Disclosure Regarding Banner Advertisements That Appear at The Bottom of This Blog

Disclosure: I receive compensation from iPage for any domain registration and/or hosting sales made on their site that occur as a direct result of my referrals to their company, which are tracked by the specific link that I have provided for you at the bottom of this blog (i.e. the iPage banner ad). It should be noted that the reason I offer my referral to iPage is because I have had domain hosting and registration needs in the past and, after performing extensive research regarding pricing and features for these types of companies, I selected iPage and was extremely pleased with their products and services, so much so, that I have been referring business to them for years after my domain registration and hosting needs are over, allowing me to continue a modest stream of revenue to assist in the funding of other projects. Again, I would not refer you to iPage, if it wasn't a product in which I have complete confidence. Thank you.

Help Sponsor a Seattle Artist

Please take a moment to check out my latest art project and help make it a reality by either becoming a sponsor, or sharing a link to this donation site on your own facebook page... Thank you!

Being Productive During the Rainy Season

Since it’s been raining a lot (it IS Seattle after all), I've spent a lot of time indoors with my computer.  As vast as the internet is, I find myself bouncing back and forth between applying for jobs online and, well… facebook.

I decided it was time to do something a little more productive with my time, so I started another blog…

My Latest blog --> SELLING ART ONLINE

Since I've spent a pretty decent chunk of time promoting my art online for the past five years, I decided to share some of what I've learned in this informative guide to creating an online marketplace for your art and promoting it online.

So… if you’re an artist and would like to read my how-to guide for making money online with your art, or you’d just like to see what I've been up to, please check it out!

As always, comments are welcome.  Please let me know what you think!

Cost of Living

The most noticeable difference between the Midwest and the West Coast is evident as soon as you go to purchase something… the cost of living.

Everything here is more expensive on the West Coast… from rent to groceries and everything in between.

Just to give a few examples, I've included a chart below.

Item	Midwest (Louisville, KY)	West Coast (Seattle, WA)
Pack of Cigarettes	$4 - $5	$8 - $9
Gallon of Gas	$3.19	$3.47
Rent, 1BR Apt	$400 - $600	$800 - $1500
Daily Parking (Downtown)	$5 - $12	$15 - $35
Average Lunch	$5 - $10	$12 - $18

Of course salaries here on the West Coast average higher than those in the Midwest to help offset the higher cost of living.

According to Salary.com, most positions pay, on average, 22% more on the West Coast than they do in the Midwest.

Incidentally, I’m still searching for one of those higher paying jobs.  I must say, however, that I've gotten more interviews here in the past 3 weeks than I've gotten in the past year back home.

A Much More "Green" Approach

First off, I should mention that I’m a HUGE environmentalist… I don’t litter, I turn off my car rather than letting it idle for long periods of time, and I’m a big proponent of recycling, reusing, and not wasting precious resources.  In short, I’m about as “green” as they come… or so I thought until I moved to Seattle.

There are actually laws here demanding that everyone separate their recyclables from their garbage.  If you fail to do so, there are stiff fines to pay.  Some of the locals I've talked to claim this to be more than a bit extreme, but others tell me that they've never actually known anyone to get fined.  Either way, I think it’s great that the citizens of Washington are, at the very least, encouraged to make the planet a better/greener place by recycling, even if it is enforced by the law.

Another big difference here on the West Coast is that you have to bring your own reusable bags to the grocery stores.  Well, you don’t HAVE to, but if you don’t, expect to pay a nickel each for paper sacks.  I've only seen plastic bags used in a small handful of places so far.

I visited a national pharmacy chain store the other day and noticed something unusual to me in the parking lot… a charging station for an electric car!  How innovative!  I’m not yet sure how many businesses here have these, but I have seen one in EVERY parking lot that belongs to this chain.

After talking with people about public transportation, I discovered that most people that do have cars still park at a transit center and ride a bus the rest of the way.

Overall, people seem to be a lot more environmentally conscience here on the West Coast, as opposed to the Midwest.

Art for Sale: RedBubble & Zazzle

Now is as good of time as any to plug my 2 online storefronts of artistic pleasantries...

My RedBubble Store - I first started selling art online through RB in 2007.  Here you'll find extremely high quality prints of my best photography and graphic design works of art.

My Zazzle Store - In 2009 I set up an online marketplace for my art on Zazzle.  Since then, I've become a Zazzle ProSeller and have sold my photography and graphic art designs on a vast array of products including iPhone cases, t-shirts, neck ties, skateboards, cards, and much more.

Even though I have relocated from the Midwest to the West Coast, I still maintain these online storefronts and will continue to add new works of art every chance I get!

I invite you to take a look at my art and let me know what you think!

The Move From The Midwest To The West Coast

I welcome you to my blog... Midwest vs West Coast!

I just recently moved 2,400 miles across the country, from the Midwest to the West Coast (Louisville, KY to Seattle, WA to be exact).  While the actual day that I arrived here in Seattle took nothing more than getting on a plane, the real difficulty of this endeavor was seeing to all the things that one must deal with in order to up and move so far away from home, family, and friends.  Now that I'm here and settling in (so far I've been here for 3 weeks), I've noticed a LOT of differences between life in the Midwest and life on the West Coast.

Of course I expected the scenery and the people to be different here than back home, but I never expected that the laws here on the West Coast (specifically the state of Washington) would be so different than back in the Midwest.  Transportation is a lot different here too!  And don’t even get me started on the cost of living!

In the upcoming weeks and months, I'll be posting some interesting stories, comparing and contrasting these two very different parts of the country… The Midwest vs The West Coast!