"Are you sad we're missing it?" "We aren't missing it...this is it."

Are all Americans watching the debates and staying up on all the political three ring circus which is getting more and more ridiculous with every election? I hope so. I'm not going to go on a political rant or anything, as last week's was kind of in that vein.

So Friday night, Tori and I saw Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist, which I think I'll continue this blog's unnecessary promotion of Michael Cera.  Sure, his roles aren't exactly diverse, but man - he's got that one down.  Basically, the film is about the New York City nightlife - some kids go out to have a good time and various misadventures follow them, as is known to happen, especially in movies.  So what is my topic for discussion tonight?  The nightlife.

I've been to New York City.  My freshman year at RIT, instead of going home for Thanksgiving, I travelled East with Michael DiRoma (RIP) and Taylor.  We spent the first part of the week at DiRoma's Central Park West Apartment (seriously) and then went up to Conneticut for the holiday with Taylor's family.  So while we were in NYC, Taylor and I took off one day and wandered Manhattan island.  Taylor and I walked, unescorted, for 22 hours (over the course of 2 days) - from the upper west side to the southern tip, down the entire stretch of Broadway and by the United Nations.  We were out until 3 in the morning...lost in Central Park!  And at the time, it was the most exciting adventure I had during my college days.  In retrospect, however, it was somewhat of a letdown.  Why?  Because we did none of the nightlife things - not due to lack of trying, mind you, mostly because of lack of age (we were both 18 at the time).  I think I can also attribute this to growing up in lame towns with a complete lack of anything but grocery stores and the occassional Steak'n'Shake open 24/7.  This brings me to gripes about Kalamazoo.  Kalamazoo has a major university, a well respected liberal college and various small time colleges like Davenport and KVCC.  By no means does this translate into NYC by any stretch, however, I think it warrants us to be labelled a college town, given the amount of population being college aged.  Why is nothing open 24/7?  Why are there close to zero local bands worth seeing?  No - scratch that, where would they play?  We have a larger college aged population in Kalamazoo versus Grand Rapids, yet they have the clubs and even those are pretty crappy.  Now, for those who know me, you could argue that I make these statements although I'm not really the "clubbing" type and I wouldn't go out even if those options were there, etc...however - I've been to clubs, I've been to crappy little hole in the walls to see nobody bands and you know what?  I love that environment, I feed off of it.  Had I grown up in an environment where that option was available to me in high school, I would have been there.

I think it's time the world stops this obsession with this 9-5 cookie cutter lifestyle.  The world needs to become more global, more 24-hour based.  Why should the world close?  Side note - what is gained from bars not serving alcohol at 2?  I think that more emphasis needs to be put on diversifying our hours.  I understand - work the same hours every day, establish routine, efficiency follows.  However - why do I have to work 7-3?  Maybe I'd be more productive later in the day or earlier in the day.  Why do banks close?  I don't have money transactions at three in the morning (don't talk to me about ATMs)?  I think this another one of my half-baked ideas - what do you guys think?  Would you like to see more 24 hour lifestyles or are you good with routine?  I'd like to see the option of spontaneity out there...promote creativity, perhaps.  Thoughts?