Why Forming a Base is Outdated.

This picture always makes me laugh

As one work through their university marathon and the finish line gets closer with each semester is completed one finds them selves bombarded with the question, " Are you staying in [insert city here that said person is studying at]?", or " Are you going to make [ insert city said person lives in because their university is in] your base?" As I am now over the half way mark at the university marathon, these question is starting to become increasingly frequent and is now starting to drive me up the ceiling of the sistine chapel.

As a result of being unemployed deep thoughts are becoming a frequent activity that occur on transit, cooking breakfast, or getting sunburnt. These thoughts usually consist of pondering the word "base" its meaning and its point. Base means the place where you want to place your life. I'm finding this to be a bit of an outdated concept. "Basing" was pretty common up until about 25 years ago, people didn't move around or travel a lot or get jobs that took them overseas or to different parts of the country.

Now days, even if you do stay in the city you finished university and try and for that you base, it still won't end up being your base because more often than not people will move around more as a result of more work in other places and keep moving or eventually move out for other reasons, whether it be frustration, finances or need for an adventure.

The only way a base is guaranteed I believe is when you are born, raised, go to uni, work and die all in the same place, which sounds absolutely dreadful for me. I would much have 500 volts of electricity jab into my right bum cheek every day for the next 30 years than do that. That could be because it sounds " normal" and I prefer to have my life filled with shenanigans and adventures.

Another reason is why basing is becoming an outdated and over rated and difficult boils down to taste and attraction.

The relationship between a person and a town/ city, is very much like the relationships people have with their significant others, in their quest to find the one.

Stages in relationships go like this for the most part, Person A heres good thing about Person B and a conversation strikes up a conversation, Person A finds them attracted to a lot of things about Person B, but not necessarily all of them but thinks they can look over them exchange of numbers. Then comes courtship, honey moon phase which on average lasts about six months and then usual the first hurdle appears which more often than not the couple is able to work through fairly easily, there are more hurdles along the way and eventually one of them can't take it any more and it comes to an end.

Then there is the course of flings where there is a mutual attraction but bother Person A and B know that it's for a limited time, things run their course and it comes to an end but both have fond memories.

Much is the same the relationship between a person and potential base share. A Person will here a story of a place, or maybe have even maybe visiting the place and decide they want to move there, because they are convinced the good out weigh the bad. The moving to the place is the courtship, then comes the honey moon phase where the person is in awe of the place they have moved, enjoy the novelties and start to discover the city. This phase usually lasts bout 1.5 years, maybe two and then the first hurdle comes along and reality hits, the things you didn't think would bug you that much start to bug you and as you grow as a person and what you find attractive and important starts to change.

Convinced you can truck it out and that things will get better you jump over the hurdles one by one, then the novelties that you fell for and the initial charm and charisma you encountered when you first arrived in the place has vanished and the characteristics you thought you could get over or change now have an overarching presence that won't change no matter how much you wish.

Then You confined with others about the troubles your having with your relationship with the city you reside in and they are faced with the same. Then you decide to take a break from the city, to see if things are better when you come back, sometimes they are short, sometimes they are long and sometimes the revive the tired relationship. Then for some relationships the breaks stop working, and then you have to deliver an ultimatum which can be summed up as " fuck it i'm leaving", ending that relationship and in search of the next one.

Unfortunately, I am currently in the break up phase with Vancouver, what drew me to this city was that it was bigger than Kelowna had more culture and the seaside. The honeymoon phase was good, but thats long dead, the cliques, the fact it is the most unfriendly city in North America and more than 35% of the population experiences loneliness, the condescending nature that comes with it, the falseness that comes with it, the narrow-mindedness, the temper-tantrums other wise known as the weather, which I thought I could handle but I apparently can't any more.

Kelowna and I had a bitter end, which looks like thats where my relationship with Vancouver is heading. Arusha and I had a lovely little fling that will always fill my heart with joy when I think of that city in the foothills of Kilimanjaro. Brisbane in Australia is the next fling I have coming up in January, which I am looking forward to immensely.

Peoples taste in cities tends to be like their taste in partners. For example, I like tall men who tend to be a bit older than me with a good sense of humour, are smart, cultured, travelled and are a little rough around the edges with bold personalities. Same goes for cities, having lived in 4 different places now, I have developed a type. I like tall buildings and being surrounded by history, culture genuine things, that is slightly nocturnal and has seen millions come and go in its life time, filled with quirks that forever keep you entertained and have a strong character that is too the point; then again this is just my type and everyone is different.

Vancouver is a gorgeous city.....when the sun comes out 8 weeks of the year, mountains and beaches are nice, and the sunny days really are quite wonderful but it isn't enough for me. For the people who base themselves here it might be that. I also wonder if some of the people who base themselves here only need a hot lover whose good in bed to be content as well.

I think, or at least I hope what I have laid out here outlines the complex nature of trying to find a base and how it is pretty much pointless trying to find one, cause more often than not everyone has to move at some point, with or without will.

Rushing into trying to find a base so people can stop breathing down your neck that you need one other wise you will be lonely and die old miserable with no friends and will have lost complete control of you bladder if you didn't form a base in your twenties is like rushing in marriage because all of your friends are getting married and everyone is having a go at you for being the only single one. It will leave you being an unhappy, mess asking yourself "why did I think this was a good idea?"

Basing is a thing of the past, like neon crop tops and crimped hair and flash dance, so there isn't really any point in trying to practice it any more it just leads to frustration and stress which everyone has enough of in their lives as it is.