Politics and the Weather and a Butterfly Not Flapping Its Wings in Brazil

So I had a couple of mini-epiphanies while in Vancouver (and one repeat mini-epiphany).

I realized that, with the exception of my Peace Corps stint, and my 4-month stay in cosmopolitan Grand Forks, ND as a USDA volunteer, once I left Oklahoma I've always lived in a city by water.

Left OK for San Diego for five years, then 10 now total in San Francisco, 3 years in Honolulu, and then 3 years in Burlington, VT - which was right on Lake Champlain. It makes me wonder if, subconsciously, I chose Burlington over Boulder coz of the proximity to a large body of water--I know it wasn't on my anal-retentive "must have" list.

Actually, I remember (later--not at the time) the main reason I chose Burlington over Boulder is coz when I went to check out the former, it was in the bloom of spring, the weather was awesome, UVM was in session so the town was alive and youthful, yadda yadda yadda.

When I went to Boulder it was winter, overcast the whole time I was there, but no pretty snow, and school (Univ. of Colorado) was out, so the town was dead.

So THAT got me to thinking of when Dubya was elected by the U.S. Supreme Court and I SO. BADLY. wanted to leave the country. I actually took a "sample" Canadian citizenship test, subscribed to some e-blasts on re-locating, etc. Then, of course, 9/11 changed the world forever (cof, cof).

The reason I wasn't so keen on Canada, however, is coz of the weather. Ding ding ding. And yet, at THAT time, I was missing (to some extent) Kazakhstan's winter, and I was primed to move SOMEWHERE by 2002 (thus, the visits to Boulder and Burlington).

If, by chance, a butterfly had flapped its wings in the Amazon and made it so that Vancovuer hosted the 2002, and not the 2010, Olympics--had I come to see Vancouver in THAT year (2002), I could easily see myself having made the plunge to move up there. Easily.

Of course then I never would have had Kyle.

Hmmmmmm.

Damn that butterfly!

JUST KIDDING! My boy knows I love him more than anything in the world. :) Well, except maybe Krispy Kremes.