A few thoughts
A random collection of things worth mentioning:
Arielle and I, along with others, have taken quite a liking to Ken Jennings, the undisputed heavyweight Jeopardy champion of the world. His proclamation last night, “Sometimes it pays to be a nerd, Alex” was a watershed moment for the geeks of the world. The Mormon thing aside, he should be a hero to kids everywhere.
I just finished reading Land Circle by Linda Hasselstrom. I had previously read her book Going Over East in my freshman English class in college, and it was a pleasure to read some more of her stuff. She really evokes strong feelings for the Midwest in me, and her take on corporate farming, wasteful consumerism, and self-reliance is dead-on. It is of my opinion that she and James Kunstler should meet up and run for the White House together. One’s a crazy rancher, the other is a crazy urbanist, and I think together they’d be the best thing our country has seen for a long time.
Our summer travels have brought us thus far to New York (Buffalo, Albany, and NYC) and, most recently, North Carolina. I have a bunch of pictures from the New York trip just waiting to be posted. Soon.
North Carolina, where Arielle’s grandparents live, was a great trip. We camped in West Virgina on our way down there in the Monongahela National Forest. At $8 a night with all the fresh air one can breathe, it’s a hard bargain to beat. Passing through the Virginias, Tennessee, and North Carolina was a scenic experience. The Appalachian mountains are far more green and lush than I would have ever imagined.
A couple of interesting sub-notes on the southern experience: * Mountain music is quite enjoyable. * There’s a Dairy Queen in every town. * In southern dialect, ‘shopping carts’ are called 'buggies.’ Be prepared.
