Hm, English as a main language does limit it quite a bit. Does it have to be the main language or would it be sufficient if most people can communicate even though it is not the language generally spoken (that would significantly widen the number of possible choices)? How about Northern California/Pacific Northwest? I have little personal experience with that area but I think it is quite green (yikes, rainy!) and not that densly populated. COL may be a problem but I think parts of northern California are rather poor so may be less expensive? Staying in the US would of course eliminate any language barriers AND visa problems. You do need to be quite careful when it comes to working in other countries. For example people are not supposed to work in the US when visiting (for example) even if the job itself is not in the US (or no more than usual). So if you are a painter or writer you can't just travel in the US and write/paint (not even during vacation) - to me that makes no sense as you are not hurting the local job market and are instead bringing in cash but I am pretty sure that is how it is. I feel guilty even answering business emails while on vacation in the US (don't tell on me). Obviously, every country has different rules but don't assume that there will be no problem just because you won't want to enter the local labor market. I would think second world countries are more lenient in that respect (but I may be wrong). Do you have any other countries you are considering? Britain/Ireland of course are green with lots of water. New Zealand?

I am sorry you are having a rough time and really hope the next interview will lead to the kind of job you are looking for.

Well, in that case I don't think debt alone will be a good indicator. It needs to be put in relation to other metrics (GDP?). For example, I feel pretty sure that Germany could pick up the pieces if things went wrong (unless they went really, really wrong but that would probably be too much for any country). What's wrong with California? They have the right temperature and mountains, don't they? How important is language/culture for you? Most countries in Europe would probably be good for what you are trying to achieve with your question about debt (i.e. yes, there is a lot of debt but it seems unlikely that things would break down completely). Europe is probably also one of the safest regions regarding natural disasters. Of course getting a visa or whatever may be difficult (though perhaps possible if you are retired and not looking for work?). Maybe Spain (if they don't start fighting), Portugal or Italy?

I don't necessarily think debt for countries is okay but I also don't think it is a great indicator when looking for a place to live/stay. There just doesn't seem to be that much of a practical correlation. Looking at Puerto Rico, the way I understand it they have a lot of debt AND infrastructure etc. was already bad before the hurricanes which led to worse conditions (e.g. due to the power grid being less than optimal) and makes it difficult to rebuild. Both of these factors would of course be a disadvantage if you wante to move there. However, there are plenty of countries with fairly high debt (e.g. in Europe) that don't seem to have the same problem. Infrastructure there is just fine (some countries of course better and some worse) and in case something happened, they would be able to rebuild fairly easily (I think). So while I do think it is problematic that all countries seem to have a lot of debt, I wouldn't worry too much in your situation. I don't quite understand country debt but I think many people in Germany for example could scratch together 31 k if they absolutely had to (Over a couple of years) - many own real estate etc. that is worth a lot more. Also, if the German government cut down severely on spending, it would be problematic/unpleasant but wouldn't cause complete disaster (e.g. roads would get worse but they could get quite a bit worse before it would be an issue). Some of the "green" countries seem much poorer and I assume standard of living is much lower. All in all, I would not use this as a metric looking for a suitable place to live in (I would think safety, legal access, weather, cost of living, medical services etc. much more important).

Run for office to be in charge of a country. Negotiate peace in the Middle East. Resolve conflicts with Iran and North Korea. Eliminate poverty and get good, inexpensive health care for everyone. Get equality for everyone. Gee, if I truly couldn't fail the world would be such a nice place...

I would let it go. And as a freelancer I can tell you it often takes over 90 days for me to get paid so as long as your husband is fine with it I would just go with it.

Based on the details given, my personal recommendation would be that the contractor has to do the job for the original estimate (or close to it). However, I am horrible at legal questions and my personal feelings are generally quite different from the actual outcome... While I completely understand that you don't want to give actual details, I think that makes it impossible to give much of an opinion. Changing just one or two aspects might change everything from a legal perspective (or not - impossible to say). For example I would expect most people to have no idea about the cost of tiles so it would be ridiculous to expect them to know the estimate is wrong. But for some other things it is different. If for example someone offers to sell you a new Porsche for 5000 you can be expected to know that something is wrong (just as an example).

Well, I read the entire article yesterday (so my comment doesn't specifically relate to the quoted part above) and overall it is a giant whine about how horrible the job is. I guess I feel that not every job needs to be fun/fulfilling/enriching. It's great if it is but there are many jobs that need doing that by their nature just aren't that fun. As long as employees are treated okay and paid appropriately, there is nothing wrong with that. Most of my extended family has worked in jobs that wouldn't be considered fun etc. and I bet they would have gladly changed to a job as easy as this one sounds. Obviously, I do think people should look for a different job if they feel unhappy in their current one. But I don't get all the complaining/whining in the article. If you don't like it change it! I am of course not talking of people who are forced to stay with a bad job due to lack of other opportunities etc. but that does not seem to be the case here.

I am an only child but both my parents are already deceased (and died fairly quickly once their health deteriorated) so this is not something in my future.

I was going to ask in which city but now I see that is not what you are looking for...

Some ideas from my bookshelves: - Donna Andrews - Dorothly L. Sayers - Ellis Peters - Georgette Heyer - Carolyn G. art - Anne Perry - Margery Alingham - Michael Innes Some of these I haven't read in a while but as far as I remember I enjoyed these and they seem somewhat similar to books you have enjoyed in the past.

Well, I have picky kids and I try to not often make foods that I know they hate and try to make it so they can leave stuff off. When younger son didn't eat meat he would make hamburger just with buns, ketchup, salad, tomato for example. Or when we have tacos etc. one kid puts on cheese, sour cream, avocado and the other just tomatoes and lettuce (and both meat luckily). Just let her pick and chose (and maybe try to avoid things like vegetable stew if you are expecting her).

I have never needed to see a private practitioner. The public options are just fine. It's like saying a country in which everyone has enough to eat is not a better place to live than a country in which many are starving because in the first country only the rich eat caviar. So what? Sometimes good enough is good enough (again, not saying that health care in other countries could not also be improved).

I am not saying any system is perfect but I can tell you that living in a country with universal health care I have NEVER met anyone who wasn't able to see a doctor (maybe after a bit of a wait), went bankrupt, couldn't afford medicine for kids etc. NEVER! Both my parents needed quite a bit of medical intervention before their deaths (4+ weeks in hospital, special beds/equipment at home, weeks of rehab, etc.) and I / they maybe had to pay a couple of hundred in total. My son had an infection on his finger when we were on vacation in the UK. We visited the doctor three times (urgent care). We maybe had to wait one to two hours to be seen. Got a prescription for antibiotics. Absolutely no cost to us. It may not be perfect but it is so much better than what I hear from the US (full disclosure: when I lived in the US I had great, inexpensive health care). And the US could learn from other countries and come up with a great plan that maximizes the overall benefit (but of course will not be an improvement for everyone as that is not possible). So from an individual perspective I can see people not wanting a change but for someone entrusted with the good of the nation, it should be easy to make choices for the public good that benefit the most.

So sorry about your Dad! We have always used wooden coffins (look nice enough but obviously not top quality) for cremations in our family. All my family has been cremated (well, at least at all the funerals I have been to). Generally, there is a service with the coffin up front After the service, the coffin is taken to the crematorium where it is burned without anyone there (that's what we do here as the crematorium is in a different town and they drive it there) or I think at my cousin's funeral (which was held at the crematorium) the coffin is directly put away. If you plan on anything similar, a cardboard box etc. would look rather weird (same for a basic wooden box). If on the other hand there is no service and noone is there to see, I don't see the need for anything more than a cardboard box and would instead spend the money on a nicer urn/memorial etc.

I would check out the closer church some more and see what you think of the new priest. If you like him and the offered classes are better I would switch. If not, I would stay with the current church. I think the overall church (especially service/priest) is more important than Sunday School (not saying that isn't important as well). If you stay, maybe you can find some other outside class (doesn't have to be church related) for the 4 year old that would serve the same purpose (i.e. a class of his own, without siblings etc.)

I think she should respect your wishes (if you have made them quite clear) but I don't see anything wrong with it. My son was in the tub with his grandfather when he was little (much younger than 4, but still) and I used to bathe with my father when I was small. So I don't necessarily think it is weird in itself.

To me it sounds like you are getting a lot done! But if it is much less than you generally manage (people do have different energy levels), maybe you just need a real break? When I have been working too hard for a while (again, "too hard" is subjective) I feel like doing nothing but hanging out in front of screens. This generally takes a week or so and then I can get more done again. But is there any chance that you could go away for a little bit, maybe just for a weekend or so? Either as a family or just you / you and your husband (and the baby maybe)? Also, could you get someone to help with the housework a bit? Having a clean house would probably make you feel much better (I definitely feel better once I manage to get the worst of it taken care of).

No!

Are you more concerned about quality or do you want something new? I think Patty Joanna has the right idea when it comes to buying something of good quality/fancy brand without spending too much. However, if you are looking to finally buying something new that won't work. Personally, I wouldn't so much like to buy a sofa used - somehow that kind of creeps me out a bit (though I am fine with used stuff pretty much everywhere else). So I would probably look at Ikea or similar. I know it isn't generally considered high-quality (and probably isn't what you are looking for) but the value for money is generally quite good AND I have been very happy with the furniture I got there in the past. All of it has held up well. You might have to chose between getting a fancy brand and getting something new. It just depends what is more important to you. Hopefully though someone knows a less expensive brand with good quality-

If it was just about convenience I would take her to the 8 am class. However, I am a very insecure driver and the thought of driving in the early morning in snow in hilly terrain is more than I could bear. So I would skip this semester and let her take calculus later on when the weather is better (and the schedule might be better as well). In the meantime I would either have her take some other math class, work on trig, or do some other prep work for calculus (possibly online).

Not a lawyer or anything but I think that if A did not specify that B's portion was to go to your kids in the case of B pre-deceasing A? If not, I think everything would go to C as dead people can not inherit (at least not in most jurisdictions). And if B had inherited (i.e. had not died first) it would have been part of B's estate on B's passing and if your kids were not the heirs of B they wouldn't have gotten anything either. Maybe I am misunderstanding but it seems like you are saying that A's money would go to B (even though B is already dead) and then to B's natural heirs (e.g. nearest living relatives) as B's will had already been propated when B died. I do not think that is how it works. However, if A did not make a will it might work out. If for example B and C are children of A and B is a parent of your children. Then the estate without a will would be divided to the two children and in the case of the deceased child would go on to the next generation (Maybe, I think). This might of course also work if the will states the money to be split between A and B or their descendants.

Doesn't sound that weird to me. I mean, it could be but it really isn't enough to jump to conclusions in my opinion. I would interpret "clean conscience" as "I had nothing to do with it". Obviously, that can mean all kinds of things from "I had no idea about it" to "I knew about it but wasn't involved myself". Also, we didn't hear her say this, it is someone else reporting what she said (and we all know how that can go). In any case we don't know what was said before (e.g. "Relax... I'll fix it" may be the reaction to someone else being hysterical and worrying about her going to jail etc.). Basically, I think it just isn't something that should be taken as evidence at this point. We didn't hear the entire conversation and even if we had, people often miscommunicate.

It might be best to start your search from the other side i.e. by looking at possible job opportunities for your husband. Most/many countries allow some sort of at least temporary visa if you have a job offer in a professional field. So I would look at either large multi-national corporations or bigger overseas companies to get an idea where he might get hired. Employers will generally help with getting the visa in that case.