For LJ Idol -- Where I'm from
I'm from what was a small mill town in Western Pennsylvania. Seriously, when I was a kid, there was a steel mill about six blocks away from my house.
The mill is long gone now, but that's not what this is about.
I was in grad school, talking with a friend, when the subject of small town living came up.
Friend: I want to work in college town.
Me: I guess. I kind of prefer to work in a city, though.
Fr: I just like small town life... don't you?
Me: Not really. I got enough of that growing up...
Fr: I mean, everyone knowing everyone else...
Me: And always being all up in your business...
Fr: Neighbors being nice to one another...
Me: To their faces, anyway...
Fr: the calmness of your surroundings...
Me: The stifling feeling of nothing happening...
Fr: Everyone feeling like a real community...
Me: As long as you fit in...
Fr: And nothing out of the ordinary happens...
Me: No, no. You just aren't looking. Take my town for instance.
Fr: Okay.
Me: Kids in my town would either party at the local garbage dump or out in the abandoned train cars by the old steel mill.
Fr: Did you ever do this?
Me: No. I didn't get along with most of the neighbor kids, and, honestly, A DUMP? I have standards.
Fr: Still... that's not so bad.
Me: I'm not done. Frequently, they would start fires, to keep warm.
Fr: Still..
Me: The fire department wouldn't go out to investigate, at least partially because some of the firemen were running a prostitution ring out of the firehouse.
Fr: Come on!
Me: But it was just young women... if your taste ran to guys, well, THEY in the old union workers' building about two blocks away.
Fr: ... I...
Me: It has been my experience that just about everything that happens in the big, bad city happens in small towns. It's just that no one talks about it in small towns, so everyone can pretend.
Fr: I still think that small towns are better.
Me: That's cool. Just leave me out.
My friend did end up getting a job at a college in the Midwest somewhere, and, as for me, I ended up in THE big, bad American city, NYC.
The mill is long gone now, but that's not what this is about.
I was in grad school, talking with a friend, when the subject of small town living came up.
Friend: I want to work in college town.
Me: I guess. I kind of prefer to work in a city, though.
Fr: I just like small town life... don't you?
Me: Not really. I got enough of that growing up...
Fr: I mean, everyone knowing everyone else...
Me: And always being all up in your business...
Fr: Neighbors being nice to one another...
Me: To their faces, anyway...
Fr: the calmness of your surroundings...
Me: The stifling feeling of nothing happening...
Fr: Everyone feeling like a real community...
Me: As long as you fit in...
Fr: And nothing out of the ordinary happens...
Me: No, no. You just aren't looking. Take my town for instance.
Fr: Okay.
Me: Kids in my town would either party at the local garbage dump or out in the abandoned train cars by the old steel mill.
Fr: Did you ever do this?
Me: No. I didn't get along with most of the neighbor kids, and, honestly, A DUMP? I have standards.
Fr: Still... that's not so bad.
Me: I'm not done. Frequently, they would start fires, to keep warm.
Fr: Still..
Me: The fire department wouldn't go out to investigate, at least partially because some of the firemen were running a prostitution ring out of the firehouse.
Fr: Come on!
Me: But it was just young women... if your taste ran to guys, well, THEY in the old union workers' building about two blocks away.
Fr: ... I...
Me: It has been my experience that just about everything that happens in the big, bad city happens in small towns. It's just that no one talks about it in small towns, so everyone can pretend.
Fr: I still think that small towns are better.
Me: That's cool. Just leave me out.
My friend did end up getting a job at a college in the Midwest somewhere, and, as for me, I ended up in THE big, bad American city, NYC.