What it is Like in Arizona
Many people ask me about What it is Like in Arizona. I thought I would take a moment to attempt to answer this oft-posed and weighty question.
Arizona is a faraway, magical land. It is everything you hoped for, but never imagined possible. It is a veritable haven for all who traverse its shores. It is, in fact, all that and a bag of tortilla chips.
OK, while it may not be quite as nice a piece of hyperbole as all that, it is, as many have surmised, different. However, let's not focus on our differences here, people. Deep down, all the states are really just pieces of tectonic plate trying to make it through the geological eras, after all.
And really, Arizona is not as strange as people think. It's quite a bit like Michigan, really, only without the massive bodies of water, forests, abundant rainfall, the UP, distinct seasons, Ann Arbor, Euchre, high unemployment, snow, humidity, Mackinac Island, or car industry. So really, living in Arizona is almost just like being home, only not.
There are a few differences, though, I suppose. They go to school year round in my area, for one thing. There are palm trees growing here, although they aren't native and most likely were dropped by migrating swallows. Or migrating celebrities, I can't remember which. Personally, it feels a bit like Florida, since that's the only place I've seen palm trees before. However, although this can be disorienting, I am quickly reminded by the lack of oceans that I am not, in fact, in Florida.
Also, the Phoenix area is a lot bigger than Jackson. Who knew?
Another thing I have noticed is that here at the apartment we are (I imagine) paying pretty good money to live on what they like to call here, "a lake," which is most definitely not "a lake" and more like an "oversized concrete pond filled with reclaimed water, whatever reclaimed water is," something you aren't even allowed to swim in. I mean, in Michigan, shoot, we swim in almost anything -- lakes, ponds, ditches, oversized mud puddles, you name it. Now, I don't fault my roommate's choice of apartment, since she's from central Ohio and doesn't know better about what real lakes are, but I'm not fooled, and it sickens me that the city of Gilbert continues with the public deception of those who live on the Val Vista "Lakes" system. More like "flakes," fake lakes, I say angrily to myself in my head whenever I lazily enjoy the serenity of one of these faux water attractions.
Hrm, what was I talking about? Oh yes, What it is Like in Arizona. Well, nothing else really stands out too much. I do enjoy the mountains on all sides, low humidity, sunshine, diversity, and well-planned streets, but those things are hardly worth mentioning and come with the territory. Other than that, there are people who live here, kids who attend school, retirees who drive slowly, fish who swim, and birds who fly.
That's What it is Like in Arizona.
Arizona is a faraway, magical land. It is everything you hoped for, but never imagined possible. It is a veritable haven for all who traverse its shores. It is, in fact, all that and a bag of tortilla chips.
OK, while it may not be quite as nice a piece of hyperbole as all that, it is, as many have surmised, different. However, let's not focus on our differences here, people. Deep down, all the states are really just pieces of tectonic plate trying to make it through the geological eras, after all.
And really, Arizona is not as strange as people think. It's quite a bit like Michigan, really, only without the massive bodies of water, forests, abundant rainfall, the UP, distinct seasons, Ann Arbor, Euchre, high unemployment, snow, humidity, Mackinac Island, or car industry. So really, living in Arizona is almost just like being home, only not.
There are a few differences, though, I suppose. They go to school year round in my area, for one thing. There are palm trees growing here, although they aren't native and most likely were dropped by migrating swallows. Or migrating celebrities, I can't remember which. Personally, it feels a bit like Florida, since that's the only place I've seen palm trees before. However, although this can be disorienting, I am quickly reminded by the lack of oceans that I am not, in fact, in Florida.
Also, the Phoenix area is a lot bigger than Jackson. Who knew?
Another thing I have noticed is that here at the apartment we are (I imagine) paying pretty good money to live on what they like to call here, "a lake," which is most definitely not "a lake" and more like an "oversized concrete pond filled with reclaimed water, whatever reclaimed water is," something you aren't even allowed to swim in. I mean, in Michigan, shoot, we swim in almost anything -- lakes, ponds, ditches, oversized mud puddles, you name it. Now, I don't fault my roommate's choice of apartment, since she's from central Ohio and doesn't know better about what real lakes are, but I'm not fooled, and it sickens me that the city of Gilbert continues with the public deception of those who live on the Val Vista "Lakes" system. More like "flakes," fake lakes, I say angrily to myself in my head whenever I lazily enjoy the serenity of one of these faux water attractions.
Hrm, what was I talking about? Oh yes, What it is Like in Arizona. Well, nothing else really stands out too much. I do enjoy the mountains on all sides, low humidity, sunshine, diversity, and well-planned streets, but those things are hardly worth mentioning and come with the territory. Other than that, there are people who live here, kids who attend school, retirees who drive slowly, fish who swim, and birds who fly.
That's What it is Like in Arizona.
Labels: Arizona
posted by laurastardust at 2:01:00 AM
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