I Love My Shitty Little Town

I'm feeling home sick today. And it has really made me realize as much as I hate my home town, I love it.




I do. I love it. I love the people that I have met there, most of them at least. I love the stupid bullshit that occurs there. I love being able to walk into my favorite places to rot, know everyone by name and be able to talk about anything from politics to how the weather is and be able to come back the next day and do it again.


I love my bars, my hack mall, my shitty jobs and the shitty economy.


But it makes me want to do more. There is a very steady trend in Alpena, MI of everyone hating everything and we've got a lot to be angry about. Once upon a time, Alpena was growing, but now you're sorely pressed to see anything new aside from a nursing home, a hospital expansion or a restaurant and we hate it.

We complain about it constantly, but there is something even worse that we do which we never complain about or give blame to... We do nothing.

We do nothing to better our city or to attract tourism in a real fashion. We do not attend meetings, make committees or work towards bettering the town as a whole. In stead, we sit around and wish that someone would do it for us. We gripe, moan and bitch, even wish for a better town, vowing to move and never come back rather then focusing on our own little city.

I love Alpena. I have pride in it. It's a small town with a far more open mind then anyone gives it credit of. We have things to do, beaches, parks, safe neighborhoods and it's actually very pretty to look at no matter what the season is.

So I'm issuing a challenge. I'm issuing a challenge to all my equally unsatisfied friends, family and who ever to stand up with me and try to make it a better place. No lies, No fakes and I'll stand up alone if I have to, but you better believe it when I say if I begin this, I am not going to stop so easily. There are so many artists and ideas to be shared. So many things that make our little town amazing that everyone forgets and so many more places to go with it.

My challenge. Stop bitching and do something. From this moment forward, all complaints will be responded with," Well what are -you- doing to change that?"