Tie Loosening

The other day when I went to a standup show, the very same comedian who I denounced as a dumb loudmouth and later warmed to did something else that left me not well disposed towards him at first. In recent years, it has become more and more common for my home state of Arizona to be featured in the act of comedians. It's funny to think that I should be perturbed, because I grew up sorry that Arizona was relatively obscure in the national scene. It sure isn't any more.

One controversial law after another has ensured that the state remains a figure ripe for the sharp words of comedians eager to be topical. When I was a kid, it was the Martin Luther King Day issue. More recently it was the SB 1070 issue. Now there's the bill that supporters would say is a boost to religious freedom. Detractors call it a license to discriminate. I'm inclined to side with the latter group. Boy, who knew there was reputation and business left to lose after the last thing?

Hurt By Those We Love

I've been in Los Angeles for something in the neighborhood of five years. It's actually probably four and a half, as I came here in the spring of 2007. I long ago started to feel at home here, and I recall that the first time it seemed so was when I was walking down Hollywood Boulevard to reach a job interview and found myself infuriated by the tourists clogging the sidewalk. That's something that has only become more pronounced with time.

Not only have I come to feel happier and more at home here, I have managed to shed many of my associations with my home town and state. Being that I'm from Phoenix, Arizona, you will probably see that it was not difficult, but it's not all bad stuff being left behind. Attending around two hundred Dodgers games in three years led me to lose my deep affection for the Diamondbacks, which is hopefully understandable.

Home State Blues

I've always been very proud of where I came from. I cannot imagine feeling anything but love and gratitude for the city and place which was so instrumental in making me what I am. I couldn't understand when others born there derided it and left, and took personal offense. Even when I left, it was not about any dislike for what Arizona was- there just seemed to be only one place where I could make a living with my education and talents, and it was Los Angeles. Sure, I've always been frustrated by the prevailing political slant of the state, but feel for the first time shame and embarrassment.