A post over at Roanoke-Found got me thinking a bit.

I have a ton of reasons to live right here in Roanoke, and one gigantic reason to move to Northern Virginia.

My girlfriend whom I love lives there. She's not moving; nor should she.

But that's it. I hate the traffic up there, I dislike that I have to be bi-lingual just to go grocery shopping, I can't fathom looking out at the horizon and not seeing a mountain or even a decent hill. My friends all live here; same for my family. I've got a great job I love -- one that gets me out of bed in the morning and keeps me awake at night (in a good way). It may not pay the most, but it's what I want to do.

So how do the two balance out?

When I'm with my girlfriend, I never want to leave. It is physically painful to leave her, even knowing I'll see her again in just a matter of weeks, or sometimes just days. To make things worse, her house is in some kind of communications nebula where cell phone signals get dropped like dishes at a Greek wedding. I can't even count how many of our nightly conversations have included some variation of the following:

"The phone cut out. Would you repeat that?"

It gets old. We're doing alright, but it's a strain, I won't lie.

Roanoke has a ton to offer, but you've got to be willing to dig a little bit. There are parks and movie theaters, night clubs and fine dining. The schools suck, I have to admit, but that doesn't directly affect my day-to-day living at the moment. Less than an hour away is a big ol' lake, and in the opposite direction is skiing and a damn nice resort.

I went to Roanoke College, located, ironically enough, in Salem, Virginia. During orientation, a student asked, "How far is the beach from here?" The student was from Michigan, and apparently his understanding of Virginia geography was limited to "It has a beach." He was quite appalled to find out that the beach was better than five hours away, depending on which route he took. Anyway, my point is that Roanoke doesn't have a beach, but I'm ok with that. I know where it is.

But, more to the point, is that my alma mater is right here. I can be there in fifteen minutes or less. As an alumnus, I have full access the gym (which I don't use enough) and the library (which I use too much).

All of this makes for a big case for staying here. I know the area, I grew up here. This is home.

Northern Virginia is not without its opportunities, either, by any means. There are battlefields, tons of shopping, historic monuments, the nation's capital, the Metro (one of my all-time favorite activities is riding the Metro; don't ask me why), unique dining, bountiful non-profit careers and organizations, a cultural center, and most of all, my girlfriend.

Financially, I'm not going anywhere for a while. I'm still in a lot of debt, and I'm not making enough money to get out any time soon. At the earliest, I'd be moving late next year, and that could be a stretch.

The lease on my apartment is up this October, but my roommate and I will probably renew for another year. He's my best friend from Back In The Day, and he's turned out to be very good at living with another person. Unlike previous roommates, he actually cleans and helps out with chores. Remarkable.

I'm building a network here, too. I have business contacts across the valley, and a pretty good knowledge of what I call "W.S.I." (Where Shit Is).

So, no decisions yet. And I'm sure there are other things I'm not considering, but that's what I've got.