Thanks Chicago

I realized recently that I talk about Chicago almost everyday. In a revolving-door city like LA that is full of transplants, everyone is from somewhere. And as I meet these people, undoubtedly, the question rises of where I am from and where they are from. And that place comes to define me.

I could have been born and raised in Iowa. Corn fields and white people, that would be how I was known. It’s why I’ve often lied about college. Simply not worth the effort. How could they ever understand the magic of Iowa City? I don’t even understand it anymore.

I could have been born in Long Island. “My New Haircut” http://youtube.com/watch?v=4JMOh-cul6M has already laid the groundwork. No explanation needed, just show them the video. That would sum up someone’s youth in Long Island.

But I wasn’t born in those places. I was born in Chicago. And although I don’t live there anymore, Chicago defines me. I fight for the city in arguments. I’m proud of it. I’m happy to be associated with it. Sure, there are things I don’t love about Chicago, but overall it’s a pretty damn cool city with pretty damn cool people. It’s a great place to be from.

In a place where it’s easy to forget about the things that made you what you are, I find that having Chicago in my back pocket keeps me more in check than a lot of other cities would. That’s what’s great about it. It will always be home, constantly defining me.