There are certainly worse places

John and Micah over at Just Two Guys have a poll going on for a project they are doing. I’m going to follow several other bloggers’ leads and publicly air my responses.

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Many people say there is nothing to do in Springfield. Do you agree with this statement? Please explain your answer.

There is but there isn’t. Obviously, there are all the Lincoln sites, but like many Springfield residents, after going to countless field trips in school and with the family to the Old Capitol, New Salem, the Tomb, the Law Office, etc., I got my fill of our sixteenth President rather early in life. I may be the last remaining Springfield resident who still has not gone to the ALPLM yet, but it is on my list. Outside of Lincoln locations, there are still plenty of things to do in Springfield. You just have to look for them, and you have to be willing to try certain things that may not immediately be one’s “cup of tea”. Part of the problem is that many are only annual events, so once they’re over for the year it makes the “nothing to do” quotient seem greater than what it is. I really think the bigger problem is Springfield’s size. Especially as it relates to things like acts drawn to the PCCC and to the state fair, people need to realize that even though we are a {capital} city of 112,000+ people, we’re still a little too small to realistically compete with the Chicagos, St. Louises, and Indianapolises (among others) out there. The big, BIG-time acts that people seem to want simply aren’t going to come here when they can sell out 25,000-seat stadiums in bigger cities.

We have places to go and things to do here; it’s simply unrealistic to expect Springfield to be as entertainment-diverse as somewhere like Chicago. Some of the best things to do in Springfield are virtually unknown to most of its population, and much of what is known isn’t given its due. One thing I’d really like to see is more parity in the support for any and all local bands, for example, instead of the trend of jumping on one or maybe two bandwagons (pardon the pun) and them getting ALL the exposure and publicity at the expense of all other bands, a trend that’s gone on at least since I was in high school 25 years ago. I’m not faulting the bands, but more the radio stations that shut out everyone else besides the band(s) they deem “hot” at the time. There have been countless bands over the years every bit as good as if not better than Sons of Circumstance (or was it “Suns”- I never really knew for sure since I’d seen it both ways on marquees and ads), the Cherry Stoners, Mr. Opporknockity, and F5, for example, but nobody knows (or knew) about them. Again, I’m not calling out the bands themselves, but more the WDBRs et al in town that all but ignore all the other good but anonymous bands that try to entertain Springfield. Plus, on a sour grapes note, when I played in and/or was associated with the bands in which I played and/or with which I was associated, we would have been thrilled to receive even just a little bit of props on the radio stations.

At any rate, I think Springfield’s population needs to broaden its horizons but keep perspective on them at the same time.

A common complaint about Springfield is that there is a serious lack of shopping. Do you agree or disagree? Again, please offer an explanation to support your answer.

I don’t like shopping. No, I think it’s safe to say I despise shopping with the fury of a thousand demons. Even so, if I need something, I’m almost always able to find a store in Springfield that sells it, so I guess I’m not really the person to ask on this. I will say, however, that we can do without three (or even two) Wal-Marts. Personal opinions of Wal-Mart aside, Springfield would be fine with one. I wouldn’t mind seeing Springfield getting one of these Whole Foods stores I keep hearing so much about.  As for non-Wal-Mart places, I think Springfield is trying, but many places just don’t get enough exposure, and that’s why they tend to falter. Also, I think White Oaks is not far from life support. Stores come and go at White Oaks anymore like a sailor on leave at a whorehouse. Pardon the analogy. White Oaks needs really serious help.  Bottom line, for MY needs, I’d say Springfield’s shopping is, for the most part, adequate.

Is Springfield headed in the right direction? (Yes or No)

It depends on what you mean by “in the right direction”. What criteria are you using- shopping and “things to do”, or just in general?

In your opinion, has Springfield gotten better in the last 10-20 years or has it gotten worse? Please explain your answer with some examples.

Again, it depends on the criteria you’re meaning to use for the question. Regardless of the criteria, and just in a general sense, I think the best way I can answer both this and the previous question is to say that Springfield has taken several steps forward and several steps backward at the same time. It’s like we’re trying, but we just keep spinning the wheels.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live? Why?

I’m 40 years old. I’ve lived in Springfield all but the first approximately year and a half of my life and the two-plus years I spent in Indiana during what I call my practice marriage, and while I have been known to dog Springfield on occasion, I really like this town. Sure, certain aspects of it piss me off from time to time, but I really like this town. There are cities and places I’ve enjoyed far more than Springfield (St. Louis, San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Indianapolis, to name four), but off the top of my melon, I can’t think of any city or town in which I’d want to actually live than Springfield. I haven’t found one yet- let’s put it that way.

Why do you choose to live in Springfield? Give as many examples as necessary.

My family lives here. My wife’s family lives here. I like it here, even though, as mentioned above, certain things that go on here piss me off on occasion. And to be fair, there is the familiarity aspect as well as the fact that I hate the whole moving process, especially out of city or state.  But at this time, anyway, I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather live.

How would you describe the people of Springfield? Please use as many adjectives as possible.

Wow. It’s hard to find even one adjective that fairly paints ALL the people of Springfield. Therefore, I’ll have to use all the adjectives I can think of that apply, even though none of them describes everyone.

Warm. Cold. Uptight. Loose. Progressive. Repressed. Discriminatory. Reverse-discriminatory. Friendly. Unfriendly. Open-minded. Closed-minded. Selfless. Selfish. Shallow. Unpleasable. Proud.  Aloof.

And, possibly most prevalantly, bad drivers.  Not an adjective, I know, but I had to add that.

What is your opinion of the job situation in Springfield?

The job situation is what people choose to make of it. There are jobs out there, it’s just that people don’t want most of them. The situation with the State (and with the City, to a lesser extent) really almost can’t be included simply because of all the politics involved, especially at the state level.  It’s like comparing apples to rutabagas.  A lot of people seem to want jobs but they expect to make major, MAJOR jack, even those without degrees.  You have to start somewhere, folks.  Dream big, but don’t lose touch with reality.

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Anyway, John and Micah, I’m not sure if that’s what you were looking for, but I hope it helps with your project.  Thanks for listening reading.