Sleevelessness and Lessons
Hello again everyone. Hope your lives have progressed happily since the last time I took time to check in.
Everything is still cool as hell here. Over the 4th of July I went with Rachel's family to visit her great uncle and aunt and their families. It seems weird that that is the fourth time I've been there, but it is the truth. I had the privledge of helping Rachel's dad and his uncle- and cousins-in-law build a shed. Yes.
On Sunday, a group of us went to Noah's Ark for Molly J.'s birthday. What a hoot. Fun fun. Hoot hoot. Sunburn. Ouch. Fun? Yes. Ouch also.
Last night allowed for a bit of introspection. I was at a softball game in Farley in which 14 year olds were playing, one of whom was Rachel's younger sister. They won which was cool, but that had nothing to do with the introspection. At this particular game, as with many other little league softball and baseball games, including the preceeding game in which 10 year olds were playing, beer is sold. Those who grew up around here are probably saying to themselves right now, "yes, and..." but to me, feeling out of place because I was one of very, very few males wearing a t-shirt that had sleeves while being devoid of any Nascar insignia or the word "tits" printed on it and not holding a beer caused my mind to imagine how different my life could really be. The large, polycolored (sometimes known as roadkill head) hairdos, fake tans reminiscient of the Streets' single "Fit but You Know It", and the beer can caressing hands of the mothers of several of the players seemed to fit the sleevelessness of their husbands accordingly. I do not at all want to sound judgemental. My purpose is anything but. I am much more interested in the inquiry of how I came out of this area (though I still live here) without the same attributes. No doubt the factors that led to my character, as well as many others' divergence from a similar culture (none of whom I wish to exclude), are countless and the reader has likely to already have thought of three. If you have not yet, here is a bit of thinking space, not for what has led to my character, but your own.
That's enough thinking for now.
Well...here are just a few things that I have learned or observed over the past, oh, say, seven months:
a) Though John Bon Jovi is not much of a songwriter, musician, or really any talent whatsoever, people who know absolutely nothing about music, people from the Garden State, and/or people who have not lost their love for the "lost decade" are willing to verbally and physically abuse me saying such a thing and fight to the death to protect their "pretty haired" hero.
2) Stephen Stills is an amazing songwriter and musician. His song "Love the One You're With" is a really great song, but could be no more off the mark as far as the message goes.
3) Grandmothers only turn 83 once in a lifetime.
4) Closed minds are hard to open, even when their ideas are proved, yes, proved to be incorrect.
5) Hannah Arendt was correct when she wrote (much better than I am now) that violence nearly always causes more violence, while never causing peace.
6) Lying to people over the telephone is not something I would enjoy doing in future carreer opportunities.
7) Rob Thomas is one of, if not the worst, American songwriters of all time, though, he gets more radio play on 92.9 KAT FM out of Dubuque, Iowa than any other musician. As Josh Ritter said of James Blunt, as can be used for Mr. Thomas, "There is more to life, music, and songwriting than just breakups."
8) The best job I can land once school is finished, is one that is going to allow me to make lots and lots of other people's lives easier, more comfortable, and happier, and make our country a lot better place than it is now.
i) If a person really listens to what elected officials and politicians say, that person has endless ammunition against the former's arguments.
10) Being with a person who actually, truly loves me and feeling and acting the same right back is the only way for me to be able to wake up every morning with a really big smile on my face.
Thanks for sticking with it. There are more things I've learned/observed, but these are already too much to make anyone read. Have a great day and hopefully I will see you soon.
Everything is still cool as hell here. Over the 4th of July I went with Rachel's family to visit her great uncle and aunt and their families. It seems weird that that is the fourth time I've been there, but it is the truth. I had the privledge of helping Rachel's dad and his uncle- and cousins-in-law build a shed. Yes.
On Sunday, a group of us went to Noah's Ark for Molly J.'s birthday. What a hoot. Fun fun. Hoot hoot. Sunburn. Ouch. Fun? Yes. Ouch also.
Last night allowed for a bit of introspection. I was at a softball game in Farley in which 14 year olds were playing, one of whom was Rachel's younger sister. They won which was cool, but that had nothing to do with the introspection. At this particular game, as with many other little league softball and baseball games, including the preceeding game in which 10 year olds were playing, beer is sold. Those who grew up around here are probably saying to themselves right now, "yes, and..." but to me, feeling out of place because I was one of very, very few males wearing a t-shirt that had sleeves while being devoid of any Nascar insignia or the word "tits" printed on it and not holding a beer caused my mind to imagine how different my life could really be. The large, polycolored (sometimes known as roadkill head) hairdos, fake tans reminiscient of the Streets' single "Fit but You Know It", and the beer can caressing hands of the mothers of several of the players seemed to fit the sleevelessness of their husbands accordingly. I do not at all want to sound judgemental. My purpose is anything but. I am much more interested in the inquiry of how I came out of this area (though I still live here) without the same attributes. No doubt the factors that led to my character, as well as many others' divergence from a similar culture (none of whom I wish to exclude), are countless and the reader has likely to already have thought of three. If you have not yet, here is a bit of thinking space, not for what has led to my character, but your own.
That's enough thinking for now.
Well...here are just a few things that I have learned or observed over the past, oh, say, seven months:
a) Though John Bon Jovi is not much of a songwriter, musician, or really any talent whatsoever, people who know absolutely nothing about music, people from the Garden State, and/or people who have not lost their love for the "lost decade" are willing to verbally and physically abuse me saying such a thing and fight to the death to protect their "pretty haired" hero.
2) Stephen Stills is an amazing songwriter and musician. His song "Love the One You're With" is a really great song, but could be no more off the mark as far as the message goes.
3) Grandmothers only turn 83 once in a lifetime.
4) Closed minds are hard to open, even when their ideas are proved, yes, proved to be incorrect.
5) Hannah Arendt was correct when she wrote (much better than I am now) that violence nearly always causes more violence, while never causing peace.
6) Lying to people over the telephone is not something I would enjoy doing in future carreer opportunities.
7) Rob Thomas is one of, if not the worst, American songwriters of all time, though, he gets more radio play on 92.9 KAT FM out of Dubuque, Iowa than any other musician. As Josh Ritter said of James Blunt, as can be used for Mr. Thomas, "There is more to life, music, and songwriting than just breakups."
8) The best job I can land once school is finished, is one that is going to allow me to make lots and lots of other people's lives easier, more comfortable, and happier, and make our country a lot better place than it is now.
i) If a person really listens to what elected officials and politicians say, that person has endless ammunition against the former's arguments.
10) Being with a person who actually, truly loves me and feeling and acting the same right back is the only way for me to be able to wake up every morning with a really big smile on my face.
Thanks for sticking with it. There are more things I've learned/observed, but these are already too much to make anyone read. Have a great day and hopefully I will see you soon.
posted by andy at 9:55 PM
4 Comments:
any particular reason 9 was replaced with its corresponding letter? aside to perhaps see who'd comment about it first... :)
well, i started with the letter a, and then realized that i had numbered the rest of the way, i thought letters could make a comeback. #10 shows that they were not able to.
Your site is on top of my favourites - Great work I like it.
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there are people like your softball game crowd everywhere. pasadena, california, for example, has it's share, although i do think that the proportions are different here. i think that the biggest factor in the development of people who have the ability to escape the sleevelessness of rural areas mentioned in your post is the nurturing of open-mindedness and free thought in the upbringing of the individual. then again i'm not a botanist, i just think that's how it worked for me.
as far as stephen stills: he doesn't hold a candle to neil young or tom waits (also just how it works for me)
as far as "Love The One You're With": that song is from a very different time and place than we occupy. i tend to agree with you, but i think if we had been in the time and place where stephen stills came up with that song, we may have agreed with him. then again, this point is moot because (as far as we know) it is impossible for us to find that time and place.
your posts are always so wonderfully thought provoking. cheers.
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