Comments on: home, i love it but…

By: gewillia

gewillia — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:21:19 +0000

Joe Clyde,
I live in Lubbock as of a month ago. I love the thunderstorms of West Texas, and friendly old people. There are many things I wish were different. I wish there was good public transportation, I wish there was a train system connecting the cities of Texas and that people would use it, I wish people recycled and didn’t think that being environmentally minded is akin to madness.
We just returned from North Eastern Uganda (Karamoja). I loved the silent evenings (save gunfire), I loved sunsets that take your breath away, and children that beam amidst hardships. I wished there was equality, and justice for the impoverished, the crippled, the widows and much more. I wished enough people had food and that there was less fighting and death.
(But home was originally Tahoka!)
Peace,
Georgia

By: Casey

Casey — Tue, 13 May 2008 17:31:20 +0000

I live in Brooklyn, New York, in a neighborhood called Kensington. I love that I get to live in what Wikipedia says is the most ethnically diverse neighborhood in the United States. I love my 24 hour fruit stand/supermarket with the best and cheapest trail mix ever. I love the trees that do indeed grow in Brooklyn. I love the convenience of public transportation, and that fact that I have no idea how much gas costs.

I hate weekend transit construction, the smell of the City in the summer, the very visible inequalities in housing. And the fact that on my daily commute, we must continually defy all laws of physics to fit just one more person on the train.

By: Elaine

Elaine — Tue, 13 May 2008 02:26:57 +0000

Lucky me, I live in Lubbock, TX. I love the fact that I can drive to work in 5 minutes. I love the days when the wind is not blowing. I like the fact that my parents are 27 miles away in Tahoka, TX. Joe Clyde, I worked with you at the Thriftway grocery store in Tahoka. My parents are Robert and Shirley Draper. I come to your blog often and I have followed the stories of your beautiful family. I am inspired by you on many different levels. Just wanted to say Hey from West Texas.

By: NakiainSTL

NakiainSTL — Sat, 10 May 2008 12:51:47 +0000

I’m in St. Louis. This is the place I was born and raised (except for 6 years when we moved to Searcy, AR, so that my mom could go to Harding). All of my family lives here. We have one of the greatest zoos here, and it’s FREE; it’s right across from a great art museum that’s also free. The Science Center, which is also cool, is FREE. The Magic House is a fantastic place for kids, and it’s getting bigger and better as the years go by; it’s not free, but still very cool.

I like that St. Louis is a big enough city where you still get to see great concerts and Broadway touring shows without driving for hours, but there are also lots of “towny” festivals and activities that go on that gives it the Small Town, America feel.

I like seeing the leaves change colors in the fall, and the first snowfall in winter. I like seeing the plants bloom in spring.

I like that this is the only place that I know of where no matter how old you are, the question “Where did you go to high school?” (Affton) is one of the first questions asked when meeting someone new. Which also leads me to the main thing I DON’T like about St. Louis: most parts of the city/county are still pretty segregated, by socio-economics, races, or culture.

By: Irene

Irene — Fri, 09 May 2008 18:14:20 +0000

I live with Philip. He pretty much said it all, I really love the seasons here. It was a totally new experience to feel a re-awakening of sorts when the trees and bushes began to blossom. I hadn’t realized how tired I was of winter. That said, we really enjoyed the winter, too. Wish we had had a little more snow. Also, there are INFINTELY more opportunities here for kids with special needs. INFINTE. People here though, not too big on small talk, chatting, etc… I miss those Southern pleasantries where at least a person will pretend to care about your family or whatever you’re talking about rather than just cut you off.

By: kate

kate — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:30:38 +0000

I live in Warwick, NY.

I love that we live where we can buy produce from local farms. I love that my children see horses, cows, and alpacas whenever we go somewhere in the car. I love that we have so many wonderful parks and trails for our children to grow up exploring. I love that we are can see mountains out our bedroom window. I love that we can walk to our quaint little village post office, shops, and restaurants. I love that our town is close enough to NYC that we can still go to church in Manhattan and experience all the city has to offer whenever we want. I love that every other person I meet in my neighborhood is NYFD, NYPD, or a teacher. I love that our town is active in preserving land, buying local, enriching education, and supporting the arts. I love that my daughters already have a sense of being part of this local community. I love that my husband can drive just 10 minutes to get to paddle around in his canoe. I love the ice cream I can get made at the local creamery - and love how my daughter calls it The Ice Cream House.

We have several petting farms in the area - I’m not a fan. I hate our taxes. I hate that local restaurants and shops charge city prices. I am not fond of our library - and hope that the new one they are building is better - though it’s costing us in the aforementioned taxes. I wish our town was more diverse.

By: Teresa

Teresa — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:28:54 +0000

I have lived in Little Rock, Ark for 29 years. It holds alot of memories for our family even though we are not originally from Arkansas. We spent our honeymoon night here by accident (thank you Elvis for dying the week of our wedding in Memphis and having all hotel rooms sold out!!). One day short of two years later we moved here for my husband’s first teaching job. Our sons, now 28 & 23, were both born here. We have made life long friends here. Our sons graduated from Harding University which is only 60 minutes up the road. Our first grandson was born here in the same hospital as his dad was born.I have worked at LR Central High School for 17 years which has brought a unique experience to my life by working at a very historical place. I have come to love the differences of others by working with such diversity. It has helped me become a more compassionate and less judgemental person. My childhood was mostly spent with people like me which caused me to misunderstand and judge others. I love have one state rallies around “the Razorbacks”!!! It has been interesting living in a city where a president lived. Little Rock became connected with the rest of the world during that time. I love the beauty of the fall and spring seasons, lakes and mountains. It is correctly named the “Natural State”.
I do not like living so far away from extended family(Tennessee and Florida). The heat of Arkansas’ summers can be unbearable at times. I dislike the stereotype people outside of Arkansas have of Arkansans. I dislike the publicity Arkansas received because of poor choices of a president.

By: Lucas Pauls

Lucas Pauls — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:24:13 +0000

I live in Jackson Heights, Queens.

I love that every race, nationality, and religion can be seen from my apartment building. I love that all of the many, varied, and trully authentic foods from around the world can be delivered to my door at almost anytime of the day. I love that I can be at the aiport in 10 minutes and fly just as easily to London as I can to Los Angeles (I never do this though). I love that I just discovered a park system close to my home in which I can run 26 miles without leaving its confines or retracing my steps. I love that I just discovered this last weekend after 6 years in this city (and that there is always more to learn and explore). I love that I have world class museums, theatres, and restaurants at my fingertips. I love that I live 1 mile from the Mets and the US Open. I love that I am 30 and have never owned a car. I love the historic architecture in my neighborhood. I love the neighborhood Sunday dinner parties, yoga classes, and my coffee shop where I am often greeted by name.

I hate car alarms. I hate litter that spoils too many sidewalks, subway platforms, and whatever else (especially plastic bags that get caught in tree branches). And I hate the E train platform at the Lexington Avenue stop on a sweltering summer day. This awful but I don’t like riding the subway as schools let out. The middle school kids are so loud.

By: Little Light

Little Light — Fri, 09 May 2008 13:09:25 +0000

I live in Manhattan, NYC.

I love that I can walk under an overpass on First Avenue in the 60s and see a scraping in the sidewalk that says Joe (Heart)’s Laura.

By: Catherine

Catherine — Fri, 09 May 2008 13:06:32 +0000

We live on a family farm in Mississippi.

I love that my yard alone contains most all of what people take their kids to the “park” to see…ponds, geese, lots of room to run and play fetch with the dog. I love that I can come home in the afternoon and take my kids on a hike through the woods by just climbing over the back fence. I love that I live on land that has provided my family their livelihood for years and years.

I wish sometimes that the grocery store and the YMCA and the movie theatre were just down on the corner rather than 20 miles away, but I suppose that very thing is what allows me to have all the things that I mentioned above that I love…so maybe I don’t wish that after all.