patrick.net

Not arguing about the racism. It's a whole lot better than, say, 1960, but still there. My wife is hispanic and experienced some firsthand when we lived in Atlanta 12 years ago.

Also, Astrid says the weather sucks.

Maybe so, but have you ever been to Minnesota in January? (better bring a snowplow & parka)

HARM,

I'm not so sure about those Mississippi public schools... They also rank last in spending per pupil.

Sure, you could afford to buy a house there. But you would probably have to settle for employment at the local Stuckey's. Not a lot of good jobs.

HARM,

One of the things I really want to do before I die is to spend a winter in Trondheim (northernmost city in the world), so Minnesota winter doesn't sound so bad.

Though I haven't tried yet, I might really hate it.

sorry, that's Tromso...silly me.

HARM,

Atlanta is "the New South." I'm guessing Mississippi is worse by several orders of magnitude.

Minnesota weather sucks too. I grew up in Massachusetts and the weather sucks there too. Maybe it is smug to say so, but California really does probably have the best overall weather. Coastal Florida is probably #2, but the humidity is pretty bad in the summer.

One good thing about the muggy weather, though, is that they have a lot of very lush greenery in the south and the spring air smells sweet (unless you are down-wind from the Gulf coast refineries).

goober,

Lighten up. Just making conversation. I never claimed to be an expert on Mississippi.

I could be totally wrong about Mississippi. Maybe the weather is beautiful and the state is full of PhD scholars and Green party activists for all I know. Maybe they chose to incorporate the Confederate flag as an ironic indictment of their racist past. Anything is possible.

Nevertheless, it seems silly to me that I would actually have to go and live there before I could form any kind of an impression.

I grew up in Massachusetts and the weather sucks there too. Maybe it is smug to say so, but California really does probably have the best overall weather.

Ahhh freedom, you see, if you are from Mass, you can go just about anywhere, California natives however have a certain Faustian bargain; we have sunshine shackles. It’s the colostomy bag defense, “well at least you’re not crapping in a bag”.

Maybe they chose to incorporate the Confederate flag as an ironic indictment of their racist past. Anything is possible.

Or maybe they are bad artists and meant to hoist the Union Jack.

test

[img]http://www.clicksmilies.com/s0105/aetsch/cheeky-smiley-035.gif[/img]

testes

I find that when I live in a place, I learn less about it than when I visit. (Assumes a visit of at least a week or two.) When I'm traveling, I spend time walking around, exploring, and observing. I'm also getting a more objective view; it's very easy to become accustomed to things when you encounter them all the time.

e.g. "Bob likes kicking puppies, but he's a great family guy, so we've learned to live with his eccentricities."

Maybe the weather is beautiful and the state is full of PhD scholars and Green party activists for all I know.

Who says either of these would be a good thing???

It’s the colostomy bag defense, “well at least you’re not crapping in a bag”.

WTF??? Is that the next higher level beyond the Chewbacca defense?

skibum,

Not good or bad, just contrary to the stereotyp of Mississippians.

oops. stereotype

Either way, I agree w/ surfer-x. Californians in general are way too geocentric. I think it really comes off as very condescending to non-Californians. Funny thing is, quality of life here sucks for lots of people compared to many other parts of the country.

Ouch. I almost feel I'm being baited about the South, but refuse to believe it. It reminds me of the 'freedom fries' moment.

Y'all behave, now...

Goober,

Very true. I was stating subjective personal impressions about Mississippi and Alabama, as observed by someone who lived in Oklahoma for a couple years and really hated Houston weather.

We do have a close family friend who was a grad student in Columbia for a while, so I do stand by my statement about the suckiness of Harlem.

Skibum, I agree, but if you were b/r (born raised) in Santa Cruz, went to school at Cal Poly and live in $anta barbara, exactly where else are you going to live? You have no choice but to don the knee pads and take it like a man.

Bruce,

Fine. How about we spend our time bashing a certain Swedish vodka producer, accompanied by a drinking game of some sort?

surfer-x,

Yes, that's quite a shackle...maybe we should all check out DinOR's stretch of the Phillippines. The weather is muggy and hot, but beer and housing are cheap, and you don't need a wetsuit to surf.

Aren't Filipinos the Mexicans of the South Pacific?

I'm not sure about the South Pacific part, and DinOR goes on about the Sea of Cortez...but otherwise? Sure!

Astrid...

Ok, I got all governessy for a moment. If it's interesting, go for it.

Still think it was baiting, tho...

goober,

True, there are racists everywhere, but some places are worse than others.

I never said the northeast and west coast had the answers for flyover country. But flyover country also doesn't have all the answers for the northeast and west coast.

Either way, I agree w/ surfer-x. Californians in general are way too geocentric. I think it really comes off as very condescending to non-Californians.

I call it Californiatitis - inflammation of the California.

Californians think that they're the center of the world.

When in reality, it's clearly New York. (Or maybe London again in the next few years.)

Sir X,

Any ideas for drinking game rules?

As for bashing Absolut...maybe start with the hypocrisy of exporting and advertising an overpriced and subpar product that they strongly discourage their own citizen from consuming.

I heard the Swedes (and just about everybody else) buys booze from Britain, and the Brits fly to Eastern Europe to get piss drunk...

I'm from Shanghai, where the rest of the world exist merely as abstract concepts.

Come on now, New York? Ever gotten shacked on a 7ft WNW left hand point break in NY? London? Talk to me when the sun comes out. Ever punched trough a 8ft wave at Davenport and had sunlight filter through the most beautiful aqua water you've ever seen only to come up on the other side and see otters, dolphins and whales?

Granted you can ride a subway and get a good $25 sandwich in either NYC or London. But come on now.

Any ideas for drinking game rules?

Watch 'It's a Wonderful Life" and take a shot of Jager whenever something good happens. Be prepared to vomit.

goober,

If it makes you feel any better, the bulk of my boyfriend's family lives in the Detroit and his immediate family lives in South Carolina.

Also, Washington DC is in-filled swampland. About once a year, we'll get fairly severe flooding somewhere due to the low elevation.

The reason I read this blod is because I’m trying to get out!

Free your mind, and your ass will follow.

Ever gotten shacked on a 7ft WNW left hand point break in NY?

Is that an outdoorsy term or something?

I don't like being outdoors. I went camping once in my life having moved out here. It was very disturbing. I couldn't wait to get back to concrete and steel.

Granted you can ride a subway and get a good $25 sandwich in either NYC or London.

You don't need $25 for a good sandwich in NY. You just need to go to Hero Boy:

http://www.championstamp.com/heroboy.htm

Sir-X,

Come to DC, the musuems and parks here are subsidized by the federal government. There's a subway, and it does not totally reek of urine.

DC? Where is that at?

Jager makes me want to vomit. I prefer rum and coke.

What should I get from reading this article?

http://www.insidebayarea.com/business/ci_4635986

Doom coming soon? Happy rainbows coming soon?

Shhhittt, I just put "DC" into maps.google.com and it seems that there is an East Coast the United States. Who knew.

What do you know about surfing Major? You're from God Damn New Jersey!

"DC? Where is that at?"

That's not merely the center of the world, that is the world. If you venture outside of I-495, you fall off of the face of the Earth.