Tag: Suburban living

“Creating Hipsturbia”: Is Gentrification Pushing Out The Creative Class?

~ thenarcissisticanthropologist ~ 7 Comments

This fascinating ethnographic piece in the New York Times Style section got me thinking today.  If you live in an urban center or watch Portlandia then you know what I am talking about.  Traditionally speaking, the gentrification of urban neighborhoods has been leaving young, white creative professionals with the blood on their hands...pushing the lower … Continue reading “Creating Hipsturbia”: Is Gentrification Pushing Out The Creative Class?

Surrounding Ourselves With Sound and Other Modern Household Survival Requirements

~ thenarcissisticanthropologist ~ 4 Comments

Flash back to before we established a "civilized" industrial-to-knowledge-to-conceptual economy such as we have been used to in modern times.  Survival was a matter of basics and most humans resided firmly in the very bottom layers of Maslow's hierarchy of needs pyramid: In absence of safeguards, systems and conveniences like government-supervised municipal programs, a regulated … Continue reading Surrounding Ourselves With Sound and Other Modern Household Survival Requirements

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I like the commentary in this blog regarding how the contents of said bloggers refrigerator depict a bleak portrait of decrepit single-life.

I spent much of the early part of my career as a consumer anthropologist working in the consumer package good space, with endless hours engaged in scrutinizing the contents of different household refrigerators: seeking context for grocery purchase-decision-making behavior.

It’s a habit I still hold on I and have used (in addition to pantry and bathroom drawer / medicine cabinet-audits) as a dating litmus-test as well as to gain a better understanding of my friends / family / etc.

You can learn an awful lot about a person’s socioeconomic status, priorities, habits and lifestyle choices based in their “consumable” artifacts: all organic veggies? Condiments-only? Name brand booze but generic food items?

In often catch myself in the checkout line making up stories about the person in front of me in line based on what’s in their belt.

It makes me wonder what people might think of me. Last grocery order : Cottonelle toilet paper with aloe, organic yogurt, egg whites, coconut ice cream, razors and salt and vinegar pop chips…the analysis please?

Danny Gregory

There’re few things as depressing as a bare fridge. It’s the cliché of the single person you always see in movies: a few moldy Chinese takeout containers, a half-empty jar of mayonnaise, a box of baking soda, a six-pack.

But shopping for one is tricky. These days, I do tend to eat at home and to cook more than I did when I had a teenaged roommate. But I have to be careful not to be too ambitious and to fill my kitchen with stuff I’ll never have time to eat. I hate throwing out stuff that survived past its due date: a head of cauliflower, a half-gallon of milk, some cheddar that’s turning into bleu cheese. Still, I’d rather waste food than face an empty larder.

Whenever I do a drawing in indian and sumi ink, I think of Ben Katchor. For years he did comics in the Daily…

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“Kids These Days”: A Peek Into James’ Room and His Brain

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I found this young blogger this morning, who's content I am compelled to share Rather, he found me via yesterday's blog on workaholism. I do a lot of work studying youth culture and have found a good deal of pragmatism coming from their observations of their parent's adult life. Young adults and teenagers today grew … Continue reading “Kids These Days”: A Peek Into James’ Room and His Brain

Invitations to Church and Other Gestures of Friendship

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Last night my wife and I went out for an impromptu night of dinner and live music at a new spot that is, unexpectedly, a ten minute drive from our suburban home in "the south".  It was a Southern Soul Food / Thai / French culinary theme with live Jazz in a venue chosen based … Continue reading Invitations to Church and Other Gestures of Friendship

My Grass is Greener Than Your Grass

~ thenarcissisticanthropologist ~ 2 Comments

I was awakened this morning by my furiously barking dog a little earlier than I had planned. I ran to the window to see what all the fuss was about...not a garbage truck or a pack of wild dogs roaming the neighborhood, but the TruGreen guy, adding organic crop production fertilizer to my front lawn. … Continue reading My Grass is Greener Than Your Grass

Warning signs that you may have too much time / money on your hands

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It's true that we live in a modern world where if you are smart and ambitious you can find your way to prosperity.  And this is not just true in America, but in many nations around the world, in particular the BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, etc.) where the middle class has been steadily … Continue reading Warning signs that you may have too much time / money on your hands

My Cheese Curls Are Organic

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This weekend I went to the drive-in with a bunch of friends to do the "tailgate" and watch a movie-thing. If you looked through my cooler and bag of goodies you would have noticed that everything in that basket was purchased from whole foods...at three times the standard retail price...because everything in that bag was … Continue reading My Cheese Curls Are Organic