When I moved out to the suburbs, I noticed--and resisted--one thing that pretty much all of my neighbors had: the seasonal house flag. Right now, there are about 16 Valentine-themed flags on my block (two houses had the same one for awhile, but then one mom went back to Michael's to get a new one). But, after a few months of living in Pasadena, I figured I should join in. Why not? After all, it makes the neighborhood feel a little bit more...friendly.
So, I decided to put up my alma mater flag. But there are a few drawbacks:
1. In a sea of USC and UCLA flags, my UVA one is practically unrecognizable (unless you watch ESPN College).
2. Because most people don't recognize the emblem, they think I'm a superfan of the movie V for Vendetta. Or as my next door neighbor gently put it, "Oh, did you go to Comic-Con when the movie came out?"
3. The flag colors are so vibrant (the orange is practically neon), you can spot it about 5 blocks away. I know because the first day I put it up and took the dog for a walk, I started wondering if it's an eyesore. I was hoping that the colors would mellow out since it's been out there for awhile, but...no.
Well. If I really get sick of it, I can always swap it out for a seasonal flag. Or maybe if the Celtics make it to the Finals...
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maybe they have one without the orange border? or in a less shiny material.
wahoowa!
view salley's profile
Hey welcome to pasadena Grace. I dig it, it would definitely make it easy for friends to find your house. Are you anywhere near San Marino?
view Jonny Full Pint's profile
Flags, even if neon orange, are fine.
Valentine's Day lights? Not okay! Since when did Valentine's Day require as much decorating as Christmas? Apparently my neighborhood Target must have had an abundance of the heart shaped pink and red window lights.
view emmysb's profile
We'll just pretend that Grace forgot she lives in LOS ANGELES for a moment...home of the LAKERS. Celtics versus Lakers like it's 1986 all over again.
view gregory's profile
go virginia! i can identify with you. i'm from san diego originally and the week i got into college you should have seen the blank stares i got when i told everyone i was going to "uva."
view jerseyfresh's profile
Just commenting to say that I'm doing so from UVA right now!
view meerasedai's profile
Wah-hoo-wah!
view Doug's profile
Wahoowa! I grew up in CT, but we are now living in Cville, where my husband is a UVA grad student. I wouldn't have known what your flag meant until this past August, when we moved here--but now it means home. What a nice surprise to see it on AT!
view cath's profile
Hey Johnny Full Pint,
I'm across the street from San Marino. And is that beer site yours or just a fan? My husband and, subsequently, I are into the microbrews. We're hopheads and planned our honeymoon tour of the PacNW around breweries for my husband and fabric shops for moi.
view payzlee's profile
How adorable is this house?! I just love the lattice work around the entry.
view petro's profile
Jonny Full Pint - Thanks! Yes, my flag makes it extremely easy for friends to find me...and yes, I do live very close to San Marino. And I love Belgian ales.
Gregory - Them's some fightin words, Mr. Han. If the Celtics and the Lakers make it to the Finals...care to make it, ahem, interesting?
Fellow Wahoos - You'll appreciate this: About 2 days after I put up my flag, another house down the street put up a...you guessed it...Virginia Tech flag! 300 miles away, and the rivalry is still kicking strong. Damn Hokies.
Petro - Thanks, the lattice work is one of the things that sold me on the house to begin with :)
view grace's profile
Hey Payzlee, that is indeed my site, I am glad that your hubby's love of a good brew lets you check out what the pacnw has to offer. For all of you close to san marino I highly recommend going to visit the huntington library, the chinese garden that just opened this past weekend is simply amazing.
view Jonny Full Pint's profile