Friday, January 05, 2007

The beginning of the new year has slammed home just how unsatisfied I am living in Independence, Missouri. Not only am I miserable, I have nothing to keep me here aside from an increasingly tedious part-time job. So I'm seriously considering a move. I can't just "leave," as some have suggested: I need income, health insurance, some realistic hope of a better (read: tolerable) life.

Assuming I move, I might as well do it right; just because I need to make a grounded decision doesn't mean I can't make an adventure out of it. I'm considering Canada. From what (admittedly little) I've seen, the landscape is almost utopian in comparison to the pale, conformist sprawl that characterizes the Midwest. I want to live where I can take walks and visit bookstores that stock titles other than "Christian inspiration." Where drive-thrus haven't completely obliterated the need to leave one's car. Where the coffeeshops spend more time making coffee and less time hawking God.

This is a town for greedy, over-fed, cellphone-wielding know-nothings: a true dystopian nexus that promises little and delivers far less. I can't help but think I can do better.
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10 comments:

Anonymous said...

*cough* vancouver *cough*

12:46 AM
Greg Bishop said...

I guess you wouldn't consider California. You'd do well in the Bay Area & John Shirley and Bruce Sterling live there, among others.

1:48 AM
LesleyinNM said...

Don't forget about Albuquerque, we have Stephen Donaldson (along with many other scifi writers) and of course Linda Moulton Howe, Bob Lazar and the always popular (or at least always pompous) Richard C. Hoagland.

4:19 AM
Anonymous said...

There is no paradise, except between our ears. I've travelled about a bit and there are indeed many great places to live, but it will really boil down to being around people you love and who love you. If you have the cocoon of positive emotion around you, you can endure most anything and possibly even enjoy it. If your miserable inside, you will be miserable wherever you are. Though this might seem obvious, many people have difficulty understanding why they are not happy.

If you are serious about moving, take a vacation to the area you are intersted in. Take several, check out the locale, the real estate, the climate, the people, the traffic and all the other things you need to know. Read a few books about diffferent areas, try to line up a job and then jump.

Good luck and have a good year.

10:50 AM
Mac said...

Chris--

I'd love to live in Vancouver. It's not at the top of my list (which, in any case, is subject to change), but it's on the list.

Greg--

Gimme a job in CA and I'm there.

7:35 PM
Mac said...

If your miserable inside, you will be miserable wherever you are.

This is too true. I'm moody, but not naturally miserable; I crave things to see, creative outlets. Even modestly interesting architecture excites me. I'm just not getting that where I am. I'm in a sort of Sargasso Sea of everything I don't like about America -- and there's plenty I do like ... frustratingly just out of my reach.

7:41 PM
Anonymous said...

I've travelled about a bit and there are indeed many great places to live, but it will really boil down to being around people you love and who love you.

True that! It's strictly the folks around me that make living in Houston even remotely bearable. Otherwise, I'd be out of here in a heartbeat.

11:20 PM
Carol Maltby said...

I chose where I've lived for almost twenty years now after vacationing in the area with friends. I picked up a copy of the local weekly, and noted that when the mayor said "fuck" in a town meeting, the paper quoted it without making a big deal about it. I decided that these were my people. :)

2:49 PM
Anonymous said...

It's true that if you're "miserable" inside you'll be miserable anywhere outside, but that works up to a point.

I relate to Mac's distress; I'm in the same position. I hate it here. (Eugene, Oregon) one of the things I hate, is others saying to me "how can you hate it here?!" for it is beautiful, there is an intellectual, "counter culture," etc. vibe here, -- but for myself, for what I need, I can't take it another day. (I want desperately to move to the coastal region, about 50 miles or so from here. Or at the very least, to the country.)

Portland's a good place too; larger city.

What's keeping me are two things; husband, who doesn't want to leave his job yet, and to a far lesser degree, the good job I have, that includes benefits, etc.

Now, after saying how much I hate it here (a lot of that has to do with the physical area; not good for asthma, allergies, etc.) I would encourage others to explore it here as a place to live. Although, the economy is lousy, it is hard to find work, and work that pays well at that. After living in this town for 30 years, I've finally found a job that is not only fulfilling but pays fairly decently.

Whatever you decide Mac, good luck.

No sense at all in staying where you don't want to be.

12:28 PM
Anonymous said...

Good luck Mac. There's actually a lot of beautiful little places left in the world. I've been to every state and traveled quite a bit in the US, and I promise you there's some gems. Find a nice place, and settle down. Your research and writing will flourish and you'll be a lot happier, I think. :-)

11:14 AM

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