prodigal
So, I was upstate this past weekend - the prodigal son on one of his periodic return visits to the small, unpretentious Finger Lakes town where he grew up.
And what is there to do in that little town and the surrounding area? Sure, there's always something. Contrary to the occasional specious belief, agrarian areas beyond the concrete canyons are not always uncultured hinterlands in need of indoor plumbing, more oil for their lamps, and a new butter churn. No, there are the state and county fairs, numerous carnivals, the Empire Farm Days, recreation and fishing at one of the numerous Finger Lakes, an outdoor concert or event, and of course the movies (if you find yourself in Geneva, NY, I highly recommend a visit to the glorious Smith Opera House). Okay, fine - compared to the city it seems like there is little to nothing of interest going on. I suppose that could simply be a skewed perception of we blasé, hedonistic urban dwellers. Anyway...
There's always Wal-Mart.
Every time I amble into the local Wal-Mart, there is a congregation of elderly folk gathered in the quaint, bantam café just inside the front entrance. All the aged eyes turn to the newcomers for a moment, linger, and return to their coffee and conversation. I find that whimsical. And then I proceed into the well-lit depths of marked-down merchandise. This past visit, it was razor blades, a 16-pack of AA batteries, socks, and cheap DVDs - Heathers and Less Than Zero for $5.50 apiece. Oh, I also needed an annoying little calculator battery for my watch. Ah, ye malcontents (like myself), denounce and condemn Wal-Mart's alleged monopolization and apocryphal business practices - child labor violations, failure to pay overtime, the largest sex discrimination lawsuit in history, and employees who often shell out 40 percent of their health insurance premiums. These are infractions and transgressions I find reprobate, but I also live in New York City and have zero oppostion to saving a few bucks now and then. I frequently find the cost of living in New York iniquitous - even criminal.
Yes, you can take the boy out of the small town, but you can't completely remove the small town from the boy, no matter how long he's lived in the city.
Related links:
The Finger Lakes: http://www.fingerlakes.org/index.htm
Empire Farm Days: http://fltimes.com/Main.asp?SectionID=38&SubSectionID=121&ArticleID=9216
New York State Fair: http://www.nysfair.org/state_fair/2005/
The Smith Opera House: http://thesmith.org/NewFiles/main.html
My DVD collection: http://www.dvdaficionado.com/dvds.html?cat=1&id=urbanoutlaw
And what is there to do in that little town and the surrounding area? Sure, there's always something. Contrary to the occasional specious belief, agrarian areas beyond the concrete canyons are not always uncultured hinterlands in need of indoor plumbing, more oil for their lamps, and a new butter churn. No, there are the state and county fairs, numerous carnivals, the Empire Farm Days, recreation and fishing at one of the numerous Finger Lakes, an outdoor concert or event, and of course the movies (if you find yourself in Geneva, NY, I highly recommend a visit to the glorious Smith Opera House). Okay, fine - compared to the city it seems like there is little to nothing of interest going on. I suppose that could simply be a skewed perception of we blasé, hedonistic urban dwellers. Anyway...
There's always Wal-Mart.
Every time I amble into the local Wal-Mart, there is a congregation of elderly folk gathered in the quaint, bantam café just inside the front entrance. All the aged eyes turn to the newcomers for a moment, linger, and return to their coffee and conversation. I find that whimsical. And then I proceed into the well-lit depths of marked-down merchandise. This past visit, it was razor blades, a 16-pack of AA batteries, socks, and cheap DVDs - Heathers and Less Than Zero for $5.50 apiece. Oh, I also needed an annoying little calculator battery for my watch. Ah, ye malcontents (like myself), denounce and condemn Wal-Mart's alleged monopolization and apocryphal business practices - child labor violations, failure to pay overtime, the largest sex discrimination lawsuit in history, and employees who often shell out 40 percent of their health insurance premiums. These are infractions and transgressions I find reprobate, but I also live in New York City and have zero oppostion to saving a few bucks now and then. I frequently find the cost of living in New York iniquitous - even criminal.
Yes, you can take the boy out of the small town, but you can't completely remove the small town from the boy, no matter how long he's lived in the city.
Related links:
The Finger Lakes: http://www.fingerlakes.org/index.htm
Empire Farm Days: http://fltimes.com/Main.asp?SectionID=38&SubSectionID=121&ArticleID=9216
New York State Fair: http://www.nysfair.org/state_fair/2005/
The Smith Opera House: http://thesmith.org/NewFiles/main.html
My DVD collection: http://www.dvdaficionado.com/dvds.html?cat=1&id=urbanoutlaw
posted by Walls Falling at 10:59 PM
2 Comments:
i despise walmart (and 'saving a buck' is about as good an excuse as you know it isn't) ... i just saw the doc "is walmart good for america" on your pbs ... how disgusting, their practices (he says two days before a trip to a factory in china ... sersly!)
ANYWAY, i didn't know that there was a dvd of spike jonze' work, so thank you for that! ;) i've added it to my canadian netflix-equivalent. cheers!
http://www.theagitator.com/archives/025463.php#025463
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