This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2007.
Why I love this Bitch of a Town
As someone who fondly reads all of your charming bitches evey week via the web, thank you for your rants. They remind me why Halifax is still the best place to come home to when you’re stuck in a shithole city like Montreal. Yes, everyone tells me they
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As nice as it is to be able to afford nice furniture, a solid dvd collection and as many Starbucks lattes I can consume from any of Calgary’s 1452 locations, I sure do miss the days of scrounging between the mismatched cushions of my 3rd hand couch/bed for enough change to rent a movie from Video Difference and buy a coffee from Perks on Quinpool. Not to mention brunch from Your Father’s Moustache.
What I wouldn’t miss about Halifax:South End Shits who can have their streets blocked off to traffic while the rest of us poor saps have to put up with the noise.The fact there are only three ways to get on this fucking penisula.That every square inch of free space in this city is filled with overpriced condos that no normal person can afford. Overpriced rental dumps and lazy landlords.Overcrowded hospital emergency department where the average wait is nine hours.Morbidly obese women with sewer mouths who crowd the sidewalks with their billboard-sized jello asses.A crumbling downtown with bums on every corner (including the ones who scurry to Scotia Square to buy scratch tickets and liquor).Substandard roads that rip the shit out of non-SUV vehicles and cost average joes like me a fucking fortune.No free parking within a goddamn two mile radius of downtown.The elitist assholes of the arts community – just because you went to NSCAD does not mean your shit doesn’t stink.Overpriced, overrated speciality shops on Spring Garden Road.Roving punks with kerchefs around their moronic faces, trying to intimidate whoever, whereever.Two daily newspapers that are only fit for wrapping dogshit.And I’m just getting started….
I agree with Ellbee, haha except the part of Morbidly obese women, only coz im part of that club…hahahaha
Ellbee- just mentioned something I have been very curious about…NSCAD students/Grads. I have not had TONS of dealings with and hate to generalize but I used to work downtown and come across NSCAD’ies and almost everyone who I dealt with was extremely pretentious and did have this “pious” attitude- why is this? I wonder???I will make exception to one past student who was a very unique and nice person- Orla! she was the only person though!
Hey, Jeanne, I think the pretentiousness is a result of the “I’m not a mainstream drone – I CREATE!” attitude that drips off the instructors there. I’m sorry if I don’t think 1000 garbage bags tied together and spread over a gallery room floor is ‘art’.
Might I add:small town mentality, an unwillingness to adapt, old school backroom politics, lack of a productive vision, lack of decent leaders and a city hall/government intent on achieving nothing but the same. NSCAD = fairly good school overall but chalk full of laughable pretension.
I can understand the kind of “out there” vision and attitude. Where they may be a constant observer and looking at everything like it has potential for “art” however- the students I dealt with mostly really were spoiled with wanna be retro excesseries and expensive clothing and would always seem to be looking down their noses at everyone else like they were the drones!I don’t know I just didn’t get it- however if you say this is the attitude personafied from the instructors then it makes sense a bit…
I’m a self-taught graphic artist who was stupid enough to take a few courses at NSCAD – I learned fuck all that was practical – one course had me cutting out hundreds of two inch magazine page squares and lining them up in rows of ten – the purpose was totally lost on me so I demanded and got my course fee back. In fact, I learned more on my own than I ever did at that place. I found the instructors were arrogant and all about ‘theory’. When you have to draw fucking skating penquins for a living (I worked at a silk screening place that specialized in sports jerseys), theory means fuck all. I mean, come on, how many famous and acclaimed artists ever thought about art theory while creating their masterpieces? What bullshit.
Montreal is a great place to visit but you’re right, living there would be a challenge. The people are rude to put it mildly, and the streets are dirty. Walking down St.Catherine street in the summer can be disgusting with all the garbage spread everywhere.
Okay, I have some issues with all of this mess…BUT FIRST…OP, Momma says come home honey, we miss you too.Secondly, there are problems in every city, and as tired as it sounds, unless you’re part of the solution…AND now, pretentious NSCAD students/instructors…Arrogance and pretentiousness is in every level of every sector: think about it, business, academia, the arts, finance. There are people everywhere who think they are better than every one else and it doesnt always have to do with money or talent. Also, art is subjective and comes from places in the soul that can’t necessarily be taught. Theory and technique can and that is what post secondary education is for. And one more thing from Momma, Ellbee, fly the fuck outta here if you dislike it so much.
Wish I could, Little Miss B. – I’d leave Halifax in a heartbeat if I didn’t have family obligations. So there.
Its easy enough to just say get the fuck outta here if you dont like it. It cost lots of money to move, and like Ellbee said, family obligations are important to ppl. So i say if you cant move, sit here and bitch all you want too, that’s the point of this site right???!!!!!?????
Oh great attitude LMB. Very progressive
It all ain’t black and white, you know. Halifax has many good features but government, transit, violent crime and moronic city planners aren’t part of that package.
Ellbee,Don’t hold anything back, tell us how you really feel. LOL.I too am here because of work and family. The day will come, not soon enough, when I can look at this city from my rear view mirror.
There was more than one point…if you really dont like things, work to change them. If you cant, then leave the situation. We can bitch all we want, but does it do any good without action? Yes, cause some folks bitch to get rid of the feeling, and once done, that’s all they needed. I’m just getting TIRED of everyone bashing Hfx but not getting involved.
How many years have you lived in this burg, LMB? Twenty? Twenty-five? Well, honey, I’ve been here for almost 53 friggin’years so I’ve had plenty of time to think about what’s wrong and right with Halifax. I’ve seen a once fine city gone to complete ratshit. I remember when there was an actual shopping district on Barrington and Gottingen Streets, BEFORE the malls, I might add. I had opportunities to leave but family and my commitment to my invalid mother took priority. Nothing is cut and dry, sweetie, nothing. Let’s see what you’ll say about Halifax when you’re my age and too fucking tired to move.