On the eve of imminent

March 18, 2003

On the eve of imminent war I can't write anything that hasn't been said. You know how you feel. Let everyone else know. I think its total bullshit. There . . .I said it . . .the Dixie Chicks records are burning and I want to buy their records now even though I could have cared less about them before. I think the "respect for the office of the president" idea in American culture is in contradiction to the philosophy of the country when it protects that person from critical thought. The president is a citizen who deserves praise for his/her dedication to the nation but, lets face it, the percs are pretty good and absolute power corrupts. I think if we all turned our T.V.s off for a month we might stand a chance of thinking for ourselves.

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Home. My home is home. I wonder sometimes if my city is home. I feel comfortable in so many places. I was reading on a website that Vancouver had tied for 2nd in the list of the world’s most livable cities.

a list of the world's most livable cities

I know there will be a lot of people in this city gloating. I really despise that. There are plenty of cities I would try living in if my life allowed such flexibility. In some ways I have had a chance to experiment with quite a few different North American locales. This particular study is, “based on 39 criteria that included a variety of political, social, and economic factors such as the quality of health, education, and transportation services.” These categories are at the core of what makes a place “livable” but I don’t see art, culture, excitement, and tolerance in there. Vancouverites love to tout their city and its award winning ways. I say, “get off your friggin high Orca”. There are millions of places to have fun, learn about yourself, and enjoy the people around you. Vancouver is a bit player in that scene. Here is a quick list of North American cities I would live in for awhile. If your city doesn’t appear then its because I forgot to add it . . .there isn’t a place I hate but there are some I’d choose over others.

Montreal, New Orleans, Quebec City, Chicago, New York, Memphis, Los Angeles, Kingston Ont, St. Johns, Regina, Saskatoon, San Francisco, Winnipeg, Halifax, Austin, Atlanta, Athens, Edmonton, Calgary, Jasper, Toronto, Ottawa, Dawson City, Yellowknife, Fredericton, Detroit, D.C, Baltimore, Boston, Burlington Vermont, Tempe, Kaslo, Ladysmith, Wakefield PQ, Philadelphia

I could keep going on and on. I realize by typing this list that I resist heavily the idea that I should retreat into the countryside. I love cities. The smaller ones I picked were based on the fun I had there. Sometimes I had so much fun in a city I may have even obliterated my memory of the place entirely. This very basic and overly simplistic journal entry was brought to you by 3 pints of home-brew.