Watching the clip for another of the fall season’s Oscar contenders, Revolutionary Road, I didn’t even have to check iMDB to know that Sam Mendes was in the directing chair. No one tackles suburban life better than he. In fact, though it’s based on a Richard Yates’ novel, Revolutionary Road has all the markings of a 1950’s version of American Beauty. But why can’t anyone ever be happy with their mundane suburban lives? Then again, I live in absolute terror that I will soon be struck dead by suburbanite-ism. It’s the thing that terrifies me most about having a child.
Oh God. I’m going to be that guy, aren’t I? *Cold sweat.* I need a scotch. Shitshitshitshitshit.
Maybe this is because I grew up in a poor neighborhood while my parents were still struggling to pay back student loans but; what the hell is so terrifying about living a comfortable life? Seriously, nice house, nice furnishings, food on the table, health insurance, decent job, none of these things haunt my dreams. My family didn't have some of them when I was growing up, and neither did the families of a lot of my friends. I can think of much worse things than raising my children in the suburbs. No one says you have to become a stereotypical "suburban" family, whatever the hell that means, you can still travel and listen to cutting edge music and read Dave Eggers. There's no rules against it. It's not "selling out" to take care of your family in the best way possible.
Posted by: BarbadoSlim at September 22, 2008 5:29 PM
Hey, I moved to the suburbs years ago and my life is great. It's not like I spend all my time fretting about my lawn, or complaining about my neighbors, or...
Oh no...
::dies inside::
Posted by: TK at September 22, 2008 5:30 PM
::dies inside::
Posted by: TK at September 22, 2008 5:30 PM
--------------------------------------------
Awww, don't worry, you are not really dead.
But you're gonna wish you were...:)
Posted by: BarbadoSlim at September 22, 2008 5:35 PM
Genny, I can see your point. Considering my meager savings growing up, I would be thrilled to have that "boring suburban life" that is abhorred in American Beauty/Revolutionary Road. But there's that "money can't buy happiness" ideal (which isn't necessarily true) and the fear of selling yourself out because of comfort.
Kinda off topic, but that Christian Bale movie Metroland tackles this problem very well. Dustin, have you seen this one?
I watch it for the full frontal Bale nudity, but it's a great movie, too.
Posted by: Brie at September 22, 2008 5:38 PM
Moved from Detroit to Smallville in my early teens. The quaintness gets me. The unironic quaintness of it all. Really, you have a green-ass lawn and a white picket fence? There's no shame in it here. A Jack Russell Terrier? Really. Please don't show me your classic car.
There's a main street. An honest Main Street. With pie shoppes. Two P's and an E! It's technically a village! Thank god I'm at school.
Posted by: Optimus Rhyme at September 22, 2008 5:38 PM
So those are the choices? Live an empty life in the 'burbs not "feeling" anything or "feeling" something which apparently makes life worth living at the cost of "comfort"?
Didn't that view of life get debunked with the death of English Romanticism -- didn't Walt Whitman decimate that impossible dichotomy?
Posted by: hater from siloam springs at September 22, 2008 5:40 PM
btw, you have a Knight Rider ad and a Monster.com ad in your sidebar, so your ode to mediocrity has this tangy sauce of self-parody about it.
It's good.
Posted by: hater from siloam springs at September 22, 2008 5:43 PM
Try living in Staten Island, NY- it's like the 'burbs except the houses are filled with people from Brooklyn!
"I'm dead inside! Get the #%*@& off my lawn, you #%*@&!"
Posted by: RhymesWithSilver at September 22, 2008 5:51 PM
And the AARP's in the New Improved Adspace too, along with Cadillac. That's just....weird.
Rusty, I'd say actual sellouts deserve to catch some shit, but so do the Authentic people. The Authentic people always have something to hide anyway. And in the words of Jarvis Cocker, "I can't see anyone else smiling in here". Poor's not cool.
I don't especially care for the geographical distances that suburban life gives you (at all), but I'm not afraid of contentment. "She's Having A Baby" was a handy movie to see and think about in my youth, and I decided I'd be pretty happy there too, no matter what Alec Baldwin said. Not that I could if I wanted to yet, but I'm not afraid. "The Day I Turned Uncool" is a very funny book on the subject.
I didn't need to see Jack and Rose again, I just want my own Clementine. But life's a bitch, eh?
Sellouts deserve to catch some shit? Why is that? Am I to think that what I do for a living or where I live define who I am as a person and as a woman?
I work a 9:00 to 6:00 job that has nothing to do with my major. I wear high heels and have to dress up every day. This isn't me at all, but I do it because it's a means to an end. I want to study abroad, and although I could probably persuade my parents to pay for everything, I want to cover the expenses myself. I still have another year left before I can leave, but I'll stick it out. I just have to, because I'm a realist, and I will continue to endure having my friends calling me a sellout behind my back.
I'm not complaining. I just think it wouldn't hurt people to put their pride aside and stop judging those who wanna make something of themselves, even if in the process they have to compromise a thing or two.
titanic the sequel? except, maybe instead of a sinking ship, a sinking marriage? it's kinda strange to see leo and kate again, in period clothes again. fingers crossed Billy Zane appears!!
Posted by: missboomissquick at September 22, 2008 6:59 PM
My intentions define me, not my shitty job.
Right, that's what I'm talking about. People who have genuinely compromised their intentions and ideals aren't exempt from being called on it, especially if they boasted about them. What I mean by Authentic people is the person who'd say you sold out because of where you happened to find a job (completely unrelated to your education). That's your circumstance, not your intention. Believe me, I'm full of laughable circumstance and devoid of cool, so take no offense, I'm on your side.
In the words of another eccentric Englishman: Everything you say you won't is what you will eventually. Yet another said that he who fucks nuns will later join the church. Anyone proclaiming they'll never go square's an asshole.
I just can't buy that Leo is this dude who wants to move to the suburbs with Kate Winslet (who looks like his mom, but I know that she's only a few years older than him or something...)...Sam Mendes is a great director though, so it might work. I also think Kate Winslet is really really good, especially in surburban distraught movies like this one...like in Little Children for example? That was pretty good...
Posted by: ph at September 22, 2008 7:08 PM
"My intentions define me, not my shitty job."
WORD. Simple fact is, not everyone has the means to do whatever they want when they want it. I think we all get caught up in the American ideal and "pursuit of happiness" crap that's shoved down our throats. Don't get me wrong, I think it is valuable to have expections and dreams and goals. However, paying your dues is not necessarily selling out.
Also, the suburbs can be pretty damn great.
Posted by: KC at September 22, 2008 7:11 PM
Sofia you just became my hero.
Don't let BSlim bother you Rowles. You're not that guy.
Posted by: Rachel at September 22, 2008 7:26 PM
Face facts folks if at this point in your life you haven't fulfilled or are not in the process of fulfilling that dream of whoring and debasing yourself while trekking through Europe YOU SOLD OUT!
YOU. SOLD. OUT. you people make me sick.
Posted by: BarbadoSlim at September 22, 2008 7:57 PM
Sofia, you just described my exact situation...Are you by chance my split personality of whom I have no recollection, but will spontaneously turn into whenever I want to write witty commentary for Pajiba??
Posted by: lux at September 22, 2008 7:58 PM
Genny, I couldn't agree with you more. There's absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to have a comfortable life with the people you love. I certainly do. I am an unashamed suburbanite with a fulfilling job which I sometimes get pissy about, and it suits me fine. I'm not out to conquer the world because I realised I can do more in my own little corner of it and still be a satisfied human bean.
My understanding of dramas such as this movie are basically - those of us who have been blessed with a comfortable upbringing are prone to being concerned about what else there is that we are missing out on. And by 'those of us' I mean my immediate social circle. This isn't a highly scientific sample of people, but hell, it's what I know.
You know, that nagging feeling that 'is this it?'. We all get it, that I'm sure of.
Posted by: Gabster at September 22, 2008 7:58 PM
Living in a particular place isn't the one thing to make make you or break you. Plenty of boring fuckwads live in fabulous cities, and plenty of fabulous people live in quiet places. Life is what you make it, as Talk Talk used to say.
Sofia, I'm with you and will watch Kate in anything.
Posted by: Cindy at September 22, 2008 8:29 PM
Wow. Folks, I just want to be sure that we all understood that, while I can't speak for Dustin, I was kidding.
My life fucking rocks. For real.
Posted by: TK at September 22, 2008 8:31 PM
I see an ad here for Titanic ringtones! Must be the Kate Winslet connection.
The music goes on and on.
Posted by: AllGussiedUp at September 22, 2008 8:41 PM
I don't think there's a "right" or "wrong" in surburban living. It all depends on your personality and what you want out of your own life and situation (mixed, of course, as has been mentioned above, with circumstance). As long as you're content enough (nobody's totally content, and if they say they are then they're lying), all the better, I say.
Myself? No thanks to the suburbs. But I like being close to all sorts of things and living in run-down houses and see something different around the corner. There's stupid people everywhere, so pick your stupid. That said, I have awesome friends that live in the Suburbs, and they're not "sellout" surburban types, either. They just happen to live there.
Also, note to Gabster: I like the idea of a human bean. It makes me oddly happy.
Posted by: ghost toast at September 22, 2008 8:42 PM
My bad, I just watched the trailer and, low and behold, Leo!
Posted by: AllGussiedUp at September 22, 2008 8:43 PM
Also, Cindy, you just said what I tried to in way less time and managed to post it before me. Everyone, ignore the above post (my oter one, in case there's another post between my last one and this one).
Posted by: ghost toast at September 22, 2008 8:45 PM
I see nothing but Kate Winslet.
You people make me sick. I grew up in every different kind of house and apartment and socially unkempt and/or prosperous sector all my life. Grew up military first. There's no indicator for how it affects you growing up...it's your family and close friends that make the difference. And possibly your education and dreams. The whole suburbs/ghetto thing stinks of nature/nurture...it's both, get it? You don't compromise and sellout if you are striving. The only way to determine if you've sold out or compromised yourself is when it's finished, and people can look back at your works and journey and see what you've accomplished.
My life fucking rocks. For real.
Oh please...stop trying to convince us, TK
Posted by: Shadows of Dakaron at September 22, 2008 8:47 PM
Man, I wanna screw Leo senseless...with his blood diamond accent ofcos.
Posted by: Jean at September 22, 2008 8:48 PM
Just because you spent the last couple months without internet access (translation: locked up in the clink for exposing yourself... yeah, I know what you did)... doesn't mean you have to insult my homelife.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go down to my basement. I have things to sharpen. And lists to make.
Posted by: TK at September 22, 2008 9:16 PM
I have things to sharpen. And lists to make.
Oh, the euphemisms you old people have.
Posted by: Shadows of Dakaron at September 22, 2008 9:26 PM
You know, I would be willing to wager that TK's basement dungeon is actually carpeted in mauve and filled with stuff like this. It's his safe place.
Sarina I totally want one of those sheriff tents. I'll leave TK's mauve carpeting, though.
ghost toast Glad to be of service! It's a little saying I have that makes me smile too!
To think, I was afraid of mudertanks, zombies and godtopus (he sees all) and didn't post here for so long...
I have embraced Lord Godtopus into my life.
Posted by: Gabster at September 22, 2008 9:45 PM
Is that TK crawling out with a smile of childish glee?
Posted by: Shadows of Dakaron at September 22, 2008 9:47 PM
Is anyone familiar with "Into the Wild"? The whole idea of getting away from society and disapproving parents. Just working with your hands. No more over-thinking. Just doing what needs to be done to survive. I know there's that certain whiny-rich-kid aspect to the idea but... I dunno, it feels right to me. (Sofia, this applies to our farm. I can't tell my parents it exists. And I'm changing my name to Alexander Supertramp.)
Posted by: Optimus Rhyme at September 22, 2008 10:25 PM
Ahh, it's the fifties, and they're wearing hats and smoking butts = the critics will mentally orgasm.
Posted by: chris at September 22, 2008 10:47 PM
TK, This song's for you:
Down in the basement
(Model citizen)
I've got a Craftsman lathe
(Model citizen)
Show it to the children
(Model citizen)
When they misbehave
I loves me some Warren Zevon.
Posted by: bucdaddy at September 23, 2008 12:09 AM
Suburban Ennui.
I just can't get there. Anyone who says money can't buy happiness is truly privileged, because you know what, Schlomo? Yes it does. Money can't buy happiness? Take off! I know there's a point of diminishing returns, but what the fuck exactly does poverty buy you? 'Um, yeah. I'll take my authenticity with a side of bacon.' DOESN'T HAPPEN. And if your spouse is a louse and you find yourself living in a 'SARD'...I don't know, use that energy to pay my rent, Toronto's not getting cheaper.
And I know she's like, patron saint of these parts, but if I hear Kate Winslet whine and whinge about people ragging on her 'normal' weight, someone will have to hold me down. It's been eleven years, do shut up.
Go ahead, fire at will. But I still worked eleven hours today, and all I've got to show for it is another day with an empty fridge. Urgh, I'm going to bed.
Posted by: Jo 'Mama' Besser at September 23, 2008 12:30 AM
I know there's that certain whiny-rich-kid aspect to the idea but... I dunno, it feels right to me.
I know what you mean, Optimus, and I'm willing to forgive you for flirting with other Pajibettes during my absence, because the thought of you working the land with your calloused (yet gentle) hands is motivation enough for me to keep going. We'll make whiny-rich-kid love by the crops to bless the land and shall prepare for a most fruitful harvest.
what? no comments about how jack and rose once again do it in an old-school black car and someone drags their hand agains the steamy window?
Posted by: genevieveyorke at September 23, 2008 1:25 AM
I'm sure I'm going to get flamed for this.
Posted by: Genny (also Rusty) at September 22, 2008 5:28 PM
Not by me you're not. Between figuring out that saving the world is a pain in the ass and finding out that there's not a lot of world worth saving in the first place, it's hard to fault the suburban retirees.
Posted by: Che Grovera at September 23, 2008 1:58 AM
Not to be a hater, but I am not a fan of the new layout which gives the ads exaggerated prominence. The site feels corporate now. By giving less space to the text and more to the ads, the attention is shifted from the writing to the advertisements. It shouldn't even be a competition; the writing and images of the blog should be prominent, in my mind, with the ads in the background, a reluctant financial necessity, instead of a full embrace of corporate whoring.
Still love the site, just wanted to pitch in my two cents.
Posted by: The Lurker at September 23, 2008 2:10 AM
Oh, and that fucking trailer is trite.
Posted by: Che Grovera at September 23, 2008 2:10 AM
Che wrote: "and finding out that there's not a lot of world worth saving in the first place"
"I discovered that even fine hatreds and sheer love of pleasure grow dull under the monotonous onslaught of time."
That's approximately right. From The Erection Set by Mickey Spillane. That book ought to be well known around here.
Posted by: BierceAmbrose at September 23, 2008 4:55 AM
"I discovered that even fine hatreds and sheer love of pleasure grow dull under the monotonous onslaught of time."
"You must always get high. Everything depends on it: it is the only question. So as not to feel the horrible burden of Time wrecking your back and bending you to the ground, you must get high without respite."
Posted by: twig at September 23, 2008 8:58 AM
Oscar bait...really GOOD looking Oscar bait. This looks like a giant sized apology for Titanic, as if Leo and Kate are looking you straight in the eye as they say, "We've grown up, and we're gonna earn that Oscar this time."
Though what hasn't changed is that Kate Winslet is still the epitome of classy hot, especially when she's dressed in 50's garb. Yes, I can practically feel the Cold War era sexual repression building in my loafers.
So, people who have money can't be unhappy, is what you're saying? And money is the cure for existential crises? Or is it that people who aren't poor also aren't allowed to have existential crises? People who live in the suburbs aren't allowed to wonder if that life actually means anything? Particularly in the context of the 1950s?
Posted by: Anna "Knife Pile" von Beaverplatz at September 23, 2008 9:21 AM
The IMDB synopsis sounds a lot more interesting than the typical "suburban sterility" movie:
April and Frank Wheeler are a young, thriving couple living with their two children in a Connecticut suburb in the mid-1950s. Their self-assured exterior masks a creeping frustration at their inability to feel fulfilled in their relationships or careers. Frank is mired in a well-paying but boring office job, and April is a housewife still mourning the demise of her hoped-for acting career. Determined to identify themselves as superior to the mediocre sprawl of suburbanites who surround them, they decide to move to France where they will be better able to develop their true artistic sensibilities, free of the consumerist demands of capitalist America. As their relationship deteriorates into an endless cycle of squabbling, jealousy and recriminations, their trip and their dreams of self-fulfillment are thrown into jeopardy.
Sounds to me like the 'burbs weren't the problem.
And I agree with Lurker. What gives with the new layout?
Posted by: Anonymous at September 23, 2008 9:27 AM
Is anyone familiar with "Into the Wild"? The whole idea of getting away from society and disapproving parents. ... I dunno, it feels right to me.
You know that guy died after four months, right?
Maybe Krakauer's next book can romanticize someone who follows his principles all the way into sticking a fork into a wall socket.
Posted by: SugarFree at September 23, 2008 9:35 AM
Anna, you're right on.
Granted, money and the lack of it can contribute to your state of mind, but they have nothing to do with significant happiness (and by happiness I don't mean the high you get from buying something nice)
*phew* thanks, Sofia. I got nervous after I hit "Post" that what I said would be taken the wrong way. That's it exactly. Obviously, money can buy physical comfort; but it does nothing for your soul.
Posted by: Anna "Knife Pile" von Beaverplatz at September 23, 2008 9:50 AM
In two hours I'll be contributing significantly to AKPvB's physical comfort and it won't cost her a dime, though it's nice that she buys me beer after.
Posted by: bucdaddy at September 23, 2008 10:11 AM
...and also contributing to my soul. Thanks for that, bucdaddy! Whatever kind of beer you like, darlin'!
Posted by: Anna "Knife Pile" von Beaverplatz at September 23, 2008 10:36 AM
Don't worry Dustin... it ain't that difficult. When we had the kid some years back and moved to a quiet little cul-de-sac with nice lawns, big trees and "friendly" neighbors, I felt briefly smothered. I got past giving a fuck real quick.
I mean, it's the details that count. Our shit is just as manicured as the pinched-up twats that surround us, but I now revel in being the vaguely trashy liberal heathen who does yardwork accompanied by the Drive By Truckers, a cooler of PBR and an Obama yardsign.
Posted by: firedmyass at September 23, 2008 10:57 AM
You know that guy died after four months, right?
Not even remotely true but whatever helps you feel more superior.
Posted by: twig at September 23, 2008 11:29 AM
Well, Christopher McCandless is said to have died after 112 days. What are you hiding, twig???
Having money knocks the first problem off everyone's list. If you don't have any other problems (health, kids, marriage, family) consider yourself lucky. Or an autobot.
I am SO bored of this conversation. It goes back to (Into the Wild, American Beauty etc.) Fight Club- we are a society with no great war, overly educated and/or stimulated with not enough to do. We create bullshit dramas to make our lives interesting. We pick fights. We pout. We watch stupid(er) people on tv fight about fake tans and boobs and tone of voice (it's the way she said hello). If you can't think of something to do with your free time you are a fool. Life is short and there's lots of things to learn- guitar, a language, the classical books of all history. Almost every town in America has a library. With a lonely but friendly librarian waiting to teach you something. Personally, I'm a big proponent of travel, $20/day to Asia or Africa or heck Haiti. I save change, I get bartending gigs if I have to. I live a smaller life (materially) so I can have more experiences.
If you insist on the biggest house don't complain about the mortgage and the energy bills and the crap you have to buy to fill it and the cars you need to get anywhere and the job you can't leave because of your SELF-IMPOSED lifestyle.
DOWNSIZE. Have your head examined as to what in your childhood drives you to spend 2 1/2 your salary on cars, houses, clothese, weddings that aren't in your salary range. We have given up the pleasure of delayed gratification and are buried in debt and stress. We're not sleeping well. We're overly caffeinated and quick to temper. Road rage shouldn't exist. You don't need to yell at that telemarker. But you do. This whole mortgage crisis is based on the fairy tale that you can buy a house $75k more than your banker said you could afford b/c some other shyster said you could borrow 100% of your mortgage. You didn't read the fine print. You didn't want to. You just want that big house you drove by when you were a child. NOW. Gimme gimme. And the worst thing is that the fiscally responsible now have to clean up your crap. We have to pay more for your child's financial aide b/c you didn't save (I'm pointing at you middle class and up), we have to pay for your auto insurance b/c you can't drive a SUV without a phone attached to your ear, we have to pay for your interest rates on our credit cards b/c you can't pay the minimum, we have to pay for your health insurance b/c you're fat, stressed, lazy and drive everywhere.
I believe there should be a fat tax for the morbidly obese (say 35+ pounds). You should weigh in WITH your luggage at airports and I shouldn't have to pay overage on my bags that are 5 lbs more than a guy who weighs 220. I believe- wha? Oh sorry. This is a movie site. Hee.
*whew, regains consciousness, blood flowing to head again*
Well look at the time, a show starts in 15 minutes. Maybe I'll see that new DiCaprio film. He's pretty cute.
Posted by: Amanda47 at September 23, 2008 12:13 PM
I wonder if it has occured to anyone that people don't make movies about well-adjusted people who enjoy their lives no matter where they are, despite the fact that they exist, and that further it should be a surprise to nobody that the kind of people who move to Hollywood to have glamorous exotic lives would not find much to love in suburban life and would thus portray it as an empty slog with a hint of evil below the surface to either make it interesting enough for the screen or denegrate it to make their lives seem more fulfilling. There are people who enjoy and thrive in every single walk of life. The fact that some people are miserable in any given setting is not necessarily an indictment of the setting. I enjoyed growing up in the suburbs, and now I prefer living close to the city. It doesn't mean that I lie awake at night mourning the lost time I spent in the suburbs. Living where I do suits my needs, but it doesn't make it the end-all be-all for everyone, nor does it mean that those who prefer the suburbs are somehow less-developed or inferior.
Posted by: Eep at September 23, 2008 12:20 PM
*denigrate
Posted by: Eep at September 23, 2008 12:22 PM
Amanda47
wow - very well said and I agree 100%.
I can't add anything to that to make it better, only say I've been muttering to myself just those feelings ever since I saw the commercials for the cars that park themselves.
Learn. to fucking. park. a car.
Posted by: Stella at September 23, 2008 12:41 PM
Almost every town in America has a library. With a lonely but friendly librarian waiting to teach you something.
Fine, twig. I'll bring it up to your strict standards of truth...
"You know that guy died after 3.73 months, right?"
Seriously, twig... The fork/wall socket thing was a joke. Don't do it just to prove me right.
Posted by: SugarFree at September 23, 2008 1:08 PM
Not Asshole, AMANDA.
Hey Jay I trying to help you make friends! You have to admit that librarians are pretty happy, some would say overly happy, when you ask them a question. I chalk it up to loneliness. Would you like to teach me something? Male librarians are hot. So is library sex. See now I'm sharing.
Ha Jay your blog is dark. What's your favorite section?
Posted by: Amanda47 at September 23, 2008 1:45 PM
Wow, Nina Simone and I'm hitting on a male librarian, taxing the fat and urging people to live life while they can. Damn it! See what this site has made me?!!
I'm like an early version of Grey Gardens..or Sunset Blvd. Get me a cigarette holder and a turban stat! I need a vodka gimlet followed by a VO Manhattan, dahling...
Posted by: Amanda47 at September 23, 2008 1:48 PM
Here I thought you were insulting me. Anyway, no, it's got nothing to do with loneliness actually. More a compulsive information disorder. That just happens to be the place you can get paid for it!
Amanda comes out swinging! A proper Pajiban de-lurking is like a pregnancy. After months in hiding you emerge into the light, screaming and kicking, covered in goo. (I hope you're not offended by the implication, now that I think about it I may have seen you around before, this is just a big step for you. Going from the odd comment to a paragraph or 5)
Ah, A Primo Rant and Jay-Molestation, we've all been there.
Posted by: Optimus Rhyme at September 23, 2008 2:18 PM
Did we learn nothing from 30 Something all those years ago? It's all cool if:
1. You maintain the pretense of social and environmental consciousness while sneering (in a suburban, neighborly way) at those around you.
2. You turn in to a different kind of douchebag than your boss Miles.
3. You occasionally walk somewhere. Bonus points if you pass a homeless person and don't even feel tempted to yell, "Get a job!"
Posted by: slower lower at September 23, 2008 4:30 PM
I've been a quiet drunk until now...
Posted by: Amanda47 at September 23, 2008 4:34 PM
*sips Dogfish Head 120-Minute IPA*
Was it good for you?
Posted by: bucdaddy at September 23, 2008 4:43 PM
firedmyass, words to live by:
We've been this close to death before we were just too drunk to know it
Guess the price of being sober is being scared out of your mind.
Best rock and roll band I've ever seen. Hoping to visit pending tour with The Hold Steady. You?
Posted by: bucdaddy at September 23, 2008 4:46 PM
bucdaddy,
the closest they're comin to LR is Nashville, and that's a bit of a trek. Which one you planning on?
Saw them in Memphis last year... changed my life.
Posted by: firedmyass at September 23, 2008 5:06 PM
Don't despair, suburbanites! Or at least don't feel alone. Big city life can be just spirit-crushing if you spend 11+ hours a day at a job that means nothing to you. Trust.
I'm almost convinced that folks in the suburbs that take jobs in the suburbs know something...short commutes, shorter work hours required = more time to spend with people you care about. And isn't that what it's all about?
Well, besides achieving global domination and ruling the world with an iron fist.
Posted by: tt_marie at September 23, 2008 5:25 PM
Amanda, your rock. Anyone attacking the suburbs as if they were Nazi Germany and anyone defending the suburbs as if they were an especially elite and noble tribe - GET a GRIP. Go volunteer in Darfur. Report back.
Posted by: K at September 23, 2008 5:53 PM
YOU** rock.
Posted by: K at September 23, 2008 5:54 PM
if you have in fact, delurked for the first time, Amanda... then my hat is off to you. I forwarded your comment to all my friends, I liked it that much.
congrats and welcome.
Posted by: Stella at September 23, 2008 5:59 PM
Don't call it a de-lurk, I've been commenting for years!! (Politely)
Posted by: Amanda47 at September 23, 2008 6:04 PM
Okay, okay...780s and 940s (though at heart I'm an LC man). But you were hitting on me all wrong.
FMA, Aiming for Pittsburgh stop (actually Homestead), round mid November.
"changed my life" -- Two-hour shows + half-hour encores have a way of doing that.
I am the proud owner of a guitar signed by five DBTs. I probably shouldn't have such a band-crush at my age, but they make rock music for adults, and it's damn fine.
Posted by: bucdaddy at September 23, 2008 6:58 PM
I'm a week late for the show (been out of town) but:
"...just can't buy that Leo is this dude who wants to move to the suburbs with Kate Winslet (who looks like his mom, but I know that she's only a few years older than him or something..."
Posted by: ph at September 22, 2008 7:08 PM
Kate is 11 months younger than Leo. And I am a dork for knowing it.
Maybe this is because I grew up in a poor neighborhood while my parents were still struggling to pay back student loans but; what the hell is so terrifying about living a comfortable life? Seriously, nice house, nice furnishings, food on the table, health insurance, decent job, none of these things haunt my dreams. My family didn't have some of them when I was growing up, and neither did the families of a lot of my friends. I can think of much worse things than raising my children in the suburbs. No one says you have to become a stereotypical "suburban" family, whatever the hell that means, you can still travel and listen to cutting edge music and read Dave Eggers. There's no rules against it. It's not "selling out" to take care of your family in the best way possible.
I'm sure I'm going to get flamed for this.