Posts by Susan Clark10

Just out of curiosity, why did your travel companions back out after they had already bought their tickets? 😁

Kyle Jackson54 said:If my memory serves me right, those shows out in Small Town, USA and Spencer were priced under $67, and that was about it. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I’d say that definitely falls within an affordable range.

So Dinosaur Jr. would also count ($50), even though you mentioned they "don't really fit the bill." Plus, Sonic Youth were only 25 bucks when they played in New York City—that's just $60, which puts them squarely in the affordable category 😁

Yeah, it’s a lot, but honestly, back when I was a student, I would’ve much rather paid $67 to see Sonic Youth—they mean so much more to me, and who knows, maybe they'll finally tour the US one day—than waste money on three or four random bands I found on MySpace just because it happened to be Friday 🙂

And look, I don't think the local arts council is the only "institution" that should be responsible for hosting "big" concerts, but I’d much prefer it if the shows I actually attended were organized by them. Besides, this promoter from New York City has put on Einstürzende Neubauten, Jon Spencer, and all sorts of high-caliber acts, and they aren't some "commercial powerhouse" or a massive corporation. Plus, we're living in a capitalist society 😁

Kyle Jackson54 said:It’s not that I wouldn’t pay $67, it’s just that it feels totally out of sync with everything else they do for it to be priced that high under their management. If some other big shot stepped up to organize it, you'd see me there in a heartbeat.

To me, that sounds a little hypocritical...

I mean, if back when I was 19, my boyfriend had brought Sonic Youth to town for $67, I definitely wouldn't have been thinking, "Oh look, these guys from SC have sold out, they aren't staying true to their roots, they're just ripping off poor students..." Instead, I would have been absolutely thrilled that I didn't have to trek through Europe or sleep in train stations just to spend way more than $67.

Kyle Jackson54 said:The real issue is that shows where tickets go for over $100 or $120—or even $50 (you know, those big ones hitting $200 and up)—are clearly high-end commercial productions. SC shouldn't be an institution focused on profit-driven spectacles; its whole purpose should be providing affordable culture.

Exactly. That’s why we ended up having to see highly commercial Dinosaur Jr. at that absolute disaster of a Boogaloo venue instead of $50😁

Chloe Wilson11 is a great friend, but I can't get behind 😬

Honestly, if I were just a broke college student who couldn't afford to travel for shows, I'd be way more devastated by missing out on seeing a band like Fleet Foxes than I would be feeling bad about $83* paying 🤷

At the end of the day, you're still handing those $83 over to some other promoter, so what’s really the difference?

* though, let's be real, I wouldn't pay a dime for Fleet Foxes 😁

Zachary Bishop82 said:Taking a detour through places like Verona or Philadelphia, or even just veering off the planned route, is considered totally unfeasible.

I hope you all miss the traffic jam on the beltway 😈 😁

Actually, I think Charleston or Boston are about the same distance from Bologna where those two bands are playing 😁

Oh man, could you just leave me in Charleston or Boston? I’d much rather catch a different concert there! 😬

Does anyone know how much the transport costs?

Yeah, nenin cappuccino 👍

Look, I'm sure there are some luxury condos and pricey apartments over there, but based on everything I just laid out—and I totally forgot to mention that dive bar near Utla 😬—there is absolutely no way anyone could convince me that Martinovka is a classy neighborhood. 🙂

BTW, you probably remember it... what was the name of that old-school pub on the corner right after school? The one where everyone used to go back in the '90s to listen to old-school rock from the America days? My brain is just blanking and I can't for the life of me recall the name...

Honestly, you’ve even got a house with deer antlers decorating it—that looks exactly like the kind of place I’d want to live! 😠 😁

Robin Rodriguez5 said:Elite? Have you actually stepped foot inside those apartments? We're talking two-story units, averaging about 1,300 square feet, each with its own garage, and just a three-minute walk from Grand Central Terminal.

No need—my place is nearly 1,800 square feet and sits just ten seconds away from the town square.😁

And besides, it isn't just about the apartments; it’s about the neighborhood too. I don't see what could possibly be considered "elite" about Martinville. Those crumbling sidewalks that look like they might fall apart at any second? The unpaved side streets? That eyesore of a park/plaza? There isn't a single major retailer nearby, just tiny corner convenience stores. Any actual office buildings? Not really. 🤷

Ethan Cook81 said:I don't live in Chicago, but I feel like Martinville might be the winner here... honestly, I love it.

Well, considering where you are, Martinville is definitely top-tier.😁 😛

😘

I'm honestly pretty shocked that Zero lives in such an unrefined neighborhood 😬

rustyskipper7 said:I haven't seen this much trash being thrown around even in the parlaonica...
I don't want to exhaust anyone with my personal opinions, so I’ll just tell you the truth about what happened in my life and let you draw your own conclusions.

My mother has schizophrenia.
Basically, I grew up living with a schizophrenic...
It was like this: my parents were constantly fighting, the house was always a mess, and the whole atmosphere was chaotic, unhealthy, and incredibly tense.

Every three or four years, my mother would end up at a psychiatric facility in Queens. When she was actually home, she’d smoke three packs of cigarettes a day, drink three liters of coffee, and just stare blankly at a single spot on the wall; she was so heavily medicated that she couldn't even move.

There was no joy in our house, no guests—people actively avoided us. And then there were those times when she would get some new fixed idea and cause total mayhem (for example, when I was 12, she somehow convinced her father to kill my dog because he was getting "too much attention"—WTF?!—or she'd fall in love with some stranger from work and demand a divorce, even though the poor guy had no idea who she was. There are books about that kind of thing, but I won't bore you with it...

People with schizophrenia can't be "cured"; they can only enter remission. That happens when they finally become conscious enough to realize the absolute nonsense and misery they've inflicted on their loved ones, so they feel guilty and try to make amends. But honestly, that just leaves you feeling even more bitter, because you can't even hate them properly when they're acting like that.

The bottom line is that given the situation at home, I started using drugs at 16. All that chaos resulted in my father—who originally entered the marriage as a completely normal, healthy, and cheerful man—losing his mind. He ended up institutionalized in Queens with a diagnosis of PTSD and personality changes, etc.

When he came back from the facility, he was a different person. His eyes were somewhat vacant, and he basically stopped giving a damn about anything. Within two months, he found a woman about twenty years younger than him (he was around 50, she was about 25) and divorced my mother.
He found me a job out on an island (we're from New York City), drove me to the bus station, gave me the money for my ticket (I was 18 at the time), and said, "That's it. You've finished school, you're an adult, you have a job. Fight for yourself... Bye."

He moved away from New York City, has two little girls with his new wife who are already in third grade, and lives a relatively nice, normal, and peaceful life. So, in a way, it's a happy ending for him...
So, I guess that's how you handle being the spouse of someone with schizophrenia...

Unfortunately, this is all true. I haven't written everything down; to give you a real picture, it would take me a week...
I'm 29 now. If you're interested in seeing what kind of person a child turns into after growing up in an environment like that, or if you want to know what happened next with my mother, let me know and I'll write it (I don't want to bother you if you aren't interested).....

Such a heavy story. 😢

I'm wondering, when your father first got married, did he realize your mom was ill? Or were the symptoms just not showing up that clearly back then?

And given your username, I really hope you aren't "abusing" Subabus! 😢

hiddenhawk3 said:Right, because you'd just spot an alcoholic or a junkie instantly, I guess.😉
You've got some kind of radar.😁

And what about smokers?🤷 That's an addiction too, I suppose.😁
Or adrenaline junkies, sex addicts, chocolate lovers...😉
Masochists, sadists...🤷
Gold diggers...
Women who don't want kids...😲

Yeah, and? Even if you don't catch immediately that someone is using drugs—though I doubt that would happen often—you'd probably figure it out after being in a relationship long enough, seeing the track marks or catching them crashing in some sketchy part of town. If it doesn't bother you, great, you can go join them 😁. But if it does, you just walk away. People leave each other over much smaller things; it's really not that deep
.
And if we're going to play the relativism game, I wouldn't date a guy weighing 450 lbs because I'm not into overweight men. Nor would I be with anyone shorter than me, since I don't like short guys. And honestly, I couldn't care less if that counts as "discrimination"
.
As for that last point, I'm a woman who doesn't want children. Any man who wants kids has every right in the world to not marry me. I don't think he's discriminating against me by choosing someone else 🙄.

Oh, one more thing—for example, I’m not religious. I wouldn't marry someone who is an active practitioner, like someone who prays every single day, attends church regularly, and wants to raise their kids in the faith. To me, those things just wouldn't align with my own worldview, and I wouldn't be able to accept them.

So, does that count as discrimination? Maybe. But honestly, I would find it perfectly clear and acceptable if someone chose not to date me because I wouldn't want a church wedding, wouldn't want to baptize any children, or simply don't live by religious principles. I wouldn't feel discriminated against at all in that situation.

Roger Rodriguez said:Honestly, if I had the choice, I’d much rather be with someone managing schizophrenia than someone battling an incurable, terminal illness that can't be controlled with medication. It makes me wonder: why are people so adamant about avoiding relationships with those struggling with mental health issues? Is it the fear of the responsibility, like making sure they stay on their meds, or is there a deeper fear of being harmed? After all, you don't need a diagnosis to hurt someone, do you?

This is such an interesting topic. 🙂

To be honest, I know very little about mental illness, and I don't actually know anyone with a diagnosed condition (well, maybe I do, but I wouldn't know because they never told me or I didn't notice).

Since my knowledge is pretty limited, I really wouldn't know how to react if that person suddenly experienced paranoia, hallucinations, an episode... or even a more severe manifestation of their condition.

There would also be a certain level of fear present—fear that they might hurt themselves, or that they might hurt me.

I once had a college classmate that I was quite close with during our studies, though we eventually lost touch. Back at school, he seemed completely "normal"—not a single sign of unusual behavior. Then, I ran into him one evening downtown while I was heading to a coffee shop. I asked if he wanted to join me, and even right there on the street, it felt a little off because he barely even acknowledged me. He stayed silent all the way to the cafe, and once we sat down, he didn't say a word. It wasn't even an "awkward silence" type of thing; he was just staring blankly ahead. I kept talking, trying desperately to find common ground, and I felt terrible because I could tell something was wrong, but I had no idea how to handle him. 😢

Later on, I found out he actually did struggle with mental health issues and was seeing a psychiatrist. It shocked me, mostly because he wasn't the same person I knew back in college, but what shocked me most was that I didn't know how to act toward him. Should I pity him? Should I pretend I didn't notice? I just felt like he was physically there, but spiritually so absent that it was as if he didn't even know where he was or who he was with—it was like he didn't recognize me. 🤷

I have to admit, I think it would be incredibly difficult for me to be in a relationship with someone like that. I'm just not used to dealing with such extreme shifts in behavior, and I honestly can't imagine what a relationship would look like if my partner was constantly shutting down like that or how we would even communicate.

It's true that those of us who don't know much about mental illness tend to mystify it (perhaps unnecessarily), but I don't think anyone should be attacked for their stance on this.

For instance, I wouldn't date an alcoholic or a drug addict, or even someone who just smokes weed, because those are dealbreakers for me. Is that considered discrimination? And how many of you would date someone struggling with addiction? Addiction is a disease too, even if it isn't categorized the same way as a mental illness, but it is still a disease.

It’s not an insult, just a suggestion 🤷