Citrus Cactus and the Case of the Mysterious Atlas

[citrus_cactus]

So, I randomly went home last weekend (eh, not so random-- parents' birthdays, you know). OMG, I had really been missing Colorado. The dry air, the altitude... even though Saturday was a bit cold and rainy, Sunday was very much my idea of a Perfect Fall Day: warm and sunny (but not too warm), great for a grilling outdoors and taking the Samoyeds

Comments

[citrus_cactus]

Yeah, I think I can understand that. It might help that my immediate family on both sides (parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and one cousin) is quite small and we all lived in the same city while I was growing up-- but then again, I was never as close with my mom's side of the family, so maybe it was a combination of having things in common with my dad's side and this sense of history/pride in the family's origins that caused me to gravitate that way! Aaaand then I think about my parents' personalities and the way I was raised, and I realize that the apple didn't really fall far from the tree (for better or for worse...) XD;

And you're welcome, of course! OMG, that does sound like it would be a cool job, but yeah, I would have a really hard time stopping myself from reading everything that looked interesting, that's for sure!

The Japan stuff was definitely startling. Even though I knew about the attitudes of the time, sometimes it it takes specific examples of something for it to really hit home. Those coats... I have no idea about either, and I kind of want to look them up now! XD I think the gift was the picture of the kittens-- just a nice little "thinking of you, I hope this makes you smile," but of course that's just a guess :)

I guess I really don't know anything about the publishing industry, LOL. I mean, lots of books are published in Chicago (aren't they?), but I guess it never completely supplanted New York as the Publishing Capital of America? But yes, clearly there was a bit of a Chicago bias all along (then again, the author did devote a number of pages to California and most definitely waxed poetic about San Francisco. I wish I had read that in as much detail!).

And Mickey... well, perhaps it is the punchline of a truly sublime joke, but since we don't even have the context of previous panels, such unparalleled hilarity is wasted on us future-folk. Alas!! XD

[lelenmargyle]

I think that's a nice thing! I'm certainly like my parents in a lot of ways. I'm grateful that I'm a generation removed from having to "break out." (My mother's parents were both college educated, but there were other kinds of instability on that side.) They "done did good," as far as I'm concerned. (I *would* say that, since the result is me. B-) )

So about Japan -- Looks like they're kicking our butts today in a way I honestly didn't expect: http://www.pressreader.com/usa/chicago-tribune/20151014/281990376360537/TextView
(Granted, this article would surprise early-20th-century Americans in a NUMBER of ways. :P)

Oh, there's no doubt that New York is the center of the publishing industry...Chicago has its pretty-good journalism, but all of the major players (especially if you're talking about books) are in New York. I guess I picked this up firsthand, going to college in Illinois...Just by being around people (especially English and Media/Comm. majors), I learned that there are very few internships and jobs in the industry in Chicago. Those that exist here are probably second- or third- tier, smallish entities. And as for the newspaper business, they're all part of conglomerates or whatnot now. (That's probably true for all of them, though.) Wikipedia cites the Chicago Tribune as only the 8th-largest newspaper in the nation by circulation. I recently learned that the famous Tribune Tower (which is literally next door to the building in which I work right now) has been put up for sale. :( (The newspaper industry has obviously not been too hot for years now, but still.) And then of course California stole all the motion-picture media thunder... Yup! We're still known for our hardworking attitude (and relative friendliness), but maybe that's just a nice way of saying we're not a leader in any of the glamorous industries. XD

Oh...Oh! If that's only the last panel, then no wonder we're confused. XD (I just thought that Mickey Mouse has never been particularly funny...Familiar, maybe, but not funny...Nah, that's probably still true, too!)

[lelenmargyle]

Oh dang, I think Chicago might be the Hufflepuff of major U.S. cities. XD

[citrus_cactus]

LOL!! Now I'm trying to sort all the major US cities into houses. What have you done?? Thanks a lot (also: it's really hard, I have to give up now) XD;;;

But! I remembered what I was going to say. That article you linked! Ah, good for you, Japan. Me and the husb' were actually just having a conversation about the deplorable state of paid leave in this country. Every *other* developed country seems to be on-board with more generous vacation and maternity leave options than any company (that we've ever applied to) are willing to offer. Boo. Boo, I say! At least my old company offered two weeks of paternity leave for my male co-workers... that was at least somewhat progressive of them.