23 November 2006

Small towns

Those who grew up in small towns will laugh when they read this.
Those who didn't will be in disbelief.

1) You can name everyone you graduated with (all 19 of 'em).
2) You know what 4-H means.
3) You went to parties at a pasture, barn, gravel pit, or in the middle of a dirt road. On Monday you could always tell who was at the party because of the scratches on their legs from running through the woods when the party was busted. (See #6.)
4) You used to "drag" Main.
5) You said the "F" word and your parents knew within the hour.
6) You scheduled parties around the schedules of different police officers, because you knew which ones would bust you and which ones wouldn't.
7) You could never buy cigarettes because all the store clerks knew how old you were (and if you were old enough, they'd tell your parents anyhow.) So that's why you just stole your parents!
8) When you did find somebody old enough and brave enough to buy cigarettes, you still had to go out into the country and drive on back roads to smoke them.
9) You knew which section of the ditch you would find the beer your buyer dropped off.
10) It was cool to date somebody from the neighboring town.
11) The whole school went to the same party after graduation.
12) You didn't give directions by street names but rather by references. Turn by Nelson's house, go 2 blocks to Anderson's, and it's four houses left of the track field.
14) You couldn't help but date a friend's ex-boyfriend/girlfriend.
15) Your car stayed filthy because of the dirt roads,.
16) The town next to you was considered "trashy" or "snooty," but was actually just like your town.
17) You referred to anyone with a house newer than 1965 as the "rich people".
18) The people in the "big city" dressed funny, and then you picked up the trend 2 years later.
19) Anyone you wanted could be found at the local gas station or the town bar.
20) You saw at least one friend a week driving a tractor through town or one of your friends driving a grain truck to school occasionally. (that's me at harvest time - driving the grain truck to school)
21) The gym teacher suggested you haul hay for the summer to get stronger.
22) Directions were given using THE stop sign as a reference.
23) When you decided to walk somewhere for exercise, 5 people would pull over and ask if you wanted a ride.
24) Your teachers called you by your older siblings' names.
25) Your teachers remembered when they taught your parents.
26) You could charge at any local store or write checks without any ID.
27) The closest McDonalds was 45 miles away (or more).
28) The closest mall was over an hour away.
29) It was normal to see an old man riding through town on a riding lawn mower.
30) You've peed in a wheat field.
31) Most people went by a nickname.

Did someone from Manitoba write this freaking thing? Every single one of them is true!

2 comments:

Matty said...

I guess my town's not quite as small as this one but I did go to a graduation party in an old pasture and pretty much everyone that went to parties was there. The band used a hay wagon for their stage. Half the tellers at THE bank know me because I went to school with their kids and I've had teahcers call me by my brother's names. Giving directions based on landmarks is especially frustrating for new people because the locals still use references that aren't there anymore like take a left where the Anderson's barn used to be. LOL

Anonymous said...

My town wasn't all small as yours Reid, but if you've ever seen the movie "Fubar", there are several scenes from that film (the part when they're partying out in Bragg Creek) that were pretty much identical to my youth. Ahhhh... memories... my mullet... Guns n'Roses... so good. So good.
ross:0