Much to my delight, it rained almost the whole time we were in Oregon and Washington. A few beers in, my homie L* and I were standing in the muddy parking lot during BF-G's wedding reception laughing about how people from the Pac Northwest rarely own things like proper boots, rain jackets, or umbrellas. We just pull on sneakers and sweaters and stand around in the rain. Drunk.
So here's my dilemma: I had too good a time in Oregon. 90% of the people I really love are in the same 100-something mile stretch off of I-5 up and down the Willamette Valley. As we all get older, more and more of my formerly nomadic friends congregate in Portland, which remains the Best City on Earth. The grit, the cold wind, the beautiful bridges over the Willamette, karaoke bars and cool apartments for 650/month, all of it makes me really, truly homesick. Now both of Becky's brothers have moved to Portland, which means that most of both of our immediate families is up there, compounding the whole issue.
That all said, I've always been snotty about people who never leave their hometown. How the hell can you accurately judge things if you just stew in your old familiar surroundings your whole life, vacations and trips notwithstanding? My attitude is particularly acute because of growing up in Eugene, where so many people try to move away but just end up slumping back a few months or years later, feeling defeated.** So, basically, I feel like a wimpy sellout wanting to go back, that I should stick to my guns and live all over the place.
That said, I think one of the most wonderful things about getting older is giving less and less of a shit about proving yourself. I've spent my whole adult life trying to live up to some imagined standard of ambition and achievement***; what perverse principle makes me think that living in my favorite place with my favorite people is a Bad Thing just because it happens to be where I grew up?
So: Santa Cruz. Love it. Great little town full of attractive, brilliant historians-in-training. Academia: still into it. I doubt that I have the pedigree to succeed, but I'm going to get my PHD and play the job game regardless, at least one time through. But the way Becky and I are feeling these days, unless some kind of blessed arrangement drops out of the clouds ("Dr. KFR, we'd like to offer you our special 'Real Ultimate Power' tenured chair in intellectual history...") when I'm done with this, we're going back to the Beaver State.
* Or "Ol' Elephant Ears," as we like to call her.
** I called Eugene "The Vortex" growing up. It's impossible to escape.
*** One with zero financial benefit, I might add. Good job, me.
7.25.2007
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7 comments:
Yay! Portland wins!
If you love your hometown more than anywhere else, I don't see why it shouldn't continue to be "home." I mean, even if you go live somewhere really different for awhile, just to get some perspective, I don't think there's anything wrong with ending up wherever makes you happiest, right?
I know what you mean about people who return to their hometowns and live there. I know a couple kids from high school who are back here, post-college, getting teaching credentials from a nearby private college, and already student teaching at our old high school. They're hanging out with high school friends who did the same thing.
Personally, I couldn't...But if you love it...why not return?
Dr. KFR..Smurf This here. Umm...this is my test at seeing if this works, cuz I haven't posted or linked on my blog yet, still getting it sorted. On the off chance it does...I had a few comments on your post! Ok A: I totally feel you sir! And no, there is nothing wrong with going home, especially when you are lucky enough to have home be where the majority of your favorite people are. Speaking from someone who's been away from home longer than I'd like, toooo far away from home, it's rare as we get older to be lucky enough to have the bulk of your community in one place. I've met a lot of people out here who have grown up in places where everyone leaves to get away from (like Kansas, or Ohio, or another of those 40 something states that most people from the West and East coasts get foggy on map quizzes with. And I've totally come to appreciate the fact that I know where I want to be (the West coast, Cali first choice, probably Oregon/Washington close seconds) and that 90% of my homies are there too. But you know why? Cuz those places kick ass and that's why people don't leave. Best food, best weather, most beautiful scenery, all sorts of friendly laid back outdoorsy types, all your favorite peeps, jobs, arts, music, what more could you want sir?
I know what you mean - I love Austria, Singapore is interesting, but I'm getting tired of all the moving, and I'm really, bloody tired of the living out of suitcase bit. I just want to go running down to ferry dock and back just to see Rainier. :) I do have to say that Portland is tempting, but Kitsap will always be home. :) There are colleges in the NW, you know...
I totally understand your pain. We too have enjoyed our cute, college town, but our hearts seem to have stayed in Oregon. We especially miss Portland this time of year and hope that we will be able to return when Bob's PhD is finished. On another note - we'll be in Monterey/Carmel/Big Sur this weekend and then we leave for OR next weekend.
Hey, can we help growing up in a damn cool town? I mean, if we grew up in oakridge or something, yeah, get out. But it's Eugene! I've pretty much lived here all along, with a few stops in corvallis (also known as north-north eugene) and pdx. Enough to feel like I wasn't here.
I'm stubbornly trying to talk people into believing that staying in Eugene is cool. Because I'm doing it.
Hooray for us!
(I'm way behind on my blog reading, so forgive the lateness of this comment, but it would be awesome to see your faces around here more often.)
-rebecca
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