In my last post, I mentioned moving to Sedona, AZ. I am here now. The photo up top is from my patio.

The past month has been hectic with packing, dealing with movers, driving here, and now unpacking. It will take a bit of time until this feels like home rather than being on vacation.

Saying goodbye

It was sad to say some farewells to friends, but having moved cross-country before, I know that technology makes long-distance friendships possible more and more. Particularly since COVID. I do plan on some visits later this year to sync up in-person again, though.

I'll also greatly miss having an Alamo Drafthouse nearby. There simply won't be a comparable place for me to see a film. If I visit a city that has an Alamo, I'll be taking some time out to see a film there. Other than friends, it's the biggest thing I'll miss.

My old theater and office area, now empty

I'll also miss my man-cave. The house I left had an upstairs theater that doubled as my office. It was a great space for me, but I know it's highly unlikely I'd ever have one in Sedona unless I happen to win a lottery any time soon.

Saying hello

I'll be posting photos and activities as we get out of unpacking mode later. I've barely been here a week thus far. But here are some initial observations.

  • Everyone we know outside of Arizona, upon hearing we were moving from Texas, commented about it being as hot or hotter in AZ. If we were in Phoenix that may be the case, but we are not. Sedona is a two-hour drive north of Phoenix and typically fifteen degrees cooler on average. Mornings are cool. And the humidity is so low that even on a one-hundred-degree day, sitting outside in the shade is not uncomfortable. Direct sun, it's hot. But shade makes a significant impact.
  • We've loved sitting on our patio watching the wildlife. Mostly birds of different varieties. There is a family of quail behind our place. And we've even had a hummingbird visit us on multiple occasions because we assume our house's previous renters had a hummingbird feeder it was looking for. We'll have one up soon!
  • There's also a downside to the wildlife. A bobcat walked right by my new office window last week. But more intimidating to my wife are the variety of spiders we've encountered.
  • Sedona's a small town. The closest big retailers like Target and Home Depot are thirty minutes to an hour away. That's something we knew, but also knew we'd need to get used to it.

There's other stuff, but I feel like this is getting a bit long, so I'll save it for later.

Movies

I got a few last flicks in before the move consumed my life for a bit.

  • Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) This is a remastered edition of the film released recently. The soundtrack is still the best thing about this movie. The rest is mostly characters looking at stuff and reacting.
  • The Tinder Swindler is on Netflix. A documentary about a guy who swindled multiple women out of lots of money. Hopefully, this documentary prevents him from continuing to do so. He got caught, but he seems up to his old tricks again.
  • Top Gun: Maverick is the last film I'll be seeing at the Alamo Drafthouse for a while and it was a good one to go out on. So much better than anyone would ever think it should be. One of the better films of the year. And you don't need to have watched the original to enjoy it. A worthwhile theater-going experience.

Reelhouse Foundation Series

While I'm now in a different timezone, I'm thrilled that I can still continue to attend this weekly film series.

  • The Cassandra Crossing (1976) is part of May's disaster film series. About a train with a deadly virus outbreak, so it can't stop without risking people exiting and spreading the virus further. Pretty tense at times with a harsh ending.
  • The Core (2003) was laughably bad. The last film in the disaster series was definitely the worst. A team has to drill down to the earth's core to re-ignite it so we don't all die.
  • The Leather Boys (1964) is an entry in June's pride series. A really progressive film for its time. Really heartfelt.

Boardgames

My games were the first thing I packed. I was able to finish the chapters of My CIty I had started with my board gaming group before I moved away.

At the new place, board games are the last thing I'm unpacking. I did have a copy of Iron Helm that I'd ordered waiting for me at the new house even before we got the keys for it, so that will likely be the first solo game I get out on my table once I have everything ready.