(no subject)

[bedlamsbard]

"This is your heritage -- corn and beef, hard work and cowtipping, pickups and chainsaws. You have lived here in the center of the state and the corner of the nation."

Faculty speech at commencement last year.

Comments

[mentalhygiene.livejournal.com]

No offense, but that does sound ...

kind of ominous.

...I assume it was meant to be a compliment to the graduating class?

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

It does, a bit, but it's - it's true, in sort of a way. You know how Coffey talks about the Iron Range guys in BoW? It's pretty much that, only with more cows and less freezing temperatures. Not much less freezing temps - yeah, you know what's fun? Going to school and hearing on the radio, "the temperature is 0 degrees, or 1 degree" - but it's pretty much true. I know people that grow corn, people that raise beef. Everyone I know does hard work at least one segment of the year. Most people own pickups (including us...it will hopefully be mine someday), and chainsaws? Those things are frickin' noisy, but we got 'em.

I just don't actually know anyone that's gone cowtipping.

*cheerfully* Sounds cool, though.

[mentalhygiene.livejournal.com]

Not much less freezing temps - yeah, you know what's fun? Going to school and hearing on the radio, "the temperature is 0 degrees, or 1 degree" - but it's pretty much true.
I think worse is going to school hearing warnings on the radio not to be out for more than X minutes because you might end up with frostbite of exposed extremities. That's the kinda weather where the snot's freezing in your nostrils and you have an asthma attack the minute you inhale.

But yes, your point.

I know people that grow corn, people that raise beef. Everyone I know does hard work at least one segment of the year. Most people own pickups (including us...it will hopefully be mine someday), and chainsaws? Those things are frickin' noisy, but we got 'em.

*nod* There are certainly parts of Mass-- and definitely of northern New England, especially Maine-- where agriculture is part of the lifestyle, and pickups and chainsaws are necessary equipment due to weather patterns and well, it's pretty fuckin' rural up there. Hell, snowmobiles are almost required in some places because the roads aren't going to be plowed, or the roads are dirt. I just meant, and I'm taking it out of context, it almost sounds like: this is who you are and you won't be anything else *ever*. But that sounds kinda... mean. *shifty look*

*cheerfully* Sounds cool, though.
They can't get back up without help. :( Their bodyweight can crush their organs, I think. Something like that.

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

I think worse is going to school hearing warnings on the radio not to be out for more than X minutes because you might end up with frostbite of exposed extremities. That's the kinda weather where the snot's freezing in your nostrils and you have an asthma attack the minute you inhale.

*flinch* Ow. Thank God we get to go in during football games if it's under 32 degrees, 'cause the instruments freeze and that is BAD. And apparently, if it gets cold, then your reed explodes. *is worried*

*nod* There are certainly parts of Mass-- and definitely of northern New England, especially Maine-- where agriculture is part of the lifestyle, and pickups and chainsaws are necessary equipment due to weather patterns and well, it's pretty fuckin' rural up there. Hell, snowmobiles are almost required in some places because the roads aren't going to be plowed, or the roads are dirt. I just meant, and I'm taking it out of context, it almost sounds like: this is who you are and you won't be anything else *ever*. But that sounds kinda... mean. *shifty look*

Hmm. It does, I guess. I don't remember the context either; I pulled it out of my yearbook. I suppose a lot of people will go into the family business here; take a look at the Fair roster sometime and, well, Ellensburg kids, with the cows and the horses and the pigs and the showmanship. It's not as much a farming/ranching community as that quote makes it out to be, but it could be, and I think it might have been in the past.

They can't get back up without help. :( Their bodyweight can crush their organs, I think. Something like that.

*blink* *wonders what people will say at my graduation - "thank god they're leaving."*

[mentalhygiene.livejournal.com]

*flinch* Ow. Thank God we get to go in during football games if it's under 32 degrees, 'cause the instruments freeze and that is BAD. And apparently, if it gets cold, then your reed explodes. *is worried*

The key is that instruments cost more than children. ;-) *ahem* It can get extremely cold in New England; especially in January. Deep-freeze. Like, so cold that it has to *warm up* to snow. Below zero. Double-digits below zero, in fact. Of course, my family comes from places where "cold" is consistently defined at sub-zero levels. I'm pretty sure your instruments would just kind of shrivel up and surrender to their maker by then.

It's not as much a farming/ranching community as that quote makes it out to be, but it could be, and I think it might have been in the past.

*nod* I'm pretty sure it must've been; I mean, looking at a map, rail lines run through it, right? So there'd have been exports of beef and corn to the surrounding areas. There had to have been an industry before the university.

...yes, I had urban geography today.

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

The key is that instruments cost more than children. ;-) *ahem* It can get extremely cold in New England; especially in January. Deep-freeze. Like, so cold that it has to *warm up* to snow. Below zero. Double-digits below zero, in fact. Of course, my family comes from places where "cold" is consistently defined at sub-zero levels. I'm pretty sure your instruments would just kind of shrivel up and surrender to their maker by then.

Oh, here too. It was pretty much at the point where it's 32 below and you're going, "Yay warm!" and being very happy that the new-fangled high school was all indoors. *pets saxophone* What else is fun? Freezing rain. Where school's cancelled (on what was already a three day weekend), but we still have to play the basketball game. Wah.

*nod* I'm pretty sure it must've been; I mean, looking at a map, rail lines run through it, right? So there'd have been exports of beef and corn to the surrounding areas. There had to have been an industry before the university.

Yeah, rail lines. Big hay export industry today - the cows moved out a couple years after we moved in. There used to be a whole bunch of them, and they moved them away. We still have beef industry down at an individual level - families, indvidual 4-H and FFA people. Some corn industry, too, mostly local, and the bigger stuff goes as feed. You drive down my road, there's corn fields on one side, cows on the other, hay just 'round the corner, and my wee two-room elementary school down the way.

Plus, the University? Used to be Washington State Normal School. Or Central Washington Normal School, or something with normal school in it.

[mentalhygiene.livejournal.com]

Oh, here too. It was pretty much at the point where it's 32 below and you're going, "Yay warm!" and being very happy that the new-fangled high school was all indoors.

I'm only just realizing how totally completely *fucked* I'm going to be working hawker in winter. *woe*. It gets cold. I tell you. Of course, you'd know exactly what I'm talking about, since standing outside for six and a half hours.

You drive down my road, there's corn fields on one side, cows on the other, hay just 'round the corner, and my wee two-room elementary school down the way.

Your road on the map looks rather odd, actually. I mean... I know it looks different if one was *on* it, but it's this great big loop. With nothing surrounding it. And it's all the same road. But you expect it not to be.

Plus, the University? Used to be Washington State Normal School. Or Central Washington Normal School, or something with normal school in it.
Dude. Teacher's college. ... why the hell are teachers colleges so often situated in like, the fuck of nowhere?

...they just wanted all the single women out of the cities, didn't they. *blinks*.

Farmington (UMF) and Salem used to be state normal schools as well; I am told that Farmington's bookshop once sold T-shirts declaring "WE USED TO BE NORMAL".

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

I'm only just realizing how totally completely *fucked* I'm going to be working hawker in winter. *woe*. It gets cold. I tell you. Of course, you'd know exactly what I'm talking about, since standing outside for six and a half hours.

*shivers* Thank God football season's over in November. Although you know, when we moved into the new school in January...they hadn't yet gotten the heaters working. So it was freezing cold. Literally. As in, the water pipe over the band room broke and flooded the band room with 4 or 5000 gallons of water. My sax was on the floor! First week back at school too, my God.

Your road on the map looks rather odd, actually. I mean... I know it looks different if one was *on* it, but it's this great big loop. With nothing surrounding it. And it's all the same road. But you expect it not to be.

Heh. Yeah, Riverbottom is a loop, only not actually a loop, just a U, because...Umptanum? Manastash? run across it. The road I was talking aobut was...I think it's Umptanum. I think. Could be Manastash. Probaly Umptanum. I'm outside town limits, so...actually, there pretty much is nothing surrounding it.

Dude. Teacher's college. ... why the hell are teachers colleges so often situated in like, the fuck of nowhere?

...they just wanted all the single women out of the cities, didn't they. *blinks*.

Heh. Probably. Better for us, though. *grin*

Farmington (UMF) and Salem used to be state normal schools as well; I am told that Farmington's bookshop once sold T-shirts declaring "WE USED TO BE NORMAL".

*sporfle* *wants* Man, why doesn't Jerrol's sell something like that?