Smile Politely

Local celebrity revitalizes homegrown hashtag

I’ve followed legendary drummer, comb collector and philosopher Angie Heaton on Twitter for several years now, and didn’t realize the hole in my life that was left by  the absence of #tsurst until a recent post about a squirrel. 

A while back, Heaton and other Urbana townies came up with the shorthand for “That’s Some Urbana Shit Right There” to accompany observations and images that are iconic to the twin-cities’ crunchier sister. 

Backyard chickens, public art, and bicycling top the subjects you’ll find if you do a search for the hashtag on facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. As a recent Urbana immigrant, these posts popping up in my feeds gave me intimate glimpses into the mindsets of my neighbors, allowing me to understand the more fully, if not  fully assimilate.

The tag, laying farrow for nearly a year, has seen some recent activity, now bringing me more of a laughing identification than the previous academic interest. If it’s been a while since you browsed, or if you never have, use your next coffee break to browse some #tsurst. 

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