In thinking about all of the various and diverse locations I could live... it makes me wonder if my life will be long enough that I can experience them all. Living in a big city, living in the countryside, living in the suburbs... I wouldn't mind trying it all. That requires a lot of moving, however, and we've established our distaste for that. I do agree that this election definitely clarified which states I shall NEVER EVER live (I'm looking at you Oklahoma, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, North and South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Louisiana, Kentucky, etc.). That said... here we go:
Honorable Mentions: Portland and Austin, TX. Portland is a fantastic city, and in the "real world" it's high on my list (as my chances of living out of the country are SO SLIM). It's a true Pacific Northwest hub, with awesome bars and a vibrant intellectual scene. I'm a fan. Austin is here because it intrigues me. The music capital of the world? That sounds promising. However, as it is in Texas... we have a problem.
5. Dublin, Ireland-- We had such a kickass ten days in Dublin, that I'm dying to return. The people we met were great, the bars were so cool, and the literary history is unmatched. There is so much of the city that I have yet to experience, not to mention the countryside we barely had time to explore. I don't know how long I could be in the city, but I would enjoy every minute. Plus, the doors are just so awesome.
4. Washington, DC-- Living here for 3 months left me with a positive impression of DC. Having there always be something fun--and usually related to politics or history--to do was mind-blowing. I was never bored. And I loved being immersed in politics. That summer changed how I thought about politics and increased my desire to gain more knowledge and be a more active democratic citizen. There are a lot of important people and things in DC, not to mention the restaurants, nightlife, museums, events, and general craziness. We had opposite experiences, my friend. I'm sorry yours was so terrible. As long as I could stay above the self-righteous fray, I think I'd be okay.
3. New York, NY-- Even though I have only spent 36 hours in the city, I adored it. I enjoyed taking the subway, walking along the dirty streets, and being surrounded by culture. It's also probably a place I could handle for about a year. But what a year it would be... I'd probably never sleep. There is too much to do! The museums, restaurants, theater, cultural displays, history, not to mention people watching. The 24/7 lifestyle is appealing... for a bit.
2. Seattle, WA-- It's absolutely true: we are Pacific Northwest people. I happily and excitedly left Seattle for California five years ago... however my opinion of our hometown has changed considerably since then. I have a renewed appreciation of its music scene, laid-back vibe, friendly and intelligent people, festivals, greenery (both of people and landscape), and gorgeous skyline. Seattle truly has something for everyone without falling into the traps of a huge metropolis.
1. Sydney, Australia-- I don't think it's a huge surprise to anyone who has met me that I have a deep, deep love for Australia. Studying abroad there for three months was one of the most fantastic experiences of my young life. Sydney is the coolest city I have ever visited, hands down. Not only is it ridiculously clean, as in no gum on the sidewalks, but it is safe and there is a ton to do. Australians are a fun bunch- they're quirky and friendly, so the culture shock level is small. And, not a small component, I am a short plane ride away from the Great Barrier Reef. Weekend trips to go scuba diving in one of the coolest places on earth would be a regular happening in my life. What a perfect life.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Top 5 Places I'd Like To Live
Top 5 Places I Would Want to Live
Given that I am in the midst of my law school applications (yes, I am using this as an opportunity to procrastinate) and am considering the possibility of new locales, I felt that a systematic discussion of the places we would want to live was in order. As you observed during the elections, a cursory glance at a red v. blue state map gives one a pretty clear idea of inhabitable and not-so-inhabitable regions of the nation. Here are a few stalwart democratic places that made my list:
Honorable Mention: Los Angeles - The scourge of my social life almost makes the top 5, but solely on the grounds that my boyfriend and other people I like are there. And I would only live there under protest.
5) Ireland - I have this misguided notion that because the Irish are an island people and I come from island people, we have something in common. I also once heard someone describe the Irish as the black people of Europe, and I’ve always felt that Filipinos are the black people of Asia, so there’s also that. Also, as you know since you were there with me, I’ve been to Ireland and I liked it and would love to spend more time there. Dublin felt like a really safe city and it didn’t feel weird being there as a person of color (which I imagine wouldn’t be quite so true of places like Great Britain or France, especially France). I also felt like I needed a place not in the U.S. on my list.
4) New York, New York - I imagine everyone considers living in New York. It certainly would be fun to live at the alleged epicenter of the world. New York is probably one of the only places on the East Coast that I could tolerate living in, because we all know how D.C. worked out for me (I swear never to set foot south of the Mason-Dixon line ever again). I really like urban settings (the elevated prospect of mugging and violent crime notwithstanding) and its one of the greenest ways to live. All things considered, though, I have a hard time imagining living in New York indefinitely. It seems more like a temporary thing, which is why it comes in at number 4.
3) San Francisco - Having spent the last 4 years in the Bay Area, I know it’s somewhere I wouldn’t mind sticking around in for a while. I also think it would be fun (although outrageously expensive) to live in the City. SF seems to be the ultimate yuppie city and as most of those closest to me know, I am yuppie at heart. It’s a relatively small, walkable city with plenty of things to do and see. Progressive values are a big plus, but mostly, I like the idea of not having to make the 20-minute bart ride across the Bay—the tube is scurry!
2) Home, sweet, home: Seattle - As we have discussed before, we will always be northwest girls. The more time I spend away from Seattle, the more it becomes an enticing place to settle down (ignoring the herculean effort of moving). The most exciting things about living in Seattle: going to Mariner’s games ALL THE TIME, being close to my family, the opportunity to see Rowe all the time, no Peet’s coffee. Plus, to paraphrase the Blue Scholars (another Seattle perk), summer in Seattle is perhaps the northwest’s best kept secret.
1) The Magical City of Portland - Anyone who knows me for at least 5 seconds is aware of my obsession with this scenic Pacific Northwest city. Portland is truly a magical land of free light rail transportation downtown, beautiful bridges, spacious bike lanes and a gondola!!! (Seriously, a freaking gondola!). Also, for an inveterate bibliophile, the prospect of living near Powell’s bookstore is one that makes me hysterical with glee. The city’s only downside: no baseball. But given Portland’s seemingly endless wonders, a somewhat frequent three-hour drive up to Seattle during baseball season seems like a small price to pay.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Top 5 Childhood Books
I read a lot as a kid, so this list was rather difficult. I actually remember my parents having to goad me into going outside to play (yes I am a nerd—and damn proud of it too!). It was really interesting putting this list together because it allowed me to see where my older reading interests—and interests in other media—came from. Since your list was comprised entirely of novels, I decided to limit mine to novels as well. Which leads me to believe that we should do a Top 5 Picture Books at some point in the future.
Honorable Mention: Soup Should be Seen and Not Heard by Beth Brainard and Sheila Behr
I know this seems like a weird entry, but I was seriously obsessed with this book, which probably explains why I'm so concerned about decorum and manners. Once I started studying sociology at school, I began to look back at my upbringing and pinpoint certain key moments of socialization. I think this book is certainly one of them.
5) The Bunnicula Series by James Howe
This series about a vampiric bunny who sucks the life juices out of vegetables combined my interests in the paranormal and adorable animals. Looking back on it, the series was kind of morbid given that the family cat Chester, convinced that Bunnicula may eventually be dangerous to humans, makes countless attempts to kill him. Also, major points for the great book title The Celery Stalks at Midnight.4) Nancy Drew - My good friend, Wikipedia, informs me that Nancy Drew was written under the collective pseudonym Carolyn Keene. This was probably my introduction to literary sleuthing and laid the foundation for a future interest in Patricia Cornwell's Dr. Kay Scarpetta books. Looking back on things, I'm glad that I had a kickass, independent-minded and intrepid fictional role model, even if Nancy was blonde, blue-eyed and affluent. Also, more paranormal stuff ... I think I see a pattern taking shape.
3) The Lewis Barnavelt books by John Bellairs and Brad Strickland - More paranormal stuff in these gothic horror novels for young adults. When Lewis Barnavelt's parents are suddenly killed in a car accident, he is sent to live with his uncle, Jonathan, who turns out to be a wizard and who lives next to a kindly witch. Together, Lews and Jonathan combat evil forces that are hellbent on destroying teh world. The covers for these dark books were appropriately illustrated by the macabre artist Edward Gorey. Clearly, my love of the horror genre was cultivated at an early age.
2) Anything by Roald Dahl but specifically The Witches (again with the paranormal!), James and Giant Peach and Boy, Dahl's autobiography. Like the rest of my list, most of Dahl's writings have a dark undercurrent to them, which is probably why I liked them. Dahl also wrote some really great, scandalous adult fiction which I would recommend to anyone who is a fan of his children's books.
1) The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle - I borrowed this book from the library constantly when I was a kid. Consequently, nostalgia has kept me from buying the book because I have been unable to locate an older edition similar to the one I used to check out (pictured). I do, however, own the cartoon movie which is done in the same style as the Hobbit animated feature (Beagle actually worked on that project as well). I learned on Wikipedia that The Last Unicorn is actually regarded as one of the best fantasy books ever written (or an avid fan of the book wrote the wiki post). As is the case with the rest of my list, this was a pretty dark read about a unicorn who sets out to find out what happened to the rest of her kind. On the way she runs into some pretty colorful characters as well as a sideshow that contained a scary harpy.
Top 5 Childhood Books
I've been feeling nostalgic about how much I used to read as a child... and I don't know if it's because the books were way more interesting, or if I'm now spending a lot of time reading really boring articles. Either way, it gives me warm fuzzies to remember my faves...
Honorable mention: Jacob Have I Loved- I can't tell you anymore what this book is about, but I know that from 4th-6th grade I read it over and over and over again.
5. The Ramona series by Beverly Cleary. Hilarious. I think I spent most of 2nd and 3rd grade with my nose buried in the Ramona books. She did such fantastic things that I wanted to know more. Perfect for the 8-9 year old set.
4. Everything by Judy Blume. That woman knew how to write angsty teenagers! And they were funny, cool, just dorky enough, and like people I would hang out with. What a brilliant "young adult" writer.
3. Sweet Valley Twins- Again, loved the characters and the worlds that were NOTHING like mine. I think it's the same reason I enjoy soap operas... because I would never be like these beautiful, blonde twins who did some crazy stuff. Nice escapism at a young age. I fully admit to it--not Nobel Prize lit here.
2. Babysitter's Club- I will admit that I wanted to be Mary-Anne. More than anything in the world. I wanted to live in that world when I was younger... because, as silly as it seems, the characters seemed so grown-up and independent. They ran their own business! They looked out for the little kids! They had relationships! And planned cool events! I wonder if I sat back down and read them if my love would endure...
1. Boxcar Children- These were originally given to me for my birthday by Grandma Neva and I could not get enough of the children's crazy shenanigans. Who honestly lives in a boxcar to hide from their scary rich grandfather and then, after realizing he's a sweet old man who loves them, proceeds to solve mysteries?? Why Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny. What great child protagonists. And there were so many books! It definitely catered to my speedy reading.
Top 5 Songs I'm Listening to on Repeat (two months later)
