Weary of LA

Seems like whenever I have some kind of academic deadline where it's pretty much "do-or-die", I get the urge to write something else... anyway, I'm feeling very much like just spewing out random thoughts now, mostly revolving around this insane restless urge I'm feeling.

Recently, I've acquired an unusually strong dislike for being in the city for whatever reason. However, I've been to a few cities that hasn't triggered my "I hate big cities" instincts: Vancouver, British Columbia (or to people in the USA, Canada) and Victoria, British Columbia. There's just so many things about these places that really attracts me -- the abundant forests and hiking trails just within an easy drive or even walk/bus trip away, the relatively clean air, the proximity to the sea, and the climate. They're still cities but they don't have the same kind of stifling feeling as Los Angeles, CA or even San Francisco. Some may argue it's what I make of the place, but there's just something very deep inside of me that makes me really want to return to Vancouver and Victoria. I didn't get that same tugging inside of me about Montreal for some reason. Must've been something about where I ended up staying for the ESA-INTECOL conference not too long ago and being in the Palais de Congress for that week...

Anyway, all I really want at this point is just to be able to roam about freely outdoors away from crowds, cars, smog, and admittedly, both Caltech and CSULA, which have dominated my life since 1997. Archery at the various places I've been finding has helped me tolerate life in LA a lot better, as well as the occasional sneak-retreat I take into some random wilderness location, but I know deep inside I need to leave LA as soon as I'm done at CSULA. I suspect that it's also this feeling of stagnation as well as my natural wanderlust and strong dislike for the cities that's driving my intense desire to leave LA. On the positive side, this weariness of living in LA is spurring me onwards to work on my PhD applications and I look forward to visiting and interviewing at the various schools. What adventures will I find outside of LA? And what will I find in my remaining time in LA?