I was born, raised, educated, praised, scorned, loved, and shunned in Chicago — and then I took my act on the road. Having endured more frigid winters than I care to think about, I made sure the road led somewhere warm. I've lived in Los Angeles, and Honolulu, and Los Angeles again. I loved the warm weather, the blue ocean, and the palm trees. But I didn't like the isolation of living in the remote reaches of the Hawaiian Pacific. Nor did I like the congestion, smog, and cost of living in L.A.
So when my daughter was born, my wife and I thought we could do worse than to raise her in the Midwest, despite the weather. Our decision proved to be correct. Our daughter has grown up to be a happy and brilliant young woman. The Midwest has been a productive place for me to write. And global warming has produced much more moderate winters than the ones I suffered through as a boy.
— Joe
