Pro & Con between life in UK & US

Stella, I agree the view of the skies are different. There are two views that are different: 1) the feel of the stars' distance and 2) the big blue open sky. And that is because of latitude and weather as some have already mentioned.

The night view is different because the angles are smaller the further north one goes. Note Ursa Major (the Plough/Big Dipper), back in MS it appears near, over head and big and it does look like a dipper, whereas the further north one goes the angle decreases therefore the stars look further away and smaller and the Big Dipper looks more like a plough (plow). They are not really that much further away in the grand scheme of distance. Now remember too that the Earth's axis is tilted in relation to its orbit so this again affects the view of the sun and how it 'travels' across the sky throughout the year.

Now the day view and the largeness of the sky. I think this has nothing to do with latitude and everything to do with the prevailing weather conditions, ie the cloud base is different due to this being an isle and overall cooler damp temperatures. But I have seen some really big sky days up here on the really rare near cloudless days.

Hope all this makes some sort of sense. It all made sense back in my OU days.

This is DH's big rationale for why we must move back to Oregon.  Where else can you go from mountains to beach to city all in one day?  He misses the mountains more than anything, I think.

Except to Oregonians, there is no "beach."    It is always "the coast."  Don't ask me why that is -- I have no idea.  You can also go east and see a lot of sagebrush and semi-arid land that people don't generally think of when they think of Oregon (and more mountains).

I'm with your DH -- I definitely miss the mountains more than anything.  And really really tall trees.  Which is rather funny, because I have this irrational fear of looking up when I'm outside.  It makes me dizzy and I feel like I'm going to fall over. 

Missing the landscape of Oregon is definitely a huge con for me.  But as far as pros for the UK go -- I just feel like I "mesh" better here, if that makes sense.  I have more friends  (definitely not the case for many people who move over, I know ), it's easier for me to get around (I don't drive, so public transportation/reasonable walking distance to shops is a must), and I don't worry about not being able to afford healthcare.  If I could combine all of that stuff with an Oregonian landscape...*sigh*.   

Interesting thread -- thought I'd give it a fluff

Interesting thread -- thought I'd give it a fluff

I wondered who had revived this!

Interesting thread -- thought I'd give it a fluff

Do you actually have anything to add?  Because otherwise you're just bumping what was, is, and always will be a contentious topic, for no good reason whatsoever....

Great thread! I would have never seen this. Thanks, Dent!

Candice,
You posted here last August.
I liked your comments and I agree about Oregon being a nice state including no sales tax or is it income tax? No your comment was on the landscape and it is nice and green but I like the English landscape even more so.

I have trouble getting back to sleep at night and I try to think of nice thoughts and I always think of an experience in England when I was on holiday and in the countryside and standing by a field gate, smelling the air and watching the cows in the field and one in particular cow that came to lay down under a tree. That was perfect scene for me.

I also like the country scenes from the paintings of Constable. Can't remember the other painter.

What has this to do with the subject? Some how it is related.

I liked your comments and I agree about Oregon being a nice state including no sales tax or is it income tax? No your comment was on the landscape and it is nice and green but I like the English landscape even more so.

Since the thread is revived kinda and all, for the moment...

We don't have a sales tax, but we do have an income tax. People from WA will come down sometimes to buy big ticket items to avoid paying a sales tax. We also don't pump our own gas, only two of fifty states in the Union where it's against the law to do it yourself (I think NJ is the other one?).

(I think NJ is the other one?)

It is - The New Jersey law dates back to the 1940s. 

Great thread! I would have never seen this. Thanks, Dent!

No problem!

See that, Meg?

Do you actually have anything to add?  Because otherwise you're just bumping what was, is, and always will be a contentious topic, for no good reason whatsoever....

No, there's never anything added or shared. Just lots and lots of questions......

No problem!

See that, Meg?

What I see is yet another instance in which you expect other people to perform for you without deigning to interact with the rest us by adding your own impressions.  You seem to ask a lot of questions and post a lot of new threads on these boards and rarely do you contribute your own thoughts and comments to the discussions you start (or resurrect).

It gives one the impression that we're being viewed as a giant sociological experient, that's all.  Plus the fact that some topics (like comparisons of the US and UK) are rather contentious and if a thread has been inactive for nearly two years, it's probably for a good reason. 

Many of us came here to learn more about aspects of life in the UK.  It's a give-and-take process, though, and it can be irritating when people seem to view these boards as simply an information resource rather than the community it is. 

Good luck with your move, or your dissertation, or whatever it is that you're trying to achieve.

What I see is yet another instance in which you expect other people to perform for you without deigning to interact with the rest us by adding your own impressions.  You seem to ask a lot of questions and post a lot of new threads on these boards and rarely do you contribute your own thoughts and comments to the discussions you start (or resurrect).

It gives one the impression that we're being viewed as a giant sociological experiment, that's all.  Plus the fact that some topics (like comparisons of the US and UK) are rather contentious and if a thread has been inactive for nearly two years, it's probably for a good reason. 

Many of us came here to learn more about aspects of life in the UK.  It's a give-and-take process, though, and it can be irritating when people seem to view these boards as simply an information resource rather than the community it is. 

Good luck with your move, or your dissertation, or whatever it is that you're trying to achieve.

Good One MEG! btw...Amen!

OK, I take your point, and I'm sorry if I am not using this community properly. I certainly don't want to turn everyone against me, and it was not my intention to offend or piss people off.

I am currently in the US, planning a move, so I have little information to share -- I am still in the information-gathering phase of things, hence...lots of questions. Perhaps if/when I do make the move, then I'll be able to participate more fully in the community aspect you speak of.

I have a full-time job where my internet use in monitored, and when I get home I am mostly spending time with my wife and two young kids, so I am not able to spend lots of time on here engaging in long back-and-forths and chatting, getting to know people, etc. I know that this is a major strength of this site -- the community-building aspect -- and I am sorry that I am currently unable to participate much in that way.

I suppose for me (and perhaps for others) this site is a very valuable source of information, and I do find a great deal of interest in reading about the experiences of others.  I absolutely don't want people to 'perform for me' -- I suppose I thought that if someon wanted to post on one of my threads then they would do so, and if they didn't then they would simply go elsewhere. The way I see it, the Internet can be many things to many people, and there's enough room for all of us. I'm sorry if this makes me come across as creepy or some sort of voyeuristic lunatic conducting a sociological experiment/writing a dissertation. I am neither of these.

Still, I accept that this might be how I come across -- to some people, at any rate -- so I'll do my best to adjust my posting habits accordingly.

Thank you for taking the time to post, and I apologise if my earlier post came off as harsh - it was not my intention to make you feel unwelcome, only to help you realise how your attitude to UKY has been perceived by many people here.

There are many of us here who work full-time, have families, and have full and healthy lives outside our participation on the forum, but most of us feel strongly enough about the UKY community that we make replying to posts and participating in discussions, even on an occasional basis, a priority.  Returning to the threads you've started and posting a simple "thank you for your input" or "I feel the same way" or similar comment would go a long way towards assuaging any negative impressions previously generated.  Participation doesn't necessarily have to be a lengthy or involved process.

There's a difference between asking a question about a specific location such as "What is Sheffield like as a place to live?" without adding your two cents to the ensuing discussion, and asking one like "What are some good and bad things about living in the UK?" (or resurrecting a thread which solicits comparisons between life in the US and the UK, like this one) without giving your input, either in your initial post or in a follow-up reply.  The latter situation often comes across as the sort of open-ended question you might find on an exam paper - or, depending on the topic, the sort of thing a troll might delight in posting. (Not saying you are one, mind - just that people will react with wariness.)

And a good many of the users who post the most on this site have never lived in the UK - living here is certainly not a prerequisite to being able to participate in the community!