I like living in the 21st Century, even though it's not quite as futuristic as it should be. Where's my silver jumpsuit, dayglo purple hair, flying car, and holographic projectors?
OR maybe those things DO exist, and I've been trapped in this black hole of society for too long:
There's a tiny grocery store behind my home, on the street behind. Been there for at least 40 years, local staple. I walk around the block to pop in and pick up a few things. I arrive at the register, and whip out the debit card, when the old woman stops what she's doing to glare at me. "We don't accept cards. You need cash or check." I'm stunned, and I notice that aside from apparently only taking cash or check, they're set up for EBT/food stamps. Oooookay, I say, there's a bank around the corner and I'll be right back. I return 5 minutes later and begrudgingly fork over the cash (I suppose I COULD have walked to Evil-Mart, AND saved $2 in the process, but...) to a contempted face. "We're just not set up for those yet." Yea, I understand, afterall, it's only been about 20 years since international banks set up the system. "Well, it's easier for us to keep track of things this way." Good point. Cash is MUCH better for keeping accurate track-it can be stolen, you can miscount, lose change, filthiest thing you can carry, a till full of money is MUCH more easy to carry than a fistful of reciepts that are digitally backed up. Hey, why don't I start giving out my checking account number while I'm at it, huh?
This tiny town, while I hate it, has many apathy inducing qualities. It's so small, so cheap, so convienant. I could easy work part time and have enough to get by. Everything is within half hour walking distance. Internet access removes my need for physical retailers. Tiny, scared of change.
Out of touch. There is no dark underbelly of the world, there's just shades of dark-you're already IN the forest, since you can't tell from the trees. You're just not in the darkest parts. Scared of the bigger world, out to get them.
I've certainly not come from the worst background/upbringing, but I've come from and encountered enough to have a better grasp of how the world works than anyone who's been raised here.
It brings to mind another incident where someone who grew up in this shadow thinks they understand things, but can't comprehend the outside. Some time last year, while at the girlfriend's father's home, we were watching That 70's Show. During an episode, set in 1979, the use of "gay" and "fag" came up to describe a homosexual male. Her father, in his 50's, piped up that "That's inaccurate, people wouldn't have said that until the 90s." I argued that yes, the terms were in use in the 70s, I knew as far back as the 60s. Oh, but he was around, he insisted that it wasn't used and he would know-having lived almost all his life in this tiny town of under 20,000. This tiny town that, while certainly not a GOOD acquisition, only started recieving MTV a few years ago, an American icon for almost 20 years at that point. No, though I could bring books and albums from the 70's with the words used in them (some written BY homosexuals) , I was surely wrong because I didn't grow up in that time. While he's a decent, intelligent human; he, like most people of this upbringing, simply couldn't comprehend social progress outside of the safe bubble of this town. Can't imagine something having happened without knowing. Most of the population here, though, still considers it "scandalous" and "uncommon" for unmarried couples to live together. Hi! Can we at least get up to date with the 1980s?!
In a sad sad way, this place amuses me-like a twisted time warp. Yet I can't wait to escape-again. I should never have come back. Maybe I should never have come here to begin with. I will, in some small way, miss the comfortable familiarity with this place, as I research Minneapolis/St. Paul (The Twin Cities), where I hope/expect to live out the rest of my life. I'm unsure of how much longer until I'm there, hopefully I'll get the word sometime before the end of 2006, or 2005. Certainly not the type of place I'd have thought I'd end up, but as ever-I shall adapt.
I suspect that the majority of businesses there will have at least heard of a debit card. Checks are expected to be abolished within a decade-probably wishful thinking, but I can't wait for it to happen. All hail the digital revolution.
From the extreme heat of Florida to the extreme cold of Minnesota. What a reversal. What a Kevinlike thing to do-I don't have middle gears, it's 1st or 5th.
In the meantime, ohhhhh sexual frustration. It's been a few months, and...and...oh, when I get to my Molly....at this point, I'd almost be happy with mediocre sex.
EDIT:Molly thinks I'm accusing her of being mediocre. My Goddess, I am simply saying you COULD be mediocre and it'd be satisfactory enough. I think we both know that mediocre will never be a word to describe our sex life. I love you.
OR maybe those things DO exist, and I've been trapped in this black hole of society for too long:
There's a tiny grocery store behind my home, on the street behind. Been there for at least 40 years, local staple. I walk around the block to pop in and pick up a few things. I arrive at the register, and whip out the debit card, when the old woman stops what she's doing to glare at me. "We don't accept cards. You need cash or check." I'm stunned, and I notice that aside from apparently only taking cash or check, they're set up for EBT/food stamps. Oooookay, I say, there's a bank around the corner and I'll be right back. I return 5 minutes later and begrudgingly fork over the cash (I suppose I COULD have walked to Evil-Mart, AND saved $2 in the process, but...) to a contempted face. "We're just not set up for those yet." Yea, I understand, afterall, it's only been about 20 years since international banks set up the system. "Well, it's easier for us to keep track of things this way." Good point. Cash is MUCH better for keeping accurate track-it can be stolen, you can miscount, lose change, filthiest thing you can carry, a till full of money is MUCH more easy to carry than a fistful of reciepts that are digitally backed up. Hey, why don't I start giving out my checking account number while I'm at it, huh?
This tiny town, while I hate it, has many apathy inducing qualities. It's so small, so cheap, so convienant. I could easy work part time and have enough to get by. Everything is within half hour walking distance. Internet access removes my need for physical retailers. Tiny, scared of change.
Out of touch. There is no dark underbelly of the world, there's just shades of dark-you're already IN the forest, since you can't tell from the trees. You're just not in the darkest parts. Scared of the bigger world, out to get them.
I've certainly not come from the worst background/upbringing, but I've come from and encountered enough to have a better grasp of how the world works than anyone who's been raised here.
It brings to mind another incident where someone who grew up in this shadow thinks they understand things, but can't comprehend the outside. Some time last year, while at the girlfriend's father's home, we were watching That 70's Show. During an episode, set in 1979, the use of "gay" and "fag" came up to describe a homosexual male. Her father, in his 50's, piped up that "That's inaccurate, people wouldn't have said that until the 90s." I argued that yes, the terms were in use in the 70s, I knew as far back as the 60s. Oh, but he was around, he insisted that it wasn't used and he would know-having lived almost all his life in this tiny town of under 20,000. This tiny town that, while certainly not a GOOD acquisition, only started recieving MTV a few years ago, an American icon for almost 20 years at that point. No, though I could bring books and albums from the 70's with the words used in them (some written BY homosexuals) , I was surely wrong because I didn't grow up in that time. While he's a decent, intelligent human; he, like most people of this upbringing, simply couldn't comprehend social progress outside of the safe bubble of this town. Can't imagine something having happened without knowing. Most of the population here, though, still considers it "scandalous" and "uncommon" for unmarried couples to live together. Hi! Can we at least get up to date with the 1980s?!
In a sad sad way, this place amuses me-like a twisted time warp. Yet I can't wait to escape-again. I should never have come back. Maybe I should never have come here to begin with. I will, in some small way, miss the comfortable familiarity with this place, as I research Minneapolis/St. Paul (The Twin Cities), where I hope/expect to live out the rest of my life. I'm unsure of how much longer until I'm there, hopefully I'll get the word sometime before the end of 2006, or 2005. Certainly not the type of place I'd have thought I'd end up, but as ever-I shall adapt.
I suspect that the majority of businesses there will have at least heard of a debit card. Checks are expected to be abolished within a decade-probably wishful thinking, but I can't wait for it to happen. All hail the digital revolution.
From the extreme heat of Florida to the extreme cold of Minnesota. What a reversal. What a Kevinlike thing to do-I don't have middle gears, it's 1st or 5th.
In the meantime, ohhhhh sexual frustration. It's been a few months, and...and...oh, when I get to my Molly....at this point, I'd almost be happy with mediocre sex.
EDIT:Molly thinks I'm accusing her of being mediocre. My Goddess, I am simply saying you COULD be mediocre and it'd be satisfactory enough. I think we both know that mediocre will never be a word to describe our sex life. I love you.
VIEW 5 of 5 COMMENTS
mrshateyourself:
Equal dee, arrow three.
akathisia:
I know. It was horrible. 
I am seriously traumatised. 
I am seriously traumatised.