Woldan Posted January 19, 2015 Posted January 19, 2015 (edited) Been in the city today to buy some stuff. I may sound like a hermit or redneck but every time I'm there I'm so glad I live in the country, everything in the city is depressing - and I grew up there. The smog that makes my throat and eyes sting, a maze of worn monochrome concrete walls filled with dirty loud cars and countless people with grim faces shuffling down the walkways like battered robots.....I suddenly felt like I was in the middle of an abstract nightmare of hopelessness, but I was not a part of it. Edited January 19, 2015 by Woldan I gazed at the dead, and for one dark moment I saw a banquet.
BruceVC Posted January 19, 2015 Posted January 19, 2015 (edited) I had a good flight to Heathrow last night, I flew Virgin Airlines. Not a bad airline but I still think Emirates and Etihad offer better service I sat next to a really cool American lady from Massachusetts , she has been in South Africa the last 3 months and has been working for various NGO's on the continent but her Visa expired so she has to return to the USA and try to renew it from there. She also likes talking so we chatted a lot during the flight But as usual I didn't sleep much on the flight, 3 hours or so, so its an early night for me tonight before the seminar starts tomorrow Edited January 19, 2015 by BruceVC "Abashed the devil stood and felt how awful goodness is and saw Virtue in her shape how lovely: and pined his loss” John Milton "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” - George Bernard Shaw "What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead" - Nelson Mandela
BruceVC Posted January 19, 2015 Posted January 19, 2015 Been in the city today to buy some stuff. I may sound like a hermit or redneck but every time I'm there I'm so glad I live in the country, everything in the city is depressing - and I grew up there. The smog that makes my throat and eyes sting, a maze of worn monochrome concrete walls filled with dirty loud cars and countless people with grim faces shuffling down the walkways like battered robots.....I suddenly felt like I was in the middle of an abstract nightmare of hopelessness, but I was not a part of it. Yip you sound like a redneck ...if you think Austria is morose and melancholy then you need to avoid the tubes in London. Everytime I travel on them I notice how miserable everyone looks, but its probably just the fact people are going to work, I'm sure they aren't that unhappy if you had to talk to them "Abashed the devil stood and felt how awful goodness is and saw Virtue in her shape how lovely: and pined his loss” John Milton "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” - George Bernard Shaw "What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead" - Nelson Mandela
Woldan Posted January 19, 2015 Posted January 19, 2015 (edited) Yip you sound like a redneck Great. From all the cities/towns I've been to I liked only three, and that was Paris, Húsavík and Reykjavik. But I guess seeing the infamous suburbs of Paris would have had a dramatic impact on my opinion. Honorable Mention is Zürich, the train station is really nice but only stayed there for one day so I could not form a valid opinion on it. Same with Lisbon. Edited January 19, 2015 by Woldan I gazed at the dead, and for one dark moment I saw a banquet.
LadyCrimson Posted January 19, 2015 Author Posted January 19, 2015 If not liking to visit/be in the "city" = redneck, then I'm one too. Too many people, too much traffic, too much noise. Go away. “Things are as they are. Looking out into the universe at night, we make no comparisons between right and wrong stars, nor between well and badly arranged constellations.” – Alan Watts
Malcador Posted January 19, 2015 Posted January 19, 2015 I like city life, but I found London has way too many people. It is surreal to be in the financial area on a weekend - it is deserted Why has elegance found so little following? Elegance has the disadvantage that hard work is needed to achieve it and a good education to appreciate it. - Edsger Wybe Dijkstra
LadyCrimson Posted January 19, 2015 Author Posted January 19, 2015 They can be pretty and occasional visits are fine, but cities make me feel like this: 1 “Things are as they are. Looking out into the universe at night, we make no comparisons between right and wrong stars, nor between well and badly arranged constellations.” – Alan Watts
Hurlshort Posted January 19, 2015 Posted January 19, 2015 /so my new laptop, all of 5 days old, stopped recognizing the graphics card. I tried a few fixes, then called MSI, and they told me to send it to them. I decided not to bother with that and took it back to Best Buy. The geek squad guy fiddled with it a bit, rebooting the BIOS which I didn't want to do because of the warranty, and decided to give me a refund. I am going to order an ASUS, I was nervous about MSI and now I know why. So another week or two without a good PC.
Woldan Posted January 20, 2015 Posted January 20, 2015 ^ I have a X99 MSI motherboard, so far its holding up pretty well. They actually have a fairly good reputation. *Scratches chin* What I did - its 0130 AM and I'm sending offers, I just hope my customers don't think I'm insane. Which is actually true, but thats beside the point. I gazed at the dead, and for one dark moment I saw a banquet.
Labadal Posted January 20, 2015 Posted January 20, 2015 I made little more than $3000 selling stocks, today. Putting some of that away for the next Obsidian KS and saving the rest for when I to buy stuff for my new apartment. (Question is when I will find one I like. 3
Keyrock Posted January 20, 2015 Posted January 20, 2015 (edited) I like cities. I like not being reliant on a car and cities almost always have vastly superior public transportation compared to rural areas, plus a lot of stuff is in walking distance. On the down side, I don't currently live in a city that has a trolley. I wanna ride a trolley, dammit. Edited January 20, 2015 by Keyrock RFK Jr 2024 "Any organization created out of fear must create fear to survive." - Bill Hicks
Labadal Posted January 20, 2015 Posted January 20, 2015 I don't mind cities that aren't huge. I would probably hate living in Stockholm. I like going there from time to time, but that's not really the same thing as having to live and work there. I just don't lke the stress I feel.
Azdeus Posted January 20, 2015 Posted January 20, 2015 I don't like big cities either, I'm far too used to the countryside. I really feel crowded upon in big groups of people. The nearest city is decent, but it's a small town with lots of villas and very few highrises. Civilization, in fact, grows more and more maudlin and hysterical; especially under democracy it tends to degenerate into a mere combat of crazes; the whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, most of them imaginary. - H.L. Mencken
ManifestedISO Posted January 20, 2015 Posted January 20, 2015 Cities are great, it's the watching where you're going because the sidewalk is littered with dog doo, human number one and homeless number two. And the parking, it's murderous. All Stop. On Screen.
Woldan Posted January 20, 2015 Posted January 20, 2015 I find it interesting that nobody mentions air pollution. Its the number 1 thing I notice when entering a concrete jungle. My throat starts to itch and I notice a slight decrease in lung capacity after wandering around for a couple of hours. And I do not suffer from asthma nor allergic bronchitis. I gazed at the dead, and for one dark moment I saw a banquet.
Leferd Posted January 20, 2015 Posted January 20, 2015 Listened to Martin Luther King's speech again. Always worth a listen. 2 "Things are funny...are comedic, because they mix the real with the absurd." - Buzz Aldrin."P-O-T-A-T-O-E" - Dan Quayle
Azdeus Posted January 20, 2015 Posted January 20, 2015 (edited) I find it interesting that nobody mentions air pollution. Its the number 1 thing I notice when entering a concrete jungle. My throat starts to itch and I notice a slight decrease in lung capacity after wandering around for a couple of hours. And I do not suffer from asthma nor allergic bronchitis. I doubt that the air is that bad in your cities, I'd have an easy time believing you if you were talking about one of the cities wich has notoriously bad air quality, but to me it sounds psychosomatic or similar really. Unless you're talking about standing next to an motorway in rushhour. Listened to Martin Luther King's speech again. Always worth a listen. That's copyrighted? The ****. And people wonder why I vote for the pirate party. Edited January 20, 2015 by Azdeus 1 Civilization, in fact, grows more and more maudlin and hysterical; especially under democracy it tends to degenerate into a mere combat of crazes; the whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, most of them imaginary. - H.L. Mencken
Orogun01 Posted January 20, 2015 Posted January 20, 2015 I like the Boondocks version better. 1 I'd say the answer to that question is kind of like the answer to "who's the sucker in this poker game?"* *If you can't tell, it's you.
BruceVC Posted January 20, 2015 Posted January 20, 2015 I find it interesting that nobody mentions air pollution. Its the number 1 thing I notice when entering a concrete jungle. My throat starts to itch and I notice a slight decrease in lung capacity after wandering around for a couple of hours. And I do not suffer from asthma nor allergic bronchitis. I doubt that the air is that bad in your cities, I'd have an easy time believing you if you were talking about one of the cities wich has notoriously bad air quality, but to me it sounds psychosomatic or similar really. Unless you're talking about standing next to an motorway in rushhour. Yeah I tend to agree, its highly unlikely that the air pollution is anywhere near that bad in Austria. As you said its probably psychosomatic because Woldan is use to the outdoor lifestyle and openness of the mountains I remember a good quote from a movie I saw recently that aptly describes how I feel about living in a big city " the only thing better than leaving the city for a weekend getaway is the return trip coming back " "Abashed the devil stood and felt how awful goodness is and saw Virtue in her shape how lovely: and pined his loss” John Milton "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” - George Bernard Shaw "What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead" - Nelson Mandela
Nepenthe Posted January 20, 2015 Posted January 20, 2015 Well, I pick up a nosebleed if I stay in London for longer than 4-5 days, so.... You're a cheery wee bugger, Nep. Have I ever said that? Reapercussions
Woldan Posted January 20, 2015 Posted January 20, 2015 I doubt that the air is that bad in your cities, I'd have an easy time believing you if you were talking about one of the cities wich has notoriously bad air quality, but to me it sounds psychosomatic or similar really. Unless you're talking about standing next to an motorway in rushhour.I don't know, it always smells like a tobacco factory is burning down, the exhaust fumes are very noticeable. I gazed at the dead, and for one dark moment I saw a banquet.
LadyCrimson Posted January 21, 2015 Author Posted January 21, 2015 You're just not used to the smell etc. Woldan. It is difficult to believe the pollution there would be very high, but certainly it'd likely be more than in the out country. I do have allergies and I know if I go out to the valley's and mts. after a while my nose clears up a little (but then there's tons more tree/grass/mold allergens, so it kinda balances out, haha), but it's not something I notice/think about day to day. There are two places I've been where the pollution was so bad I did truly notice, both when I was younger (mid-80's). Center of Los Angeles, where it felt like a cloudy day when it wasn't, and Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh was really bad, where I spent a night feeling like I couldn't breathe from lack of oxygen. Like being in a sauna for hours, only it wasn't steam. That was back before air pollution was major news, it's probably been cleaned up a tad since then. Maybe. The Bay Area isn't too bad far as that goes, some of it maybe because of a lot of afternoon winds. Still wouldn't suit you I'm sure. :D “Things are as they are. Looking out into the universe at night, we make no comparisons between right and wrong stars, nor between well and badly arranged constellations.” – Alan Watts
Woldan Posted January 21, 2015 Posted January 21, 2015 (edited) Maybe its because my sense of smell is good, better than any of my other senses. City with cars and thousands of people = horror. Skip the shower for one day = hell. And expired food makes me vomit instantly.I can tell by smell if my mailman -and which one- was here (several hours later) and when the direction of the wind allows it I can smell my neighbors perfume from 300-400 meters away before hearing or seeing her. I can smell and find a patch of lemon grass a 5 minutes walk away, on a windy day.The most useless of all the senses though. If my eyesight was as good I could sell all the scopes on my rifles. Edited January 21, 2015 by Woldan I gazed at the dead, and for one dark moment I saw a banquet.
Gromnir Posted January 21, 2015 Posted January 21, 2015 Listened to Martin Luther King's speech again. Always worth a listen. in many ways, the "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech by Mr. King is our favorite. is not quite as moving a speech as that which you linked, but the practical advice and observations Mr. King offers in mountaintop has as much relevance today as they did in 1968. https://ia601400.us.archive.org/21/items/100-Best--Speeches/MLK19680403_64kb.mp3 text only: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkivebeentothemountaintop.htm regardless, much appreciation for your link. is always good to reflect, especially in the wake o' ferguson and other similar examples o' continued racial division in America. 2 "If there be time to expose through discussion the falsehood and fallacies, to avert the evil by the processes of education, the remedy to be applied is more speech, not enforced silence."Justice Louis Brandeis, Concurring, Whitney v. California, 274 U.S. 357 (1927) "Im indifferent to almost any murder as long as it doesn't affect me or mine."--Gfted1 (September 30, 2019)
Leferd Posted January 21, 2015 Posted January 21, 2015 Thank you as well Gromnir. There is much to reflect here in post civil rights America and how much has or hasn't changed in 50 years. Just finished President Obama's State of the Union address. Agree or disagree with his politics, atleast we as a country can agree that his ascendency to the Presidency is a positive milestone to the legacy of the Rev. Dr. King. Here's another one from MLK --post Rosa Parks ramifications. 1 "Things are funny...are comedic, because they mix the real with the absurd." - Buzz Aldrin."P-O-T-A-T-O-E" - Dan Quayle
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