Living like a Crucian

Also looking at the photos "wanderer" has posted, the choice of those photos, and the comments he has made = 100% troll.

Nice try, fooled me for a bit.

Also looking at the photos "wanderer" has posted, the choice of those photos, and the comments he has made = 100% troll.

Nice try, fooled me for a bit.

If you believe a poster to be a troll, the TOS suggest you report such to the moderators.

Day 4 (continued). One of the great things on the island is that that it does not follow the daylight savings time. Did you know that two pendulum clocks on the wall synchronize themselves? Likewise, two women living together synchronize their menstrual cycles. I synchronize with the planet rotation. When the daylight savings time shift occurs, I feel knocked out of my orbit. It takes a while before I can adjust to the changed cycle. The number of daylight hours on STX is around 12 per day, and it does not vary much through the year, so it makes perfect sense to not shift the time:
http://astro.unl.edu/classaction/animations/coordsmotion/daylighthoursexplorer.html

The thing about shifting time is that it affects not just time, but space, too. That's because there is no such thing as "time", only the "space-time". By shifting time, the government disturbs the very fabric of the Universe, which I consider my home.

Have to disagree with Native Son on a few points.

This is not a "Black Community" - It is a community made up of people from many different ethnic and social backgrounds. Referring to it as a black community reinforces separation and the perception of resentment. I'd prefer energies are put to overcoming those stereotypes and creating a more cohesive and robust community. At the end of the day we all want similar things; a safe place to live, good health, and opportunity.

"In order to attract investors, Black communities have to make all kinds of concessions in the form of tax incentives.." - This is not specific to black communities, but applies to our competitive business environment globally. Example back in the mainland is where communities fight one another using tax increment financing to win the next Wall-mart super store, all the while leaving desolate empty strip malls in their wake. Nothing black about it.

"The corporations that do invest here are not interested in improving the quality of life, but are interested in sucking as much revenue as they can from the community" - Many companies and individual businesses that start up here provide great benefit to the community. Tarring and feathering the whole lot with a single brush is a bit of an overstatement.

And now to Wanderer.

There are no thick skins on this board. Some will take your postings lightly in good humor, including the refreshing does of snarkasim, but the majority will likely react with great offense. No matter how 'point of view' you feel your postings are, if your comments are degrading, intentionally or otherwise, then you will see backlash on this forum (Beware the wrath of OT). If your intent is to simply document and entertain then why not just start your own blog - off board, and post a link here. Then those that see the entertainment value can do so, and you won't come across as a troll. I find your writing style intriguing - however in full disclosure I was the founder of 'club snarky'. 🙂

Also looking at the photos "wanderer" has posted, the choice of those photos, and the comments he has made = 100% troll.

Nice try, fooled me for a bit.

If you believe a poster to be a troll, the TOS suggest you report such to the moderators.

Yes, I'm aware. I do report as necessary, thank you for the reminder. 😉

I find your writing style intriguing - however in full disclosure I was the founder of 'club snarky'. 🙂

Well said on all accounts, I find the "this is a black community" attitude at times sprinkled around the island, usually coupled with anger, exclusion and a hint of jealousy.

I don’t see how focusing on differences is a point of pride, we are all humans; why go beyond that?

I'm not trying to live like a crucian though, so maybe I just dont get it. I'm trying to live like a St Croix resident, and these people are friendly, polite and pretty damn awesome; we could use more croixians around the world.

No matter how 'point of view' you feel your postings are, if your comments are degrading, intentionally or otherwise, then you will see backlash on this forum (Beware the wrath of OT).

Thanks for the chuckle. I'm actually very much enjoying the observances of a newcomer and find the writing style as delightfully ironic as I believe the intention to be.

Since before moving to this beautiful island almost five years ago I learned tons of information, useful information, about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Rented my first hut, bought my first car, and met lots of wonderful people of all persuasions. Now I check back here periodicaly to see if there is anything new or exciting going I may not have heard about. But after reading the writings of wanderer I had to jump in and add my two cents.

HOORAY FOR WANDERER! Can’t wait to read about day thirty! A word of caution for you though. As I type, the locals, local wannabes and transplants are probably gathering firewood for the caldron of boiling water in which you will be placed. Come to think of it, I’ll probably be cooking next to you after this. Don’t forget the salt.

So let’s do this kiddo. You be Snarky and I’ll be Hutch. Together we’ll clean up this rock of crime, corruption and criticisms. Forget the batman and robin bit. I hate flying and fast cars anyway. Besides, with roads like this the batmobile wouldn’t last a mile. OOPS? Did I say something snarky? We can start right here, on this, dare I say the word? PUBLIC forum. The place where you can trade recepies, find an honest plumber and, yes, be as snarky as you want, or would like to be.

After years of reading here I am always amazed by the number of contributors whose opinions are regarded as NOT snarky simply because they KNOW that those who contribute their thoughts which, in any way, may denigrate the people or the place are, in fact, snarks. By the way, If I understand correctly, Trolls outrank Snarks. Or is it the other way around? No matter. This long held attitude of snarkyism dates back to the dawn of time and, no doubt, will continue through the end of time. At least, and hopefully, this PUBLIC forum will remain a battle of words and not battle axes.

So here’s your world as I see it kiddo, or OP (what the heck does that stand for; Original Poster? Odd Person? Old Pest?). You’re very intelligent (must be if you can hack NSA’s Univac), a great storyteller, female (I seem to remember your concern about rape earlier), and probably in your late twenties, early thirties. I’m old so my guesstimates on age mean nothing. You did some legwork about here and decided to check it out in person. I too arrived at night but fortunately my landlord was at the airport holding a sign. You found this cornucopia of information and thought it would be a nice gesture to contribute what you are experiencing to others. After all, the website’s name implies hospitality and welcomes all to share their feeling about living in paradise, right? So do you. And after a few kind replies it begins.

The non-snarks, wearing their tissue paper thin skin start in on you. Your headline is wrong. Should be this, not that. Your references to crucians is wrong. Your photographs, which I, as a photographer think they’re great, are wrong. Show only happy beachcombers and pretty palm trees, inviting caribbean waters. Your research on crime and corruption is an absolute slap in the faces of non-snarks. I think that’s where you became a troll. Or was it snarky? No matter. You get the point.

By the way (I think the appropriate acronym is BTW, right?) if you haven’t read a bunch of the other topics here I suggest you do so. There you will find that being snarky is quite common. Topics that start out as harmless questions on living, eating, drinking (my favorite), and others often turn into vicious verbal attacks later on. Love me, Love my island or go snark someplace else!! I think you’ll find that, lately, this mantra permeates an abundance of topics. But don’t let that stop you. You wannabe a Snark, You Go Gal! And after we clean up this rock we can all head for the boardwalk, join hands, sway back and forth and sing: “WE ARE THE WORLD” while watching the sun set over the ocean.
Good luck kiddo.

Your friend,
Hutch

PS, Non-Snarks, KMA. PM me if you want the meaning.

novanut, great post. i have enjoyed the op's posts

I see a couple of potential trolls on this thread also but "wanderer" is not one of them. I just don't get how some people can object so aggressively to the apparently innocent comments and observations of an admitted newbie to the island.

It's the way he/she writes. I am enjoying it.

Day 4 (continued). After a continental breakfast made from the goodies out of Plaza Extra (orange juice, bacon, three eggs, fried squash, pita bread, Starbucks coffee), I instructed my Garmin to lead me to Christiansted, to meet my realtor. I love that Melvin H Evans highway. It's divided, two lanes in each direction, very light traffic, no cops, and no speed limit signs. So, I assumed it was like in Montana, which means "drive with reasonable speed". Or maybe like in Frankfurt, which means "go as fast as you can". Driving 70 mph on the left side of the highway pumps some adrenaline. It beats the other thing which I like to do for thrill, which is urinating from the mountain tops. Of course, the novelty of the former activity would probably wear off soon, while the latter one seems like the never ending thrill. The mountains are the place where the awesome and powerful creatures from the nagual world live, and if you are a non-conformist, there is no better way to exercise your spirits than to mark their territory.

So I arrive to Christiansted, and I don't recognize the island anymore. It's like I came back to one of those lovely beach towns in the states. It's clean, upscale, well maintained, and active. I hung around Frederiksted the previous three days, and I thought that was it, STX as good as it gets. I was not prepared to see *that* much of a contrast elsewhere on the island. Frederiksted is where there are roosters, horses, and sketchy neighborhoods, so poor and falling apart, that they reminded me of Dominican Republic. Christiansted is where the circulation of money takes place. Expensive properties, upscale shopping, nice restaurants, and well-dressed people.

I have a medium size dog (Shetland Sheepdog, 22 pound), and that severely limited my range of options. We ended up visiting 3 condo complexes, of which I liked The Gentle Winds best. $250K buys a nice unit with good water views over there. However, the monthly upkeep cost (the condo fee, interior insurance, electricity and other utilities) would be $1800, in my estimates. That's much higher than I thought it would be, considering that you already own the property.

Overall, this was the my best day so far.

wait till you try the bypass-the best road on island.

I don't think there is any way to learn about this island without living here. I did research on line, talked to people, read this board. Just have to be patient and humble and let it come to you.

I enjoyed the start of this thread, but am now viewing the IP as a typical person, who comes from a well to do suburb, mostly white and ready to tell everyone how they'll change things and make it better.

wait till you try the bypass-the best road on island.

Yeah, thanks. I will test the limits of my Ford Focus over there.

I made my coffee, and I am reaching for sugar, which I placed where it should be -- near the coffee machine. It's not there! I turn around, look everywhere, in the kitchen cabinets, on the counter, under the counter. The sugar is missing. Then I notice that my host thoughtfully tidied up the place while I was out. Where the hell did she put the sugar? I make an effort to stop the agony, and focus my mental energy on only one thing. Sugar. Azucar. Zucker. Moisture. Sugar ants. Then the realization of truth flashes for about 10 microseconds, and it's like mental orgasm. Refrigerator!

Day 5.

I feel good. When I live on the continent, there are bubbles in my brain, which originate in amygdala, and they make their way to the top, to cerebral cortex. The bubbles are filled with the same question: "Why am I here?". They demand the answer in terms of the geographical location, and the metaphysical context. Here on STX, there are no bubbles. The question itself does not make sense, so the answer is, "Mu. Not applicable. Unask the question".

I find myself pacing in the living room. Am I looking for something? Then I understand -- I just like walking barefooted on the tile floor. It's pleasantly cool, and feels good on the skin. In my home on the continent, it's carpet all over. My wife has a maniacal attachment to the vacuum cleaner. She vacuums pretty much every day, and sometimes multiple times a day. Back in my days, I used to be a door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesmen. They've instructed us to demo-vacuum, and then dump the contents back on the carpet so that the home owner can see the ugliness. The more fleas and bedbugs, the higher the probability of a sale.

The cockroaches are enormous in here. Bizarre-looking creatures to an untrained eye. God really works in mysterious ways. Looks like STX would be a good place for filming not just "The Shawshank Redemption", but also "Men In Black". The remake of the Kafka's "Metamorphosis" would be great, too.

It's very difficult to find recently built real estate on STX. All of the condominiums that I looked at were built in the 60', 70', and 80'. Back then, the real estate developers in America had the idea that kitchens and bathrooms would be the places where family members would be sent for punishment. Consequently, the kitchens and bathrooms are tight, window-less, cheaply-made, and claustrophobic. Since then, America moved to the left, and it's currently believed that positive reinforcement is a better way to train family members. These days, the kitchens are open, filled with natural light, the cabinetry is made from exotic woods, and there there so much of the square footage of stone counters, that you feel like in the middle of the Grand Canyon. The higher-priced condos on STX have the kitchens and baths remodeled, but there is only so much that you can do to conceal the original intent.

Building your own house on STX is a very bad investment. Even though the labor costs are lower than on the mainland, the materials cost significantly more. Let's say you buy a piece of land on STX for $100K, and build a 1500 square feet house on it. The construction would cost you about $500K. Then there is landscaping and other costs. By the time you are done, you are out of $700K. If you want to sell it, you would get about $400K back. So, financially, it does not make any sense. For this reason, the inventory of unsold land on STX is huge. It would take about 10 years to sell the existing supply. There is just no sufficient demand from the buyers at which it would make sense for builders to come in.

Building a house to sell as a speculative venture in the USVI has rarely been a finacially sound plan -- building your own home to live in is a personal choice that is not always profit driven.

You really need to discuss things with your Realtor as there are many great buys from what I can see in STX on MLS, at present.
You can buy land for much less than $100K on STX and if you wished to build a 1500 sq. ft. home the build costs obviously will depend on type of construction of home and finishes you desire) would run around $250 per sq. ft. for higher end.

There are many great residential properties for sale on STX in all kinds of price ranges as well so if you are a serious buyer you need to look at everything in the price range that will suit your needs and will function best for you, your family and dog.

If you are looking for something with no exterior maintenance that you will use as a vacation home or a few months a year, stick with a condo as homes in the VI require full time maintenance.

So "Why are you here?"

If you are looking for something with no exterior maintenance that you will use as a vacation home or a few months a year, stick with a condo as homes in the VI require full time maintenance. So "Why are you here?"

Right, that is the question. I think I'll have the answer by day 28 (I am here for 4 weeks).

All of the condominiums that I looked at were built in the 60', 70', and 80'. Back then, the real estate developers in America had the idea that kitchens and bathrooms would be the places where family members would be sent for punishment. Consequently, the kitchens and bathrooms are tight, window-less, cheaply-made, and claustrophobic.

I have a house built in the late 50's; it definately matches this, but not only that, there are some very interesting floor lay out decisions, like... there are two bathrooms next to eachother in one hall.. it cracks me up... at some point I plan on lots of wall removals in an attempt to open the floor space up.

a typical person, who comes from a well to do suburb, mostly white and ready to tell everyone how they'll change things and make it better.

ouch, that sounds like me

Day 5 (continued).

I spend a lot of time doing nothing. Sitting on the porch, listening to the tropical sounds: rain, birds, leaves in the breeze. "Doing nothing" has always had negative societal connotations. The matrix has no use for you if you do nothing, so it put a very powerful mechanism in place to control you: pain. Pain manifests itself in multiple ways: hunger, cold, sex drive. If you do nothing for prolonged periods of time, the matrix sends a signal to the neurons in your brain, and the neural network interprets it as pain. The neural network learns pain by charging the neurons, and programs itself for pain avoidance. The cost of living on STX is high because people are willing to pay for relieving the pain of being cold.

No pain, No gain.

Doing nothing is known as limin, an alternate state of consciousness , no problem mon tomorrow soon come

"The cost of living on STX is high because people are willing to pay for relieving the pain of being cold."

No. It's high because we live on an island and everything must be imported/transported here.
Plus, WAPA drives the cost of living up, continuously, due to the ineptitude our government leaders and WAPA's quasi-government leadership which they have exhibited decade after decade, administration after administration. Get the cost of electricity and fuel down and other prices will follow.

You can escape the cold in parts of FL at 3/4's the cost to live here.