Nebraska: Grab the holy water

My nest, my nest. In all the world, my nest is best.

Lock 'em up, boys and girls, because the Shadow is coming to town!!! Wh00T!!! I had asked some colleagues from Omaha where the best place to live was, and they all said, to a person, WEST! DEAR GOD, GO WEST! They weren't kidding...at all. That is one hella' gentrified town. East of I-680 and south of about Pacific it starts getting OMG11 sketchy. That's fine, I've lived in Appalachia, Tuskegee, Montgomery, etc and am accustomed to (and generally don't mind) very diverse neighborhoods, extreme poverty and/or mixed tenure, but one thing you don't want to hear is the following:

Monkey Girl: What's the crime like around here?
Cog in the Real Estate Machine: Well, I've lived here all my life * * * All of the residents pass their criminal background check.

Ummm, I'm probably in the wrong neighborhood.

Needless to say, alternative plans were made in a beautiful lil' community. Got a great deal too: Only about $8/ft sq...in W. Midtown....only a mile from I-680 and about 4 from the office (thanks recession!). And, besides having a big open kitchen, vaulted ceilings, and a lot of space, the deck overlooks a beautiful tree line and grove. As I grow older, the more I appreciate a lil sanity when I get home: Never, ever underestimate the mental health benefits of snuggle time and a hot meal in a beautiful, quiet, well-appointed place.*

When I see this man I have a strong urge, nay a compulsion, to order him off my lawn.

*No, I'm not mellowing out: I love to raise hell, only now it's even easier to do: cabs and public transit! Can you say Seraphim Shock and Warped Tour?