March 2011
Death of imagination
Alaskan Friend: Is it that the average person is oblivious to the inherent truths of the world?
Or is it that they don't care unless it serves their own best interest?
Me: The latter. Why do you ask?
AF: Just wondering if my perception is skewed
Me: A bit, bit not really
AF: It appears that altruism is a dead art
Me: And so is imagination
AF: THANK YOU! I've been saying that for a while now
Me: Sad but true
AF: Very sad. Lack of imagination means the death of society.
Me: I feel the lack of a heart hurts it more
AF: Lacking the ability to envision creative solution, the largest problems can't get solved.
I can't argue that lack of heart hurts more, but I think it's a symptom. When you lack imagination, it's difficult to truly empathize with anyone. What baffles me is that I'm constantly accused of lacking heart but I often find that I'm the only one who is really able to see anothers perspective.
“We can never judge the lives of others, because each person knows only their own...”
– Paulo Coelho
1 tag
Reliefer and loss of faith
Reliefer: southwestern Pennsylvania idiom to describe someone on public assistance. See also: on the welfare; on the dole; sucking on the government teat; white trash.
Many words have been stricken from our vernacular in pursuit of being politically correct. One holdout remains in this area of the country and it sickens me. Children are taught that anyone who doesn’t have the nicest...
“The root cause of poverty is social injustice and the bad government that abets...”
Quality of Life
My friends have heard me lament ad nauseum the lack of a decent cup of coffee in this county. What may seem trivial to you is as vital as breathing to me. There is something bordering on decadent in a cup of finely brewed caffeine whose aroma and taste signals my brain synapses to start firing. So how can an entire county by devoid of a coffeshop, even a Starbucks? In a nutshell, demographics. If...
A symptom or a solution?
Me: A relatively high official in Greene County made the statement that Nemacolin should be paved over and luxury homes should be built on the river.
Fayette County Friend (FRF): Huh? I am actually speechless...
Me: I am really pissed. Pissed enough that I want to call him and say "I am so sorry that poor people offend you and need a place to live. But I guess Waynesburg would be out of the question since Pam Snyder made sure that the low to moderate income housing development didn't lower property values."
FRF: I can't believe that was said. It takes a lot of nerve to say that. Sounds like a blog post is coming.
Me: Oh, it will, once I calm down. The worst part is that some Twp officials thought it was funny.
FRF: Of course they do. They think it is a big joke. There's nothing wrong wrong with living in Nemacolin.
Me: But "the police are ALWAYS in Nemacolin."
FRF: They're the police. They have to be somewhere and Cumberland Township isn't that big.
Me: LOL Exactly! Maybe if the judicial system worked a little better, the repeat offenders wouldn't be around?
FRF: But it is the old boys' network, the same as it is in Fayette County. Nothing works right. Kinda like my toilet. (She had some plumbing issues the previous day.)
Me: Good lord! No, you didn't go there!
FRF: Well, government is shitty and never works right....
“Well-behaved women rarely make history.”
– Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
Pleased to meet you. Hope you guess my name.
When I started entertaining the thought of authoring a blog, I had no idea where to begin. After all, I left this area in 1990 with no intention of ever looking back. My boyfriend (eventually, husband) and I left gathered what little stuff kids in their early twenties amass to head south towards a warmer climate and booming economy, leaving behind the snow and the recession. For almost twenty...
