Spending a week in Hawaii has, in many ways, changed me.
It feels a little snooty on my part to say something like that, but it really has. I came back more relaxed, happy, and ready and willing to see the world in ways I never actually thought of... at least, not since I was a kid. Seeing everything so different out there, even though it was still part of the country, just did something.
People say you should always leave the country once to see just how different things are. In reality, I think just going even 90 miles away from where you live can do just as much.
I'm actually shocked now by how many fat people are in this city. I mean, there are A LOT. A incredibly insane number! Just looking around on the train today, going down and playing my guitar on Market Street, I would say the number seems to be 1 out of 10 are morbidly obese, 1 in 5 are fairly overweight, and the rest are just there.
So, I just want to get this one off my chest: There's just as much soda and fast food in Hawaii that there is here, and a lot less fat people. In America. Shocking, isn't it? Maybe it ISN'T the food that's the problem, but our LIFESTYLES? MMMM? Stick that in your pipe and smoke it!
I also realized how conservative this place tends to be, and how in many ways and many places any new ideas or new concepts seem to be crushed. Then again, that's something I've said time and time again for years.
At the same time, there is a new generation of people in the city, those who actually DO encourage creativity, those willing to dare to be different, and live outside the hipster-encrusted areas of Fishtown and Northern Liberties. It is nothing short of amazing and encouraging to find them, and I thank them all for encouraging me to grow and do more.
More and more, I'm tempted to move, yet at the same time, tempted to stay and make the city better. My perils the same as countless others my age who run into the same problem as I do; Do you move to a place where you know your creativity will be encouraged, or stay in a place where it won't and simply fight harder to be better than the rest?
Why am I the way I am?
It's simple; there's nothing to really do here. "Art and culture" may be promoted, but the reality is that it's not. There are some great people out there doing great stuff, and some amazing galleries working their butts off to encourage a budding art scene that literally could take the world by storm! Instead, I see the self-declared "smart blogs and newspapers" ignore them to, once again, promote something that is simply the same-old same-old.
The nightlife sucks unless you live or are willing to go to Fishtown or NoLibs at night, and even then it's pretty hit-or-miss. The fact that 90% of all stores here close at 7PM is pretty bad, too, especially in Center City.
I remember bitching and moaning for years about how the local music scene here sucks. Then I started going to a few shows put on by local promoters with local bands opening for national acts, and I found out the very simple truth: There are some INCREDIBLE bands in this city! The problem is that the same old guard that used to encourage this type of stuff instead got old and decided to focus on art-alt-rock-indie bands that have all the appeal of a wet shoe to 99% of the public.
Man, why do I keep doing this? Every time I start writing about how I love one place or another, I wind up complaining about the same stupid problems that plague this city over and over again.
I guess it's simple: I'm angry, young, and bored and need some excitement in my life this city can't give me.
