Sunday Brunch: These United States

1) What state were you born in?
The show-me state, Missouri.

2) What state do you currently live in?
Missouri. As Christopher said, “this is going to be a boring brunch.”

3) How many states have you been in? (and yes, driving through counts!)
Eight states, ordered by how frequently I've been there: Missouri (obviously), Illinois (not much more surprising), Arkansas (see a pattern here?), Indiana, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa. I need to travel some, one of these days — I'm in sad shape, I was suppose to travel out of the country a few years back, but that fell through due to a family medical situation, so I've been to eight states and exactly one nation (if you need me to tell you which one, you didn't read this paragraph very closely).

4) If you had your choice regardless of cost, which of the 50 states would you choose to live in?
I love Missouri, and while I haven't traveled extensively, based on the factors I can come up with either based on experience or what I know about places, I don't have a big desire to move anywhere else in the States. I wouldn't mind heading to Southern Missouri, though; the Ozarks are just beautiful. Springfield might be an ideal town for me, not to big but not too small either.

I wouldn't object to living on the western border of Illinois either, but I wouldn't want to live in the middle part of the state — it is too flat. Alton is a nice town, though, for instance. Arkansas would also do pretty nicely.

Now, about states/districts I'd like to see: Most of New England, New York, D.C., California, Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, etc. I'd also like to poke my head above the border and visit some Canadian provinces (nothing particular — I'd probably lean to the east, but if I was up in Washington again, I might try to take a day and go up that way).

5) Which of the 50 states would you rather die than live in?
I have a very bad taste concerning Indiana. It is a fine state and has some pretty areas, but as a whole I'd be loathe to live there. But I don't think there is any state I'd rather die than live in. I love the countryside I saw in Pacific Northwest, but I couldn't stand the rain of a state like Washington, despite the beauty of places like Olympic National Forest/Park. I'd also be rather unhappy in states like Arizona and New Mexico where it gets so hot. Missouri summers are hot enough, thankyouverymuch.

As a whole, I'd probably avoid the Southeast too. I'm not a grits kind of guy, so I doubt I'd fit in there.