Over the past few weeks, I feel like the question of how long I am living in San Francisco has come up a lot.  How long can I live as a Stranger in a Strange Land?

 

There's no question that certain aspects of living in the US make me crazy...  Whether its the convoluted healthcare & insurance schemes, lukewarm coffee sold by most coffee houses (including Starbucks!) or the political landscape, there is plenty to complain about if I were the type to complain.  But then there is awesome shopping -- especially online, dirt-cheap magazine subscriptions (many mags for under $1/issue), and the advantages of being in an incredible city like San Francisco where world-class might at times refer to the local architecture, theatre scene, or restaurants.

 

Now there were many moments during my recent trip north that I wondered if I was living in the right place.  In the end, it's not Canada I miss, it's a lot of really wonderful people.  (I think I saw about 20 of them this trip, and missed about 20 more.)  I struggle with the questions like:

 

 

Caeer demands have made this my home.  I cannot predict the future -- it might be the rest of my life, or it might be the next five years.  Only two things are certain:

 

I am loving the adventure of moving here, and exploring this great city, and

I need to continue to work on keeping my family and friends in Canada an active part of my life, whether it's through the phone or other means. 

 

Stay in touch, 

Josh

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**ADDENDUM**

In last night's episode of South Park, San Francisco was wiped from the planet as an enormous cloud of "Smug" put forth by self-righteous, we-are-better-than-the-rest-of-the-US, residents finally choked the city.  (Smug, we are told, contributes to Global Laming.)  It's tough to refute Matt Stone and Trey Parker -- San Franciscans do generally look down on the rest of the US.  I have also noticed, though, that to much of the rest of the country, San Francisco is the city they like to look down on the most, and consider hedonistic and un-American.  I've never been more confident that this is likely the best city in the US, and thank goodness that Smug really isn't as deadly as South Park would have us believe.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is the best musical that I have seen in years. Unpredictable, funny, and touching are all easily spelled words that I would use to describe it. Set in the bizarre world of those who revere spellers above all others, the story of the event unfolds as we are given glimpses into the lives of each competitor. The kids are cleverly drawn, and each explore the need for achievement, self-worth, belonging, and the roles of their parents in their lives. The show uses "volunteer spellers" from the audience who get in on the fun on-stage. It's been a while since I have laughed so hard, and the music is great too... I bought the CD the next day. If it comes to a theatre near you, don't miss it!