island of misfit toys

[the_siobhan]

I've been thinking a lot lately about the viability of moving to the country.

The fact that I'm even thinking about it is is a pretty massive thing for me. I'm an urbanite born and raised and I've always just assumed that would be the case for my entire life. A lot of this recent change of heart has to do with the fact that my breathing just gets worse and worse every year and I don't really see a big political push happening to do anything about the lousy air quality in this city. Much as I resent the idea that people who clog up the streets with their cars every day are going to drive me out my home, my lungs aren't likely to be sympathetic to the idea of breathing smog as a matter of principle. And I'm tired of being sick all the time.

Which brings me to the second reason. The breathing issue has a major impact on my ability to self-medicate via exercise. One of the most difficult of symptoms to manage when my brain-meats aren't doing well is just how stressed out I get by other human beings - not anthropophobia necessarily but pretty bloody close. And given that just walking out my door means I have to interact with dozens of the damn things, living in a place with such a high population density means I have already tapped into limited resources before even arriving at work or a friend's house or a concert. If I don't have to deal with massive numbers of people every single day, then maybe I'd actually be able to come into town for a weekend once in a while and hang out with the ones I know and like without being exhausted for days afterwards. Instead of the situation now where I'm spending all my free time hiding inside my house.

The big downside to this idea is, of course; what the hell would I do for a living? It's not like I have the skill set to be likely farmer material.

When I mentioned this to Axel he suggested moving to Vancouver instead. Which would clear up most of the breathing problems. Not the people-stress, but then if I could breathe all the time I might be in better mental health. And it would put the kibosh on hitting Toronto for the weekend more often than once or twice a year. But I'd have a job.

So I don't know. At this point fall will be coming Any Day Now and the discussion can continue to be theoretical for another year. But if nothing changes in this city eventually I'll be forced to do something about it. I just don't know what.

Comments

[bemused-leftist.livejournal.com]

Could you get a travel trailer and try out various locations, before deciding?

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

Potentially. I don't know how practical it would be in terms of the time it would take to get it to the place we're testing out though - driving Toronto to Vancouver is the better part of a week. That's a lot of time off work if we want to go to a bunch of different places.

[bemused-leftist.livejournal.com]

It's a good way to test the air in a bunch of different places. We did that some years ago when my husband's 'allergies' drove him out of the Dust Bowl. Total instant improvement!

[katyakoshka.livejournal.com]

Vancouver would definitely be a great compromise for air quality and urban living. You'd be able to go over to the island for camping, plus winter and summer sports at Whistler-Blackcomb. It's a couple hours south to Seattle as well, for additional urban/club/social fixes.

Victoria is a little mellower, but you are "stuck on a rock" if you go there. Still a city, but not as much nightlife, though there are a lot of motorcycle aficionados, including my uncle-Dave-by-marriage. Another of my aunts spent a few years there, but didn't find it lively or cold-weather-sport friendly for her, moving to Calgary several years back. Still, she did dragon boat races, and made the most of opportunities.

I have an aunt living out in Maple Ridge, east of Vancouver, in addition to the four other aunts and an uncle on the island (plus spouses, and children), and my grandparents, too, so I've spent a lot of time up in the Vancouver Island area, and a little in Vancouver proper.

Visit a few times as you can afford it. The whole area is very out-doorsy, lots of camping, skiing, kayaking, fishing, hunting, snowboarding, etc., so if that sounds remotely appealing, there you go. I know they've implemented some smog control regulations over the past decade, and the climate is generally milder than Toronto for heat or cold.

Good luck.

[kest]

If you moved to Vancouver, I'd see you more. Therefore I am in favor of this plan.

On the subject of the smog, though, if you don't have an air filter for your room/house, I highly recommend them. It doesn't solve the overall problem, but at least your lungs can have a break at night.

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

Air filter is an option. It will have to be a stand-alone model, since we don't have central air.

[ash-pixie.livejournal.com]

We have a couple of in-room stand alone filters and it helps me a lot. I second the idea of at least looking into them.

[kest]

I have one of these (ok, mine doesn't have a timer, that's pretty sweet) and it helps enormously

[mr-sharkey.livejournal.com]

I lent E. a charcoal filter / ionizer type for his swampe basement apt., and it made a huge difference - no more mold smell. I recommend them highly.

M.

[silentq.livejournal.com]

Er, don't move to Vancouver if you can't deal with more cloudy/rainy days than sunny ones. :/
Is there any place that maps air quality throughout Toronto? When I was living up near Steeles, the temperature was always cooler than downtown so I'm wondering if air quality might be better in the area formerly known as North York. :)
Having lived in Brampton for a year or so, there are pros and cons to living outside the city. I think my experience wasn't the best because I didn't have a car.

My lungs really appreciated the break I gave them this past weekend, breathing air that hasn't been cycled through people or machines was wonderful (and so was the isolation on the hiking trails). I'm thinking about getting a filter mask to wear while biking in the city, did you use one at one point?

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

I have no problem at all with clouds and rain. I think Axel underestimates how much he would hate them though, he always says he left England because of the weather.

Living in places like Brampton and North York are currently waaay down the list of options. Like further down than "in an oxygen tent". Besides, if I lived some place like Brampton I would have to commute, therefore becoming the people I am cursing with boils and locusts on the days I can't breathe.

I have a straight forward filter mask but in all honesty it's not a great solution. Toronto is always smoggiest on the days with high humidity, so breathing through a filter mask is difficult. Thor uses one of those industrial masks with the replacable carbon filters when he bikes and he swears by them - I've considered that as an option for biking, I'm not sure how I would feel about just walking around wearing one.

[eveofdstruction.livejournal.com]

First, the disclaimer, as much as I love TO, I am obviously a big fan of the Vancouver idea. That said, The weather actually isn't as bad as a lot of people think. The grey, drizzly stuff is mostly concentrated in fall/winter, which always just seemed pretty natural to me. In addition, when it is sunny in the Northwest, it is GLORIOUS. We usually get a few crystal clear sunny days through the winter, the spring alternates grey and gorgeously sunny and crisp, and our summers are pretty intensely summery. Definitely a tad cooler and much less humid than TO on average, but hot and sunny enough that summer is enjoyable and the cooling off is a welcome change in fall.

[silentq.livejournal.com]

I was thinking more of living and working in a city just outside Toronto, not commuting (that sucked a lot when I had to do it). Subway from North York isn't that bad, it was being on the end of the bus line that left from the end of the subway line that bugged me.
Yeah, walking around wearing a filter mask is inviting stares, but someday it might get all too common. :/ I kinda sorta want nose plugs that will semi-discreetly filter the air for me.

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

The advantage to Vancouver is that I would already have a job there. Any place else and I'd have to add job-hunting to the equation. Not a deal-breaker by any stretch but definitely an additional hurdle.

[http://users.livejournal.com/cincinnatus_c_/]

Is there any place that maps air quality throughout Toronto?

This site here (http://airqualityontario.com/reports/index.cfm) provides reports from four different points in Toronto. (Seems like you have to click on "Today's Current Pollutant Concentrations" for each one to find out exactly where they are.) Looks like Toronto North (Yonge north of Finch) is somewhat better on average than Toronto Downtown (Bay & Wellesley), and it looks like it's generally better when it's bad, but not all that consistently better. (I always wonder how much of the differences in these kinds of things have to do either with factors too local to be useful and/or measuring artefacts, though.)

[marchenland.livejournal.com]

I bet I'm not the only one who thinks that you moving to Vancouver would be AWESOME!

[hobbitbabe.livejournal.com]

That kind of sucks.

So maybe your options would include:

Live somewhere exurb to Toronto. Work near home, have easy access to Toronto nightlife, with more energy for enjoying it if you have easier breathing in ordinary life.

Live in a smaller city with better climate and easier commute in ordinary life, nightlife not so great without a lot of trouble. I'm thinking of Ottawa or Kingston because those are the examples I know.

Move somewhere else like Vancouver or Edmonton. The "typical" climate of Edmonton is sunny and dry. I find it much harder to breathe in southern Ontario now than I do here. Short winter days means people with SAD have to be careful, but bright sun most days sure helps. Alt. music scene(s) probably don't compare to Toronto but lots of bands stop here that don't come to Kingston. Come visit sometime!

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

There are two considerations I've left out of my original post.

1. My job is worked out of three locations - Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. If if I live in any of those places I already have a job.

2. I hate commuting. Really really really really hate it. I could maybe live in a small town - if it was the right small town. But I hate suburbs with a deep passion.

[hobbitbabe.livejournal.com]

#2 I sort of assumed. And a place you could have a job transfer is way way easier than starting over to find a similar kind of job in a place like Newmarket or Kingston.

Montreal - while the smog doesn't seem to be as bad as in the Golden Horsheshoe the general humidity is at least as bad.

It's a Trap

[panic-girl.livejournal.com]

The "typical" climate of Edmonton is sunny and dry.
And -30 for a solid three months a year.

You're better off in Calgary, weather-wise, but that town is so full of suck I wouldn't recomend it.

Re: It's a Trap

[hobbitbabe.livejournal.com]

Because I'm noted for being literal-minded, I'm going to correct this.

And -30 for a solid three months a year.

Not in my recent experience, at all. A week in December, maybe a week in late January. Max.

Re: It's a Trap

[panic-girl.livejournal.com]

So the other bits were -25. Big woop! ;)

Edmonton was on my shortlist when I was moving out of Calgary, but the lack of Chinooks, with all the joys of prairie winter killed it for me. Which is too bad because Edmonton is awesome.

[50-ft-queenie.livejournal.com]

Having been to Vancouver, I can say that it is a gorgeous city. You might want to look into the cost of living there though. Vancouver has the highest housing prices in Canada. (http://www.vancouverkiosk.ca/costliving.php)

Victoria is very pretty, but there is *nothing to do there*, and I mean nothing. Seriously, you can do all of downtown Victoria in one day.

[panic-girl.livejournal.com]

Last time I checked, there really wasn't that much to do in Vancouver either, unless you're a pretend hippie with a lot of money. It's not real friendly for alterna-punk-goth types. It's a really, really wonderful place to visit, and I like going there, but living there is tough unless you're fully committed to yuppiedom.

[inulro.livejournal.com]

Plus it has the kind of urban sprawl that is usually associated with American cities. One hopes the transport infrastructure has been improved since I used to visit there in the 80s.

[tamago23.livejournal.com]

Moving to the country isn't necessarily all that much better of an option. Most of the smog we get here isn't created by our own industry, it blows northwest from Michigan and NY. Even if you go north, if you're in the path of the windstream, there will be plenty of smog being carried there too.

[http://users.livejournal.com/cincinnatus_c_/]

Moving to the country isn't necessarily all that much better of an option.

E.g., avoid the Grand Bend (http://airqualityontario.com/reports/aqisearch.cfm?stationid=15020&this_date=2010-12-31&Submit=History&startmonth=all) area! Significantly worse than Toronto Downtown (http://airqualityontario.com/reports/aqisearch.cfm?stationid=31103&startmonth=all).

... though as I've wondered somewhere around here sometime before, I wonder if these air quality readings account for all the relevant stuff in the air....

[megiddo-lj.livejournal.com]

The air has been horrid this Summer. I've had massive flare-ups of my asthma, which I haven't seen since living in proximity to NYC. Patt's had one eye swollen shut for a week due to allergens and he doesn't even HAVE allergies.

I found the air quality in Montreal pretty shitty as well. Not as bad as Toronto, but still not great. See also: reasons we're moving back to Florida #456 in an ongoing list.

[unagothae.livejournal.com]

I support the Vancouver proposal. Vancouver is actually a bit less grey and drizzly than Seattle. The sun occasionally shines during the winter there. If I could afford to, I would have moved there a decade ago. It still tops the list of places I want to live.

I would rather visit Vancouver than Seattle any day, so if someone I knew lived there, I'd have more reason to do so.

I would make other points about cost of living, weather, whatever, but other people already have. It IS a fucking BEAUTIFUL city. If you like mountains or water at all, you've got both. The number one reason I wish I could live there is because I can see the mountains no matter where I go in the city. I miss it painfully.

[nicklausse.livejournal.com]

I with you on #2 in spades, though I'm already refugee-ing from NY, London, and LA. Compared to that, Toronto's a step in the right direction.

Calgary clears my eczema within two days. Why? I don't know. The 'leisurely trying places out' proposal sounds good. Sounds like you've got one foot in Vancouver already though! Talking things out FTW?

Cost of living in Vancouver, however. Geeeez.

[nicklausse.livejournal.com]

'I'm' with you. Brain is cooked.

[inulro.livejournal.com]

Eczema clearing up in Calgary - probably the drier environment.

[kest]

Oh. It occurs to me that this is a good time to push the perennial freaktown idea. Meaning 'we should *all* go live out in the middle of nowhere somewhere!' Seriously.

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

And I could be your banker!

[inulro.livejournal.com]

Wyoming. It's the middle of nowhere. It's pretty. It's the desert, which takes away all my pain.

[http://users.livejournal.com/cincinnatus_c_/]

I've been thinking a lot lately about the viability of moving to the country.

Me too, but then I always have been.

I don't really see a big political push happening to do anything about the lousy air quality in this city.

Yeah, it's hard to make out behind the big political push to not do anything about it. I'm just hoping that Rob Ford will get all those damn busses off the road so everyone can get around faster. Nurrr.

anthropophobia

Strangely, I believe this is a word I have never seen before.

what the hell would I do for a living?

Yeah, that.

[popecrunch.livejournal.com]

I lived in the ass end of nowhere for a bunch of years, and there are definite benefits. If you want to stomp around wearing nothing but a majestic beard (false beard optional) and combat boots pissing on anthills and shrieking gibberish to the sky, the simplicity of your life is inversely proportional to your local population density. (Don't knock it, it's a good way to blow off steam. I lived in Maine for a couple decades. It... does things to you.)

On the other hand, yeah it does limit your job and shopping options.