I just arrived in Toronto, because I needed a little vacation. Staycation? Actually, what I really needed was to be around a lot of people. I was going a little stir crazy, cooped up in my apartment.
Guess what I’m doing in Toronto. I’m sitting by myself, at a pub, writing a blog post. That’s right, folks, I just drove for over an hour and a half, to sit by myself and type on my computer.
It’s exactly what I needed.
I’ve been thinking about jobs lately. Jobs are things that people do for money. They’re different from student loans, but, effectively, they’re the same. Anyway, I’ve been trying to work out what some of the criteria are for where I’d be willing to work.
In no particular order, here’s what I’m thinking I need in a city:
First on the list: I won’t settle for a city with less than nearly a million people. I like Mariposa. In fact, I like it a lot, but I can’t live my life (t)here. I’m not good with being alone. I don’t need to talk to people, but I can’t be away from them for too long. I guess, I like having the potential to talk to people.
You know, I don’t recognize a single face in this pub, and it’s a place I used to frequent. It’s wonderful. I turn my head whenever someone walks by, like people looking at other people walking by do.
It’s kind of nice being unknown.
Second on the list: There has to be women in the city who are single, without child, and comfortable with the fact that I’m older than 30. I’d like to find them attractive, also. I’m serious about this. Under this cap is a really nice head of hair, if I do say so myself, and ain’t no toddlers be tugging on them locks, until I’m ready accept that the people I work with and the people I see at home are the same age.
There are no children in the pub. I think the legal drinking age is 19, but I’m not worried because I’m older than 30.
Third on the list: Public transit is a reliable source of transportation. The TTC has its faults, but it’s alright. Calgary Transit has a lot to aspire to. I’ve heard that other big cities have subways.
Fourth on the list: There has to be a Starbucks that I can walk to from where I live. I’ll walk for up to four minutes. Unfortunately, I’m not too fond of Vancouver.
I’ll walk for five-and-a-half minutes if it’s on my way to the bus or train station.
Fifth on the list: There has to be people at the pub on a Wednesday night. I’m not talking just the bartender and a few patrons. I mean, people have to be going out on a Wednesday evening. There also has to be more people at the pub on a Friday night than there are on a Wednesday evening. A good variety of people is part-and-parcel of this.
Right, I don’t want to have to drive for over an hour and a half to find said pub.
Sixth on the list: Museums, galleries, and the theatre are places people go to on a regular basis (or, at least hope to be able to afford to). I want to hear people discussing the arts. I want to be able to talk about the arts. I want to feel like I’m artsy, while wearing a suit and tie.
Seventh on the list: There is a store in town the city that sells refills for my various pens. I don’t want to have to stock up or send out for refills. That’s absurd.
I want to be able to buy nice stationary, regularly.
Eighth on the list: I’m not the only, or only one of a few, coloured person around. I like white girls, but still. I can only make so many jokes about being coloured before it starts becoming a little off-colour.
Ninth on the list: NOISE! I want ambient light and ambient sounds. I want ambience. I want to be able to stand on my balcony and see and hear people walking by. I don’t care about seeing the stars at night. Who cares about the stars when there are people around to talk to?
I want to be able to earnestly say, “Crazy! Didn’t expect to see you here. How’ve you been?”
Tenth on the list: I want a job in the city.
***
You know what I miss most, though? I miss regularly seeing a girl in a pub or coffee shop who I find attractive, and thinking about talking to her, and then watching her leave. I miss that feeling of regret over a situation that could’ve been but never was or will be. That regret that is chock-full of potential. I want to live in a city that offers potential.
It’s also nice watching people get closer together as their glasses get emptier, but it’s not as nice.
***
Here’s the thing: I really don’t like travelling. I’m terrible at it, and it’s stressful. If I go anywhere, I want to be there. My passport is expired (but I need to get on this because I have some important decisions to make that may require me to have a valid passport – more on this later). Travelling means unsettling. I’m already so awful at being settled that disrupting the minimalistic structure that I have is borderline dangerous.
I want to live in a city where culture exists. I want to be able to experience all of the various aspects of who I am without having to leave “home”. That’s totally doable, right?
What do you look for in the hamlet/town/city where you’d like to live?
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