I Am, I Said

The following is an contrast and comparison essay prepared for a University of Phoenix class, INTRODUCTION TO EFFECTIVE WRITTEN COMMUNICATION, COMM/105.

I Am, I Said

Stephen R. Williams

COMM105

Thomas Clancy

09/18/2005

I Am, I Said

Every time I sing that song by Neil Diamond, I think about changing the words to better apply to my life. “Tucson’s home, but it ain’t mine, Portland’s home but it ain’t mine no more…” Singing that song or songs like it was a weekly ritual on Tuesday nights when I lived in Portland, where I had established quite a following. Now that I live in Tucson singing karaoke on Saturday nights is my way of connecting the two cities and coping with the differences.

Moving from the northwest to the southwest was a significant change for me. Although there are stark differences, amazingly I have found similarities between the two cities and subtle contrasts that compliment the other. Coming to understand these contrasts and comparisons have made the transition easier. The first similarity was that I resented having to move to each city.

When I first arrived in Portland, it took about a year to adapt. The rain, gray skies and near-constant drizzle were hard to take. Sometimes it would rain for weeks on end and it seemed like I would never see the sun again. Though the weather was difficult to become accustomed to, each time I saw my infant son greeting me with “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!” all of my resentments went away. He was the reason I moved to Portland. We would get together every other weekend and every Wednesday night. Whether going to the zoo, going camping, taking rides or just hanging out together at my place, we always had a great time together.

The days turned to weeks, the weeks turned into months and, before I knew it, I had been there 14 years. I never even considered leaving. Sure, it rained a lot during the winter and spring. It rained occasionally in the summer and sometimes even in the fall. Yet every time that sun came out, the beauty of the land would take my breath away! It seemed as if I could forget all the worries and responsibilities of life when it was nice out and just soak in the sun, smell the trees and swim in the beautiful rivers and streams. Water was everywhere; rivers, lakes, streams, sloughs, I even had a creek running along the border of my house. The trees were plentiful, the grass rich, and everything, EVERYTHING was green and beautiful. You get what you pay for I suppose. The rain was the price, but the beauty of the mountains, the closeness of the ocean and the clean, crisp air made it all worthwhile.

“Tucson’s home, but it ain’t mine…” Sometimes I feel like singing that in place of the real lyrics. How I ended up in Tucson is a story in itself. Suffice it to say that it was job related and I came here begrudgingly. However, I am adapting to the contrasting climate and learning to appreciate the similarities.

Most of the differences between Tucson and Portland are obvious; in fact in a lot of ways they are complete opposites: from greenery to brown; from trees to cactus; from lawns to rock gardens. However, now that I have been here for a while I am starting to see similarities. For example: Tucson has a beauty of its own. It is not the same as northwest, but it is indeed beautiful in different ways. Tucson has some of the most spectacular sunsets in the world. When the sun sets behind the Tucson Mountains with the shadows of the saguaros in the foreground, it is as pretty as a picture. Like Portland, Tucson has several picturesque mountain ranges nearby.