Red Village, Blue State

Warning: This post is mostly, like the last one, self-centered and for my own benefit; why I'm publishing it here is still largely unclear to me, but I suppose doing so helps me to organize my thoughts. One day I'll try to write something of relevance beyond my own concerns.

On the "do we stay or do we go" front, I've had a few new thoughts. At issue is whether we:

stay where my husband has a job doing pretty much what he wants to do with his life, and where we live in a very small, quaint, isolated, "village," whose diversity is economic only, though hardly even that, and where I can work on finishing my academic book, apply for academic positions in the vicinity (not too many o' those) or switch gears entirely and do something else, yet to be decided;

OR, return to the large, bustling, diverse, metropolitan area where I have a good job waiting for me, and my husband has numerous opportunities for employment but, for various reasons, probably not a very good shot at landing a tenure track position, which he has here.

Soooo. Since my last, rambling narrative concerning this issue, there have been developments:

• I've discovered that our new best friends are in fact rather insane, in both fun and not so fun ways;
  
• I had the experience of voting in the primary, during which I learned that this village is overwhelmingly Republican. This I gleaned when, upon entering the voting place, I was asked what party I belonged to, and then given a piece of paper with the word "Democrat" written on it, and sent to the "Democrat" table. For the duration that we were there, my husband and I were the only two holding that particular piece of paper and sent to that particular table. I realized this was the first time I lived in a place that wasn't overwhelmingly Democrat. (It's also the first place I've lived where you're required to reveal your party affiliation so publicly; is that normal?) It helps to know that the state, at least, is likely to become even more solidly Blue than it already is;
• It occurred to me that if we decide to stay and, 5 years down the road, feel we've made a terrible mistake, we'd be screwed, basically. Particularly if we'd sold our house back home, which we'd surely do in order to buy one here. But if we return and, 5 years down the road, feel we've made a terrible mistake, we'd have OPTIONS;
• On the other hand, I got excited about applying for an academic job that's within commuting distance of here and is actually a better job in some ways than the one that's awaiting my return. Of course, my chances are slim, particularly given my rather short CV, but I think I do have a chance, and I'm suprised to find myself wanting the job. I even wrote the job letter already.
• On the third hand, I've been practicing my axe again and it's been feeling GOOD. I've been approached to give lessons to some local kids. I'm considering giving a recital in the spring. I can imagine this leading to a different and possibly rewarding future than the academic kind.
  

So where do these thoughts leave me? Still confused, I'm afraid. Though less bewildered. I feel as if it will be OK either way.