Why is everything so much harder and stupid here? (Seattle: low income, real estate)

[Heiwos]

Originally Posted by TheTravellers

Yeah, I know - the whole south end is way more redneck than I suspected it would be (I know redneck, I lived in OK for decades). Only area we could afford to live, though. Landlord did that...

When the landlord refuses to pay the water bill for a previous tenant, that's an opportunity to get free rent for every day the water's off, and more money in small claims court if the landlord doesn't like it. Although I agree that it would be better to have a sensible landlord.

I've lived here 20 years and haven't had any significant problem being overcharged for stuff.

You don't want to live in the exurbs of a major city; that's where the rednecks & welfare lovers are. You don't want to live too close to the city center; that's where the bums are. If you're young you want to live far enough away to have few bums but close enough to still have some nightlife. When you're older you want to live in the more affluent (yet not pretentious) suburbs; that's where the nice & responsible adults are.

[seattlerain]

Originally Posted by Heiwos

When the landlord refuses to pay the water bill for a previous tenant, that's an opportunity to get free rent for every day the water's off, and more money in small claims court if the landlord doesn't like it. Although I agree that it would be better to have a sensible landlord.

I've lived here 20 years and haven't had any significant problem being overcharged for stuff.

You don't want to live in the exurbs of a major city; that's where the rednecks & welfare lovers live. You don't want to live too close to the city center; that's where the bums live. If you're young you want to live far enough away to have few bums but close enough to still have some nightlife. When you're older you want to live in the affluent suburbs; that's where the responsible adults live.

This thread is so full of stereotypes it hurts.

Am I to supposed to believe that the thousands of successful adults who don't live in the in the suburbs are somehow less responsible than those adults that live in the suburbs?

[seattlerain]

Originally Posted by TheTravellers

People, you need to stop assuming - my unemployment has nothing to do with how stupid a clerk is (and that was just one simple example - I have tons more anecdotal evidence, but it would be really depressing to list everything that takes longer/is harder to do that happens almost every single day we live here). The clerk wasn't rude, he just couldn't read 2 huge sale stickers on 2 CDs and ring them in right (and I didn't get nasty or anything, I just made him fix it). And this area is to blame - as I said, I could go on and on and on about things that don't work right here and are so very much harder to do than they should be (and harder to do than the experiences I've had in lots of states and cities across the country - I have literally never seen people/processes so screwed up as I have here).

Thanks for the well-wishing...

It is really hard to take someone seriously when they make such blanket statements...

[TheTravellers]

Originally Posted by allforcats

"Hard", "stupid" and "crappy" are never facts but are always choices: you create the life you live, so you're the only one who generates the tone, and you're the only one who can change the tone.
Good luck leaving.

Forgot one - and how do I have anything to do with the fact that WA is going to take until *MAY* to get the extra $25/week to their unemployed citizens, while most other states have it in their citizens' hands *now* or in the next couple of weeks? By any standard anywhere, that's just not right. :-(

[jenlion]

You sound just like my husband. We've lived here just over a year now. Same house. Same stores. Same clerks. Same roads.

I love it here. He hates it. His rant sounds just like yours. Only I can't shut the computer off or stuff my ears when a light turns red or somebody drives stupidly. I have to hear it 24/7.

All I can say is, you can put two people into the exact same spot, and they'll have completely different reactions to it.

[Heiwos]

Originally Posted by seattlerain

Am I to supposed to believe that the thousands of successful adults who don't live in the in the suburbs are somehow less responsible than those adults that live in the suburbs?

Obviously it's a generalization. There's a higher bum / criminal element population closer to the city centers of major cities, so yes you'll get a smaller percentage of responsible adults there. It takes only a few bad apples to make one's life a lot worse. One smash & grabber can break into hundreds of cars, for example. Likewise, when you get out to Sumner you're more likely to see people arguing in a parking lot.

[Heiwos]

Originally Posted by TheTravellers

Forgot one - and how do I have anything to do with the fact that WA is going to take until *MAY* to get the extra $25/week to their unemployed citizens, while most other states have it in their citizens' hands *now* or in the next couple of weeks? By any standard anywhere, that's just not right. :-(

How about the fact that WA has the highest unemployment benefits? Even without the $25/week it's still a lot more than many other states that are not much cheaper to live in.

[allforcats]

Originally Posted by TheTravellers

... how do I have anything to do with [anything]?

Here's how:

Every moment of your life you are living the values you choose, which you express in the emotions you choose. It's your own chosen emtions, nourishing or destructive, that create every tone, color, and texture of every moment of your life. Rain, or traffic, or $25 is in fact, in reality, only rain, or a bunch or vehicles, or $25. It's YOU who always chooses whether to see it as nourishing or destructive... What you believe about something is always always always your own choice.

A belief is a value. When you believe you live in a hostile universe, you see everything in that universe as destructive to you, and so every day you choose to fight life and defend yourself against it. When you believe you live in a friendly universe, you see everything in that universe as nourishing you, and so every day you choose to have fun welcoming and living life.

And when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change ... Wow...

[TheTravellers]

Originally Posted by allforcats

Here's how:

Every moment of your life you are living the values you choose, which you express in the emotions you choose. It's your own chosen emtions, nourishing or destructive, that create every tone, color, and texture of every moment of your life. Rain, or traffic, or $25 is in fact, in reality, only rain, or a bunch or vehicles, or $25. It's YOU who always chooses whether to see it as nourishing or destructive... What you believe about something is always always always your own choice.

A belief is a value. When you believe you live in a hostile universe, you see everything in that universe as destructive to you, and so every day you choose to fight life and defend yourself against it. When you believe you live in a friendly universe, you see everything in that universe as nourishing you, and so every day you choose to have fun welcoming and living life.

And when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change ... Wow...

Thanks for the lesson, I realize that and have tried to follow it most of my life, but you ever hear of the death of a thousand cuts? Every single day here, I get at least one cut. And I would *really* love to hear how waiting 2 months for the unemployment benefits is nourishing, and how getting overcharged for something is nourishing, and how having gravel take paint chips and glass chips off your car is nourishing, and how having to go back to the pharmacy an extra time is nourishing, and how having to listen to neighbors play loud TVs at all hours after being asked to turn them down is nourishing, and ............................... is nourishing? I'm really curious... And I'm gonna laugh if you pull out the "what doesn't kill you will only make you stronger" line. It really is completely silly to have to expend extra energy just trying to buy gas or a package of napkins or check a book out at the library or ....... To have to do this *and* be prepared for it at almost every turn is just exhausting.

I really am trying to figure it out and just wondering why it is so strange here? I know tons of y'all have lived here all your life and love it here, but does nobody else really see (except for jenlion's husband ) these things or do you just accept it after living in the midst of it for so long?

And I'm not really bashing this area just to bash it - I want to post this, have it be archived, and hopefully save some other poor sucker from moving here unaware of how different it really is from most of the rest of the country. If I would've been aware of this forum before I decided to move, I wouldn't be posting this 'cos I wouldn't be here.

[TheTravellers]

Originally Posted by Heiwos

How about the fact that WA has the highest unemployment benefits? Even without the $25/week it's still a lot more than many other states that are not much cheaper to live in.

Sorry, but that's a strawman and has no bearing on how incompetent WA's unemployment security IT dept is... Thanks for playing.