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I just wanna say this here (I feel like this thread is as close as it gets to "among friends" on this site)...
Yesterday morning I got on Facebook and was met with a wall of noise about the Chris Rock/Will Smith debacle. I was instantly irritated. Because I get very annoyed about a couple of things...
1. Celebrity tabloid culture. The way we're all supposed to give a damn about whatever famous people are doing, even when it's the kind of thing that if regular people got into this kind of tiff in a bar, nobody would care or hear about it. I don't care about celebrities or awards shows where celebrities gather to alternately snipe at each other and stroke each other off. I get annoyed when my social media is like, "here is a thing everyone cares about and you need to!" No. I don't. Away with thee.
2. Whenever something like this happens everybody acts like they are morally obligated to put out an Official Statement of Position as though their opinion is somehow even important. Something about that facet of social media has been tiresome to me for ages. Great, now I get to see where all of my friends and acquaintances stand on verbal bullying vs. physical violence. I didn't ask, but...ok.
But this morning there's a new wrinkle in the crinkle that actually does have my dander up. I'm seeing so many posts where someone is saying that it's super extra bad what Will Smith did because he badly represented all black men and reinforced the idea that black men are violent. Really? REALLY?? I finally spouted off (though I do not pretend my opinion matters, I know it's just more noise. On Facebook and here.) I'm pretty sure no one, black or otherwise, elected Will Smith to represent them to the world in general, and the notion that any black man or anyone should need to conduct himself with the main purpose of being a good example to "the public" of his race is just...horrifying to me. No person of color should carry that burden, nor worry that the behavior of someone else reflects badly on them because of their skin color.
I swear sometimes I don't know why I keep expecting better from my species, or my country's society, or at least my friends...
/end rant. Thanks for tolerating my kvetching.
Nicely dressed men slapping each other is giant step up from the 100 or so homicides in my area last year. Compared to the nightly news of gun violence, that episode doesn’t represent anyone in a negative light to me, sorry. There was no melee of others jumping in and I doubt if Will is watching his back now for fear of retribution.
I’m congratulating myself on not sneaking over to the POC to read any anticipated ignorant comments about that and race, or I’ll be right back out the door again.
Thanks for sharing your opinion in the “safe” space.
Today I was looking out of my kitchen window at fields of wild flowers with the snow covered French Alps in the background. I watched the boys frolicking in the yard with their dad while our little baby goats chased one another around bleating and tripping over their clumsy little hooves.
I reflected on how we’d finished the the spring planting and added 3 more acres to our community garden. In the late morning we took the boys on a horseback ride to the end of the property and had a picnic next to our creek. We watched deer grazing on a hillside and a red fox chasing a rabbit. We drank ice cold water from a natural spring and picked some flowers for the breakfast table.
Celebs slapping other celebs? Black, white, brown, yellow or green…. Couldn’t find two shyts to give nor an opinion to express. Society seems to be going to hell in a hand basket and I want no part of it!
Today I was looking out of my kitchen window at fields of wild flowers with the snow covered French Alps in the background. I watched the boys frolicking in the yard with their dad while our little baby goats chased one another around bleating and tripping over their clumsy little hooves.
I reflected on how we’d finished the the spring planting and added 3 more acres to our community garden. In the late morning we took the boys on a horseback ride to the end of the property and had a picnic next to our creek. We watched deer grazing on a hillside and a red fox chasing a rabbit. We drank ice cold water from a natural spring and picked some flowers for the breakfast table.
Celebs slapping other celebs? Black, white, brown, yellow or green…. Couldn’t find two shyts to give nor an opinion to express. Society seems to be going to hell in a hand basket and I want no part of it!
That sounds amazing.
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It is amazing. I am blessed and I appreciate every day here. We’re in the country yet only 40km ( 24 miles) from a city of 88,000 with all the amenities….. Fine dining, movies, shopping malls, big box stores etc.
It is amazing. I am blessed and I appreciate every day here. We’re in the country yet only 40km ( 24 miles) from a city of 88,000 with all the amenities….. Fine dining, movies, shopping malls, big box stores etc.
This sounds just idyllic. Any regrets leaving LA - like do you get homesick for anything? I think you mentioned coming back just to visit at some point.
This sounds just idyllic. Any regrets leaving LA - like do you get homesick for anything? I think you mentioned coming back just to visit at some point.
And are you anywhere near Lorraine?
We’re in the Provence region in the South, about 650 km from Lorraine via the A31 and A7. We’re about 105KM north of Marseille.
No regrets. I did fly home to the US last summer to visit my family. I really miss my twin brother and his new wife ( my best friend from high school and college). They may come visit us this summer. My partner will be starting the fire department academy in May so we won’t be leaving for vacation anytime soon.
Location: Huntersville/Charlotte, NC and Washington, DC
26,700 posts, read 41,763,058 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sydney123
It is amazing. I am blessed and I appreciate every day here. We’re in the country yet only 40km ( 24 miles) from a city of 88,000 with all the amenities….. Fine dining, movies, shopping malls, big box stores etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DontH8Me
This sounds just idyllic. Any regrets leaving LA - like do you get homesick for anything? I think you mentioned coming back just to visit at some point.
And are you anywhere near Lorraine?
I’m in LA now on vacation. It’s a funky unique place. I see why so many stay despite the challenges of congestion and affordability. That said, I’d probably choose France over LA as far as everyday living. Hell I choose Charlotte NC over LA for living.
I’m in LA now on vacation. It’s a funky unique place. I see why so many stay despite the challenges of congestion and affordability. That said, I’d probably choose France over LA as far as everyday living. Hell I choose Charlotte NC over LA for living.
Have you been to the South Bay? Our beaches are way better than Santa Monica. Kendrick Lamar just bought a $10 million property in Manhattan Beach a couple of years ago. It's wild - you see up close and personal how the 1% live. Roseanne Barr lived in El Segundo a while back. We have great restaurants here, too. If you are hankering to run into celebs, LA is definitely the place for it. Anytime I have visitors from abroad, they all want to run into their favorite celebrity.
I used to work on 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica, would see celebrities every time I went out of my building for lunch. Same thing here - I actually met a guy I recognized as an actor from an 80s sitcom at the PTA brunch I attended a few years back. Tyler the Creator is from the South Bay, too.
People really stay for the weather, though. If you live around here, there is no winter wardrobe. Not unless you go to the mountains/skiing.
I’m in LA now on vacation. It’s a funky unique place. I see why so many stay despite the challenges of congestion and affordability. That said, I’d probably choose France over LA as far as everyday living. Hell I choose Charlotte NC over LA for living.
I'm hearing that Charlotte is turning out to be one of the "new" places that is starting to draw more people. I've heard it's beautiful, but those stories I've heard about the humidity in the south just makes me go . Weather wise I'm a spoiled CA native.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DontH8Me
Have you been to the South Bay? Our beaches are way better than Santa Monica. Kendrick Lamar just bought a $10 million property in Manhattan Beach a couple of years ago. It's wild - you see up close and personal how the 1% live. Roseanne Barr lived in El Segundo a while back. We have great restaurants here, too. If you are hankering to run into celebs, LA is definitely the place for it. Anytime I have visitors from abroad, they all want to run into their favorite celebrity.
I used to work on 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica, would see celebrities every time I went out of my building for lunch. Same thing here - I actually met a guy I recognized as an actor from an 80s sitcom at the PTA brunch I attended a few years back. Tyler the Creator is from the South Bay, too.
People really stay for the weather, though. If you live around here, there is no winter wardrobe. Not unless you go to the mountains/skiing.
My job over the years has taken me to just about every crack and crevice within So Cal and there are some really nice areas, no doubt.
Back in the days of going to the office, ours is right on the Manhattan Beach and El Segundo border. One side of the street is MB and the other is El Segundo.
The beaches in SB are nice. I grew up going to Redondo Beach way back in the day. The pier was awesome, as you well know. I haven't been in years, so I can't say about now. I live further south and for us we tend to go to the OC beaches more often.
In terms of celebrities, I've seen a few. I did some work at Sony Pictures in Culver City some years back and walked around the back lot where they film things like Jeopardy and a few others and it was interesting. Seen a few celebs walking around. It's like it's own city on those Studio lots.
Fun Fact, at least as how I was told. Way way back when LA was much smaller. The city El Segundo got it's name from the Chevron company. The had a big refinery up in the northern part of the state and that they wanted to open up a second location down here in So Cal. They called it "El Segundo"
Segundo meaning 2nd for those that don't speak Spanish.
Regarding weather...this has been my first Phoenix "winter" and I've been in tank tops the whole time, with occasionally a hoodie if it's slightly cool. It's nice, but I really didn't mind having actual winter weather in Colorado, because there you get snow and such but then the next day it'll be 60 degrees and sunny. They would have winter storms come through maybe once a week and nice sunshine in between. I liked that. I would never go back to the nasty ice and grey of Ohio or the locked in freeze and snow of Iowa.
Sydey, I agree with others that your home and your life sound incredible! Though I've never had a craving for farm work, you sure paint a pretty picture of it.
I don't much care to run into celebrities, I've gone to conventions and tried to interact a little with them here and there, and I didn't enjoy it. At the end of the day these people are strangers and I just feel like I'm annoying them, whether I am or not. It always felt weird and forced and unnatural. But there's one guy I've decided I'd like an autograph from if I ever get the chance, and that is Doug Jones. Mostly because he's not the kind of instantly recognizable face that fans are likely to flock to, but he's the guy behind most of my favorite creatures in the Guillermo del Toro movies that I love. And his very particular motions and gestures really brought them to life. I appreciate him. Actually it might be cool to meet del Toro, as well, if I could.
I did think, when I moved here, that hey I could visit southern California, it's not a very long drive...but I'm not sure if I will. I prefer east coast beaches with warmer water, and the traffic is bad enough here without me going anywhere to see worse... /shrug
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. Weather wise I'm a spoiled CA native. 