Reasons why I "dislike" the PNW...

1. The weather, I talk about it all the time.  It is soul sucking and it is no wonder the suicide rate is so high here.  I am not saying that to be funny.  Vitamin D defeciency causes depression. I know, first hand, that the lack of sun will make you feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. Whoever said "It can't rain all the time.", never lived here.  ;-)
2. Passive aggressive behavior.  Say what you mean, people!!!  Or better yet, say nothing! I am so tired of people protecting peoples' feelings through dishonesty.  Also, not everyone deserves a trophy, There I said it!  Sucking still happens here even if you're too pretentious to see it.
3. I am far away from my siblings and parents.  The closest portion of my family is 2,480 miles away.
4. I have spent all of my time here broke. The economy busted right after we bought our home in an area we don't want to live in.  It may be self-induced but it fucking sucks. 
5. The drivers, this goes with #2.  The left lane is for passing, the middle for the speed limit and the right for people going slower or exiting.  They all drive the reverse of this so getting anywhere is infuriating. 
6. No Dunkin' Donuts.  And while I love the gourmet donut shops, they are all too far away for me to actually visit them with any type of frequency. 
7. Getting dressed requires a wardrobe consisting of far too many layers.
8. It's so damp no matter how "warm" it is you still feel cold.
9. I can't go to every roller derby bout!  There are so many on the I-5 corridor and I can never choose, or can't go. see #4.
10. Vagabonds, thieves, and schemers.  They're everywhere, but seriously don't tell me you're out of gas, AGAIN, in the exact same place you were 3 weeks ago.  Not buying it or giving you any money for it.

Reasons to "like" the PNW...

1. The weather.  It's mild and passive aggressive just like it's people.  Spring is beautiful and summer is too.
2. The outdoors.  Not my personal cup of  tea but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't always on the look out for a bald eagle or a beaver.  Fact.
3. ROLLER DERBY! OMG! There is so much of it!!  You can drive 30 minutes in any direction and find a top 10 team.
4. Apple and Berry farms.  Because who doesn't like fresh fruit and visiting a farm.
5. coffee shops.  I personally don't care much for coffee but walk a block in any direction and you'll find a coffee shop.
6. Thrift stores.  Rich people can be charitable with their really nice, expensive things.  This means better stuff to find while thrifting.
7. I need to come up with 10? 
8. Cultured people who don't stare at me for being tattooed.  They get that we don't all fit in a uniform.  I appreciate not being oogled and judged.
9. There's volcanoes and that's pretty exotic and interesting.
10. Indoor waterparks.  Because let's be honest how often would they really be open if they were outdoor?

Over the last 2 years, I have learned a lot, grown a lot, and made some of my best friends.  The PNW and the Army are responsible for that.  I am a cynical whiner but I would be remiss if I didn't say that this place will grow on you.  This will be another difficult place to leave.  Change is inevitable and you should never make your heart so tight and hard that you can't let what little light you'll see in the Northwest get in there.
Cheers!