Andrewhy (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} andrewhy) wrote,@ 2003-06-29 17:55:00 |
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Things I hate about Pennsylvania
Or, reasons why I'll never move back here again.
1. Buying beer: No running to the corner store to pick up a six-pack, folks. If you want a six-pack, or a pint/forty, you gotta go to a bar and pay bar prices for carryout. That means shitty selection and high prices.
If you want a better selection at a decent price, then you gotta buy your beer by the case. That means dropping $15-20 or more everytime you want to drink. And the distributors are only open until 9.
2. Vehicle inspections: Every year you gotta pay your local auto repair man $25 to put one of these stickers on your window. If there's something that needs fixed on your car, you'll have to get it fixed before it'll pass inspection. This means a possibly significant car repair bill at least once a year. Tires bald? Gotta get new ones. Taillight cracked? Gotta replace it. And so on.
Things I Like about PA
1. Potato Chips: Pennsylvania is the land of the potato chip, folks. There are few fried potato snacks tastier than Middleswarth BBQ Chips.
But anyway. Things at home are still quite miserable. I'm still looking for a job, and I have 6 weeks to make a couple hundred dollars. I haven't been able to locate the immunization record of my last measles shot, so I have to go to the State Health Office and get another one. (Hopefully they won't give me shit because of an out of state ID). My girlfriend in Ohio, who is in Indiana for the summer, hasn't communicated with me for at least a week.
I mean, it was my idea to come home for the summer. I knew it was gonna be boring. But gosh, I almost can't wait for it to be over now. I was chatting with someone recently who is leaving here to move to Vermont. She said "People here just... live. They work, sleep, watch TV and do it all over again the next day." Maybe I'm just a dreamy-headed idealist, but a lot of people here don't seem to have dreams. It never occured to them to break out of this small-town rut and attempt to do something more exciting with their lives. It's as if the simple act of existence is the be all, end all of life.
In no particular order: get a modest paying factory/laboring job, have kids, get married (optional), buy a house/trailer. Keep enough beer in the fridge or pot in the stash to help you forget about life. The irony is, I've been living my life this way for at least the last five years (minus the modest paying job, kids, wife and house). Having a lot of free time on your hands in the middle of nowhere sure helps you think.
Or, reasons why I'll never move back here again.
1. Buying beer: No running to the corner store to pick up a six-pack, folks. If you want a six-pack, or a pint/forty, you gotta go to a bar and pay bar prices for carryout. That means shitty selection and high prices.
If you want a better selection at a decent price, then you gotta buy your beer by the case. That means dropping $15-20 or more everytime you want to drink. And the distributors are only open until 9.
2. Vehicle inspections: Every year you gotta pay your local auto repair man $25 to put one of these stickers on your window. If there's something that needs fixed on your car, you'll have to get it fixed before it'll pass inspection. This means a possibly significant car repair bill at least once a year. Tires bald? Gotta get new ones. Taillight cracked? Gotta replace it. And so on.
Things I Like about PA
1. Potato Chips: Pennsylvania is the land of the potato chip, folks. There are few fried potato snacks tastier than Middleswarth BBQ Chips.
But anyway. Things at home are still quite miserable. I'm still looking for a job, and I have 6 weeks to make a couple hundred dollars. I haven't been able to locate the immunization record of my last measles shot, so I have to go to the State Health Office and get another one. (Hopefully they won't give me shit because of an out of state ID). My girlfriend in Ohio, who is in Indiana for the summer, hasn't communicated with me for at least a week.
I mean, it was my idea to come home for the summer. I knew it was gonna be boring. But gosh, I almost can't wait for it to be over now. I was chatting with someone recently who is leaving here to move to Vermont. She said "People here just... live. They work, sleep, watch TV and do it all over again the next day." Maybe I'm just a dreamy-headed idealist, but a lot of people here don't seem to have dreams. It never occured to them to break out of this small-town rut and attempt to do something more exciting with their lives. It's as if the simple act of existence is the be all, end all of life.
In no particular order: get a modest paying factory/laboring job, have kids, get married (optional), buy a house/trailer. Keep enough beer in the fridge or pot in the stash to help you forget about life. The irony is, I've been living my life this way for at least the last five years (minus the modest paying job, kids, wife and house). Having a lot of free time on your hands in the middle of nowhere sure helps you think.
