randoms leftovers from Arizona

I never really wrote about the trip to Arizona this spring...

One memorable moment was the night of the Superbowl. Far from the stadium, at the bar in BBQ/TexMex joint with only 4 customers, talking with the 19-year old woman serving us food... She has lived all her life in the Phoenix area, but thinks about leaving to live somewhere else. No children, no spouse, no house. She's ready to go.

My advice: move to an old city. Phoenix is a bizarre mutant, and the world is far more interesting. Go to an old city. Live somewhere that geography shapes the way people live and dominates the culture, industry, and feel of the city. Rivers that have shaped Minneapolis, New Orleans, Kansas City. Ports and harbors that created Chicago, San Diego, Duluth, Baltimore, San Francisco. Mountains and valleys that dominate the landscape and shape the weather. Somewhere other than a sprawled suburb.

Somewhere that doesn't look like everywhere else.

And what is it about AZ state troopers? They just seem to like pulling people over. As I drive through AZ, NM, OK, TX, I see a lot more people getting pulled over in AZ than in the rest of the states. Are they looking for meth? Border-jumpers? Or do they just like pulling people over more than everyone else?