Hulver's site || Comments || Now I get it

exactly! by clock (4.00 / 4) #3 Mon Mar 24, 2008 at 03:03:20 PM EST

houston lacks identity and i'm not sure it will ever find it.

_{Clock is right. [nt] --vorheesleatherface}

[ Parent ]

I'm not sure this is entirely bad by riceowlguy (4.00 / 1) #6 Mon Mar 24, 2008 at 03:51:33 PM EST

It seems like no identity is better than New York's attitude, LA's shallowness or Chicago's bizzare politics.

[ Parent ]

at least one of those by sasquatchan (4.00 / 1) #7 Mon Mar 24, 2008 at 04:06:02 PM EST

has a winning sports team..

[ Parent ]

And you can drink at your desk! by Christopher Robin was Murdered (4.00 / 2) #8 Mon Mar 24, 2008 at 04:23:59 PM EST

Sounds like y'all have it all over backwaters like New York, LA, and Chicago.

[ Parent ]

The NY publishing business by georgeha (4.00 / 2) #9 Mon Mar 24, 2008 at 04:31:28 PM EST

isn't full of drunken proofreaders, cokehead fact checkers and editors with whiskey bottles in their desk drawers? Why do you crush our illusions?

[ Parent ]

You callin' Kellnerin a drunken cokehead? by Christopher Robin was Murdered (4.00 / 1) #18 Mon Mar 24, 2008 at 06:14:06 PM EST

For shame, Mr. Ha? I expected better of you. Well, not me. This is pretty much what I though you'd do. But somebody out there probably expected better and I'm certain you've really disappointed so-and-so so-and-so from wherever wherever.

[ Parent ]

: I thought she lived in Boston by georgeha (4.00 / 1) #20 Mon Mar 24, 2008 at 06:29:47 PM EST

[ Parent ]

I wasn't saying that by riceowlguy (2.00 / 0) #10 Mon Mar 24, 2008 at 04:33:08 PM EST

I just don't understand what "identity" means for a city, and why, as ammo claims, Houston will never have one, and just what that has to do with our newspaper being terrible at doing news.

[ Parent ]

Whoops by riceowlguy (2.00 / 0) #12 Mon Mar 24, 2008 at 04:43:18 PM EST

clock talked about 'identity', ammo talked about 'presence'. My bad. Both are pretty nebulous.

[ Parent ]

Nothing personal, but... by ammoniacal (2.00 / 0) #14 Mon Mar 24, 2008 at 04:54:09 PM EST

what I essentially meant was that I'd rather lose a gross of Houstons than lose one SF, Boston, or Memphis.

General rules are: All skirts no lower then [sic] two inches below the knee (unless it's for Church) --Travis Frey
[ Parent ]

: Anytime somebody says by riceowlguy (4.00 / 1) #16 Mon Mar 24, 2008 at 05:34:02 PM EST

"Nothing personal, but" or "No offense, but" you can be assured of one thing: somebody's about to be offended.

[ Parent ]

i guess my point is... by clock (4.00 / 1) #17 Mon Mar 24, 2008 at 05:55:21 PM EST

...when you (someone outside of TX) think of chicago, new york or LA you get a picture in your head. when you think of houston (if you were ever to think of houston because honestly, why would you?) you think "houston we have a problem."

as such, there's not much to rally around or to make you feel like you're someplace you belong. it's a feeling of generica that i guess doesn't work for me in a lot of ways. it isn't good or bad...it's just odd to think that such large city can exist without any sense of self or distinguishing characteristics.

stacky makes a good point: "imagine yourself in houston!" what does that conjure? probably nothing. it's just kinda sad.

_{Clock is right. [nt] --vorheesleatherface}

[ Parent ]

Y'all got that big ol' Budweiser plant. by chuckles (2.00 / 0) #19 Mon Mar 24, 2008 at 06:14:16 PM EST

We just have these dinky little microbreweries in the Pacific Northwest.

Skateboarding is a crime.

[ Parent ]

Oh it conjures plenty by blixco (4.00 / 1) #30 Tue Mar 25, 2008 at 10:45:12 AM EST

for those of us who grew up in west Texas.

Plenty. Humid, polluted, sprawling, yet home to NASA. I guess Florida wasn't swampy enough?

I don't really hate Houston, but I'd rather be here, where I can fool myself into thinking that we're different.
---------------------------------
"You bring the weasel, I'll bring the whiskey." - kellnerin
[ Parent ]

Food and music by riceowlguy (4.00 / 1) #32 Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 11:08:20 PM EST

If you're into food, especially food of a variety of cultures, this is a great place to be. It's all here, it's all good and it's mainly all pretty cheap. You can probably find a higher-quality example of any given cuisine in New York but it will cost twice as much or more.

If you're into live music that does not involve electric guitars, Houston is great. I get so pissed off whenever I hear people saying that the Houston music scene sucks. No, the Houston indie rock scene sucks. For classical music and theatre it's great. Again, better in New York but much more expensive. Plus, as somebody who is usually up on stage instead of in the audience, Houston has a unique (I suppose) circumstance of having a lot of high-quality performing groups which good amateurs can participate in, which receive a good amount of local attention. I imagine NY has nonprofessional choirs and such but it seems like they would be completely overshadowed by the pro organizations and it would also be impossible for them to have access to facilities.

Anyway, that and the fact that most of my friends live here keeps me here for the time being.

[ Parent ]

i agree by clock (2.00 / 0) #33 Fri Mar 28, 2008 at 07:53:23 AM EST

there are fantastic restaurants here (though we prefer cooking to eating out because we're weird like that) and in every community i've ever lived (from cleveland to NYC to nowhere, mn [population 200]) there have been groups of people who get together and perform because it's what we as a species seem to really enjoy. so i'd never argue that there's no scene and since every scene is unique, there's no point in saying one sucks without reference.

i simply think houston doesn't know what it is. and it's odd for me because it's the first city i've lived in that didn't have a sense of self. i may have posed it in a derogatory manner above but in all honesty i'm more fascinated and curious about it than anything else. it's very strange to me.

but in general, it's not really my city. we'll be here for a bit but not for the long haul.

_{Clock is right. [nt] --vorheesleatherface}

[ Parent ]

I've been meaning to ask by riceowlguy (2.00 / 0) #34 Fri Mar 28, 2008 at 11:01:32 AM EST

You've expressed in previous postings on this site that Houston isn't where you want to be long-term, because it doesn't fit in with the lifestyle you and Stacky want, and I've been meaning to ask what you meant by that. Certainly there are disadvantages for me there as well. I'd like to be less dependent on a car to get around. I'd like easier access to outdoor recreation. I'd like to be able to afford a house less than twenty miles away from where I work and play. Is it pretty much just that for you guys or are there other things?

[ Parent ]

pretty much dead on with all counts by clock (2.00 / 0) #35 Fri Mar 28, 2008 at 11:22:26 AM EST

we want less driving. we want more outdoor activities. we'd like more community activities (festivals, etc). and honestly? i want a dozen or more guitar shops in a 5 mile radius. and i'm big on places with the college town vibe. it's how i grew up. austin looks pretty good by those standards, not that it doesn't have it's down sides.

we're really on the green/minimalist living track right now and houston really isn't conducive to that.

also, i can't lie, the climate here is not at all my speed. the humidity alone is enough to destroy me.

_{Clock is right. [nt] --vorheesleatherface}

[ Parent ]

I try and tell myself by riceowlguy (2.00 / 0) #36 Fri Mar 28, 2008 at 11:37:07 AM EST

that the humidity is good for my skin (very few leathery-looking people around here) and good for my voice. Other than that...yeah. Give it a couple of years and you'll get used to it (or at least tired of complaining about it).

Houston is as conducive to minimalist living as you want. You can go live under a bridge by the bayou...burn trash and cook carp over it!

[ Parent ]

: mmm...carp! by clock (4.00 / 1) #37 Fri Mar 28, 2008 at 11:46:16 AM EST

um...or not!
yeah...i'll get tired of complaining about the heat one of these days...but not TODAY!

_{Clock is right. [nt] --vorheesleatherface}

[ Parent ]