snickers

been away for a while....just wanted to say that i was playing devils advocate on some issues. i do drive a SUV - Avalanche...it drives awesome...better than most cars i have owned. The primary reason I have it because i have twins and a HUGE stroller that will not fit in the trunk of a car. plus...the kids take up the back seat so there is always the issue of going grocery shopping or whatever...i needed the room! BUT - I do enjoy it and think that everyone should drive what makes them comfortable. I don't do it to destroy the environment or as a symbol of anything...i would get an H2 if that were my goal...and my truck gets the same gas mileage as some minivans...and i did own a mustang right out of college that got worse mileage!! I drive it because it fits my needs and makes me happy! If they ever make a full size hybrid...i will own it. I heard they are soon! When there really is a shortage in oil...the market will demand a more effecient fuel and i am all for that!! I could use that as an arguement for driving SUVs...the quicker we use up the oil...the quicker we will get a better product ;-) I just argue the issue because I truely think it is sorta a silly thing to argue. BIgger things to worry about than what everyone else is driving. I enjoy all the discussion...I love getting all the points of view!!

thanks! i acutally recognized a lot of it once i started looking closer! awesome pics!

Awesome pics...any chance you could caption them so i know what part of the island they are and such?

That is done a lot up here - roof top gardens. I have read articles that it is in an attempt to help improve air quality to it being an attempt to beautify the city - for those looking down from higher buildings.

Maybe in addition to tapping the HR groups for large companies, you may want to work with local realtors to help people who are relocating to the area - or even just moving across town! One thing that you might want to do if you haven't or might want to emphasize it more in your marketing would be to get bonded - or insured. For instance, my husband is looking to relocate to the Houston area next year - chances are with a big company. So, let's say we would get your info thru the HR dept or even thru our realtor - we read it and see immediately that your help would be instrumental (oh - and trust me...it would be!) in making our move smoother - but - why should we trust you to oversee our stuff being moved in or even trust you to be in our home while we are not there to see that all the utilities are turned on. I saw that aspect advertised with a local moving company a while back and it caught my eye so I just thought I would pass that on! good luck!

Ok - this is only one sentence so you can delete it if you wish but I am rolling on the floor laughing at that visual - I guess I know too many people like that! Thanks for the laugh!! (ok - it was techinically two sentences)

Where are you getting these figures? just curious as I could not find any of just Chicago proper or Houston proper...it was all of the metro areas as listed in the census. It would also be interesting to see the figures for houston and if the "urban sprawl" is driving people out of the city limits as it has chicago in the past few years. I don't think comparing just the city limit populations is a real good way to judge the growth and stability of a city or make assumptions about it's future....in the entire metro area is where you have the population and businesses that supports that particular "city". When referring to chigago...often the "chicagoland area" is what people say because it really is the entire area that makes chicago what it is. Just as houston would not be what it is or what it is becoming with out the areas outside the 'city limits'....or any areas it plans on annexing I am not one to usually defend Chicago but I have to say, if you are just comparing the area within the city limits of the two cities...chicago will blow houston out of the water. Not only is chicago a world class city in every respect....but it has a solid infrastructure that not only supports its current population, but the population of the surrounding metro area. From what I have seen and heard of Houston, the infrastructure is not there to support the kind of growth it would take to become bigger than chicago. imho between houston and phoenix though...my money would be on houston

http://www.census.gov/prod/2001pubs/c2kbr01-2.pdf according to the report, the chicagoland population was up 11.1% between 1990 and 2000 here is the info from the table. (pop 2000,pop1990,pop change, %change) # 5 Phoenix--Mesa, AZ MSA 3,251,876; 2,238,480 ; 1,013,396 ; 45.3% #6 Houston--Galveston--Brazoria, TX CMSA 4,669,571; 3,731,131; 938,440 ;25.2% # 7 Chicago--Gary--Kenosha, IL--IN--WI CMSA 9,157,540; 8,239,820 ; 917,720; 11.1% so - houston attracted about 20,000 more people over the ten years but chicago is still double in population of course...phoenix beat houston and is only about a mil behind in pop do you really think either one will top chicago?

right now Chicago is the 3rd....just out of curiosity...what will Houston be doing to make it bigger than chicago. I know chicago is almost double the population right now (according to what was posted in this forum a while back). what will make houston outgrow chicago?

what you missed is that I drive it because I ENJOY IT. you're arguement about safety is false no one brought up flooding...when your engine goes under the water you are screwed no matter what you are driving...unless you have a Hummer or some Land Rovers (anything made with the watersealed engine and high outtake)...hmmm...so maybe that is a GOOD arguement why everyone in Houston should drive a great big Land Rover...just in case it floods... regardless...there are no issues to debate on why I drive one....I LIKE IT!!!

i hear ya there!!! :-) brings back memories....LOL

well, we did not have a station wagon...I grew up in the country where we needed a truck to haul wood for the winter...haul the mower around and everything else. I would venture a guess that most people who have to haul stuff don't use station wagons. The h2 has no room to haul stuff...that car is totally for fun...what is wrong with having fun in the country anymore? The original thought of this tread was if the american lifestyle is harmful based on the observation that so many people are unhappy. I agree with pineda that we are bombarded with messages on how we should act, how we should be, what we should do and everything else. I think so many people are unhappy because they are so busy trying to live their lives according to what they think others will approve of that they never take the time to look inside and figure out who they really are and what they really want. I agree that the h2 is not practicle...but damn...they sure look fun!! You are supposed to enjoy life....not live a life that you hate just to make others happy or fit into their idea of what is politically correct. I would venture to say that those people who get upset with h2 owners are just jealous because they can not afford one! (I know I am!) tell me....isn't driving a mercedes an ego trip also? or is that different because it is a car? Live your own life...judge what you do and how your live your own life....and be happy. sometimes the 'things of excess' are fun...so if you can...take advantage of them. They are not the end all and be all of life...but neither is driving a station wagon just because someone else thinks you should. Happiness is a journey...not a destination....drive whatever makes you happy on that journey. Take whatever road you want to take...not the one that everyone says you should (wow - I just felt like Robert Frost for a second)....and most of all - live YOUR life....not everyone elses. Then and only then will more people be happy in life. Measuring up to everyone else's standards is too hard...I would probably be on antidepressants if I tried to do that too!!

you never get just one there....you get like 5 or 10! The first time I ever visited Chicago, my aunt got us white castle (same size burgers) and ordered 6 a piece for everyone. with all that bread...very filling!!!

when i lived in atlanta we had krystals....they are awesome...now here in chicago we have white castle....and they call them "sliders"...I will let your imaginations run as to why.... but at 1am....nothing tastes better!!

Well - we also have three big dogs and a decent piece of land...it is kinda hard to put a riding lawn mover in the back of a station wagon. If you are not familiar with an Avalanche...it is a full size pickup truck (uncovered) when you lay down the back seat. With the back seat up...it is a shortbed truck but we can still fit the kennel for the three dogs in the bed of the truck. I wanted a trans am (it was the last year they were making them) when I got the avalanche...and I did buy the truck because it was cool...but it is also practical in the long run. Have you ever tried to put two sheets of drywall in the back of a stationwagon? How is a station wagon safer for my children than a SUV? Do you have kids? If so...explain to me how you can justify they would be safer in the backseat of a car as opposed to the backseat of a truck. I have seen wrecks between cars and trucks...and for the most part - the cars suffer the most damage. My family's safety was not an issue when I bought it as I did not have kids yet...but that is an added bonus in my mind. I already said that I know the gas mileage is bad (at least around the city..i do a lot of traveling and on the road it has really good mileage)....and I am not complaining about that. As I said before..I like my vehicle....it makes me happy...and I don't mind any commuting I have to do in it. If you saw me on the elevator I would not be complaining about my two hour commute because I enjoy what I drive...and I would not be complaining about the gas mileage because that was my personal choice to accept that when I bought it. It makes me happy. Why would I choose to be unhappy just to fit into someone else's definition of what is appropriate? Not everyone who drives full size SUVs does it for excess... and if you think that it would be easier to get the twins double stroller in the back of a stationwagon and then lift it UP and out again...well, it was hard to get out of my friends minivan and that is higher up than a stationwagon. My truck suits me well and fits my needs...and most of all...I LIKE it and it makes me happy ;-) I could survive with a station wagon if I had to...but I don't have to so why should I? If it makes someone else happy to drive a station wagon and do the things I do and carry around the things I carry around in my vehicle...so be it...I am happy for them.....that is their personal choice and that is what makes this country wonderful....freedom ;-)

ok - i have to chime in on the full size SUV...I drive an Avalanche...I have two year old twins...i have to haul a HUGE stoller just in case I decide to go into a store that does not have carts....and with a car full of kids...the back comes in handy for anything i buy. I TOTALLY understand buying a big car to separate kids...trust me on this...I understand. I once had a woman recommend (this was before I was even pregnant) that when I have kids, get a vehicle with two pilot seats in the back so that the kids would be separated...I just laughed and thought to myself that wasn't necessary...well, my views have changed!! LOL BUT - I will admit that I bought it before i ever had kids...I got it because I thought it was cool and I had the money not only for the truck but also for the gas money to drive it. It is an expensive thing to have...especially in city traffic...but if you have the means - I say drive a freaking 18 wheeler to work if you want. Just don't complain about the gas bill! In fact...if I drove and 18wheeler...I could just put the kids in the back..hmmm....I may be on to s omething there! hahahaha - i love my kids but they always seem to fight when in the car!! I need to check ebay for and 18 wheeler.....

20sgirl - I love debating those issues ;-) All of what you say is true....but start doing this...when you are on your way to work...or whatever...instead of focusing on the unhappy people you see...focus on the happy ones. Starting out it may seem that they are few and far between...but they are there. And to those who seem unhappy...ask them why the do it then! Why commute like that? That is what happened to me...someone asked me why do it if I was unhappy....and I did not have an answer...but that question sat with me and festered for years...and now my husband and I try to make our decisions based on what will make us happy...what we enjoy and what we want (excluding material things) for our family. My husband has a great saying when it comes to making money....he does not have a college degree....he comes from a poor immigrant family....and yet although he is only 30, makes more money than much of his family combined...and he says "do what you love to do and the money to be stable will follow"....he laughs at me because i say i am going to move to Galveston and lay on the beach and see if money follows...LOL LOL As for being happy...I think most people think that happiness is a destination...and it is not...everyone is looking for a certain thing or certain point where they can say "now I am happy".....and that isn't how it works. Happiness is in the journey....happiness is waking up this morning with my health and my family's health....happiness is that my son did not decide to take off his diaper and "paint" his walls during the night.....happiness is in the little daily things. I think the media plays on our needs to have a specific thing that makes us happy...and that is what everyone strives for (thus leading to a destructive lifestyle). I have some close family members who suffer from depression...not a chemical imbalance - those kind of depressions have to be treated with drugs...but just good ole depression...and as they worked thru it and started to live a "happy" life again...what I just told you is what they told me...to find happiness in mundane things... a short commute....hitting all green lights....a smile from someone you don't know on the street....if you have a long commute...be happy you have a nice car to do it in....stuff like that. Honestly, I am a total victim of your definitions...I have a decent size house...but I want a bigger one. I drive a full size SUV (proudly)....and me-o-my do I have trouble with food portions and although it has taken me years to do it regularly....it is still a daily mental struggle to push myself to exercise. But you know...although I want a bigger house...I have learned to be happy with what I have...it is nice. And although I hate the traffic around chicago....I am happy to sit in it because I have the comfort of a nice truck. I am not saying I never get frustrated...but that doesn't mean I am not unhappy. Thus, my feeling that our lifestyle here in America doesn't have to be self destructive. I think that "mass behavior" is cyclical....when it goes to far to one extreme, events will force it back towards the other extreme. To me, it just seems that most people focus on the negative that life has to offer...not the positive. And IMO - people need to just learn to take responsibility for their own lifes (financially, physically, and mentally) and learn that it is not out of their control. (I think you and I are in agreement about that!) . Yes - our diets in this country can be bad...but that is a personal choice that people make...no one shoves the sugar down their throats! (how that may change health insurance i nthe future is a whole different issue). I am glad we have the freedom and ability in this country to make those personal choices.....perhaps starting from a young age we need to start educating our children that along with those freedoms come personal responsibility. Ok - off my soapbox ;-) I think having kids did it for me...once i had to take responsibility for two little lives, I started taking responsibility for my own.

thanks for the heads up! what are MUD taxes? I have seen that listed in some real estate ads but was not sure what it was. I can guess but I would rather not- LOL I have notices the restrictions in the subdivisions up here around chicago...they even dictate what kind of front door you can have....what plants you can plant...you name it they dictate it! We have a house that is not part of a subdivision....and it is quite possible that we will keep it that way when we move down there....but having two small children...well, i guess i can see some appeal to a gated community..... thanks for all the good info...that is good info no matter where you buy....and I would FLIP if all of a sudden 5k was added to my bills! That article is downright scary!!

I voted "none of these" because your definition of the "american lifestyle" is one that doesn't incompass everyone...only one stereotype. It would seem your definition is only one representing perhaps the urban yuppi-ish (is that still a word?) lifestyle that many woudl characterize with the word 'overconsumption'...most of America is still rural...and they still eat what they grow - or what their neighbors grow...and life is a lot simplier...if you are defining simple as not being caught up in many of the high tech and high lifestyle trappings that seem to be more prevelant in the cities. definately a though provoking question though!!! dbigtex56 - I married into an immigrant family....in your reply you ask if we are the happiest people on earth and then you promptly said no...I beg to differ. That may be your view from your experiences in life, but I have met A LOT of people who are very happy to be here in America. Happiness (and life in general) is what you make it. Happiness is in the simple things in life...be it a walk, your garden...or making it to the next level of your favorite computer game. I am from a very small town and I know many people there who do not have the "trappings" you describe in your reply...they live "simplified" as you describe...and they are not necessarily happy. I like this thought from your post "Define yourself by who you are, not by what you consume" - I do think that would lead a lot more people to happiness! However, I do not think the shunning of technology or modern conveniences is part of that equation. I would change it to: Define yourself by who you are and stop trying to fit into "politically correct" definitions. If you find happiness in gardening and visiting shut ins...do it! If you find happiness writing ...do it! If you find happiness programming computer games...do it! If you find happiness driving a SUV for hours in traffic...do it (and imho seek therapy! hehe)......whatever it is in life that makes you happy...get out and do it. Don't get stuck in other peoples ruts. America is a wonderful and diverse country...and I think that probably the "undercomsumption" of the rural areas counterbalance the "overconsumption" of the urban areas....it all evens out in the end ;-)

good advice! thanks! sounds like maybe you have "been there - done that"!!!

A friend sent me an insert from the Houston Chronicle about Stone Gate and Canyon Lakes. I am blown away by the affordability of the homes...anyone have any opinions on this community?

yup - i saw that smile and figured it fit perfectly!!! they are awesome but some days...some days....

Also - they were picky about who got to keep the cars....(I live in Chicagoland) yesterday afternoon it was all over the news how this one woman (all they had verified at the time) actually was told she could not keep the car. Apparently, before going to the show you had to fill out paperwork and it asked if you had ever been arrested for a felony etc and this woman said no. Well, they did background checks on every audience member and she had a DUI that she lied about...and my understanding is that her license was suspended....so they did not let her keep the car!! Iam sketchy on the exact details...heard it on the radio as I was trying to get my two year old twins to stop killing each other in the back seat.

I also wanted to suggest that if you find a job on a board like Monster or HotJobs or somthing...go to the corporate website to apply for it. Not only will you find out more about the company should they call...but the company will think you were searching them out separate from any job board. that was a suggestion from the HR manager at my last job.....