Yesterday – work. Today – writing. Since I’ve arrived at home all I’ve done is write. I think I need a break from my new bestest buddy – Mr. Qwerty HomeRow (aka. ASDFJKL;)
Ah…
You know, sometime at the tail end of last term Paul and I discussed my dislike (active hatred?) of Waterloo. He wanted to isolate the cause of my ill-feeling. I remember the exchange, a seesaw of opinions and counterpoints. Tit for tat.
I mentioned the lack of malls. I wanted a certain atmosphere, certain stores.
He replied that Connestoga had all the shops he required.
To be quite honest – I think that what Paul looks for in a mall and what I look for are very different. Perhaps this markedly different viewpoint makes it hard for us to understand each other.
I mentioned the lack of people.
He replied that people congregated in certain places regardless of city (very true) and that Toronto’s downtown core was empty at night.
Point matched counterpoint and we kept at it for some time.
In the end Paul stated that he’d have a fun time working in Waterloo and postulated that I hated Waterloo precisely because I’d only ever studied there.
I disagreed. To me, something about the atmosphere that pervaded Waterloo drove me away.
No. It was not just studying there. It was more than that.
I’m sure Paul went away thinking that I was being nothing more than obstinate – a self-made victim of foolish consistency.
[sits back and taps desk absent-mindedly]
When I’m in a big city…when I feel like I’m surrounded by hundreds, thousands of people… When I’m surrounded by tall buildings, light and I can hear cars out in the streets every few seconds… When I can walk out at night and be surrounded by 30, 40, 50 storey monoliths – with window upon window ablaze. Then I feel different.
I don’t feel like I’m suffocating slowly.