fatpanther

I was stoked to see this - Jaimie is a unique guy. ("Greatest toy robot ever invented" is typical to his brand of...enthusiasm.) His YouTube channel is worth checking out (http://www.youtube.com/user/JMEMantzel). He lives in the woods (I think in Vermont), and for the past few years has been working on building a LIFE SIZE version of this toy. Looking at his YouTube page just now it seems that he's had a kid so that'll slow the Giant Robot Project down a bit, but I'm happy to see he's sold his idea & it's going forward!

Edit: his web site: http://jamius.com

Portland unemployment rate - 9.2%; United States - 9.3% (source: http://bls.gov/web/metro/laummtrk.htm)

Real estate prices are definitely down from 2006; maybe not as much percentage-wise as California, but the equivalent house here still costs much less than one in Boston, NYC, or The Valley.

The rain can get you down sometimes but summers are fantastic (and dry). I feel I have a high quality of life here without having to sit in a car for 12% or more of my waking hours. Not that I don't get annoyed by something or another here from time to time. Every city has its own benefits & burdens.