tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341308729189935273.post3987483638442559799..comments2023-09-10T06:49:28.959-04:00Comments on The Unbearable Banishment: The way other people liveThe Unbearable Banishmenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05704208968630911021noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341308729189935273.post-69828909054476556942010-11-07T14:05:25.545-05:002010-11-07T14:05:25.545-05:00You're just *trying* to make me jealous, aren&...You're just *trying* to make me jealous, aren't you?!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341308729189935273.post-54590399473688564312010-11-07T07:48:31.096-05:002010-11-07T07:48:31.096-05:00Don't drop by here very often but I liked this...Don't drop by here very often but I liked this, so I'm glad I did today. A good book on the joys of unemployment, if you are so inclined, is <i>Mr Philips</i> by John Lanchester.Mr London Streethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05141191628680903646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341308729189935273.post-47223874534656484862010-11-06T13:25:57.388-04:002010-11-06T13:25:57.388-04:00Oh I don't hang my hopes on a lottery win at a...Oh I don't hang my hopes on a lottery win at all. I still sock away money for retirement and all that. But I <i>do</i> buy tickets... just in case, you know. You can't win if you don't buy a ticket! I'd be happy with enough to pay off my debts...<br /><br />And it is <b>never</b> wrong to want more of those kinds of moments.Ponita in Real Lifehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06886875733169389887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341308729189935273.post-8772806208209289502010-11-06T09:44:34.547-04:002010-11-06T09:44:34.547-04:00Pat: That's true, actually. You could put me i...Pat: That's true, actually. You could put me in a room with a piece of string and I'd find a way to have fun with it.<br /><br />Ellie: I'm becoming quite adept with the cell phone camera, if you don't mind my saying so.<br /><br />Savannah: Here's what I've surmised; money can't buy happiness but do you know what it does buy? FREEDOM.<br /><br />ZM: The first time I laid eyes on NYC I thought, "eewwww" and "more, please."The Unbearable Banishmenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05704208968630911021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341308729189935273.post-18242286819688913222010-11-05T23:21:50.901-04:002010-11-05T23:21:50.901-04:00You and NYC are perfect together; humble enough to...You and NYC are perfect together; humble enough to be thankful yet spectacular in every way.Zen Mamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02150722039049104796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341308729189935273.post-43606929120119845982010-11-05T22:17:11.165-04:002010-11-05T22:17:11.165-04:00i read this shortly after you posted it. the MITM ...i read this shortly after you posted it. the MITM read it after i told him about it. we've discussed this entry a few times since. you know what? we are in total agreement with you AND still want to know when and HOW we'll get to really live that life! we also live in hope and continue to work our strange day jobs! xoxoxoxosavannahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04310843901371718758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341308729189935273.post-36897074169360706322010-11-05T16:46:20.678-04:002010-11-05T16:46:20.678-04:00i love the foto of the waitress!i love the foto of the waitress!Elliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09130776138284979286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341308729189935273.post-20395096087760723102010-11-05T06:32:28.628-04:002010-11-05T06:32:28.628-04:00I think you would probably find some richness even...I think you would probably find some richness even if you lived in Ramsbottom. It's all in the beholder.<br />BTW I shall never feel the same about plums and custard:)Pathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01529798893653033970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341308729189935273.post-83999819932897654532010-11-05T06:13:32.221-04:002010-11-05T06:13:32.221-04:00Lori: I don't have very many regrets about my ...Lori: I don't have very many regrets about my life's decisions. None, actually! But it would have been nice to do something that afforded me more freedom. I followed the money trail, unfortunately.<br /><br />MIT: I *am* pretty lucky! At least I get these frozen moments to enjoy. But is it wrong for me to want many, many more of them?<br /><br />Nurse: That's exactly what's so great about Hopper. He is the master of sunlight on a windowpane.The Unbearable Banishmenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05704208968630911021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341308729189935273.post-23059896995500303092010-11-05T03:26:42.974-04:002010-11-05T03:26:42.974-04:00I'm not a huge fan of Hopper but I like the wa...I'm not a huge fan of Hopper but I like the way he paints light. I'd probably like him more if I had the opportunity to see hos works in person. One day.....nursemyrahttp://nursemyra.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341308729189935273.post-63909938835821961422010-11-05T01:40:02.689-04:002010-11-05T01:40:02.689-04:00I love things like this! That golden moment that y...I love things like this! That golden moment that you cannot hold, but whose memory is tucked inside your heart, to think about again and again.<br />I think you're a lucky man.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341308729189935273.post-16759517239679423722010-11-04T22:45:43.845-04:002010-11-04T22:45:43.845-04:00Love this post UB. For me, I'm feeling the old...Love this post UB. For me, I'm feeling the old 'if I only knew then what I know now' thing a lot these days - before I allowed myself to be sucked into the system - the path we are expected to follow. Marriage, mortgage, kids, all the trappings of a middle class consumer. Love my husband, love my kids, but what a different route I would take with regards to home ownership, etc, if i could do another take. I love to escape for a few moments each day into the wonderful world of the city that you show us in your blog. The lure of career and conformity is so powerful. I hope my kids will better understand the value of time and experience and not become pawns of the system.<br />Thanks for all your great insights.Lorihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03068853853820975087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341308729189935273.post-43576915822358989492010-11-04T21:28:12.093-04:002010-11-04T21:28:12.093-04:00HIF: Thanks. I've worked for an hour on posts ...HIF: Thanks. I've worked for an hour on posts that weren't half as good and this only took about :15 minutes. Why is that?<br /><br />PG: No offense to any family or friends but I lived alone for 10+ years and really loved every second of it. I was never lonely.<br /><br />Gnu: Thanks. I suppose the desires I expressed are the exact same things that everyone wants.The Unbearable Banishmenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05704208968630911021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341308729189935273.post-26463004954470442702010-11-04T21:09:30.137-04:002010-11-04T21:09:30.137-04:00wonderful post. and, yeah, would like to live the...wonderful post. and, yeah, would like to live the lifestyle without cares and worries about money. <br /><br />now where's that lottery ticket? they're about to announce the winning numbers...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341308729189935273.post-87158677621691923112010-11-04T18:07:07.459-04:002010-11-04T18:07:07.459-04:00It's a cliche I know, but that sounds like a t...It's a cliche I know, but that sounds like a truly magical moment.<br /><br />This post resonates. I hope you won't sneer at me for being a spoilt princess, but I found that 4years studying at university on a grant completely ruined me for buckling down to work in order to pay the bills...not that I would ever cite that as a reason for not giving students grants.<br /><br />Similarly, I'm finding that 4 years living alone are making it really difficult to go back to living with someone... <br /><br />Lovely post, thanks for sharing in a way that brings it alive.Pueblo girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04904318623281033442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341308729189935273.post-31205123286055339082010-11-04T14:38:19.814-04:002010-11-04T14:38:19.814-04:00Nice post, UB.Nice post, UB.Here In Franklinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249969885696185864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341308729189935273.post-88564691772447369522010-11-04T13:15:17.496-04:002010-11-04T13:15:17.496-04:00Eryl: I suppose you're right and my life is ri...Eryl: I suppose you're right and my life is richer for having this sort of thing in it, but it is torturous in some regards. Glad to hear you're a Carver fan. <i>Cathedral</i> is one of his best.<br /><br />TB: Boy, stumble is the right word for it. I only feel clarity when I'm walking outside my office.<br /><br />Ponita: The fact that museums are empty on Tuesdays was one of the first things I discovered when I was laid off. The lottery? Not bloody likely. I play craps and like to fancy myself as a student of the odds. Hanging your hopes on the lottery is an act of desperation.The Unbearable Banishmenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05704208968630911021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341308729189935273.post-49758025056531652412010-11-04T12:52:39.806-04:002010-11-04T12:52:39.806-04:00Because I work shift work, and because my commute ...Because I work shift work, and because my commute is at most 25 minutes one way, and I am not quite fulltime, I have been privy to the wonders of the Dayworld for quite a number of years. I would not change that for anything! I love being able to do what I want in the middle of a week day, to avoid the traffic, avoid the Saturday shopping crush at the grocery store. And to go places (like museums, galleries, etc.) when there are only a few people about.<br /><br />I wish there was a way you could continue to explore that universe... without having to think about money to feed The Daughters and Mrs Wife, etc. A lottery win, perhaps?Ponita in Real Lifehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06886875733169389887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341308729189935273.post-81595227834126004582010-11-04T09:39:07.289-04:002010-11-04T09:39:07.289-04:00When you are free to see and hear you are able to ...When you are free to see and hear you are able to treasure the many joys we usually miss as we stumble through our days. Especially the weary workers.CiCihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08615265608675467505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341308729189935273.post-189947666981362642010-11-04T09:30:54.966-04:002010-11-04T09:30:54.966-04:00Your bistro lunch sounds about as good a break as ...Your bistro lunch sounds about as good a break as it's possible to have. It's got to be better to know this stuff, at least then you have the <i>possibility</i> of experiencing it again. Maybe when your kids are grown up and your mortgage is paid off you'll be able to adapt your life to accommodate more good stuff. And even if you never manage it, at least you'll be able to show your kids that there is an alternative to the relentless grind of hog raising before it's too late for them. <br /><br />I don't know Hopper's work at all. I've seen the odd thing in a magazine but am pretty sure I've never seen an actual original painting of his, and at the moment there is no chance of me doing so, maybe one day though. Meanwhile I'll dust off <i>Cathedral</i>.Erylhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06008344023000459577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341308729189935273.post-28509671744293535142010-11-04T08:55:50.647-04:002010-11-04T08:55:50.647-04:00SF: Thanks for the good luck wishes but it's n...SF: Thanks for the good luck wishes but it's never going to happen. That's just the reality of the situation. Something tells me I'm not alone.<br /><br />Kono: At this juncture in my life, long-term unemployment would never work for me. I've got little kids. Plus, I like to take in a play every now and then and there's also that rare book monkey on my back.The Unbearable Banishmenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05704208968630911021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341308729189935273.post-36140080031883857642010-11-04T08:46:30.117-04:002010-11-04T08:46:30.117-04:00I was unemployed for almost 15 months (before and ...I was unemployed for almost 15 months (before and after 9/11), and what you speak of is spot on, i kinda always knew it, felt like Henry Miller bumming around my city, sitting on the stoop reading my paper and listening to birds in the sunlight while all the people shuffled off to work, it's living without the yoke and it's glorious.Konohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13865029570865495659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341308729189935273.post-45154905874984829242010-11-04T08:00:16.669-04:002010-11-04T08:00:16.669-04:00I desire that life, to wander around until the cof...I desire that life, to wander around until the coffin lid is nailed shut. Unfortunately I have chosen to be a cog in the big wheel. My fav days are when I take a sick day and just dotter around with a camera and no agenda. It's amazing the cool life around us when we open our eyes. Good luck..Sausagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14563985186537460358noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341308729189935273.post-29151912783718773882010-11-04T07:31:06.802-04:002010-11-04T07:31:06.802-04:00Nutty: I can appreciate the country and I'm su...Nutty: I can appreciate the country and I'm sure where you're living right now is quite beautiful. But, for me, nothing beats a city. Nothing.<br /><br />Daisy: It practically killed me to get up and go back to work. Is it better to not know about this stuff or is it better taste it and have to leave it behind?The Unbearable Banishmenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05704208968630911021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341308729189935273.post-47554627532369537862010-11-04T07:14:09.839-04:002010-11-04T07:14:09.839-04:00lovely tale, extremely well told. would have love...lovely tale, extremely well told. would have loved to have spent the afternoon there... thanks for sharing your love of the city. this one may be my favorite yet.daisyfaehttp://daisyfae.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.com