Dayton is the new BFE?

According to a friend it is considered BFE, a phrase I was barely familiar with not that long ago even as I pined over properties in various hilltowns in Massachusetts that would certainly bare relation to that moniker. A dear blogger friend just wrote about BFE, pondering from whence the name came and why Egypt. I share the same wonder about Egypt and I love her argument for the number of syllables needed. Totally makes sense about the flow. Was Egypt once known as a hotbed of hidden, illicit anal sex? Was Egypt hard to find, hardly seems plausible. In a quick search on the net I found this, as a half-arsed explanation: As far as I know, Bumfuk, Egypt (or BFE) is the term used by armed forces services members (especially serving in the Middle East) to mean way the hell out in the middle of nowhere where you just don't want to go. That sounds familiar but still don't know if that is the root of the phrase.

She also went on about organic food prices, a dilemma I share as we too live below the poverty line here at Casa de Cedar, which is a large motivator for this move.
I do find it amusing, or rather ironic that if all goes as planned we will soon have the money needed to buy the organic, healthier versions of the food and products I have shunned from lack of funds. That I no longer be where Thai restaurants are everywhere to dazzle my palate, that finding a yoga or pilates class won't be a matter of which one to choose but going to the only one in a 10-mile radius of home. The upside is that I will likely cook more, even if I have to shop harder because I can get all the ingredients I want (that I can find anyway) when I want them.

As I plow through various searches about my new area I learn fascinating things. Like Dayton is less safe than Oakland or NYC. Okay I can't find that site right now but trust me, I was stunned. Then there is the little tidbit about Ohio being "known" for serial killers, at least that's what TGF tells me. I'm having trouble finding anything like confirmation on the web, thank goodness for small favors.

Compliments of epodunk.com, I learned that I will be living in the least LGBT populated place I have ever called home. Now I do realize I was raised in NYC, moved to Northampton MA (land of "10,000 kissing, cuddling lesbians") and then to Oakland (the greatest number of lesbians in a major city anywhere), and finally to Berkeley, right next door. To say that I find this change daunting is a bit of an understatement. It is not like I was majorly ensconced in "the lesbian community" in any of these places, because I wasn't, but in part because of the make up of the areas there wasn't really a need to seek it out, you know?

Last night as I whined about making a decision about clothing in the morning since Monday is my day at Stars R Us I realized I have it lucky there in that I seriously can wear just about anything. It is a very casual environment, especially on Mondays. That got me to thinking about job hunting in the Dayton area. I looked very seriously at TGF and asked if she thought I would have to take out my nose ring. Probably because she wants me to be happy and not give up much, she quickly shook her head no. Almost as quickly another look came over her face. It was the type of look where one could see the cogs clicking into place as her face fell, the confidence in her first answer leaking out. "Well, um, maybe?" she said with uncertainty as to how to answer this question. I offered that I would take the silver ring out and replace it with a tiny stud for interviews. She nodded affirmatively that that might be a good solution.

BFE indeed.