It's tough being a young suburban professional. OK, it's not that tough, except for commuting, pesky neighbors who grow "herbs" in their back yards (ahh, that's why they don't mow the lawn too often!), property taxes and a war many of us fight no matter where we live: the battle of the bulge. As hip and with-it as I seem (did I really have anybody fooled?), I'm just a suburban nerdboy.
I've always lived in a suburb somewhere, whether in a bedroom community near Washington, D.C., or a booming burb outside of Dallas. We now reside in what I've called many times the Crumbling Suburbs, outside of Cowtown, Texas. That's where houses built in the 1950s and '60s are falling apart, bought from their original owners by young families, and are undergoing some sort of renovation. The businesses here are fleeing to newer, more exciting suburbs and retail centers, leaving us with large, empty buildings with no hopes of filling them.
The closest thing to urban was when I lived in West Texas a few blocks from "downtown" Lubbock. It was basically a ghetto, but with sturdy old houses and only a few drug dealers and hookers down the street to make things interesting. Lubbock's also a college town, so there are some stories I could tell you related to that as well ... but I won't right now.
Here is the different between being a young urban professional ("yuppie") and a young suburban professional ("yosubproffy"):
Wheels and Home
Yuppie: BMW and an uptown loft apartment with Pottery Barn/Storehouse/Crate & Barrel-type furniture.
Suburban nerdboy: Nonluxury SUV (9 years old, 140,000 miles) with a 1964 ranch-like house (300,000 miles) in the 'burbs, containing a mix of hand-me-down antiques and ready-to-assemble pieces from Target.
Breakfast
Yuppie: Starbucks overwrought latte, low-carb croissant and The Wall Street Journal.
Suburban nerdboy: Small glass of pulp-free orange juice, burned piece of toast and Elmo visits the Fire House.
Lunch
Yuppie: Something trendy from that trendy little cafe.
Suburban nerdboy: PB&J, Cheetos and a bottle of water.
Dinner
Yuppie: Something trendy from that trendy hot spot in that trendy part of town.
Suburban nerdboy: meatloaf, instant potatoes and a Bud Light.
Vacation
Yuppie: European vacation with live-in significant other, funded in part by the accrual of frequent flyer miles (first class seats) gained through several visits to California wine country.
Suburban nerdboy: Piling everybody (wife, kid(s), dog) into the old SUV and driving five hours to see the world's largest strawberry. Staying at the Hampton Inn because they have waffles at the toast-it-yourself continental breakfast.
In the closet
Yuppie: Tailored duds from trendy clothiers from around the world.
Suburban nerdboy: Whatever was on the sale rack at Mervyn's.
Entertainment
Yuppie: 42" plasma-screen TV with 10,000 high-definition channels.
Suburban nerdboy: 7-year-old Sony Trinitron 27" with little-kid fingerprints all over the screen.
Education
Yuppie: Ivy League or other fine pedigree, preceded by boarding or private school and personal tutors.
Suburban nerdboy: Public school all the way followed by a state university.
Weekends
Yuppie: Scouring the countryside to add to a definitive collection of antique milk jugs.
Suburban nerdboy: Going to kiddie soccer games, mowing the lawn and trying to avoid household chores.
Exercise
Yuppie: Personal trainer, yoga, pilates and a trendy in-home gym.
Suburban nerdboy: Running from loose dogs in the neighborhood, playing in an amateur coed softball league and mowing the lawn.
Ambitions
Yuppie: Become the world-renowned authority on (insert trendy hobby here).
Suburban nerdboy: Trying to pay off the credit cards and not get caught stealing office supplies.
The differences can go on and on. In contrast, I have some Internet buddies and even a few friends offline who qualify as "yuppies" who are warm, sincere, genuine, down-to-earth people. Defining each other only by our lifestyles and interests doesn't tell the whole story and isn't a fair assessment of who someone is.
This list was for entertainment purposes only, and mainly to poke fun at myself and the lives of other "suburban nerdboys."
I too have lived in the 'burbs for about 7 years now, first the suburbs of St. Louis, MO...now the suburbs of Portland, OR....and I have to say...I love suburbia! I don't think I could ever be a downtown urban earth girl. :) (at least in OR, the girls you see downtown are all rather, "earthy"...not my style at all)
Yea, but it still is a Sony Trinitron.
Which part of DC did you live in? I'm from there, transplanted to FL, now moving (in 3 days) to Cary, NC.
Kudos on the Trinitron; having worked in the TV field for many years, I can tell you they're the best.
Well, I'm from Sunny So Cal and have lived both lives. Since the lil chap arrived I'm finding myself more in the Suburuban nerdgirl.
Or, Is there a name for someone that is not quite a yuppie (because sometime I do yuppie things) but not quite a suburban because I sometimes do Suburban things?
How about a Yupsurburban nerdgirl??? Does this even make sense?
My cousin Steve was shot in Lubbock. He went to school there. He nearly died, but he ended up coming back here and finished school, at SMU. Not a good story, is it? But when you mentioned it was a college town, I remembered when he got shot and how upset my aunt was when she flew out there. Weird how blogs job your memory sometimes....
Oppps, I meant to say "jog" your memory! :-D You can tell I've been job hunting, can't you?! *LOL*
aw, I'd take a suburban nerd boy over a yuppie anyday...
:)
The first street walking hookers I ever saw were in Lubbock, going with my Dad to a mill over on the tracks to buy horse feed. In the middle of the day! What a strange memory? And how odd that the other reference to Lubbock concerned a murder. Hmmmm.