A clip show of all new material
About ten years ago, I left the farm for college in Eau Claire. And it was great. High School was dead and buried with its head cut off to make sure it doesn't come back as a zombie or vampire (as head severing is also an effective way to stop one in any respectable vampire mythology. Saves on a wooden stake!). College was the place for me. Eau Claire was a nice place to come into my own. Eventually, it stopped being the place where I went to school, and became the place where I hang my hat. Home. But something wasn't right. There was...something missing. I always knew that one day, I'd have to leave. Eventually, the path became clear. I knew what I had to do. It was time to leave Eau Claire. Over the course of June, I prepared myself. And in the waning days of June, I moved the last of my stuff from Eau Claire to Milwaukee for the next stage of my life.
It is now one year later....
I remembered how nervous I was about moving to Milwaukee. It was such a big city, such a dangerous place. So many people... I didn't think I would like it at all. And I kind of have to chuckle at that. Cause I kind of like it now. I mean, I don't like paying the high rent for a middling apartment, and the pollution can't be good for me. And yeah, there are some bad people out there, but I do my best to avoid them, and I've been successful so far. It helps that I'm always on my bike, and that my neighborhood is generally good. I guess I've just really grown to appreciate the advantages of living in a metropolis of the Twenty-first century. I imagine myself suffering in some small backwater town I find myself in a year from now at my first museum job. But I can't really be over particular about where I go until I get some more experience.
The thing that I really appreciate is that I'm never in want for anything to do. Don't necessarily have the cash to do it, but that's another story. A show in Milwaukee is close enough to me that I can simply bike there and back. Don't have to worry about driving and parking. Nor do I have to worry about driving back and getting home at some ungodly hour in the morning, or forking up the cash for a cheap hotel. It's just really nice to be able to go out and see a show, but not have to plan a day around it, like this year when I saw Cinematic Titanic. And if by chance something doesn't comes here, then Chicago is only a short drive away (like w00tstock and Conan's live tour earlier this year).
This year, I also did Summerfest, which I didn't go to last year because I was still moving in around that time. And I have to say I'm glad I didn't. It's been an interesting experience, but nothing that would really draw me to it if I wasn't already here. While all the shows I've seen have been good, none of them have really been great. I went last Thursday to see Tokyo Police Club and Passion Pit (both good, but Passion Pit really brought it), Weird Al on Tuesday (he really works hard to put on a great show. Though I'm so out of touch with mainstream pop-music that a lot of his newer pop parodies were lost on me. But I digress), and went on Thursday to see The Hold Steady (which is the only band of the ones I just listed that I actually have on my iPod right now). I kind of feel that if I had seen these shows outside of the Summerfest setting, I would have liked them more. There's just so many people, and yet so many things only half thought out. There's only one bike lot, and it's a nightmare to get you and your bike out of their when exiting at night. Somehow, I got a flat when trying to wade through the sea of people last night, and I had to walk all the way back to my apartment dragging along a bike with a flat tire. Surprisingly, it only took about an hour. The benches are another bad idea. The stages are designed to be so high that you should be able to see what's going on even if you're short like me. But there are these benches that when the main show starts, EVERYONE stands on them, making it dangerous and hard to see. Alternatively, you can try to be in the front row, but that requires you to sit through several crapy to okay bands for hours. And even then, you usually get surrounded by rude people who pushed their way to the front right before the show started. But I'm getting too negative. Basically, was an interesting and I don't regret going (though I do regret where I parked my bike). But at the same token, this isn't something that I would come back for. And even if I ended up being in Milwaukee for another year (which I don't anticipate, I probably wouldn't go unless there was a band i really, really, really wanted to see.
Well, enough ranting, let's get back to my original purpose here. My neighborhood is pretty good, and that's helped me appreciate the city all the more. I'm not about to extol the virtues of my apartment, but it does have a good location. Really close to the university, and close enough to downtown that I conceivably can walk there and back in under an hour. It's also close to several bus lines that will take me their when my bike fails me (ie bad weather, or it gets a flat. Though it doesn't work out so well when I don't have money for the bus). It's also close to a kick-ass though somewhat pricey little grocery store with excellent produce and meat selection, and a pharmacy/general store for more generic items that I've learned to easily take advantage of coupons and such. My car just sits in its parking spot for weeks until those times when I need to leave the area for some reason. Go mass transit!
I guess I'll sum up by saying it's been an interesting year, and I'm becoming quite the urbanite. And no matter where I end up, it's more important to focus on the good rather than the bad. No where is perfect, but everywhere has it's redeeming features. I don't no where I'll be this time next year. Maybe I'll be continuing to enjoy the big city life in another part of the country. Maybe I'll be in another mid sized town like Eau Claire. And even if I do end up in the middle of nowhere town like Platteville, at least I'll have one thing to look forward to: the night skies will be gorgeous.
It is now one year later....
I remembered how nervous I was about moving to Milwaukee. It was such a big city, such a dangerous place. So many people... I didn't think I would like it at all. And I kind of have to chuckle at that. Cause I kind of like it now. I mean, I don't like paying the high rent for a middling apartment, and the pollution can't be good for me. And yeah, there are some bad people out there, but I do my best to avoid them, and I've been successful so far. It helps that I'm always on my bike, and that my neighborhood is generally good. I guess I've just really grown to appreciate the advantages of living in a metropolis of the Twenty-first century. I imagine myself suffering in some small backwater town I find myself in a year from now at my first museum job. But I can't really be over particular about where I go until I get some more experience.
The thing that I really appreciate is that I'm never in want for anything to do. Don't necessarily have the cash to do it, but that's another story. A show in Milwaukee is close enough to me that I can simply bike there and back. Don't have to worry about driving and parking. Nor do I have to worry about driving back and getting home at some ungodly hour in the morning, or forking up the cash for a cheap hotel. It's just really nice to be able to go out and see a show, but not have to plan a day around it, like this year when I saw Cinematic Titanic. And if by chance something doesn't comes here, then Chicago is only a short drive away (like w00tstock and Conan's live tour earlier this year).
This year, I also did Summerfest, which I didn't go to last year because I was still moving in around that time. And I have to say I'm glad I didn't. It's been an interesting experience, but nothing that would really draw me to it if I wasn't already here. While all the shows I've seen have been good, none of them have really been great. I went last Thursday to see Tokyo Police Club and Passion Pit (both good, but Passion Pit really brought it), Weird Al on Tuesday (he really works hard to put on a great show. Though I'm so out of touch with mainstream pop-music that a lot of his newer pop parodies were lost on me. But I digress), and went on Thursday to see The Hold Steady (which is the only band of the ones I just listed that I actually have on my iPod right now). I kind of feel that if I had seen these shows outside of the Summerfest setting, I would have liked them more. There's just so many people, and yet so many things only half thought out. There's only one bike lot, and it's a nightmare to get you and your bike out of their when exiting at night. Somehow, I got a flat when trying to wade through the sea of people last night, and I had to walk all the way back to my apartment dragging along a bike with a flat tire. Surprisingly, it only took about an hour. The benches are another bad idea. The stages are designed to be so high that you should be able to see what's going on even if you're short like me. But there are these benches that when the main show starts, EVERYONE stands on them, making it dangerous and hard to see. Alternatively, you can try to be in the front row, but that requires you to sit through several crapy to okay bands for hours. And even then, you usually get surrounded by rude people who pushed their way to the front right before the show started. But I'm getting too negative. Basically, was an interesting and I don't regret going (though I do regret where I parked my bike). But at the same token, this isn't something that I would come back for. And even if I ended up being in Milwaukee for another year (which I don't anticipate, I probably wouldn't go unless there was a band i really, really, really wanted to see.
Well, enough ranting, let's get back to my original purpose here. My neighborhood is pretty good, and that's helped me appreciate the city all the more. I'm not about to extol the virtues of my apartment, but it does have a good location. Really close to the university, and close enough to downtown that I conceivably can walk there and back in under an hour. It's also close to several bus lines that will take me their when my bike fails me (ie bad weather, or it gets a flat. Though it doesn't work out so well when I don't have money for the bus). It's also close to a kick-ass though somewhat pricey little grocery store with excellent produce and meat selection, and a pharmacy/general store for more generic items that I've learned to easily take advantage of coupons and such. My car just sits in its parking spot for weeks until those times when I need to leave the area for some reason. Go mass transit!
I guess I'll sum up by saying it's been an interesting year, and I'm becoming quite the urbanite. And no matter where I end up, it's more important to focus on the good rather than the bad. No where is perfect, but everywhere has it's redeeming features. I don't no where I'll be this time next year. Maybe I'll be continuing to enjoy the big city life in another part of the country. Maybe I'll be in another mid sized town like Eau Claire. And even if I do end up in the middle of nowhere town like Platteville, at least I'll have one thing to look forward to: the night skies will be gorgeous.