Posts posted by royiv
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On 8/28/2025 at 7:07 PM, BevoAbyss said:Living the "Nightmare" of Nebraska
This summer, a long-time female friend (with benefits, fortunately) asked me to drive with her from DC to Tucson. She needed to spend time with her aging mom. I rented a car and drove back to East Coast.
-- In one of the football threads, I told what happened when we encountered two 70 year old Tennessee fans in an empty Starbucks outside Knoxville. Hilarious! "Them damn Longhorns!"
On the way back, I drove through Kansas and Nebraska for the first time. Flat and boring and corn for miles.
Stopped to gas up at a convenience store just outside a super tiny farm town on a two-lane highway in Corn Land. (I avoid interstates when possible or practical, just to pass through small towns and get the vibe.) Went inside to use the rest room and grab a snack.
After pouring a soft drink from fountain and turning to look for a snack, a middle-aged (45 or so) lady who worked at the store said in a nice perky voice:
“How are you doing, sir? Can I help you find anything?”
— She had on tons of make-up, but was trying her best to dress and look contemporary and of this era. I mean this as a compliment. She was legit trying to look good while working in a convenience store, probably for not much more than minimum wage. She has enough pride and sense of self-worth to dress nice for a freaking convenience store. I respect that! Maybe she was the manager, or it is part-time second job, who knows.
Me: “No thanks. I am getting some jerky. How are you today?
Lady: “Oh, I’m living the dream!”
Me: “That’s nice. So I assume this is a small farming community."
Her: “Yes, this is what we do.”
Me: “Is that the dream?
Her: “Well, some people say dreams can be nightmares.”
— This came totally out of nowhere! Her perky manner disappeared. She was being introspective and her voice reeked of desperation. She suddenly looked very sad.
Me: “A nightmare... Really?” I was legit surprised.
Her: “Well, it’s not all its cracked up to be here.”
Me: “Sounds bad. Can you exit the nightmare?”
Her: “I gotta son here in high school. Wouldn’t know where to go.”
Me: “Well, ma’am, I am very sorry you feel trapped in a nightmare. I wish you the best and I hope you can get out with your son. Ya know, some people say America is becoming a nightmare and want to leave. Most of the people is this state voted for the nightmare.”
This line surprised her, her eyes kinda bugged out and she arched her eyebrows -- like she had never heard it.
Her: “Sir, can I ask where are you from?” With an exclamation!
Me: “A big city…. a very big city.”
Her: “I knew it!”
[ Let me qualify this. When I walk in a small town America stores or restaurants, local people can tell I ain’t no farmer, rancher, redneck, local, small town dude, family man, corporate clone, etc. They can tell I am from a big city and fucking cosmopolitan. I’ve aged, but I’m 6’0, slender, weigh what I weighed in grad school, exercised since high school. I am always in Levis that fit snug with a great cotton or linen shirt and sleek shades, graying hair combed back, cool ankle boots or cowboy boots (no Lucchese corporate conservative BS) of some kind. That’s it.
Her: “Wow, can I ask which one?
Me: “Lived in several big cities. Maybe you try a big city within a day’s drive like Kansas City or Dallas.”
Her: “Oh, I don’t know about living in big cities.”
Me: Well, if this is a nightmare, then maybe look for a larger city that might be less a nightmare, with more economic and cultural opportunity”
It looked as if she tried to smile, while her eyes wanted to cry.
Her: “I guess I got some thinking to do….”
Me: “Ma’am I gotta go. Best of luck. I’d say get the hell out of here!”
Postscript:
I feel genuinely sorry for her. I imagine she will never leave the nightmare. Her intuitive common sense tells her something is fucked up in Corn State, but does not really know what to do because her station in life. The big city seems like a glittering temptation, but a temptation too far.
I wonder how many others in red state sense they are living in a nightmare in MAGA world.
Oh, and fuck the Cornhuskers.
Weirdest Dear Penthouse I’ve ever read.
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8 hours ago, HookEm said:
3/4 of the students at Arkansas are from Texas. As such, Fayetteville is very Texan friendly in my experience. My daughter goes to school there.
There whole area hits above its weight with quality of restaurants. On the downside, there are no nice hotels that I’m aware of. We always end up at the Hyatt Place (which is decent as far as that chain goes).
Geraldi’s is probably my favorite place to eat. Right by campus and legit Italian. Atlas is a good high end spot downtown. Giusinger Cocktail Club is a great cocktail bar on the main square. Buttered Biscuit is a good breakfast. Wood Stone pizza is a nice local pizza chain.
I could easily retire up there. Prices are reasonable and it is beautiful. We need nonstop flights from Austin.Not in Fayetteville, but the 21c Hotel in Bentonville is nice and it’s a nice walk from there to Crystal Bridges.
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13 minutes ago, texashorne said:
I live in DFW and had a work meeting come up in Houston at 9 AM tomorrow. I elected to drive rather than fly because I'll need to get to a specific office in Houston and dont want to Uber to and from, especially from as I dont know when the meeting will end. I want my own car while there.
The high speed train wont take you to the specific place you need to go in the respective cities. You will have to figure out transportation when you arrive making many people like myself just continue to take a personal car.
Counterpoint: I despise driving on 45. Give me a HSR option and I’ll take it every single time. Uber can take care of the final mile transportation. To me, time spent staring at a windshield is completely wasted time.
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54 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:
UTD got a huge boost early on from TI and TI founders, who wanted a school to work-study TI employees. They offered to do the same for SMU, but SMU declined, seeing itself as a liberal arts and business school. So its beginnings were different from most of the other UT "satellite" schools.
Yeah, I fund an endowed scholarship with my name on it at UTD. I’m well aware of its history.
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18 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:
While the UT system isn't up to UC standards, there are a few options where a good education is possible. UT-Arlington, UT-Dallas, and UT-San Antonio all have their good points.
UTD is on a different plane than Arlington and San Antonio. If the state had any sense, it would be plowing a whole lot more money into that campus, but absent that, what they’ve done on that campus in the last 20 years is pretty remarkable.
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1 hour ago, mchookem said:
i mean it's pretty fucking obvious that many if not most of these 'federal agents' are straight off the streets - makeshift uniforms, personal vehicles, their physical fitness, the way they carry themselves, the language they're using, the trigger-happy reactions, etc etc etc... not like actual existing LEOs are that much better, but these are so clearly untrained thugs straight off the street. just incredible.
I understand the point you’re making here, but you’re giving “actual existing LEOs” too much credit. Have you not witnessed what the law enforcement community has devolved into over the past few decades? It’s just a bunch of fat pigs in tacticool gear.
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European River Cruises
in Food and Travel
How old are you? My parents love Viking and go on several a year. From the descriptions they have given over the years, it sounds like the service is exceptional and Viking does a fantastic job providing a luxury experience. That said, they are in their late 70’s and say they’re usually about the median age on the boat.