A Meme on Places, Music, Interests and Blogging.

Eduardo tagged me for this fun, wide ranging meme.

1. What do you like most about where you live?
I like that St. Louis is a “big little city.” As the RCGA's new slogan for the city says, it is a city that is “Perfectly centered. Remarkably connected.”

I'm not exactly a big city kind of person. I prefer suburbia. But, I like that I have access to all of the benefits of a big city within a short drive. I also like that I'm only a short drive away from farm country, beautiful river vistas, and other areas that look like they are anywhere other than in the middle of a nearly 3 million person metropolis. St. Louis has the perks of the big city (and beyond most big cities): a free zoo (voted #1 in the nation among zoological parks), free museums (including the world class St. Louis Art Museum), huge parks, one of the best symphony orchestras in the nation, the best baseball team in the nation (hello, Cardinal nation!), internationally recognized bio-tech sector, including the beautiful Missouri Botanical Gardens (and related areas also founded by Henry Shaw), nearly every kind of store and restaurant that you might need or want, the largest outdoor theater in the nation (the Muny), the tallest man made monument in the country (the Gateway Arch), significant history (Cahokia Mounds [of the Mississippian tribes], Lewis and Clark, etc.), and so on and so forth.

In other words, St. Louis isn't just some “midwestern city.” While it long ago lost the race of being one of the big five cities in the country, it remains a city with lots of great stuff that rivals much larger cities. With all that in mind, people still generally see St. Louis as a friendly city too. I like that¹.

2. Is there anything strange about where you live?
Missouri's state slogan or nickname, “the Show-Me State” is kind of odd. The fact that the metro area's namesake city does not belong to any of the counties that envelope the rest of the metro area is also kind of odd. I'm not sure, I don't think we have too many oddities that are occurring to me right now.

3. What’s one of your all-time favourite music albums, and why?
Probably Sixpence None the Richer's eponymous album. I think it has a very nice, even quality to it. I can think of a lot of albums that have favorite songs on them, but what I like about this album is that there are very few times that I do not enjoy listening to this album (even all the way through without shuffling), regardless of my mood. It has a lot of shades and levels to it that allow it to fit most moods. If I'm happy, it has some light airy tunes, and if I'm a bit more contemplative, it has a lot to offer there too.

4. Did you have a passion for something as a kid that you still have now? (If not - what is one of your passions now?)

I'm not sure. I think investigating things, perhaps. I've always enjoyed trying to really understand what this or that really is. As a little boy, I was especially fascinated with the inner details of major companies, and I still find that interesting, though I don't spend nearly as much time researching such as I once did. Nevertheless, I think the basic passion to understand stuff remains.

Like Eduardo and Jorge Luis Borges, I'd agree that Heaven “would be an enormous library.” I've always enjoyed reading, and I just love books. I love being surrounded by books. Even if I don't have time to read all of them right now, I feel comforted by knowing all of that knowledge is at my fingertips should I desire it.

5. What do you like most about having a blog?
Lots of things — I enjoy playing with different writing styles, having a soap box, even answering memes. But probably most of all, I enjoy the community. I consider a lot of you friends, and, short of living in a small town, where we might really have a chance to get to know each other, blogging seems the next best thing. While it isn't a replacement for the brick and mortar world, I would never have met most (or maybe all) of you if not for this wonderful form of communication.

NOW, IT IS MY turn to pass this meme on, which I will happily do. I'll tag Mike, Christopher and Michael to do this meme. I also invite everyone else to participate, should you wish to.

¹ No, I'm not paid by the Regional Chamber and Growth Association (RCGA) to talk about the virtues of St. Louis.