My home State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations has provided much material for Legal Insurrection over the years, including the dispute as to the name itself.
Splitting the year between Ithaca and Rhode Island provided me with the distinction of having Patrick Kennedy and Maurice Hinchey as Congressmen for several years.
I’m reminded of the Seinfeld episode about the dentist who converted to Judaism for the jokes. Sometimes I felt that I lived in Rhode Island for the same reason.
But alas, it is no more.
If you’ve noticed I’ve been a little light around here lately. That’s because we sold our Rhode Island home, and went through the miserable process of trying to move from a house we had been in for 19 years.
As of noon today, we no longer were Rhode Islanders.
I always assumed that upon departure I’d give a scathing critique of the State and its intellectually and sometimes monetarily corrupt politicians. Maybe I’d even roll out the Victory Dance and light up the Fireworks.
But I can’t do that.
In truth, as much as I loved to lambast Rhode Island, it’s a great place despite the politicians. It’s one big small town, a place unique and special in so many ways. Living just a few blocks from Narragansett Bay in one direction and the Barrington river in another was wonderful, and it was a great place to raise kids.
Maintaining two houses almost six hours apart just became too much. With the kids scattered all over the country, it made no sense anymore.
Now we are full-time residents of Ithaca.
Please excuse me while I go cry into my organic fair-trade soy latte served in a compostable eco-friendly sustainable cup, a portion of the proceeds of which will go to help indigenous mountain farmers in Central America.
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Professor, there is nothing in life like the trauma of moving after having been settled in one place for a long time. I’m happy you’ve made it through successfully. I’m sure you have many wonderful memories of Rhode Island, but I can assure you, wherever you live the politicians will be the same. So at least you’ll have that to comfort you – after all, you’ll feel right at home no matter where you go. 🙂
Ithaca is a very nice place (except for the state politics) but then again the same could be said for Rhode Island.
You are still close and drivable.
I can sympathize, living in a beautiful state with poor politicians. I wish you tons of happiness, and better representation, in your next phase of life.
Aha!
So you’re the one who put Ithaca on top of this list:
How smart is your hometown? List reveals the 100 smartest cities in America- and Ithaca, #NewYork take the top spot http://dailym.ai/11ObQft
🙂
Ithaca could use a couple of center right types. When I took the kid up to Cornell in ’08 never saw so many Obama signs. Couldn’t believe it.
Someone once wrote:
http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/11/a_place_where_only_liberal_spe.html
“To live in Ithaca is to live in a city alive with anti-Bush, anti-war protest. I often joke that the directions to my house in Ithaca read as follows: Take a right at the fifth Obama sign, a left at the third “Impeach Bush” placard, bear right at the “Support Our Troops, End the War” poster, and we are the house just after the “There’s a Village in Texas Missing its Idiot” banner.”
You finally did what I did twenty-two years ago. Congratulations and enjoy Ithaca which just might be a mite more conservative than RI.
I do go back for visits and will be doing so in September but a week or two is enough!
And again, thanks for the great blog!
Only Rhode Islanders & east Wisconsinners call drink /water fountains ‘by the English term ‘ bubblers’.
also known in RI as Bubbla.
“my organic fair-trade soy latte served in a compostable eco-friendly sustainable cup, a portion of the proceeds of which will go to help indigenous mountain farmers in Central America.”
My god, he’s becoming one of them already…
Selling a house in this market without having to buy…nicely done, Professor.
Time to hit the hot truck.
Now, back to blogging!
Just kidding, William.
That’s a big deal moving from the home where you raised your family. Now is a turning point in your life, and it’s a good one. Congratulations on making the change with grace. And keep up the great work on the blog.
Yeah Professor — what Donald said: Now get back to work! You run a great blog! I’m a new reader, just seeking news on the Zimmerman trial, and this is the best, easy.
sympathy#notsympathy on the move. You can never downsize too soon. Give up junk, save time.
I’m hoping we retain many of the new readers Andrew Branca’s Zimmerman coverage has brought in, so I’m glad you’ll stay around.
“Always keep Ithaca in your mind.
You are destined to arrive there…”
You’ll survive Ithaca. At least they didn’t vote 82% for Barack Obama in 2008 and 78% in 2012. They’re so left wing here they won’t even allow a Starbucks.
William, after completing 13 moves over close to 40 years of marriage, I know exactly how you feel.
I did not regret leaving my last residence. My husband on the other hand did regret moving that place. I did however regret leaving the previous house because it was so cozy and I loved the people who became my friends.
Now, I have not friends who are close to me.. zip, zilch, nada.
Here’s a companionable sniff, sob.
As a resident of MA right on the Pawtucket border, believe me when I tell you, all you love about Rhode Island you’ll still be able to get just by watching Family Guy.
did you get your I SURVIVED AARON HERNANDEZ T-shirt yet?
Welcome to high state taxes, dysfunctional and corrupt Legislature, unions dictating to politicians, Nanny Mayors and Machiavellian Governors. You will feel right at home!
At least the corruption per person is spread over a larger land mass and all the trees and mountains, not to mention lakes, rivers, spectacular scenery and tons of little towns with one foot still in the 19th century will make it easier to ignore state pols.
Tompkins County, like most of NYS except for the NYC Metro area and Albany is largely conservative(excluding college students).
Just stay away from Albany, if possible.
Now we are full-time residents of Ithaca.
Please excuse me while I go cry into my organic fair-trade soy latte served in a compostable eco-friendly sustainable cup, a portion of the proceeds of which will go to help indigenous mountain farmers in Central America.
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Folks, we’ve lost him.
We’ll miss you Prof, perhaps Mr Branco should do the eulogy though.
Site soon to be renamed Legal Assimilation….
Moving SUX…!!!
Especially when leaving a place thick with memories and history for you.
Condolences, and congratulations on your new life.
What are you doing to celebrate with a rite of passage? (Your really should, you know.)
Ice cream. Lots of ice cream.
It’s never easy letting go.
Sort of applicable…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLyGae5mYoo
Enjoy Ithaca. Too bad it’s not an island in the Mediterranean.
Ah, Odysseus returneth to Ithaca.
Now you are my neighbor! Well, sort of.
It’s miserable to leave behind the home where your children were raised, and I doubt that Ithaca NY is fair compensation, but just think of all the fossil fuel you will save!
At least Ithaca is pretty and you’ll have Cayuga lake. If you have pets I can personally recommend Cornell’s companion animal hospital. Of course the gorges are lovely.
Just make sure you don’t talk to locals, and advert your eyes if you see one approaching.
Congrats on the move. We are (almost) neighbors. Ithaca is a beautiful place to live.
Kudos for keeping the site running during the chaos of relocation.
I live in the south, so I look askance at anyone who voluntarily lives in a region were parts of the atmosphere condenses out into a solid form at times of the year.
But I do feel your pain, that pain of moving. I’m about to buy a house, and I’m in the process of packing up and trying not to run around like a chicken with its head chopped off…
Yup, Rhode Island does indeed have its attractions.
The Continuing Education courses at the University Of Rhode Island School Of Pharmacy have had their eye opening moments. One year it was the school’s more mundane campaign to legalize the over the counter sale of needles to the IV drug users. The next year it was the school’s outreach mission to the sex workers in Pawcatuck. The year after that it was a discussion about a smartphone app called “Grinder” that allowed homosexuals to dial up a date at any time if they should suddenly find themselves feeling lonely in strange environs.
When we were kids it was the beach at Misquamicut that was the big draw, or the striped bass fishing after a hard days work building the dams for the city of Newport.
But that was the era when football had heroes like Charlie Connerly, YA Tittle, Andy Robustelli, Roosevelt Grier, Frank Gifford, Chuck Bednarik. Certainly no Aaron Hernandez’s to be found.
Congrats on your move. I’ve been to RI though not Ithaca and RI was very charming. I’m sure Ithaca is too.
Fair Trade coffee gives me the creeps. Who knows where it comes from. I assume all proceeds go to some sort of commie guerrillas so I don’t buy it.
[…] also listened to almost all of the trial, and those parts I missed because of my relocation I’ve accounted for through Andrew’s […]
Congrats, Professor…although how much of an improvement Ithaca is from Borrington…IDK. At least you were not one of those stuck up ones 😛
On a more serious note, the physical location of RI and its constituent parts (well…some of them) is an amazingly beautiful area, especially if one enjoys the water. The people…well…there are reasons I left, other than the fact that there was a grand total of zero job options for my field in the state or closer than Lynn.
From an escapee of the town with all the bad sidewalks.