Perth's Stupid, Pointless Thread
 

Just jumping on the bandwagon.

Candyass bitch. :)

Thanks Syc, I was starting to feel left out. :)

Is this where I can start to talk about my boots? Not magic boots. My old child sized Vietnam surplus boots I got in '76. What in the world were they doing, making child sized jungle combat boots back in '76. I mean, the whole $$$ footwear thing didn't exist then. These were real US combat boots. Sized for a third grade boy. Why? Did they take draftees that were that small?

This thread is for anything you want it to be for. :)

Shut up Perth, you've had your turn. Glatt, tell me more about these boots?

These were boots that I got at an army surplus store when I was 9 years old. Back in '76. There were a lot of surplus army jungle boots back then because the war just ended. These were the real thing, and the soles were even a little worn. They were jungle boots, with the canvas uppers, the leather bottom, and the lug sole. I got them as hiking boots. They worked pretty well.

The weird thing is that I was a kid. Did the US Army have really short soldiers in Vietnam? I would think that there would be some sort of height requirement. Or were these for actual kids serving in the South Vietnamese army?

I've always wondered a little about these boots, and who wore them before me. I used them to hike across the Grand Canyon with my Dad and older brother.

I have no idea Glatt, but it reminded me of when I was a child.

This would have been maybe 3rd grade, around 1976. I grew up in a pretty rural area, small school. When we went out for recess we (boys my age) would line up and sign out Vietnam style US helmets to play war.

These to my knowledge were real, we loved playing "army". I think I turned out ok in spite of it, I even got spanked for interfering with the girls throw up a ball can anyone catch it game?

So I'm thinking I got a fairly equal dose of aggression and feminisom (sp?). There wasn't a non-white face in our circles those days so I probably need some remedial conditioning.

The next time you interupt girls playing with balls, you might get shot.;)

Ain't that the truth Bruce....course what if they are my balls?

And as a followup, I got suspended, also in third grade....for...wait for it...

Standing up on the bus. ;-(

I'm sure you did something beyond standing up...you HAD to.

Since this is a pointless thread .....a totally pointless question popped fully formed into my head this evening....as I was walking up the long and winding very steep cobbled lane ...Did Americans ever use cobblestones in their towns? *slight shrug *

Some of the older streets here in Philadelphia still have them.

Long stretch of Germantown Ave still has them and I refuse to drive on it. I swear I chipped a tooth last time.

A lot of the urban areas here in Portugal are still cobbled, it is quite traditional and noisey or a pain when they start to lift. Still they are pretty

Sorry, but no. I didn't even know how to be bad then. You WILL NOT STAND UP ON THE SCHOOLBUS I did understand. The kid next to me gave me a piece of trash, I sort of leaned over and threw it towards the back at a cardboard box....

And for what it's worth, I didn't really stand up, sorta half twisted and tossed, also I wasn't actually seen half standing, a girl next to me went up and tattled.

So I sort of stood, didn't get caught, got busted anyway, and paid the time. It didn't make me bitter (I was 8), but got a real good lesson about fairness.

In junior high I got sent to the principal's office for calling a girl a cow.

Not because "cow" is so offensive (and actually I did it in a much more nerdy way, insinuating that her genetics were half bovine or something), but because I found out later that her parents had complained to the school that she was getting targeted by hurtful students. Which was funny, since everyone knew SHE was a bully.

But I digress. Thing is, I was in the student council at the time, and was therefore in the principal's office all the time on official business, so they assumed that's what I was there for this time too. They had me run a few errands and sent me back to class. That was the only referral I ever got.

I took my kid to see Shrek 2 tonight. And we ate at Chick-fil-a.

That sounds like a good time, Perth. I don't think we have chick-fil-as around here anymore.:(

Perth, how was Shrek 2?

I've seen reviews that say it sucks, and reviews that say it's better than the original, which I thought was pretty good.

What was your take?

Worth a rental?

I eat at Chick-Fil-A on occasion--there's one in the food court over at Liberty Place.

I liked it better than the first. The plot was flimsy and really just there to provide a base for the jokes, but I expected that. The animation was great and the jokes were riotous. So as long as you don't expect "fine cinema" you'll probably enjoy it.

Chick-fil-a rocks, but this was the first time Jamey's "kid's meal" contained anything that wasn't bible-related. Which was nice.

We had a helluva great time last night.

What exactly is a Chick-fil-a??

Fast food joint. Has fried crispy chicken breast patties. And other chicken stuff. Not anywhere near as greasy as KFC. They are really yummy, but the sandwiches are a little bland, in my opinion.

I agree...nothing a little mayo can't fix though.

Heh. I had a similar experience. Bitch had bullied me ( including the whole turn all the other girls against me and the boys'll follow trick) for about 2 and a half years. She came over to where me and my best friend were sitting ( another outcast i had by this time hooked up with) in the art block....and started in on the usual crap. I have no idea what happened in my head but I finally snapped and pasted her in the middle of our art class. The art teacher tried to break us up and I was told ( though dont remember doing it) that I belted her one when she tried

Normally, I take SEPTA's R7 train to work. But yesterday, due to my hours and the train schedule, I took the R3. And it was a rather nice ride...more pleasant and scenic than the R7. It's not something I would do on a regular though--you have to pay for parking at the R3 station I drove to, and it takes 15 minutes to drive over there. Parking is free at the R7 station I go to, and it takes 5 minutes to drive over there.

I was trying to figure out how to get from Scranton to D.C. on public transportation once. Seemed simple. Take a bus from Scranton to Philly, then get on a train to D.C.

The hard part was trying to figure out how to get from the bus station in Philly to the train station in Philly. I could find them both on a map, and see that they were both in the same area. But a little longer than you would want to walk with luggage. There was some sort of light rail or subway that connected them, but it took much longer than needed to figure out that system.

I've used public transportaion all over the world, but the system in Philly was not clear to an outsider. Your SEPTA R7/R3 story reminds me of that.

When I visited London, I ended up using expensive cabs because I couldn't figure out the public transportation system to save my life. We took a train from London to Stratford-on-Avon, which was a lot of fun, but it was all arranged by our travel agent.

I try to avoid public transit whenever possible.

Out by you, it's not so bad. Regional rail is decent. Subway, El and city buses all bite the big one.

I use the train once per year, and that's to go from Norristown to Manyunk for the bike race ... driving and parking for the event SUCKS ASS to the point that I am willing to walk a mile STRAIGHT UP A FUCKING KILLER HILL to my friend's house (He lives on The Wall, has a party every year). I've missed it the last couple years, and am hoping my schedule works out to go this year.

I don't know how people live in some parts of that area, specifically some of the small streets off Manayunk Ave. Super steep hills, super narrow streets...eek!

I use public transportation almost 500 times a year. Walking to and from subway stations 4 times a day keeps me fit as a fiddle. I probably walk 3-4 miles total each day as I commute.

I always had this notion that people who live out in the country get lots of excercise. I never noticed when I was a kid, visiting my granparents out in the country, that they never ran around in the woods like we did. Now when I visit my mother in law in the country, I realize there is no place to take a walk. It's all farmers' fields and narrow two lane roads with speeding cars. We eat and sit on the couch. I think city dwellars are more fit than country and suburb dwellars as a result.

I use it almost every day, and generally don't mind it. Especially since I switched from taking a bus and the El to a regional rail train.

I decided to drive today though. Paid $23.50 like a big retard and parked in the garage across the street from my office.

Glatt, I see you're in NoVA...orange, blue or yellow line? When I first moved there, I lived about 4 blocks from Clarendon.

Absolutely. I live in the country and stay with the BF in the city regularly. I walk far more in the city because we get everywhere by public transport there, but here at home I use the car and the farthest I ever walk is to the gate ...

(edited to remove unnecessary ])

Sycamore,
They have garages where you can pay 23.50 to park for a day?! The only place I ever had to do that was at a downtown hospital when my wife had our daughter.

I've lived at various stops on the Orange line for the last 15 years. It's a nice place to live. The METRO gets really crowded though. Some trains, you just have to let go by because there isn't enough room to squeeze on. It's changed a lot in the last 15 years that way.

Now that I think about it, I didn't see a whole lot of parking available in downtown DC. I think it cost me $8 a day to park in downtown Bethesda (used to work just off Wisconsin Ave.).

I work in the heart of Center City Philadelphia--lots of garages down here. I believe the garage I park at is the most expensive one in the area--$23.50 for up to 12 hours. I'm a complete 'tard for doing it, but it's incredibly convenient (I walk out the door, across the street, go up an elevator and there's my car).

I enjoyed my time in Arlington...nice little place. I was only staying there temporarily though, and Rho and I couldn't afford it over there when we got our own place (wound up moving to a complex near the West Hyattsville green line station). I never had any problems getting on at Clarendon, but the transfers to the red line at Metro Center were a real son-of-a-bitch.

I grew up in DC, near a Red Line stop, and had no need for a car until after college, for the commute.

When I was in Junior High School, there was a baskeball game during the middle of the school day, where the faculty played the school team. It was a pretty cool idea, because we got to miss some classes, and talk up the rivalry a little before the game. A welcome diversion. We always loved assemblies.

The whole 8th grade was sitting in the bleachers, watching the game, when some little troublemaker threw something out onto the court. All play immediately stopped, while they cleaned up the mess. I felt some of the stuff hit me too, sitting in the stand. So I reached down and saw some dried split peas sitting on the stand next to me. I picked a few up and showed them to my friend sitting next to me.

One of the teachers, down on the court, saw me holding "something" and passing it to my friend. So he called me down to the floor and told me to bring whatever was in my hand. In front of my entire grade, he started accusing me of throwing this stuff down on the gym floor and ruining the assembly for everyone. I denied it, but he didn't believe me. Fortunately, one of my regular teachers, who knew me, saw this going on and intervened. I didn't get in trouble after all. I learned a little lesson about fairness that day too.

The government drafted anyone that was still breathing during the war. As to your boots, the US supplied the ARVN Forces (Vietnamese good-guys) with uniforms and weapons and they all tended to be short, thin and about a hundred pounds or so. (Tough little fuckers, though) Maybe you got a set of boots produced for the Army/Republic of Viet Nam

The people on the steep streets (Levering/Lyceum aka "The Wall") sometimes deal with it by paying for parking rights on one of the lateral streets. I don't understand how they get anywhere in the wintertime, though, especially with Philadelphia's tendency toward bad ice storms.

You can tell a kid's from Manyunk because his downhill leg is longer than his uphill leg.