**New Moderator/ Escaping to the Azores

[Dee, the Insanity Check]

With everything going on recently, Naomi and I asked Anna, if she would be interested in becoming a moderator of the group (and maybe try to keep us in line...). She graciously agreed, so let's welcome her!

[Diane S ☔]

Welcome Anna.

[Naomi, the Sanity Check]

It will be a tough task to keep us in line (esp. Dee) and Thanks, Anna!

[Dee, the Insanity Check]

and Naomi even more than me! (don't let her fool you!)

[Naomi, the Sanity Check]

I keep getting the image of Anna trying to herd cats!!!

[Naomi, the Sanity Check]

Dee wrote: "and Naomi even more than me! (don't let her fool you!)"

Dee...who is the "insanity" check?? I tend to remember that I am the "sanity" check!

[Martha]

Welcome, Anna! Oh, and good luck :-)

[Dee, the Insanity Check]

ah yes, but see its those that admit they are insane that are easy to handle...its those that are (but don't admit it...that is a whole nother story)

[Naomi, the Sanity Check]

Ummmm, yeah...that is your story and you are sticking to it?????

[Dee, the Insanity Check]

Yep!!

[Anna, the Enabler]

Insanity checks sound good ;) or maybe something more noir or sinister? (This is the part you can throw in some suggestions)
At least I'm not 'normal' - being normal is just overrated. And not herding cats (yet) either, but probably just because where we live it's max 2 fluffies per apartment, so I'm limited to being owned by only two basement cats. Who like sleeping on the books I try to read.

[Naomi, the Sanity Check]

Oh, Dang Dee...the enforcer...I like that! Herding cats is for Dee and I, Anna! Dee and I can get quite off track!

[Dee, the Insanity Check]

In case you haven't figured that out yet ;)

[Cathy]

Welcome Anna.

[Bobbi]

Welcome Anna.

[Susan]

Nice to haveyouwith us, Anna!

[Anna, the Enabler]

Hmm... Would enabler sound equally evil as enforcer? (My other half always says I'm a terrible enabler when I'm a catalyst to stuff he wants to so and I don't say no) Anyway, always happy to be around people (and cats) who have a twisted, awesome taste in books ;)

[Naomi, the Sanity Check]

Well...side with me when you enable!

[Dee, the Insanity Check]

side with me - I make cookies!

[Naomi, the Sanity Check]

So, do I Dee....PLUS candies...SO THERE! LOL

[Dee, the Insanity Check]

Lol

[Naomi, the Sanity Check]

Dee wrote: "Lol"

Try to bribe her with cookies...bad Dee..bad Dee!!

[Dee, the Insanity Check]

You're just jealous you didn't think of it first ;)

[Naomi, the Sanity Check]

I did...I just did it via PM!

[Dee, the Insanity Check]

uh-huh...if you say soo...

[Anna, the Enabler]

Well, I'll enable anything "terrible" one wishes...
"Should I start a new Jo Nesbø or a Robert Ludlum even if it's midnight and I need to get up 7 AM for work?" "totally!"
"Should I have another beer/glass of wine/drink/dessert?" "of course" and so on.

[Dee, the Insanity Check]

will you enable me to go to bed at 7pm? or is that a tad too early...

[Anna, the Enabler]

Only if you'll be starting a book that will totally get you addicted so you can't fall asleep until 3AM, and if your night table bookshelf looks at least as insane as mine. (Criminal Interrogation and Confessions... had to get that as it was mentioned in Headhunters. Then anything from insults in Latin to random popular economics to normal noir on my TBR queue). You know, the curse of "one more chapter"....

[Naomi, the Sanity Check]

Dee wrote: "will you enable me to go to bed at 7pm? or is that a tad too early..."

Geez Dee...you are getting really old! At least I made it 8:30!!!

[Dee, the Insanity Check]

Lol I ended up making it 'til 9 - don't worry ;)

[James]

I'm pretty good with Italian food (was taught by chefs from 4-5 star restaurants) and am very good with meat. Especially game, plus Finnish dishes way outside the average experiece. But I can't bake. Should we move together to some huge house, live on delicacies and books and get big and fat?

[Anna, the Enabler]

Sounds good :)
(I suspect though that I'm the only person in this state that does not care for stuff like cakes, cup cakes even less - they are just glorified muffins). I can do the coffee things then... Would a nice (European sized?) ranch somewhere in central Texas work for y'all? If not, Azores? (sea, far away from the rest of the world, awesome climate, long enough culture, natural fusion of all the people who have lived there). Or if away from everything, Cape Clear.

[James]

Anna wrote: "Sounds good :)
(I suspect though that I'm the only person in this state that does not care for stuff like cakes, cup cakes even less - they are just glorified muffins). I can do the coffee things t..."

I vote for Azores

[Dee, the Insanity Check]

how about seychelles? i mean, tropical islands anyone!

[Naomi, the Sanity Check]

I have to do tropical islands.. nowhere near snow,please!

[Anna, the Enabler]

Hey, you can grow pineapples in the Azores outdoors (without a greenhouse). 16c at coldest... :) and never Texas summer hot either. Definitely a place if/when I'd think of retiring.
The Caymans would be even warmer, equally close to aka in the middle of the oceans, and as long as you an buy any two properties, of which you an even rent both, but still get the residency... So $200k US = 2 apartments and a Cayman residency.
One of those (or similar, yet undiscovered location) will be something nice when older... With a supply of books and fresh food and drinks.

[James]

I'm all for warm tropics, but can't stand over 85F. After 15 years in Finland, I can take way sub-zero temps, but not heat. Odd, since summers where I grew up were regularly 90-100F and it didn't bother me.

[Anna, the Enabler]

I don't do cold weather. My lungs refuse to function when it's below freezing, and... well, what do I get in Texas in summer when it's 110F and I hang out at the swimming pool? Cold urticaria, for the difference between the air and water temperature...
Azores then. Warm enough to grow pineapples and your own wine and olive oil, but cold enough to grow potatoes too. Fresh seafood. Ocean, mountains/big hills, old enough buildings and culture, desolate enough to be out of the reach of the mainstream - and it's Portugal, so a place one could actually have their own business (unlike e.g. Southern Italy where I'd never want to have a business). Hmm... Azores noir... black azure? Marine? No, azure noir would sound like a perfect genre...

[James]

Then Azores it is. All my favorite things can be found there. Agreed? Is it expensive? If not, we don't have to dream about it, just pitch in and buy a place.

[Anna, the Enabler]

Hey, it doesn't actually look that bad for (island) prices. Found some houses/apts for sale, then of course sort by size, location etc etc. Something like this (huge 4 br, plus library, living room, kitchen, dining room etc, 225m2/2440sq2 for 150,000e/$200k in Ponta Delgada) I could not definitely get for that price here, in Ireland, or in the Caymans etc etc. If I'm not much mistaken, that's also much less than a tiny 50 m2 place around Hilpeä Hauki...

[Quentin]

I went to a conference in the Azores once, a really lavish affair with hundreds of delegates from all over the world. A truly delightful place. It went on for the best part of a week, and as I was there as a journalist, all expenses paid.
One of the organisers told me that it was 90% funded by the EU – and the other 10% didn't exist...

[Dee, the Insanity Check]

so when are we all moving to the Azores? so I can start planning...

let's see, we have Jim, Dee, Naomi, Anna, Quentin/...anyone else wanna join in?

[Anna, the Enabler]

I'll bring my other half too. And cats...
I'd say we need to wait at least a year or few (so I can have my blue passport and some more savings. "Savings", ha). But latest in like 12 years, or if the country (here) goes insane first then sooner.
Meanwhile... let's write a few bestsellers, save some more, and maybe utilize this http://fsi-language-courses.org/Conte... (I suspect my cats are multilingual already; "meow", "mau", "miao", "miau", "mião")

[Dee, the Insanity Check]

you mean jim isn't going to finance our escapade? well nuts!

[James]

Jim would if he could.

[James]

Nice place, and yeah, lot cheaper than a place around Hilpeä hauki. Had an interview with an AP reporter there last week. He walked up just as I was buying night vision binoculars off the street from a Russian. Anyway, I'm pointing, buy heroin over there, speed over there, junkies go the little park down there to shoot up. Thar tattoo shop is for money laundering, etc. I think we won't see that around that 4 BR place in the Azores. Agreed though, I need a fat royalty check first, but split 4 ways, it's pretty cheap.

[Anna, the Enabler]

You know, Ireland has a had a nice loophole for artists taxation... apparently until 2011. I guess too many artists were using that when definitely not living there, so now that's modified - and won't help you save millions faster. Would need to be resident and to actually live there, and only the first 40K euros are tax free.

[James]

Anna wrote: "You know, Ireland
has a
had a nice loophole for artists taxation... apparently until 2011. I guess too many artists were using that when definitely not living there, so now that's modified - an..."

Ireland is also one of the countries facing bankruptcy. Not a good place to invest money. And experienincing riots at the moment in Belfast.

[Quentin]

I like that bit about 'only the first €40k is tax-free.'

[James]

I'll have to work hard to convince my wife to move to the Azores. She'll want to get a job (she's odd that way, feels compelled to work) which means learning a new language. She's already studied 7. I don't know if I can convince her to learn another.