Something new, a little early

I was planning on giving a little “Something New” shoutout to our new Canadian friend, Brandon, on Tuesday but I couldn’t wait that long to post this. Brandon found his way to the blog because he’s originally from Greenville, SC and is now living in Thompson, Manitoba. For those of you who live in the US here is a pretty good description of Thompson – imagine what you think life would be like in Greenville, South Carolina and then imagine a place where every single thing about it is 100% in the opposite direction. That’s Thompson.

For the visual learners among y’all (Casey said I even spell that right!) here’s a quick reference guide -

So yeah. I’m thinking that Brandon is a little crazy. Either that or God is up to something pretty big in his life and in Thompson, too.

Today Brandon posted just about the funniest thing I’ve seen this week. And here’s hoping he keeps up the trend – we want to know more about your South Carolina heritage, Brandon!!

Back home in South Carolina, until about 8 years ago, there were more gambling institutions than in the state of Nevada. Then video poker was outlawed. There were about 73 thousand former video poker establishments which promptly became… you guessed it, fireworks stores.

Head over to Brandon’s site, watch the video, pee your pants imagining what everyday life must be like for those South Carolina guys and then leave him a comment letting him know that you think he’s doing a pretty amazing thing by following God’s call all the way to Thompson, Manitoba (yearly average snowfall: 186 cm – you do the math!)

5 Responses to “Something new, a little early”

1. brandonmilan says:

   April 19, 2008 at 10:46 am

   whats funny is that video isn’t far from the truth at all… my wife has an uncle who spends most of his time making miniature cannons… for no reason other than the loud bang you hear when they go off… he’s from Rock Hill, SC.

   Oh, and I’m actually from Spartanburg, SC which is about 20 miles from Greenville, but in actuality, its all the same place. I went to college in Greenville, so I lived there for about 4 years…

   thanks for the reccomendation… my bad spelling is a South Carolina thing, too.

   Reply
2. leahmilan says:

   April 19, 2008 at 12:01 pm

   yah he is pretty funny..but I am biased. And he’d be a whole lot funnier if he were from North Carolina, but people from Canada usually don’t understand why. He’d also be a lot funnier if his parents had been somewhat closely related. Sorry, that was a joke, playing into stereotypes. It’s funny that we grew up only about an hour from each other but it’s a completely different area, and we’re both fiercely proud of where we came from.

   good to see someone appreciate him almost as much as I do.

   Reply
3. Casey Ross says:

   April 19, 2008 at 2:45 pm

   Okay, I feel like I need to step into this conversation and set some things straight. Yes, we (SC) used to have about a gazillion video poker machines. And, yes, we now have plenty of places to buy fireworks. But…

   Spartanburg, SC and Greenville, SC are totally different places. The only people who think they are the same are people from Spartanburg. Having lived and worked in both places, I say this with confidence.

   And about the video…yeah, that’s pretty much how it is. LOL! I caught a neighbor’s yard on fire when I was a kid after I shot some type of firework into their yard. And a friend in middle school blew off a few fingers making homemade fireworks.

   Changing the subject, does Brandon live near the Ice Road Truckers? I love them!

   Reply
4. brandon milan says:

   April 20, 2008 at 12:42 am

   Not that it really matters, but Spartanburg and Greenville are most definitely different places with completely unique histories. However, they are a part of the same metropolitan area. They share an airport. They have very similar industries. The local TV and radio stations are targeted towards both cities. While the actual city of Greenville is quite different fromt he city of Spartanburg, the surrounding areas of both are actually pretty similar. In reality there are about 13 or 15 different towns/communities in Greenville and Spartanburg counties combined. But those distinctions are only important in Upstate South Carolina. If you are in Canada, you don’t really have a need to know the nuances of the unique personalities of Spartanburg and Greenville.

   I’m sure that someone from New York City makes a pretty big distinction between Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, etc. While for those of us who don’t live there and rarely travel there, its all the same place. In fact, New York and Newark are pretty much the same place for anyone who hasn’t been there.

   Basically, all of this to say, when speaking to someone who isn’t from South Carolina, there is little need to make a big distinction between the different areas of Upstate South Carolina. Its all the Upstate.

   And yes, a lot of winter road truckers come through Thompson.

   And I think every South Carolinian almost killed someone with fireworks as a small child. Even under supervision (and/or encouragement) by his/her parents.

   Reply
5. Chris From Canada says:

   April 21, 2008 at 8:56 am

   I must say that I’m impressed that two guys from South Carolina are able to carry on such an intelligent conversaion

   Reply