"New Study Finds Humans May Have Some Capacity for Compassion"

   West is the best Ninjaman, make no mistake. Me, I enjoy the giant industrial panoramas of Duluth, magnificent in their grandeur. She's got vast ships, sea caves, rainbow neon fish, a lovely sappy aroma in the springtime, birds in the laundromat, and a diaspora of thieving youths and cranky old people, with a bunch of middle of the roaders  thrown in who are way too enthusiastic for bands and art because there isn't any decent altitudinal challenge to speak of what keeps them totally transfixed on the splendor of nature and more open to others. There's only so much you can do with a giant lake, and I think locals are somewhat confused by this in lieu of it's jaw dropping splendor, perhaps becoming withdrawn and introverted, or just plain crabby, or afraid, because the lake she kills and doesn't give up her dead. Maybe its a sense of overriding doom, that someday maybe the lake is going to kill you too. For how can something that beautiful be so unwelcoming to the flesh as to stop your heart in three minutes?  It's just not like warming yourself along the canyon walls of Utah. So what's not to love you ask? Rather, what's love got to do with it? I've lived around different places long enough to know, if you can't beat em or gain em, join em or leave em.  Have guitar will travel.

Bizarre courtship mating rituals is right, and I too have little patience for this, but unfortunately, it's almost everywhere. People are insecure by nature, and as 'creatures of habit,' afraid to break out of their stunted inner circles, as stunned deer are to their oncoming headlights. Folks want to know what you "do," not merely as a conversation starter, but to also verify they make more money than you.  They don't really want to know how you occupy your time, they want to know how much money you make. So there is this bizarre cause and effect cross section of environment meets mindset, but that too happens everywhere. We live in a capitalist society, so material themes are very important. Go to the beautiful Pacific coast along Mexico and you'll find lots of pretty happy people there, living the pura vida, then go inland to the rugged interior and you might find people looking to test their new gun out on you. 

I was at a party once in Bozeman, where most people are happy, healthy and friendly, and I made some random conversational comment to some girl, wasn't hitting on her at all, and she turned and said, "Oh my God, I don't even know you!"  Pretty funny looking back.  

I think most everyone is in their own personal 'get through it' survival mode from the cradle to the grave, whether they realize it or not, and everyone handles that differently, but the environment indeed has an effect. Some folks express in front of a microphone with their inspiring emo blend, others XC ski, others kill animals, or try to hump them. Whatever pulls your trigger.  

"Minnesota nice" has become a famous oxymoron though, nationally recognized these last few years.  But you know what they say about New Yorkers, lose a contact lense, people come in droves and help you look, but if you're getting raped or murdered in an alley, people shut the blinds and turn out the lights.  Survival instincts and herd mentalities are hard to escape when you're just a mammal following the ass in front of you, trying not to get trampled.