before it gets too old to bother
Dec. 31st, 2004 04:04 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
solarbirdVarious notes from after the trip, mostly cranky, in no particular order:
1. There were three (3) other people at the Lexington airport ticket counter. That's not "in our queue." That's at the entire ticket counter for the entire airport, all of which you could see from one vantage point. It was pretty weird.
Also, there were zero (0) other people at the security checkpoint.
2. All our stuff still stank of tobacco this morning - even the couple of things I never unpacked. (Everything else has now been washed, yay.)
3. Billboard seen in Lexington:
4. Radio ads for Chaser, a pill you can take before you go on a drinking binge to reduce your hangover symptoms the next morning. The pitch was specifically that you could get drunker and stay that way for longer. I didn't know alcoholics were a target audience.
5. Washington State is a "blue" state - voting Democratic. We're the ones they like to say are all government dependent and all that crap. But we get back something like 92-93 cents for every dollar we send to the Feds. Kentucky, on the other hand, is a "red" state, trumpeting self-reliance and social conservatism and votes Republican - and iirc, they get $1.08 back for every $1 they send. So that delta is by something like 15% or so.
And you can really tell. Endless government construction projects (and/or the results thereof) everywhere. Every half-assed road to some half-assed town, every major arterial, they're all one step below Interstate specs - four-lane to eight-lane divided highways, just not completely limited-access. The kind of sprawl the encourages is revolting, too; you really do have to drive just about everywhere; pedestrians mostly don't seem to be thought of. There were no neighbourhoods I saw that I'd consider walkable; it's islands of houses connected by impassible highways. I would, in fact, estimate that Lexington has significantly more high-volume highways than Seattle does.
I mean seriously, what does Lexington, Kentucky need with several eight-lane divided highways?
(Also housing projects, massive government buildings (such as the new courthouse complex in Lexington which features - well, I'll get to that in a minute), and... well, you get the idea.)
6. The "art" installation in front of the new Lexington courthouse which looks exactly like a gallows frame. No lie. (I'm told that normally, there's water falling off it, and it doesn't look like that. But when I saw it? Gallows frame.)
7. The worst. talk. radio. I have ever. heard. And I've heard some bad talk radio. "It's not fear! It's contempt!" is the kind of thing that comes from this crowd. The worst part is that they didn't even seem to be very good at radio. There used to be a lot of well-done radio in Lexington. I didn't hear much of it this time. Maybe all the better talent was on holiday.
8. Truck commercials that actually just come out and say that if you don't fantasize about trucks, you aren't actually a man. Without irony. No, really. Kind of neat. It's the kind of thing that makes you think that whole fucking part of the country needs serious therapy.
9. Lots of ads for personal-injury lawyers and other ways to get money via lawsuits. No wonder they're so hopped up about tort reform. Also lots of Jesus ads, Jesus radio stations, Jesus billboards, and so on. And yet, there's plenty of (local talk radio) chatter about how oppressed Christians and social conservatives are. What the fuck?
10. UK students are behaving exactly like UW students w.r.t. brutal abuse of neighbourhoods around them. Our friend Scott E. had to sell his house and move for exactly the same reasons we did, complete with party riots (including overturned cars and the like), assaults, vandalism sprees, and everything else I've complained about here in the past. It started a couple of years after it got bad in our area. Local police were more responsive than police in our area, but UW's reaction was likewise the same: crackdown on alcohol on campus, establishment of the Bright Line of No Responsibility Whatsoever. Yay.
11. Irritated sane people telling me that they get told to their face that minourities (particularly immigrants, particularly Asian immigrants) aren't welcome for employment at firms. Women are okay, as long as they accept lower pay. They aren't the victims in this case, but their classmates are and they know about it firsthand. It's not that this is new; it's that it's pretty much overt now.
Southern culture isn't on the skids anymore; I think it's in farking free-fall.
1. There were three (3) other people at the Lexington airport ticket counter. That's not "in our queue." That's at the entire ticket counter for the entire airport, all of which you could see from one vantage point. It was pretty weird.
Also, there were zero (0) other people at the security checkpoint.
2. All our stuff still stank of tobacco this morning - even the couple of things I never unpacked. (Everything else has now been washed, yay.)
3. Billboard seen in Lexington:
ELECT
JESUS CHRIST
S A V I O U R
Name M. Name, Lexington City Council Candidate
4. Radio ads for Chaser, a pill you can take before you go on a drinking binge to reduce your hangover symptoms the next morning. The pitch was specifically that you could get drunker and stay that way for longer. I didn't know alcoholics were a target audience.
5. Washington State is a "blue" state - voting Democratic. We're the ones they like to say are all government dependent and all that crap. But we get back something like 92-93 cents for every dollar we send to the Feds. Kentucky, on the other hand, is a "red" state, trumpeting self-reliance and social conservatism and votes Republican - and iirc, they get $1.08 back for every $1 they send. So that delta is by something like 15% or so.
And you can really tell. Endless government construction projects (and/or the results thereof) everywhere. Every half-assed road to some half-assed town, every major arterial, they're all one step below Interstate specs - four-lane to eight-lane divided highways, just not completely limited-access. The kind of sprawl the encourages is revolting, too; you really do have to drive just about everywhere; pedestrians mostly don't seem to be thought of. There were no neighbourhoods I saw that I'd consider walkable; it's islands of houses connected by impassible highways. I would, in fact, estimate that Lexington has significantly more high-volume highways than Seattle does.
I mean seriously, what does Lexington, Kentucky need with several eight-lane divided highways?
(Also housing projects, massive government buildings (such as the new courthouse complex in Lexington which features - well, I'll get to that in a minute), and... well, you get the idea.)
6. The "art" installation in front of the new Lexington courthouse which looks exactly like a gallows frame. No lie. (I'm told that normally, there's water falling off it, and it doesn't look like that. But when I saw it? Gallows frame.)
7. The worst. talk. radio. I have ever. heard. And I've heard some bad talk radio. "It's not fear! It's contempt!" is the kind of thing that comes from this crowd. The worst part is that they didn't even seem to be very good at radio. There used to be a lot of well-done radio in Lexington. I didn't hear much of it this time. Maybe all the better talent was on holiday.
8. Truck commercials that actually just come out and say that if you don't fantasize about trucks, you aren't actually a man. Without irony. No, really. Kind of neat. It's the kind of thing that makes you think that whole fucking part of the country needs serious therapy.
9. Lots of ads for personal-injury lawyers and other ways to get money via lawsuits. No wonder they're so hopped up about tort reform. Also lots of Jesus ads, Jesus radio stations, Jesus billboards, and so on. And yet, there's plenty of (local talk radio) chatter about how oppressed Christians and social conservatives are. What the fuck?
10. UK students are behaving exactly like UW students w.r.t. brutal abuse of neighbourhoods around them. Our friend Scott E. had to sell his house and move for exactly the same reasons we did, complete with party riots (including overturned cars and the like), assaults, vandalism sprees, and everything else I've complained about here in the past. It started a couple of years after it got bad in our area. Local police were more responsive than police in our area, but UW's reaction was likewise the same: crackdown on alcohol on campus, establishment of the Bright Line of No Responsibility Whatsoever. Yay.
11. Irritated sane people telling me that they get told to their face that minourities (particularly immigrants, particularly Asian immigrants) aren't welcome for employment at firms. Women are okay, as long as they accept lower pay. They aren't the victims in this case, but their classmates are and they know about it firsthand. It's not that this is new; it's that it's pretty much overt now.
Southern culture isn't on the skids anymore; I think it's in farking free-fall.
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no subject
Date: 2004-12-31 09:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-31 09:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-31 01:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-31 02:47 pm (UTC)And Richard Hofstadter was writing about it back in the ’60s.
no subject
Date: 2004-12-31 09:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-31 02:31 pm (UTC)There are a few. They are tucked back and hidden away. They are going downhill in other ways. They are getting increasingly unsafe to walk in due to crime.
The area you mentioned that Scott had to move from used to be surprisingly walkable. (I lived in the area for a year or so.)
no subject
Date: 2004-12-31 07:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-31 04:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-31 07:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-31 11:47 pm (UTC)More info on Chaser, including a link to request a free sample. Essentially it's antacids & charcoal, two tablets can abosorb toxins from up to 6 drinks over 3 hours. FAQ specifies it does NOT absorb alcohol, just the related chemicals that cause hangovers, and repeatedly encourages responsible drinking.
Yeah, right.
no subject
Date: 2005-01-01 12:02 am (UTC)It's supposedly the world's tallest free-standing waterfall. When it's running, it reminds me of an oversized kiddie sprinkler at a water park.
There's a big round fountain in front of the other building, several rings of water jets that shoot up at different angles & heights, like a dancing waters thing without the music.
Is Kentucky in the South?
Date: 2005-01-01 05:24 pm (UTC)Florida is(or the part I lived in..central Florida, was,anyway) Redneck Central-KKK applications at the checkout counter at some convenience stores.Pitbull fights,beer cheaper than pop(at the time..1977,a 16 ounce can of Busch beer was 33 cents..a 12 ounce can of pop was 35 cents..),humongous rebel flags in front of a lot of stores,*every* store it seemed,sold cheap beer and wine.Kentucky doesn't hold a candle to it for redneckiferousness.
There's good talk radio? Other than the Art Bell show, which is entertaining in a National Enquirer sort of way,talk radio is something I have no use for.I once got a sermon for referring to "Dr. Laura" as "Dr. Laura Croft"..
Yeah, lots of ambulance chaser ads..the 'hangover pill"..I've seen these..I*think* they're a blend of activated carbon, vitamins,and a mild diuretic..either absorb the toxins,flush'em out,or both.
Cars..maybe it is a Southern thing, but you start thinking of how cool it will be to have a car at around age 12-a car is just..necessary."Big Iron"-classic cars from the '60's and'70's,are popular,as are trucks and SUVs. Mass transportation,here, isn't reliable or widespread enough..and there is a certain attitude towards mass transportation..that it's "lower" than having your own vehicle.With that said, Lexington did vote Lextran some extra bux-what this will do remains to be seen.I will admit that I would love to build one *powerhouse* car,something that*moves*..a small truck(Old Chevette!) with a Cadillac 472..the fun would be mostly in the building..cars that get 8 to12 MPG get pricy to drive.Not very practical.
As far as roads, Lexington has a lot of freight traffic..large numbers of semis and delivery trucks. That may account for the roads to some extent.
Walkable neighborhoods? They're still around. I ride my bike to work most days,and have pedestrian crossing lights the whole way. No "suicide crossings"....Scott
no subject
Date: 2005-01-03 04:52 pm (UTC)There were definitely more than that for our 6 a.m. flight, but it's still very amusing to arrive at Bluegrass airport after leaving DFW and transferring at O'Hare. :D
RE:
>3. Jesus billboards
>4. Radio ads for Chaser
>5a. No thought for pedestrians
>7. Bad talk radio
>8. Truck commercials
>9. Lots of ads for personal-injury lawyers and other ways to get money via lawsuits.
>9a. Also lots of Jesus ads, Jesus radio stations, Jesus billboards, and so on. And yet, there's plenty of (local talk radio) chatter about how oppressed Christians and social conservatives are. What the fuck?
Welcome to my world, ie. non-Austin Texas. :P Only like times 8 million, especially on the truck/SUV commercials. Oh, and plus:
>11. Irritated sane people telling me that they get told to their face that minourities (particularly immigrants, particularly Asian immigrants) aren't welcome for employment at firms.
I haven't run into these sane people yet. I'm still wading though the people that think such behavior is the only way to keep us "American."
Re: 6. The "art" installation in front of the new Lexington courthouse
I've seen it both on and off. Now that you mention it... gallows frame, eh? I can see that. Though I thought of it more as a giant magical doorway, ala The Last Battle from the Chronicles of Narnia. But I already know I have a sweet and innocent brain when I'm not being horribly kinky. :D
We had a great time on our trip, and it was great seeing you and Anna again. Greg is convinced he's met Anna somewhere before. Was she ever part of any UK groups?
no subject
Date: 2005-01-03 06:57 pm (UTC)...hm.
...please tell me he wasn't involved in SEDS/UK. And not FutureScience/One. Please no.