After living in LA for 9 months solid, you start to get used to a rather, how do you say, bustling lifestyle. This summer, however, I find myself back home in Redding, CA. For those of you who aren't familiar with this divine city of cultural wonder and diversity, well.... I'm not surprised.
Redding is a mystery. It has a reasonably sized population of 100,000; is surrounded by a wide array of lakes, mountain ranges, rivers; and is the 2nd sunniest city in the U.S. (really!). Sounds too good to be true, right?
Right.
Don't misunderstand me-- I love seeing Mount Shasta and Lassen every time I drive to the grocery store and it is convenient to be a 20 minute drive from both Whiskeytown and Shasta lakes. But really, Redding? Not one decent, non-chain restaurant? (Aside from this place.) Not one edgy, high-quality coffee shop? Not one radio station that plays something besides country, contemporary Christian pop, or rap/top 40 hits? Good people of Redding.... Are these things too much to ask?
Alright, I've finished my rant. And believe it or not, I am still able to survive in this li'l ol' town. More than survive, even! With my itch for artsy/crafty projects, a pool in the backyard, Bible and journal, and quality time with family and friends, it has been a good summer so far.
P.S. Wondering how the title of this post relates to the first line of my entry? Check out Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut.
diversity, my eye. "everything is all right, and everybody has to do exactly what he does."
ReplyDelete- vonnegut, slaughterhouse-five, ch 9
it's funny that yr post is about redding and that's a picture of her majesty from the north...
i like irony. especially the situational kind. hehe!