Comments for Oh Those Boys! http://www.ohthoseboys.com Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:18:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Comment on A Case For Complacency by Biggens http://www.ohthoseboys.com/?p=346&cpage=1#comment-408 Biggens Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:18:37 +0000 http://www.ohthoseboys.com/?p=346#comment-408 Could not agree more about the bike riding. That is one of my favorite aspects of riding a bike, you see, hear, and feel so much more of your surroundings. The difference between riding in a car and a bike is the same as sobriety compared to being on mushrooms. (Not acid though, that is the devil's candy.) As for the speed of life in Penn Yan, I think you are correct that what looks like stagnation is preservation. I lived in the city of Atlanta for years and that is a city that, in the name of progress, blew up from a tiny little squat of nothing 30 years ago to a disaster today. It is unchecked sprawl and has intractable infrastructure problems with its water system and terrible traffic congestion. Moreover, its economy has largely been driven by building far flung Leavitt towns, a way of life that is beginning to evaporate as an economically viable option. Something else, that kind of progress does not necessarily go with tolerance. I've met plenty of close minded and casually racist people there. Could not agree more about the bike riding. That is one of my favorite aspects of riding a bike, you see, hear, and feel so much more of your surroundings. The difference between riding in a car and a bike is the same as sobriety compared to being on mushrooms. (Not acid though, that is the devil’s candy.)

As for the speed of life in Penn Yan, I think you are correct that what looks like stagnation is preservation. I lived in the city of Atlanta for years and that is a city that, in the name of progress, blew up from a tiny little squat of nothing 30 years ago to a disaster today. It is unchecked sprawl and has intractable infrastructure problems with its water system and terrible traffic congestion. Moreover, its economy has largely been driven by building far flung Leavitt towns, a way of life that is beginning to evaporate as an economically viable option.

Something else, that kind of progress does not necessarily go with tolerance. I’ve met plenty of close minded and casually racist people there.

]]> Comment on A Case For Complacency by Nellis http://www.ohthoseboys.com/?p=346&cpage=1#comment-406 Nellis Wed, 01 Sep 2010 21:21:14 +0000 http://www.ohthoseboys.com/?p=346#comment-406 I often had the same thoughts about the slowness of Penn Yan. Something about that town makes living there either a vacation or a prison, I often imagine raising my daughters in that town, but always hesitate when i consider the Penn Yan winters. I think it is safe to say that Penn Yan is never like driving 20-60 mph. I once heard Economist Richard Florida give a talk about what is needed for a location to attract top people to work. His answer, the 3 T's are; Technology, Talent, and Tolerance. The technology and talent are questionable , but it would be hard to imagine Penn Yan as ever possessing the tolerance to move out of the complacency you mention. It might be a sign of age or maturity, but I actually prefer Penn Yan this way. I often had the same thoughts about the slowness of Penn Yan. Something about that town makes living there either a vacation or a prison, I often imagine raising my daughters in that town, but always hesitate when i consider the Penn Yan winters. I think it is safe to say that Penn Yan is never like driving 20-60 mph.
I once heard Economist Richard Florida give a talk about what is needed for a location to attract top people to work. His answer, the 3 T’s are; Technology, Talent, and Tolerance. The technology and talent are questionable , but it would be hard to imagine Penn Yan as ever possessing the tolerance to move out of the complacency you mention. It might be a sign of age or maturity, but I actually prefer Penn Yan this way.

]]> Comment on An ambitious definition by A case for complacency – Oh Those Boys! http://www.ohthoseboys.com/?p=100&cpage=1#comment-405 A case for complacency – Oh Those Boys! Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:52:54 +0000 http://www.ohthoseboys.com/?p=100#comment-405 [...] But that’s not the whole story either. I feel that there are more fundamental reasons for wanting to settle into a groove, so to speak. Last week I found myself actually wistfully recalling what it’s like to mow a lawn. To my way of thinking, there’s something profoundly existential about cutting grass. Learning the nuances of a specific plot of land, how to tackle it efficiently, the idiosyncrasies of the mower, and how best to maneuver it while holding a High Life™. It doesn’t have to be a task, it could also be the satisfaction gleaned from another person’s company. Not necessarily undertaking activities with a partner, or a lively conversation, but the simple appreciation of another human being’s presence, even when there is no interaction. Understanding that they choose to be there, regardless of the minutiae with which you both might occupy yourselves, you are there together in that specific place and time because you wish to be. I feel that these things that put you in the moment, they are the fabric of complacency; it isn’t about what you are doing (or not doing,) it’s about gaining an appreciation for that specific set of circumstances. You’re actively involved in being OK with whatever you are choosing to do in said moment, and embracing the existentially static nature of where you are. It’s like something a great friend said to me just over 7 years ago: “We’re not called human doings, we’re human beings.” [...] [...] But that’s not the whole story either. I feel that there are more fundamental reasons for wanting to settle into a groove, so to speak. Last week I found myself actually wistfully recalling what it’s like to mow a lawn. To my way of thinking, there’s something profoundly existential about cutting grass. Learning the nuances of a specific plot of land, how to tackle it efficiently, the idiosyncrasies of the mower, and how best to maneuver it while holding a High Life™. It doesn’t have to be a task, it could also be the satisfaction gleaned from another person’s company. Not necessarily undertaking activities with a partner, or a lively conversation, but the simple appreciation of another human being’s presence, even when there is no interaction. Understanding that they choose to be there, regardless of the minutiae with which you both might occupy yourselves, you are there together in that specific place and time because you wish to be. I feel that these things that put you in the moment, they are the fabric of complacency; it isn’t about what you are doing (or not doing,) it’s about gaining an appreciation for that specific set of circumstances. You’re actively involved in being OK with whatever you are choosing to do in said moment, and embracing the existentially static nature of where you are. It’s like something a great friend said to me just over 7 years ago: “We’re not called human doings, we’re human beings.” [...]

]]> Comment on The Idea of Home by A case for complacency – Oh Those Boys! http://www.ohthoseboys.com/?p=267&cpage=1#comment-404 A case for complacency – Oh Those Boys! Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:50:12 +0000 http://www.ohthoseboys.com/?p=267#comment-404 [...] evening, I realized that a familiar feeling had taken hold of me. Every year, I vacation at my family’s cottage on Keuka Lake, and during my time there I romanticize the locale. It’s an easy thing to do, since [...] [...] evening, I realized that a familiar feeling had taken hold of me. Every year, I vacation at my family’s cottage on Keuka Lake, and during my time there I romanticize the locale. It’s an easy thing to do, since [...]

]]> Comment on Units of Measure by Work of Art finale: Waiting for a seat at the table – Oh Those Boys! http://www.ohthoseboys.com/?p=312&cpage=1#comment-403 Work of Art finale: Waiting for a seat at the table – Oh Those Boys! Fri, 13 Aug 2010 20:55:45 +0000 http://www.ohthoseboys.com/?p=312#comment-403 [...] and the Washington Post, so indulge me. The post and discussion are very much in line with my post Units of Measure. Here is AFC on one of the finale’s contestants, Peregrine Honig made a carnival — a [...] [...] and the Washington Post, so indulge me. The post and discussion are very much in line with my post Units of Measure. Here is AFC on one of the finale’s contestants, Peregrine Honig made a carnival — a [...]

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