I've been waiting to add new sites on My Favorites list for awhile now. I like checking out where other people give links... it's interesting to see what attracts someone to something, plain and simple.
I've been living in my hometown, off and on, for about 15 years. A lot has changed around here. Shops come and go, as do the people. We are slowly starting to attract international and big box businesses, but the change isn't in your face. In the end, it is still just a small university town located far enough away from a major city to be considered rural. The city sprawl is slowly coming our way... perhaps in another decade I'll have to worry about moving away from all these damned neighbours, but right now, I figure I've got some time to relax.
I like it well enough... I figured on moving away, after graduating, as do most of the students who come to learn and live here. Of course, we all know what happened, but in almost every way it's been good here. It's a great town for people with young kids. There's lots to do, and there are a lot of free events and activities. It's fairly cheap to live in, and there's a very active night life that doesn't always focus on drinking to excess. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
It's also a very artistic community. As I've mentioned before, I write a lot of stuff, and not just here at Joeuser. I've had a play produced and performed, and am currently writing one of my own and helping another person script another. Both will be performed and should do well here. I'm also being advised by the head of the Cultural Studies department with a novel that I am currently writing. He's writing a couple of things too, and we have been trading chapters off with each other. He's not grading this one, but has graded another in the past. We work well together... just knowing that we are both going to be meeting gives me enough incentive to get my ass in gear and produce some work.
I've also started performing. I've acted in two productions so far, and it was bloody-well nervewracking, but I intend to do it again. And currently, I am in talks with a couple of other people about creating a digital film project with the subject of residential schools being the focus. All this is possible with the help, suggestions and support of the creative community. It takes awhile to get things done around here, because there is always something different going on. All in all, it's not a bad place to live.* Feel free to check things out on my list of favorites!
*check out the link to this post... it's filled with sick stuff from people who hate it here!