the hill country. Both areas have ample high-brow culture (theater companies, symphonies, etc.). And even the differences are similar. For example, there are more famous writers living down in N.C., and there are more famous (and semi-famous) people who "write" books up here in D.C.

What it boils down to for me is the intensity factor vs. the transit factor. I like the idea of not having to drive around downtown D.C. while I take in the sights. There are great free museums and such in downtown Raleigh, but parking is a bitch. And there's no way to get there other than driving (a two-hour bus ride--including transfers--with two pre-schoolers? Um, no). I can't really break that down right now, though I have to say that Montgomery County's fixation on "no turn on red" is starting to grate.

In truth, Barbara's job will drive the decision. And that's fine. I'm happy here. I would be happy back in Durham. And I'd probably be happy somewhere else...though that list of potential homespots is pretty short.

Some of our friends here think it's terrible that we're living in flux. They imagine this to be some sort of soul-searching, gut-wrenching nightmare. I don't. I like to do new things, so a new adventure would be fine with me. On the other hand, I know of two places where's I'd be happy. So anything new would have to match up.

We'll put it all together within a year or so. And then we'll change our lives again (or not). I don't know any other way to live, and I'm not sure I want to.

Jon Worley would like to state that Prince's guitar-playing at the Super Bowl was nasty.

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