Similarities

A shocking number of people here have noticeably P-land demeanor and characteristics. Everybody, old ladies, young hipsters, middle aged people with thick accents-how is there this common thread between these people? Really though, you just boated over from east wherever the fuck, landed here, and suddenly seem like a p-land person? The other thing is, these characteristics are so distinctly uncommon everywhere else.
I'm sure these things are true in I-town too, but this seems different.

I see people in I-town all the time walking down the street clearly in a different reality than I am. I don't necessarily mean this in a bad way like these people are self centered or oblivious, just clearly experiencing differently. Effortlessly maintaining their own version of reality.
Often times I'll get the distinct impression that someone hasn't completely figured out they're no longer in -whatever- Shang Hai, the mid west, anything, and the amazing thing is -in I-town- it seems to work for them. I mean really, the Dalai Lama hangs out way up on south hill with the giant Tibetan woodwork, as though that reality fits there as well.

In P-land people seem to share a more collective reality which I guess makes sense but I find it surprising. Also a little uncomfortable, I hate admitting how strongly people are effected by their surroundings.

To be fair I-town does have a lot of mood swings, I guess it is a little bit of most everything. However this characteristic leaves me seeing I-town as more some talented poseur with an intense personality disorder and ADD rather than a lush complete reality composed of my own picks of everything.