Let's go out walking, I know where to meet

[thorne_scratch]

I keep notebooks of all the places I go while traveling; they're filled with horribly scrawled handwriting in incomplete phrases and shorthand, and they constantly shed old receipts and airline stubs. I was going through one of them today.

Comments

[sakuranochi]

I thought that was wonderful dear. I'm not sure how I feel about cities, even now I suppose. I like architecture, museums, and galleries but there are just far too many people. There are a few places I would like to visit, mostly in Europe, I'm sure I'll get round to it one day. America is a bit different as I feel the same way about it as a certain Ginsberg poem. Nice enough place to visit, wouldn't want to live there. Not sure where I would want to live to be honest, perhaps Tipperary, but I suspect that is only nostalgia on my part of childhood summers where nothing really mattered and the future was still a wonderful thing. Anyway, I'm starting to depress, myself now, never mind other people so I will shut up. I'm happy you live somewhere you love though, and it won't be long before I'm there to see what the big deal is I'm sure.

[thorne_scratch]

I think it's like that Weakerthan's song, "Left and Leaving." Except not always so sad.

America is a bit different as I feel the same way about it as a certain Ginsberg poem. Nice enough place to visit, wouldn't want to live there

I think it's the same for people all over-- most Americans feel the same way about Europe! Someday I'll get to visit you as well, and I look forward to that day.

[sakuranochi]

Yeah, and I think it is more about what you are comfortable with than anything else, I mean, you wouldn't marry someone who believed the opposite of everything you believed in right? As long as I'm anti-gun, anti-death penalty, anti-religion in politics, pro-health care, pro-welfare, pro-gay etc. it makes no sense for America and me to be together. I will always gaze at her from afar seeing in her what Lafayette once saw, and she will always break my heat because she didn't become that. I think his heart was broken on the day Washington told him he would not free the slaves anyway.

I suppose I could join you in San Francisco, that would be rad.

[thorne_scratch]

As long as I'm anti-gun, anti-death penalty, anti-religion in politics, pro-health care, pro-welfare, pro-gay etc. it makes no sense for America and me to be together.

I say this as a biased American, of course, but one of the things I love most about my country is the fact we're made up of everyone else, and we're a big fucking country. And as such, not all of us are anti-gun, anti-death penalty, anti-religion in politics, pro-health care, pro-welfare, pro-gay, etc. I mean, I know you don't mean it that way, to tar the whole country with a single reputation, but for those of us who may or may not agree with all those policies, it can get a tad old to be told what we are or aren't, by folks who aren't. Uh. Well, us.

San Francisco is a pretty cool city, yep.

[sakuranochi]

Yeah, I can understand that can be annoying, and it was never my intention to say that everyone feels that way, only that they are what is represented in law. I think it is great that people can have different views, I just wish were willing to discuss them in a more meaningful way (this healthcare debate has been a joke). I think you hit the nail on the head with the biased American comment, I'm not a biased pro or anti American person, I just have strong views about the basic rights of all people as a humanist, and that is what I base my feelings about America on. I don't think it has anything to do with the American people, if I dislike them, it is for the same reasons I would dislike a person of any nationality. It is more about the sides the government has taken on various issues over the years

[thorne_scratch]

I'm not offended! I am, I admit, a trifle bemused that you think I wouldn't respond to your statement in any other way. You know me. I just wrote, like, a five page entry in my journal about how much I love various American cities, dude. Chances are good I'm going to reply with at least a raised brow when someone ducks in to tell me about America breaking their heart. I just deleted about four paragraphs of reply. Okay, to break this down--

a generally accepted statement about American policy

Yeah, I do disagree. I think it's definitely a valid opinion on your part to have! Or for anyone else to have. But that doesn't mean I agree with it. I know we could argue about it until the cows come home, but I'm actually going to take a rain check on this right now. We'll throw down another day.

[sakuranochi]

I wrote about five replies to both and deleted them myself. I think it is just an easier conversation to have in person anyway, less potential for misconstruing meaning or tone or whatever. While we could argue til the cows come home and probably never agree, we'll still love each other, and that is the really cool thing anyway.

[thorne_scratch]

Naturally! Fighting is too much effort for someone as inherently lazy as I am.