Antisocial Bullshit

Dear Brandon, I don't like this antisocial bullshit. Nope, not one bit. 

That is a message Daisy sent me two nights ago, before I finally came back to my computer.


I know she sent it with love, obviously. Sounds sort of Dr. Seuss-like to me.

Indeed, I returned to my computer to find about fifteen messages from people -- Daisy, Daisy's mother (who sent me a very sweet message about me not coming up this weekend), messages from Zedral, etc. Apparently if I don't touch my computer for the majority of a day, the internet freaks out and all of my friends think something's happened to me. By the time I actually sat down here for any length of time, everyone who had left me messages had already gone to bed.

In reality, I did exactly what I said I was going to do in my last blog post -- I went to bed, got up yesterday afternoon, did some light cleaning and the dishes, and didn't even turn on my computer. When I was done, I was hot and tired again, so I made a little food and took a late-evening nap from around 9 to 2. Yesterday it was 108 degrees outside, so I slept until the afternoon and waited until the evening to do anything that would, y'know, require me to be able to breathe. Right now, it's 104.

As an aside, I do not like the term "antisocial" when it's applied to me. I am not antisocial, really. Not in the true sense of the term. I do have friends and family who I talk to on a regular basis and don't ignore (though there are some, yes, I do ignore for one reason or another). If I were truly antisocial I'd not even be writing here. I am indeed very social with people I know and love, even if I don't know them that well -- for example, I wrote a long, very sweet reply to Daisy's mother, thanking her for understanding and for checking in with me, telling her that I really appreciated it. Which, of course, I did and do.

Of course, there are still many things on my mind, many things that still must be taken care of over the course of the next few weeks. 

I told Daisy tonight that moving to Portland after graduation is a very real possibility for me, that I've already got a strong network of friends there (four friends, specifically, either in or around the city) and that if I wanted to stay in the academic field, I could do it there easier than in most other places -- not only are there strong teachers' unions, but adjunct unions as well. She did not necessarily like the fact that I was considering a move to there -- after all, it is quite literally 1,000 miles from here -- but understands why it's a possibility, understands why I find it so appealing. Even if I don't stay in the academic field (which, again, is a strong possibility as well), it's Portland. It's not like Wichita or Kansas City or any of these other midwest metropolises where living is miserable, nothing ever really happens, and opportunities for meaningful work or living are virtually nil. It's Portland. It's a completely different environment than I have ever experienced before. Yes, cost of living is higher there, but yes, there are also a lot more opportunities to actually do something with my life there, as well, and be happy doing it somewhere that is not fucking Kansas or West Virginia.

Daisy really, really wants me to start my job searching in her city first, obviously. She wants me to move there after I graduate, and hasn't really made that much of a secret. I am not, shall we say, opposed to this, but I absolutely want to get out of the midwest. It's not exactly pleasant here, you know. They call these states "flyover states" for a reason -- it's because nothing vital, nothing important happens here. You hear stories about people leaving Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, etc. all the time and never coming back. Yeah, there's a reason for that -- it's because there's nothing here, and they can actually do something with their lives in a different part of the country.

I do, however, have a list of cities and/or states I would like to move to and continue my life after graduate school, and here they are, in no particular order:

1. Portland
2. Minneapolis
3. Chicago
4. New Orleans
5. Seattle
6. Pittsburgh
7. Ohio
8. Omaha (I have my reasons)
9. North OR South Carolina
10. Richmond
11. Santa Fe OR Albuquerque
12. Delaware (anywhere in the state)
13. Vancouver
14. Toronto
15. Boston
16. Philadelphia
17. New Jersey (anywhere in the state)

Note that most of these places are larger cities and/or on a coast of some sort, and/or are a relatively large, liberal metropolitan area. I've lived in the rural, red-state-conservative, bible-thumping midwest long enough. I'd so much rather live somewhere with a bunch of weirdo atheists who appreciate the arts, poetry, writing, music, and a place in which I'll be able to get a relatively stable job.

For those more questionable choices on the list? Let me explain them.

Minneapolis has a great music and arts scene, as well as an excellent stand-up comedy scene. It may be ass-chillingly cold in the winter, but in the summer it will be nice and cool, and I'll always be a few hours' drive from the beaches of Lake Superior.

Ohio is still mostly flat (well, the western half of the state is), it's relatively quiet but also has several large cities (Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, etc.) and again, I'd never be more than a few hours' drive from the beaches of a Great Lake -- this time, Lake Erie. Plus, their flag is cool, I may be able to help swing an election or two, it's relatively close to my parents, and there are White Castles there.

North or South Carolina would be nice because there are multiple beaches, popular beaches, in each state, and if I were to settle there I would choose a beach town and would work in the industry somehow. I also have a few connections in each state -- Adam lives in North Carolina, for example.

Richmond is on the list because there is a ton of industry and government jobs there, and because it's relatively close to my parents (about an eight-to-ten-hour drive) and, once again, it's close to all of the beaches of the state.

Vancouver and Toronto are on the list because, c'mon, it's Canada. Tim Horton's. Free healthcare. Liberal cities. Yeah baby.

Santa Fe and Albuquerque are on the list because if I'm gonna live somewhere that it's 105-110 every day in the summer, I'd rather it be in or around a city where something actually happens. Yes, that's a dig at Wichita. I considered adding Phoenix to the list, too.

Delaware and New Jersey are on the list for different reasons under an overall umbrella -- they're coastal states. My family used to go to the beach every year in Delaware, and it's a beautiful state with kind, fun people. New Jersey is where Kevin Smith is from. I'd kill to live in Red Bank or Leonardo.

Pittsburgh is on there because I already know the city well, have many friends who live there, and it's 90 minutes from my parents' house. Plus, permit me to be a bit testosterone-driven here for a minute, but, ahem... STEELERS! PENGUINS! IRON CITY BEER! ....Pirates....

Anyway, yeah.

No, I'm not giving my reasons why Omaha is on the list, and I don't feel that I need to give reasons for places like Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Seattle, or New Orleans. The reasons I'd want to live in those places should be evident.

Anyway. Switching gears.

I am not antisocial at all; in fact, I'm entertaining a guest tonight. Because I didn't come up this weekend, Daisy is coming down here for a visit. I don't know what we'll do (we're both rather broke at the moment, me being really broke) but I'll probably attempt to culture her by showing her some nerdy movies she's never seen before. See? I'm not antisocial, I interact with people, etc. It was sort of a spur-of-the-moment idea last night, to be honest with you. However, as she doesn't work until Thursday, and I'm done now with all of my school-related stuff, neither of us have a whole lot to do. And she's been on vacation since the middle of the month, so we haven't seen each other much.

It will be nice to see her and spend some time with her, to interact with another person in, well, person. You folks know I don't get to do that very much. Hell, tonight I was invited out to meet up with a few friends and the newbies (read: new graduate students for the fall) and I had to decline due to having a little less than half a tank of gas in the car and $20.95 in my bank account. Daisy's coming down anyway, though, so it's not like I would've gone anyhow. I might have if I had more money and gas.

So that's about all that's going on right now. I'll update again soon. I still have to write with Adam, and the stuff he wrote to pre-collaborate with me, so that will be coming up soon as well.