Ok, so my "sophomoric" statement may have been too close to home for some, and therefore I offer my humblest appy polly loggies for having razdrazled you fine droogs, as Alex may have intoned.

I show either my ignorance or naievity by that statement, for I was never enthused by "titty bars" or cheezy synth soudtracks choreographed to some wooden "himbo" spraying Redi-whip on some cherry Pop Tart.

Maybe I missed something for I was fortunate to know my way early in life, and saw thru the "American dream" of plenty of plenty about the same time I walked away from it all. Bitter? No, Happy,? yes. Isolated? Definately.

Had I known all the social contact of a "big city" would be lost so dramatically, I may have been less enthused to get away from it all. But it's been over a decade, and so that's all past history now.

Philosopher - one who spouts an opinion based on an opinion of an opinion... Well, maybe not so vague, but I feel the need to offer (sometimes) challenging statements that provoke either a befuddled look and a return to the wall mounted TV screen, or a few hours of alcohol's soft middle age insight. Unfortunately in my sphere of influence, it's usually the former. Not because I TRY to be difficult, maybe just because I seem aan "outsider" or value my independance too openly... (Luckilly my wife both challenges and supports me - we truly are a team, but she had the advantage of being female, local, and a bit more PC than I...)

Financially, it is a very simple life, again, by choice, and I do know all about the need to let off steam - I put out that fire ten years ago, so maybe I am farther out of touch than I realize...

Thanks for the comments and I do plan to look around - maybe I'll throw stones at the wrong beehive, but sometimes it's fun to see the intensity of the swarm - I just hope I know how far to stand back and watch!

BND

Postscript: BTW, the avatar is just what I find visually appealing - I did once have a remote crush on that older girl on the "Llittle House on the Prairie" TV show in the 70's....