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[LeaflameSD]

i live in the suburbs

[Chocofreak13]

@stew: you win, sorry i assumed otherwise. at the very least, i know somewhat how you've lived. i'm just happy i wasn't in canada in the winter.

curious, though, if you could find that sort of environment here, would you move here?

[stewartsage]

I like New England.  I just don't want to live in Boston or it's suburbs.

[Chocofreak13]

Breaking News: Almost Everything Within 100 Miles of Boston is its Suburb

jk, but "suburb of Boston" is a touch hard to define. maybe you could live in the woods in Vermont or Maine (i recommend Maine -w- ).

[stewartsage]

I like Springfield.  Apparently no one else does.

[Nichi]

But, Brad Jones and Homer Simpson seem to like it in Springfield
I had to say it -w-;

[Bella]

I like Springfield.  Apparently no one else does.

Full disclosure: I """know""" one person from Springfield. Old work acquaintance of my dad (not friends, mind you). He lives with his family out in a cabin in the woods, owns 40 guns or so, complained a lot about the government and the country "going to hell" because of the terrors of liberalism and African Americans in the White House and acted annoyed and confused when my dad voiced support for Barack Obama and social welfare programs. I was around him for ... maybe an hour. Once. Four years ago.

Any impressions I have of western Mass as being po-dunk and yokel-y are probably 100% off the mark since he's the only exposure I've had to the place. (And, well, I've met rednecks from Boston as well, unlikely as that may seem.)

[Chocofreak13]

Springfield is an odd town around these parts in that it is, quite literally, a town with a "wrong side of the tracks". one side is upper-middle-class and quite nice and exactly what you would expect from a New England town, quiet and peaceful and all that. then you cross the railroad tracks and everything is EXTREMELY poor. like, Lynn level poor. the houses are in disrepair and the streets are cracked, and drugs are dealt while welfare moms push strollers full of 4 children at once.

the latter half of the last sentence may be slight exaggeration, since i have no first-hand experience of that. but from what i recall most of the town's employment is either at a nearby prison (once again, cannot completely confirm) or at the Six Flags franchise in town. so depending on where you live in town, i'll come visit. they have a nice armoury, too. :000

[Simonorged]

Womens choice?
Kill the boy right?

Troll post I hope.

[Chocofreak13]

that'd BETTER be a troll post.

see, i'd say it is one, but i never doubt the idiocy of others.

[Nichi]

Indeed. One of those things that falls under Poe's Law :\

[Nichi]

Pardon the double post, or if I'm even in the right topic for this, but honestly I seek some feedback on my current situation:

So, my plans for moving out have been delayed; there's really no way for me to quickly get the obscene amount of money I need together quickly enough to get out of here. I honestly hate my job at Wal-Mart more than you can possibly imagine; my coworkers are great, but there's too much bullshit with customers and behind-the-scenes stuff to make it worthwhile (I didn't even get a break yesterday; I was already tired from my previous job in the morning and I was left with the only coworker whom doesn't have access to the special scanner to figure out where stuff goes, when we have to put out a fuckton of new items quickly. Factor in that I haven't had anything to eat since breakfast, and you have a clear idea of how I felt that day). Also, said job is conflicting with my job at Pizza Hut; Wal-Mart wants to be top priority because they're "more important", while my boss at Pizza Hut "never agreed" to working around my Wal-Mart schedule; making this a giant headache that makes it feel like I'm about to get fired from the job I do like and be forever trapped at the one that makes me hate myself every waking moment I'm in that building.

Unfortunately, I was referred by my former boss from Gamestop; whom is working at Wal-Mart now in a different department. I really don't want to burn him by leaving without some reasoning that actually sounds good, but honestly I'm starting to wonder if maybe that's my best bet at this point; I simply cannot handle all the bullshit I have to deal with, at home and at work. I have been told I can transfer to another department in 6 months...but there's no way I can last that long. Besides, staying that long means I have to work Black Friday; a day that is so bad that the idea of injuring myself in a way that I have to be hospitalized (Such as having someone run over my foot with their car) is more pleasant than the idea of working at Wal-Mart on that day (As I feel like I need to wear chainmail to keep customers from stabbing me over running out of cheap laptops).

I've considered going to college, yes, but putting aside the costs as far as money, there's the costs as far as time; apparently, for what I want to do, it sounds like it's going to take a few years to complete, in which time I'll be trapped here with mom until I graduate and land a job. On one hand, studying to be a lab tech would be cool, but on the other, I can't bear the thought of doing anything that will keep me tied down to this house for an extended period.

I've considered trying to get a job in Tyler and moving there as a middleground, but there's the fact I don't have a reliable means of transportation to get back and forth from there until I have the money for an apartment. Even then, there's the risk of getting stuck there for life because of all the bills tying me down; better than Palestine, sure, but not where I want to be.

Honestly, I'm at a complete loss over what I should do; seems like every option requires taking money out of my moving fund and/or being locked down to this accursed place for an extended period. Any advice on what I should do would be greatly appreciated.

[Bella]

I think going to college is a good idea, especially since you want to go into a field that requires a degree and — I don't mean to sound harsh here — don't have any other plans for a career that wouldn't require a degree (just throwing this out here as an example, plenty of artists aren't formally-trained, computer repair techs are often self-taught and programmers can find freelance work even if they don't have a degree). Money shouldn't be an issue for you either — considering that you're not a dependent and don't have a whole lot of money, you should get a lot of aid from FAFSA. I'm a dependent, my dad is in a fairly low income bracket and my tuition (about $3000 a semester) is all but covered by financial aid. I imagine your situation will be fairly similar, but you have to apply for the aid to find out.

Going to school may impede your departure, yes. But there's a good chance if you end up in a dead-end retail or food service job you'll be stuck at home anyway, and will continue to stagnate and not be able to leave — a self-perpetuating cycle. Getting a degree and a good job is the best way to get out for good, even if it takes a little while longer.

Also, if you're in classes a few days a week you'll be able to get out and meet people. It's not to say you aren't already with your jobs, but a college environment is a lot different from a work one; in my experience it's less formal, more social and offers a level of intellectual enrichment you won't find in any workplace. Which isn't to say it's not challenging — because it is — but there's a reward for your hard work and dedication. There's no such reward in a fast food or big-box-store-retail environment, where the only "incentive" available is the  distant possibility of a raise of a few dollars, and the odds of serious advancement (like getting into a management position) is infinitesimal.

Speaking from personal experience, I've worked in a dead-end, retail-ish environment and have completed two semesters of community college. When I was working, it was all about the boss. All about the business. All about the customers, and what I can do to help THE CORPORATION. At school it's the opposite — it's all about what I can do to help myself and my classmates, in general a sense of self-enrichment and self-advancement. I feel like community colleges are more egalitarian and hard-working in this regard — nobody's there for the ~*glory of a flashy degree*~ or because daddy's trust fund money sent them. A lot of my classmates are sensible, mature people who wish to better themselves through education and career, and I wouldn't be surprised at all if you met similar types of people at your local college.

[Nichi]

Indeed. Currently processing the financial aid paperwork; still some info I need to retrieve before I can submit it.

I missed the deadline for fall classes, but I have enough time to try and prep for spring classes; if they at least offer some of what I need.

[Bella]

>Live in Virginia
>Be 17 year old boy
>Date 15 year old girl
>Sext
>Have GF's mother find out and throw a shitfit
>Get slapped with criminal charges
>Have prosecutors want to drug you and photograph your genitals (and in the process produce child porn) in order to obtain evidence

There isn't a single thing about this story that doesn't make me want to bash some teeth in.