In a comparitive sense, superlative
This time last week, I was on my way to the airport to catch a flight for a long weekend trip to Massachusetts..Amherst and Boston. What a difference a few hours make in the view you take of your existence! In that spirit, a few comparisons between Akron and Amherst/Boston..
1. The place - Akron is/was the rubber capital of the world, famous for Goodyear, Firestone and their ilk. Amherst is famous for Emily Dickinson and her ilk, Boston - well, a couple of tiddly educational institutions like MIT and Harvard, that's all.
2. The scenery - New England Fall colors is realllllly something everyone's got to see. Green, Red, Yellow and every imaginable hue in between everywhere you go. In Akron, you need to haul yourself out of the ghetto to a park or trail about 20 minutes away to see it in true splendor, but I admit, nature finds a showcase even in other places..so not so bad then.
3. The people - Hmmm..here's an interesting one. The phrase "Boston Brahmins" (refering to the intellectual/financial elite of the country) seems to be well-deserved. The people I met at least, joke about String theory and nuclear physics with respect to Gujrati food (I AM NOT KIDDING!), have Dickinson and books with strange names like "Einstein's Dreams" for bathroom reading materials, and have, on average, at least one PhD. One woman I met had a PhD, two post-docs and a distinguished career spanning UCLA, MIT, etc. etc.
4. The clientele in bars - This is a favorite of mine. In Akron, you use "Happy Hour" or "Power Hour - Dollar Drinks" to draw the crowds in..In Harvard Square, you use "Trivia Quiz - 7 to 9 p.m." to draw those crowds in!
I am not even going to talk about the accent and average per capita income or crime or even political affiliation (though I was sorely tempted to), because I am not msn.com.
In case I sound bitter, it's because I probably am for now. The grass is always greener on the other side, especially if it is orange, maroon, yellow and green, and if you see it with people you love and admire, for a few short days so that you don't tire of it easily.
I am glad we humans have this power of comparison, it makes us appreciate our lives and our opportunities and grab every chance we can get to make more comparisons to our lives and opportunities!
1. The place - Akron is/was the rubber capital of the world, famous for Goodyear, Firestone and their ilk. Amherst is famous for Emily Dickinson and her ilk, Boston - well, a couple of tiddly educational institutions like MIT and Harvard, that's all.
2. The scenery - New England Fall colors is realllllly something everyone's got to see. Green, Red, Yellow and every imaginable hue in between everywhere you go. In Akron, you need to haul yourself out of the ghetto to a park or trail about 20 minutes away to see it in true splendor, but I admit, nature finds a showcase even in other places..so not so bad then.
3. The people - Hmmm..here's an interesting one. The phrase "Boston Brahmins" (refering to the intellectual/financial elite of the country) seems to be well-deserved. The people I met at least, joke about String theory and nuclear physics with respect to Gujrati food (I AM NOT KIDDING!), have Dickinson and books with strange names like "Einstein's Dreams" for bathroom reading materials, and have, on average, at least one PhD. One woman I met had a PhD, two post-docs and a distinguished career spanning UCLA, MIT, etc. etc.
4. The clientele in bars - This is a favorite of mine. In Akron, you use "Happy Hour" or "Power Hour - Dollar Drinks" to draw the crowds in..In Harvard Square, you use "Trivia Quiz - 7 to 9 p.m." to draw those crowds in!
I am not even going to talk about the accent and average per capita income or crime or even political affiliation (though I was sorely tempted to), because I am not msn.com.
In case I sound bitter, it's because I probably am for now. The grass is always greener on the other side, especially if it is orange, maroon, yellow and green, and if you see it with people you love and admire, for a few short days so that you don't tire of it easily.
I am glad we humans have this power of comparison, it makes us appreciate our lives and our opportunities and grab every chance we can get to make more comparisons to our lives and opportunities!
posted by RTD2 at 9:02 AM
1 Comments:
There never will be parity in the quality of people/things/life in all places around the world. In fact, you won't see it from one block to another. That's why an average India might have heard the name Harvard, but not Akron :-) But that's ok. You know now that it can only get better for you.
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