A Black Hole of Happiness - Page 232

Tyrone Slothrop · 07-20-2007, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Pretty Little Flower
Interesting. I live in the city, and my commute times are short, but can vary widely from a percentage-of-total-commute standpoint, based on highway traffic, or construction on city streets. The western suburbs are popular places to go to get more house for your money and a good school district, and the people who live there claim they are not much farther than, say, South Minneapolis. For example, I have a friend who lives in Plymouth, and she always gave me an as-the-crow-flies distance to Minneapolis from her house. But when she worked downtown, she had to deal with 394 traffic, which can be a bear, even with the sane lane. But I suppose if you lived in certain parts of southeast Minneapolis, you could also be relatively close to downtwon mile-wise, but still have a long commute due to the lack of reliable highways in that area. I suppose the addition of light rail has eased that problem, though. I am less familiar with commuting issues relating to St. Paul, but I have a friend who commutes all the way from Afton, which is a serious hike, but he has a lead foot, and it is a straight shot down 94. So I guess people's commuting experiences can really vary, even if you are closer to the city.

Do you mean to suggest that people's commuting times are not directly proportional to the distance from their house to their place of work as the crow flies? That's absolutely incredible.

ltl/fb · 07-20-2007, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by barely_legal
How about boiled peanuts?

That does not sound bad to me, but I don't recall.

bold_n_brazen · 07-20-2007, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
Do you mean to suggest that people's commuting times are not directly proportional to the distance from their house to their place of work as the crow flies? That's absolutely incredible.

No one flies on crows anymore.

ThurgreedMarshall · 07-20-2007, 02:09 PM

So, I just ran across this article about a woman allegedly posing as a lawyer so she can have sex with inmates. Have we discussed this?

http://www.examiner.com/a-695629~Wom...as_lawyer.html

TM

greatwhitenorthchick · 07-20-2007, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Pretty Little Flower
This morning, I hit a huge pothole on the way to work. Then my cell phone lost reception right as I was picking up a message from a client from last night! Got into work and found out that my secretary is out sick. Later, I was opening my mail -- paper cut! Only in Minneapolis, I tell you. It takes a special breed to survive the gritty urban jungle nestled in the northern plains.

Yesterday, I went on a date and had to take the subway to get there. I got on the wrong train and ended up in Brooklyn because I wasn't paying attention. So I was late. Only in New York!

greatwhitenorthchick · 07-20-2007, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ThurgreedMarshall
So, I just ran across this article about a woman allegedly posing as a lawyer so she can have sex with inmates. Have we discussed this?

http://www.examiner.com/a-695629~Wom...as_lawyer.html

TM

I wonder if she posts here!

Tyrone Slothrop · 07-20-2007, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Pretty Little Flower
This morning, I hit a huge pothole on the way to work. Then my cell phone lost reception right as I was picking up a message from a client from last night! Got into work and found out that my secretary is out sick. Later, I was opening my mail -- paper cut! Only in Minneapolis, I tell you. It takes a special breed to survive the gritty urban jungle nestled in the northern plains.

Did anyone put you in a corral? I think of that as a frequent occurrence on the northern plains.

ltl/fb · 07-20-2007, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ThurgreedMarshall
So, I just ran across this article about a woman allegedly posing as a lawyer so she can have sex with inmates. Have we discussed this?

http://www.examiner.com/a-695629~Wom...as_lawyer.html

TM

I was intrigued by the inmateS, but it turns out it was just one guy. He was probably her boyfriend. How dull.

bold_n_brazen · 07-20-2007, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ThurgreedMarshall
So, I just ran across this article about a woman allegedly posing as a lawyer so she can have sex with inmates. Have we discussed this?

http://www.examiner.com/a-695629~Wom...as_lawyer.html

TM

You know, my wallet was stolen a week or so ago. I wasn't much worried about anything beyond my credit cards and driver's license.

Then my boyfriend worried about what would happen if someone tried to scuba dive using my c-card.

And now, I have to worry about someone using my bar cards to get laid.

bold_n_brazen · 07-20-2007, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
Did anyone put you in a corral? I think of that as a frequent occurrence on the northern plains.

Nobody puts Baby in a corner.

ltl/fb · 07-20-2007, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bold_n_brazen
Nobody puts Baby in a corner.

She's like the wind through my tree.

ThurgreedMarshall · 07-20-2007, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Pretty Little Flower
I am fairly certain that New York is not the only place in the world that people are set upon each day by series of incredibly banal and extremely minor annoyances. I am sure that someone in San Francisco had a mass transit delay this morning. And somehwere in Topeka, someone was not satisfied with the service they got at Starbucks. A homeless person followed someone, to that person's annoyance, right here in Minneapolis this morning. And pouty co-workers plagued offices nationwide today. The only difference between New York and these other places is that only in New York was there someone so delusional to think that these petty little problems could only happen to someone in New York.

I'm sorry, but I've stood by while you guys rip TCoTU a new one again and again. I can take that. It's part of being a big time New Yorker, who is automatically more important than anyone who lives outside this wonderful city. But I will not stand idly by while you lump that silly bitch in with the rest of us. We all voted and she is not a New Yorker. It was unanimous. We gave her back to Boston since even New Jersey refused to take her on.

TM

Tyrone Slothrop · 07-20-2007, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bold_n_brazen
No one flies on crows anymore.

I've neither read a Harry Potter book nor seen a Harry Potter movie, so I sometimes embarrass myself in this way.

ThurgreedMarshall · 07-20-2007, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bold_n_brazen
No one flies on crows anymore.

They get distracted by corn and scared off course by men in overalls.

TM

Pretty Little Flower · 07-20-2007, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ThurgreedMarshall
Sometimes it takes me 15 minutes to get to work. Other times it takes me 20. So, I know what you mean.

TM

Exactly. That is a 33.33% increase (or a 25% decrease - depending on which is the "normal" commute time). Either way, the difference when expressed as a percentage-of-total-commute is just staggering.