Disturbing the Peace: Take a look around

"Dude, I can't wait to graduate and get out of here. This town never changes."

Ah, the musings of senioritis. The feelings that your pent- up wealth of knowledge, talent and social prowess are entirely wasted on this meager community rife with immature college parties, stagnant downtown scene and — the horror— all- too-familiar faces.

Cry me a river.

Look, I fully understand senioritis; I've had it since high school. I've already dropped out of school once to traipse around the world, and it's a decision I'll never regret. My issue is with those who simply think they've outgrown what this town offers.

Think about it. This town is surrounded by a half-dozen major mountain ranges full of hot springs, ski areas and beautiful rivers, all within moderate driving range. We have a pretty impressive football team. The music scene offers something every night, and it's not all jam bands, bluegrass and womp womp as I've heard the criticisms go. Wednesday, Harry David's offered killer rockabilly and Thursday there's Bay Area hip-hop and local funk shows blocks apart downtown. The art scene gains heavy community support, and with over a hundred bars in town, your alcoholic tendencies are well served.

The people are diverse and generally nice, excepting disenchanted journalism majors busy wondering why they spent all that money on a program that everyone insists has a doomed future. There's plenty of trustafarians you can trade Phish memories with, hipsters to ride fixed gears around with, clipboard-wielding do-gooders to join activist forces with, sports fans whom you can puke all over my front lawn with come Saturday morning (sweeping generalizations for the win). Did I miss you? Insert your activity of choice, write "club" after it on a notecard and post it in the University Center.

Maybe my drastically remote upbringing misinformed me. Growing up, when I would irritate my father, he'd tell me to go play on the highway. And I did, because that was my only chance to see somebody new. So Missoula is still like the big city to me. But I've spent plenty of time in much larger cities, and I've noticed that the size of the town doesn't really matter; people still fall into familiar routines and places and rarely venture out of their comfort zone. So maybe the issue with Missoula isn't what it limits you to, but, rather, what you limit yourself to.

Do I sound biased? You're damn right. I love this town. I also can't wait to get out again and check out some new experiences. So, I'm going to make the most of my last year hereand encourage you to do the same, regardless of what year you are. Go to a Griz game. Visit the Lumberjack bar on Highway 12. Invite that cute girl in your class to breakfast at Food for Thought. Make a point of actually seeing some art at First Fridays, instead of just cashing in on all the free wine and food you can find. Expand your boundaries.

If nothing else, take a road trip over to Spokane, Wash., and remind yourself that it could be worse.

jedediah.nussbaum@umontana.edu