Wednesday, October 5, 2011

"Indian Summer"? Fuhgeddaboudit.

How hard does THIS suck???

After the hottest September on record -- 13 days with highs in the 90s and five more with highs in the 80s -- Bend reverted to its usual cold, grim, gray, dismal, drizzly form in October, and promises to continue in the same sucktacular mode from now until July, at least.

Every year the winters here seem to start sooner and drag on longer, and the pitifully brief summer gets even more pitiful and brief. Once upon a time Bendoids could pretty much count on decent weather through October, but that's a thing of the past.

Damn, this place sucks.

Totals for September:

Comfortable Days: 24
Tolerable Days: 6
Cold Days: 0

Totals YTD:

Comfortable Days: 92
Tolerable Days: 40
Cold Days: 22

59 comments:

Marshall_Will said...

Even Redding, CA is only slated to be 61 today w/ showers and t-storms and a Low I can't even talk about. So SCRATCH that as being unscathed.

As the Fallout Zone continues its evil spawn we can safely eliminate scores of formerly promising safe havens and huge swaths of the PNW as having IndSum Potential.

Somehow packing up, hitting the road and heading for Palm Springs at 114 deg. by lunch isn't my idea of IS. It's possible we'll never see another one here in our lifetimes.

Never bet against The Trend my friend!

H. Bruce Miller said...

We'll be making a trip down to New Mexico shortly to check that out as a possible retirement destination. Albuquerque forecast calls for sunny and highs in the mid-70s all next week.

Anonymous said...

I, for one, still believe in Indian summer. I have my backpack set to go in case Ma Nature blesses us with a few more days of warm.

I'm not saying I'm hopeful, I'm not saying I feel hopeless. Just neutral on the subject, but prepared just in case.

May you find your perfect weather in Alberqure . . . Albukerkee . . . screw it. New Mexico.

Marshall_Will said...

"forecast calls for sunny and highs in the mid-70s all next week."

You insensitive lout!

More power. Drastic times call for drastic measures. My confidence Ashland/Yreka etc. will provide Spring/Fall relief wanes by the hour.

My uncle ret. from the AF and has been in Alb. NM for over 50 years. What an advantage in life. To be able to ret. the same place you worked/raised children.

Even if you don't keep the same house. Most sales guys make friends pretty easy, but the amt. of energy req. to build out a whole new set of local contacts can seem daunting. Even on your best days. IMHO

Carl said...

Don't get too comfy in NM. I have known people who went fishing alone and have never been seen again. Probably buried in some ravine out beyond Mountain Air.And the drunk driving crowd nearly out numbers the sober driving crowd. there can be worse things than sucky WX.

H. Bruce Miller said...

"I have known people who went fishing alone and have never been seen again."

That's been known to happen in Central Oregon too.

"And the drunk driving crowd nearly out numbers the sober driving crowd."

Have you ever driven on Bend roads late at night?

Marshall_Will said...

No worries! I'd never FISH alone any more than I'd DRINK alone.

What Oregonians are -going- to come to appreciate is, a retirement/semi-ret. lifestyle more akin to the upper midwest.

Cold call North Dakota between Nov. and April and see how many actual bus. owners you can get on the phone? Hint, they're in Scottsdale not Minot. The phone just FORWARDS there!

They're Swedes, not idiots. They make several trips during the course of the winter, grudgingly, to ensure workers aren't getting too comfortable. Sign some papers and gone!

Look for more closings/deals to get done via sat. title offices etc. They'll be down THERE making money and those left behind will be left to wonder... "What'd I miss!?" Think as FL is to NY.

Rich Ray, Speaking Soley for himself said...

The AMC show "Breaking Bad" gives a good idea of what Albuquerque is like.

Anonymous said...

I've heard ABQ has some nice spots but the rough spots ruin it. An old friend from the bay area lived there and went back to live in a rough part of San Jose because he thought ABQ was a bad scene. Sounds bad if you're glad to be back in the SJ hoody.

All second hand info, never been myself.

Marshall_Will said...

Jack,

Don't get me wrong, I think it's great you're at the ready, Lord only knows in OR it's practically a necessity. ( See "Dressing In Layers" )

But it's clear we have differing views on what comprises Indian Summer. Having grown up in the MW, it's more than a "few days". Or a week or two.

The simple absence of rain does not automatically qualify. It's actual summer-like weather on a stretch of the calendar you wouldn't normally EXPECT it.

For anything to attain that status it would have to occupy the better part of October.

H. Bruce Miller said...

"I've heard ABQ has some nice spots but the rough spots ruin it."

It's a city of half a million, so of course it's going to have some "rough spots." Whether it's a place we'll want to live in is completely unknown at this point. That's why we're going to take a look at it.

Anonymous said...

Marshall,

Sure the MW's weather is unlike Central Oregon. Down in the Old Country (coastal SoCal), "Indian Summer" doesn't exist at all. Starting around September the Santa Ana winds dry out and set fire to everything. When those fade, the heat continues, month after month. Especially inland. I recall a friend who came from WA state (Hanford) said that he was sick and tired of Christmases in the lower 80s.

Spring, of course, ushers in mudslide season on those slopes denuded of vegetation by the summer/fall wildfires.

I know I represent a minority viewpoint on this blog, being one who finds cool, cold weather to be refreshing and a welcome change after sufficient (to me) long warm to hot days, but I am also a total wuss and not willing to camp or backpack in really cold or wet weather.

But if Ma Nature tosses me a few warmer, dry days as fall heads to winter, it would not go unappreciated here as they'd give me a last shot at sleeping under the stars.

Each to their own.

Marshall_Will said...

:Usage; The modern use of the term is when the weather is sunny and clear, and above 21 °C (70 °F), after there has been a sharp frost; *a period normally associated with late-October to mid-November*.[1]"

IAW Wiki, we came up a little short.

Indian Summer has always related to, frankly a second chance. Whether it's romantic pursuits, or finally having the time to topcoat your driveway.

It IS a blessing. One we should never take for granted. Like many things in the PNW, we bend the narrative and definitions to suit the agenda.

To that end, no real plans to be committed to any singular town or area. If I had my druthers I'd scope out [which] places are mostly likely to have one and break out the map. Same w/ Spring. We're all going to be flexible.

H. Bruce Miller said...

Jack, if SoCal is as hellish as you make it out to be, I wonder why so many millions of people have chosen to live there?

H. Bruce Miller said...

"Like many things in the PNW, we bend the narrative and definitions to suit the agenda."

HA! You that THAT right. Like Bendians bending the definition of "day of sunshine" to mean "any day on which the sun shines for 15 seconds or more."

Anonymous said...

Is this so hard to understand? Many many many people like SoCal just fine. I am not one of them.

Many many many people like Dancing with the Stars. I am not one of them.

Many many many people like Folger's coffee. I am not one one this.

Like I said, "Each to their own."

H. Bruce Miller said...

It's just that you were so eloquent in describing the horrors of the place, Jack.

And Folger's just plain sucks.

Anonymous said...

Ooh, ooh! I gotta more concise answer to,

"Jack, if SoCal is as hellish as you make it out to be, I wonder why so many millions of people have chosen to live there?"

Popularity correlates poorly with quality.

Rich Ray, Speaking Soley for himself said...

I spend a month each year in So.Cal. That's about all I can take of the smoggy congested place. Ok to visit, but to call it home - I will pass. Can live anywhere I want. I choose Bend. Cold weather just means skate skiing season will soon be underway.

H. Bruce Miller said...

The cold-weather lovers may outnumber the warm-weather lovers on this blog (we are, after all, in Bend) but I bet if you polled a representative sample of 1,000 normal human beings, 998 of them would say they generally like warm, sunny weather better than cold, gray weather.

One reason is that all outdoor activities except skiing and ice skating are more enjoyable in warm weather. What's there to do in Bend once the cold, dreary winter sets in? Skiing, bowling and drinking. I no longer ski, and I'm not much into bowling.

Anonymous said...

"...if you polled a representative sample of 1,000 normal human beings, 998 of them would say they generally like warm, sunny weather better than cold, gray weather."

Which is the same bankrupt thesis which states that if it's popular, it must be good.

H. Bruce Miller said...

Jack, that's silly. It's not about "good," it's about what human beings like. The vast majority of them like warm, sunny weather better than cold, gray weather. That's just a fact -- a worldwide fact. Are you going to try to tell me they're stupid or tasteless because they do?

As I've said before, I believe there's an evolutionary basis for this preference. For our remote ancestors, cold, rainy or snowy weather -- that is, winter -- could mean death by hypothermia or starvation. Warm, sunny weather -- that is, summer -- meant plenty of food and no danger of freezing.

Also, if our earliest progenitors came from subequatorial Africa, as the fossil evidence indicates, warm, sunny weather might be what we've evolved to feel our best in. Which could be one reason why most people do. Seasonal Affective Disorder is a well-established diagnosis, but I've never heard of anybody getting depressed because the weather was too warm and sunny.

Rich Ray, Speaking Soley for himself said...

Agree, Bend is not the place to live if one is not into some form of snow sport(s).

Anonymous said...

"Agree, Bend is not the place to live if one is not into some form of snow sport(s)."

It makes no sense but there are a lot of people in Bend that hunker down for the winter. I sure don't live here for the summers...

H. Bruce Miller said...

Why does it make no sense? It's not enjoyable to do stuff outdoors when it's cold and gray and often drizzly, which is what Bend winters are.

Anonymous said...

"Why does it make no sense?"

If one doesn't like the cold, why would one want to move here. Gray and drizzly?...we have those days but spend a winter in the valley or Seattle and you'll be "clutching your bottle of antidepressants". Outside of Brookings and Medford, you'll have a hard time finding better Oregon weather than CO.

I look forward to the next storm cycle as do most of the people I know do but I've met a few who dread winter and I don't know why they stay. I'm not speaking of you in particular, just folks in odd CO general. It's not Wyoming cold here but it's usually a long cold winter. I know you and Salem guy seem to remember the good ol days of palm trees and banana plants in Oregon but I'm pretty sure that Oregon has historically been colder, wetter weather. We have cycles that are warmer and some that are colder but winter is always 6 months long with variable weather on each shoulder. Sometimes is warmer, sometimes it's not. Sometimes is snows all winter and sometimes the mountain struggles to stay open due to lack of snow. We had a similar weather patterns in 92/93 through 94/95 as those were some of the best snowfall years in recent history.

So ya, it does strike me as odd that you and Salem guy are so suddenly shocked by the fact that Oregon winters are cold and wet. I know this is your gig, complaining about Bend sucking but seriously, it's pretty weak sauce. You've lived here for over 20 years and at one time you thought is was great but now it "suxs". I don't even have to guess that there is more to this story than you are willing to let on.

Like I've said several times in the past, I wish you a soft landing somewhere warm.

Life is short, get some...

Anonymous said...

The other side of this place sucking IYO. My guess is that you're aware of some rough days to come for the globe. Central Oregon is not such a bad place to ride out the coming storm. If SHTF, the city is the last place I'd want to be. People are angry and rightfully so. Another leg down, it's hard to say what might happen. If things were to get out of hand, I don't foresee looters and rioters getting very far in Central Oregon. If you live in the city or the burbs, it will make for some incredibly hectic days and maybe even weeks before order is restored. The fuel is already present and waiting for the spark. Knowing what I know, it's gonna get really ugly for the planet at some point in our future. They can only kick the can for so long. They're going to have to reveal the hideous beast behind the curtain at some point and when they do, this place will be worth every cold winter you've ever spent here. Like you said, you're overhead is cheap here and that makes riding out the ugly days a little easier.

I hope I'm wrong but I'm a realist. Blind optimism in the face of a grim reality is not my specialty.

Anonymous said...

"Jack, that's silly. It's not about "good," it's about what human beings like. The vast majority of them like warm, sunny weather better than cold, gray weather. That's just a fact -- a worldwide fact. Are you going to try to tell me they're stupid or tasteless because they do?"

Of course not, although I have reason to think that people who choose to live in charmless overcrowded and polluted cities just for the climate are mentally suspect.

I told Mrs Elliott that I'd be willing to move to a warmer city if she can find one that is charming. Something about warm cities is that they draw lots and lots of people (that popularity thing) and, with few exceptions, and none that I am aware of in SoCal, the rest of the Southwest, or that Florida place, mild climate locales (at least those we can afford) lack charm.

Not everyone puts mild climate at the top of the list, no matter where early humans evolved.

Marshall_Will said...

"Popularity correlates poorly with quality."

Which is why we all drive Edsels.

Personally, the wife and I adore watching DWTS. She comes from a long line of ballroom/Flamenco dancers and entertainers and if you don't tune in for any other reason than to catch a glimpse of Cheryl Burke in her SKIN-TIGHT and revealing costumes.., dig a hole and commence throwing dirt over yourself. You're already DOA.

Depression/SAD and lack of s_x drive are not only well documented, they're inseperable.

Whether or not you're 'having' IT... 5 to 7 X's a week isn't the point. You're THINKING about IT constantly and would prefer IT to huddling in some Godforsaken wilderness clutching any fabric you can muster to stave off hypothermia.

Remember, a dirty mind is its own reward. Mudslides hit SoCal, I'd bust out the swim trunks and boogie board. When... you guys can mount a more serious and sober defense of Bend-esque/PNW weather than "to each his own!" let me know. Or not. I'm good either way.

H. Bruce Miller said...

"You've lived here for over 20 years and at one time you thought it was great but now it "suxs".

I NEVER thought the Bend climate was great. We moved here because we wanted to escape the Silicon Valley hustle and hassle and live in a charming small town, which Bend was back in that era. The small-town charm compensated for the sucky climate. But Bend isn't a charming small town any more; growing too much, too fast and in a poorly planned (or unplanned) way has ruined that.

Also (a) I'm convinced (and a number of other longtime Benders are too) that the winters are dragging on longer and are grayer and drizzlier (i.e., more like Portland's) than they used to be, and (b) now that I'm in my 60s, the shitty weather bothers me more.

I've explained all this previously, but I guess you didn't read it.

H. Bruce Miller said...

"Not everyone puts mild climate at the top of the list"

Of course not; neither did my wife and I, back in 1985. But we've changed, and Bend has changed.

Anonymous said...

Of course not; neither did my wife and I, back in 1985. But we've changed, and Bend has changed.

I hear ya and I'll agree with you Bend has changed and not for the better. I remember the first time I visited Bend in 89 on my way to Mt Hood for the summer. I was only here for about 24 hours but I loved the crusty feel and the outdoor opportunities. I knew I would be leaving SoCal in the near future and Bend is where I was pretty sure I wanted to be. It took a couple of years to gnaw my leg off but I left for Oregon in late 92.

It has changed, I wish it would return to the way it was and I sure there are some old timers that would push the clock back even further if they could.

It still has what I need and it keeps me out of the city. The addition of bling in the last decade appears to be fading a little and I can't help but thing our population will be shrinking due to the train wreck in progress. I don't wish any hateful shit on anyone but this town has not been kind to a large number of folks over the last 5 years and I would think that a lot of the population will have to seek shelter elsewhere.

And ya, I've never walked a mile your shoes so I can't say what's good for you and your wife. If you walked 100 yards in my shoes, you'd understand my angle too.

I don't think the weather has really changed for worse, I think it's more mild with a few peak winters here and there. I do think we see more rain and less snow due to warmer temps. I don't know what happened to January but it's cold and dry year after year.

Marshall_Will said...

Oh AGAIN w/ the SoCal = Polluted assertions! Enough already. They have the toughest Emission Standards in the country, with more to come I understand.

This is straw arguing at its finest. If we're talking about the 80's BACK, you've got traction. I suspect as the PDO has spread it will become ever less an issue.

Guys it gets really annoying to have to re-debunk time and again just b/c you're running out of ammunition. Say.., traffic related deaths, high cost of insurance, insolvent State gov't. Anything!

There ARE whole hosts of reasons to not like SoCal, chocking 'pollution' isn't one of them. Having made a mistake in your 20's is no perfectly good reason to watch a middle-aged man suffer?

It's 'ok' to admit you've made a mistake. You guys can't 'see' it but the Buyer's Remorse is DRIPPING off of your posts. Preferences aside, it's not -healthy- to spend 10 mos. out of the year in this environment. Adding deep denial can only make it worse.

How do I 'know' that..?

Anonymous said...

Personally, the wife and I adore watching DWTS. She comes from a long line of ballroom/Flamenco dancers and entertainers and if you don't tune in for any other reason than to catch a glimpse of Cheryl Burke in her SKIN-TIGHT and revealing costumes.., dig a hole and commence throwing dirt over yourself. You're already DOA.

That has to be the saddest shit you've ever written.

You're correct, to each his/her own but damn...I'm going to stop bothering you from here on out because it's pretty clear at this point how tragic things really are.

H. Bruce Miller said...

"Gray and drizzly?...we have those days but spend a winter in the valley or Seattle and you'll be "clutching your bottle of antidepressants"

Yes, you can find other places that are worse. That doesn't make the Bend climate good.

This is Bend thinking at its purest. Say Bend is gray and drizzly and your diehard Bendite will say, "Seattle is grayer and drizzlier." Say Bend is cold and the diehard Bendite will say, "Fargo, ND is colder." Say Bend winters are long and the days are short and he's say, "The winters are longer and the days are shorter in Fairbanks."

"That has to be the saddest shit you've ever written."

Why is it sad? He likes to look at good-looking women in revealing costumes. Sounds pretty normal to me.

Anonymous said...

Window shopping is find and dandy but DWTS?...ooof

Marshall_Will said...

Blackdog,

Thanks for taking a stand w/ heterosexuality! Lurking about in camo's w/ a bunch of dudes spreading mammal fecal matter on each other was just never my bag. NOT... that there's anything 'wrong' with that!

What's really SAD is the wife and I taking ballroom dance classes together during the Ten Months Of Winter Yea! (TM) so we don't come out on the other scale bustin' end sporting a deuce and quarter.

At first I thought it was pretty icky too. It's mostly ewwwwey girls fawning over any male that can get from one end of the floor to the other without putting them in traction.

Their dresses do that swishy sway thing and they wear lipstick and high heels just like my older sister did when she started acting weird.

Oh and that holding hands and placing your arm around her waist! I got all blushy and had to think of baseball so my pee-pee vein would stop tingling? Which it never used to. Mommy!

Anonymous said...

Well, if you're a dancer then liking DWTS is justifiable, with ogling some female flesh as an attractive side benefit. Though I have zero interest in dancing, I have been known to watch ballroom dancing competitions just for the pulchritudinostiy. But if those shows were to add the DWTS "celebrity" BS I'd lose interest immediately. Talent shows, popularity contests, don't interest me.

H. Bruce Miller said...

Mrs. Blackdog likes to watch ballroom dance competitions sometimes (though not DWTS). It's not too bad; the female dancers have great bodies. You have to remember not to look at their faces, though.

Marshall_Will said...

"You have to remember not to look at their faces, though."

Fair enough. All the more for me! ( Oh wait, I can't believe I'm saying that now too? )

Yeah we're in Season Eleventeen and it's turned into something of a sideshow I'm afraid. The Nationals gals are skin-tight and toned. Exciting I mean.

The point is you really have to get creative to kill these Eternal Winters. And I don't even CARE if you're an outdoor sports nut! When I was 12 ( and girls were still icky ) we played ice hockey 8 days a week.

Obesity is a 'national' problem ( weather-related depression is a uniquely PNW affliction ) Well here and Reykjavik. All I'm saying is, if you let girls talk you into dancing ( Lord only knows what else it could lead to! ) Next thing you know you're in the backseat of a car testing the suspension?

Anonymous said...

Marshall -- sorry, when you're right, you're right.

I was just being lazy when I wrote "pollution," since most people think I'm talking about air pollution as defined by the AQMD. Ignoring the many areas in SoCal so close to freeways that epidemiological studies show huge spikes in asthma among children, and the many days a year when the ozone is so high that people with breathing or other health problems are urged to stay indoors, there are other forms of pollution.

In terms of air pollution, there is no way I can be convinced that breathing the farts and exhalations and aerosol byproducts and brake pad dust and other crap in the air when surrounded by a sea of 6 million people (San Diego) or 20 million people (Los Angeles) can be as healthful as what I'm breathing now in Bend. You may feel otherwise.

My shorthand for "pollution" was also meant to cover all the other side effects of living cheek-by-jowl with some many others. Visual pollution, noise pollution, to name two.

And don't even get me started on the tap water. it might be safe per municipal water standards, but it tastes like old, watery soup made from community swimming pool water.

You listed other reasons why someone might not like to live in Cali, and those are good ones, too. I just don't have so much time on my hands today to try to write a thesis. As I said, I was being lazy.

But honestly, and really truly, I didn't add my lightweight little "I have hopes for a few more nice days for camping" comment to be a gauntlet thrown down as a challenge to those with gloomy and hopeless outlooks.

Saying "to each his own" is not an inappropriate response in my book.

I mean, if you really really loved vanilla ice cream and I came along and said that I ate vanilla for 58 years because that's all there was and grew really weary of it, and perhaps listed what I felt were its deficiencies - exaggerating a bit, but no more than Bruce does when complaining about Bend - then said that I now prefer chocolate ... isn't that good enough justification?

I realize that this blog is called "Bend Sux," and Bruce has his reasons for feeling the way he does. He's been here for a long time, is getting more decrepit by the day; the cold nights are making his hand cold on his walker when he fetches the mail, and he's looking to move to some nice, quiet, sunbird state where everyone sedately drives to the Olive Garden in their Buicks and Oldsmobiles to gum some Early Bird specials before retiring in the evening in their mobile homes to watch some Golden Girls and Matlock on the color TV.

And that's fine. He has valid reasons to dislike Bend and gets a lot of pleasure griping about it.

Well, by the same token, I have my reasons for disliking SoCal. That my tastes are in the minority here should not be a reason to try to pick a fight/debate with me since no one is going to convince me that I am mistaken and really like SoCal. Nor am I interested in trying to convince PNW haters that they really like it here.

Am I in denial? Maybe. There are fewer sunny days here than advertised when we bought the house. And that's the only -- only -- downside I've found here. Everything else that is important to me is as good if not much better here than there.

I don't suffer from SAD, I find cool, dark days to be calming and refreshing. I don't mind putting on a coat and a hat to go outdoors and about my day.

I've lived in SoCal so I am fairly confident that when I say I don't care for the place, I am saying so with considerable authority.

Anonymous said...

Lurking about in camo's w/ a bunch of dudes spreading mammal fecal matter on each other was just never my bag.

LOL...I hear ya, it's not for everyone but I do enjoy it. It's a solitary thing for me as I try to stay away from other dudes...especially the beer swilling bumkins, as that can be dangerous for your health.

Done the ballroom dancing lessons myself, didn't want to look completely foolish at the wedding.

I think it's my odd personality that doesn't understand what people see with this new style of TV programming. I know I'm not the typical person you meet on the street but to me it's all a big distraction and/or a marketing tactic. I just don't have the time or energy for that sort of stuff. Bottom line, I'm not real big on watching other people do stuff. I've got just enough time in my day for work, family, and a little bit of me time at some point during the week. I'm usually asleep by 9pm at the latest because I've got nothing left at the end of the day.

I do think you're statement about being DOA if you're not into window shopping random females on TV is pretty lame...I'll have to google up Cheryl Burke as I have no idea who she is.

H. Bruce Miller said...

"Talent shows, popularity contests, don't interest me."

But people love 'em, Jack, so they MUST be terrific!

H. Bruce Miller said...

"he's looking to move to some nice, quiet, sunbird state where everyone sedately drives to the Olive Garden in their Buicks and Oldsmobiles to gum some Early Bird specials before retiring in the evening in their mobile homes to watch some Golden Girls and Matlock on the color TV."

Ah, now that's PARADISE!!!

H. Bruce Miller said...

"I'm usually asleep by 9 pm at the latest"

And in that respect also you are a typical Bendian. Any time a Bendian stays up past 10 he thinks he's living la vida loca. (Note: This excludes Bendians under 30.)

Anonymous said...

"But people love 'em, Jack, so they MUST be terrific!"

Ha ha.

"No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public."
-- H. L. Mencken.

"People can easily be persuaded to accept the most inferior ideas or useless products."

-- Attributed to H. L. Mencken.

Sturgeon's Law: "Ninety percent of everything is crap."

Jack's Law: Sturgeon was an optimist.

Anonymous said...

"Bottom line, I'm not real big on watching other people do stuff."

Well-put.

"I'll have to google up Cheryl Burke as I have no idea who she is."

Me, neither. Just Googled her. Not an unattractive woman at all. But having to sit through nitwit celebrities and commercials to watch her isn't worth it to me.

I like my pr0n straight up, and that's why the Internet was invented.

Marshall_Will said...

If it was me, I'd Google Image Cheryl Burke+Legs. Or @$$. It's your computer. All the dancer gals are lovely it's just that our daughters are Fil-Am as is CB. Great success story and role model for younger gals. That's all.

I have -nothing- against hunting and I'd like to take it up, if this economy ever gets turned around. Most of my friends/fellow Guardsmen hunt.

Thanks for the admition Jack. And you can say it in front of us, People Pollution. Never have I seen more people that seem to have Nowhere To Go And All Day To Get There than I have in SoCal.

Like my old shop sup's sign used to say; "If you have nothing to do, don't do it HERE!"

I think you'd be surprised by what's really going ON in Snowbird Land. It's not shuffleboard AFAICT? They're reverting back to their childhood and getting BIKES. Taking road trips. Hell, at 52 I'm in a rock band and wished we had a gig EVERY weekend.

Seems to me the opposite takes place in Oregon? Maybe the trick is to not stay here too long? Bail while you're at the end of the honeymoon phase. And to be fair, I was Navy for 10 years. I'm used to bugging out after a couple of years. Stay in one place too long and all you SEE is the warts. Corruption, etc.

Marshall_Will said...

I for one think typically American Pop Culture DOES get it right! The media co's can pre-package the latest sweet young thang/boy band and promote the HELL out of 'em.

But in the end, if they have no talent, we'll tire of their face ( ala Jessica Simpson and her LESS talented lil' sis ) and they wind up on the scrapheap of has beens soon enough.

Pet rocks? Whatever. The 70's were an economic malaise much as today. People felt they needed just about anything to cheer themselves up. Enter Mr. Smiley Face that wound up on everything!

The Bay City Rollers SUCKED major azz. No one remembers them. James Taylor and Jackson Brown we remember! Now movie co's fear feedback from teens most. If a movie SUCKS they're texting their buddies not to waste their allowance before the show is even over.

Unlike a lot of people, I don't feel any need to place myself "above the masses". Most of us are avg.

Anonymous said...

"Unlike a lot of people, I don't feel any need to place myself 'above the masses'. Most of us are avg."

Oh no. Not me. I'm very special! Unique and discerning. Highly refined. Come to think if it, I don't know why I lower myself to even post on this blog and do discourse with Philistines. Or read blogs. Other than my own, of course. Brilliant!

:)

Anonymous said...

Marshall. "People pollution." Of course! Simple and self-explanatory. Too damn many people. Crowded. Noisy.

Marshall_Will said...

Jack,

I can be having one whiz-bang of a day! Maybe a Friday where you're just on fire. Every stock trade a winner, every call flattering hero worship.

Your kids didn't hit you up for money and even the wife seems especially cheery. THEN... you step outside.

Your neighbor has you blocked in, knock-knock. You haven't gone a block and you've been cut off in traffic and some a-hole left their shopping cart [where] you can no longer park [ ] WTF?

It used to frustrate me. Now I've learned the secret. Low expectations. Works like a charm. By expecting -zilch- from society, you don't get your hopes unnecessarily elevated and when they DO get things right, it's a pleasant surprise?

Anonymous said...

"I for one think typically American Pop Culture DOES get it right!"

Well sure -- bit of a tautology, that: Popular culture does get what's popular right.

H. Bruce Miller said...

I think Marshall's saying that in the long run the crap in the popular culture sinks to the bottom and is forgotten, while the good stuff rises to the top and is remembered. I think there's some validity to that.

Of course there's always new crap appearing to take the place of the old stuff that sunk.

Anonymous said...

Well, there is a distinction to be made between some currently happening that is popular right now and "...the good stuff [that] rises to the top and is remembered."

Yes, time is the essential ingredient for the sorting process. So I should refine my postulate to read something like, "Popularity does not correlate well with quality unless at least a decade has gone by."

Cumbersome, but you see where I'm going.

Anonymous said...

With absolutely no intention of causing a dispute here, I just wanted to post a link to the 2009 Annual State of the Air report (newer ones may be available, didn't just out at me) for metropolitan areas at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30476335/ns/us_news-environment/t/report-lists-worst-best-cities-air-quality/#.TpWOvdFNozY

Bend is not listed, of course, although Billings, Mont. and Coeur d’Alene, Id. are.

Ozone levels and particulates are reported.

Marshall_Will said...

There's always Pop Culture exceptions ( the Monster Mash is still w/ us ) and seems to surface every year about this time.

We'll approach this from the contra for a change? Look at Opera. Look at the Oregon Symphony. Broke. In DEBT. Forev....er need ing donations and generally poorly attended.

Sorry but these 'cultural' hangovers are vestiges leftover from our Euro-heritage. As in why did the Do-do still have wings? They've been dying a slow and agonizing death for years. But somebody on the city council or whatever INSISTS we siphon off public funds to "Keep The Arts ALIVE!"

Well dude I'm sorry. This is the very -definition- of DOA. If not for political wrangling and generally speaking unknowing, unAUTHORIZED 'support' they'd be long gone.

Loyalists will claim it's b/c we don't 'teach' Classical Music in school any more? And... why is that? You'll be given a whole litany of rationalizations but the bottom line is the kids can't STAND it. They'd rather get a swirly in the boy's room than submit themselves to that!

Again, how is American Pop Culture ever wrong? Most people that learned Rock Guitar did so by teaching themselves. If Classical Music really is so 'moving' then why aren't people forming their own string quartets etc. like garage bands crop up?

H. Bruce Miller said...

"If Classical Music really is so 'moving' then why aren't people forming their own string quartets etc. like garage bands crop up?"

I can think of at least three reasons off the top of my head.

1. It takes many years of hard work to become a good classical musician. There's more to it than learning three chords on a guitar.

2. Even modestly successful rock musicians make more money than all but the most successful classical musicians.

3. Guys in rock bands get more pussy than guys in string quartets. (Considering their typical age, this may be the biggest motive for the garage band musicians.)

Despite all that, string quartets are still being formed and are still performing and recording. Why? Because some people still love the music -- just as some people still love jazz.

Marshall_Will said...

Bruce,

Bully! And a lot of "metal" may have only (2) chords. But for most, there's not a lot of money in it. Swing past any club that has a venue and notice all the "No Cover!" banners.

Fumbling one's way thru a Nirvana tune is one thing, becoming a Journeyman rock guitarist quite another. I've been playing almost 40 years and only recently felt fully competent.

And by the time you've attained that, you're pretty comfortable on just about anything w/ strings any way. Guitars are tuned in 5ths, violins in 4ths.

I think it's great there's still chamber music and I'm looking for an upright bass and harp for our living room. Guests seem to love that.

Sat/subscriber radio should keep Jazz etc. alive into the next millenium.