Tired of New York

One of the things that bothers me is that so many of the ideas and advice columns and styles and all of these other things that drive and shape the society that I live in come from New York.

Even at work, what we do in air traffic control more often than not is driven by and supports the New York market.

But I'm listening to a book by an author that goes and tells stories at Moth events in New York City. And he talks about all the things that you see in New York City. And all the people that you can meet in New York City.

Bah! I'm disgusted. Who do they think they are up there that they drive the entire society? Or at least try to? Right down here where I live is where my life happens. And while yeah there are artists and people and things that emanated out from the New York City market there's a lot around me that emanated from right here.

I grew up in Florida. Central Florida. North of Orlando and south of I-10. South of Gainesville. You get the idea. We were right in the middle of the state. And when I was going to middle school and high school I grew up in this area. Most of the people that I grew up around were either from Central Florida or from the Northeast, more often than not somewhere in the state of New York.

This mix of people that I grew up with caused me to not have a southern accent except when I said y'all. And whenever I would go to training classes or events with my employer the people from around the country could never please me because I didn't have the southern accent that most people from Georgia have.

But so much of what we do is dictated to us by these people that live all smooshed together and get on each other's nerves and walk around trying to impress each other with being so different from each other that it disgusts me. I'm saddened that these people that I will never know that move around in the city that is infested with rats and all the dirty things that come with humans living in close proximity with each other. It's just disappointing that they drive so much of what I have to deal with. And what I do. And how I think. And what I have to react to

Although on that subject of learning that I don't have to react any of that at all. I choose what I react to more often than not as I get older. In the past, dripping hormones out of my pores. I would react almost everything. Someone would pull up beside me at a traffic light and I would react to it but revving my engine zooming ahead of them in my full-size station wagon that my parents had me driving around them because that's the only car they could let me use. I would react to people looking at me funny but brushing my hair back to make sure that I wasn't looking bad. As I get older none of that stuff really matters and I just drive were a wanton goal the speed that matches the traffic around me for the most part and I really don't care if I look bad or not. I still care how I look but I'm not driven by all they might think less of me because I look different from them. I found my own style in my own methodology for getting from here to there. And I enjoy it!

I'm tired of the big cities driving and dictating what I and the others around me have access to.

Book fair sign

I had a happy memory come up today.

As I was driving to see my youngest son sing the national anthem a cappella before the last football game of the season and walk on senior night with him and sit in the cold with my mom and my wife watch him doing his band thing I drove by the elementary school he and my other children went to. And in the archway where kids are dropped off every morning and picked up every afternoon they had the "book fair" sign out there.

The book fair was always an exciting time for our children. They always came home and wanted to buy books. They wanted to buy the new whatever series of books they were in. I always wanted to do it in every grade in the elementary school. My wife would read to them or they would read to themselves as they got older. It was always so much fun and so exciting to see that sign.

I don't remember seeing that sign when I was growing up. I do remember getting to go to the library and check books out and what a joy it was to actually buy books and get to read them over and over. But it was fun seeing that sign today. It was fun to feel that thrill of excitement that people will be buying books and reading them and having fun with them and hopefully reading to their children instead of just parking their children in their bedroom with a book in the phone. Such a wonderful time!

I love books! And I love happy happy memories like that!