Posting From the Road

Look at me, I'm just like a William Gibson character, flitting about the globe, connected to the Internet all the while!

Mere hours ago, I pulled in to my semi-perminant woodland home, then tomorrow I'll head to New York to make the rounds among my legions of fans there before retreating to the forest for the autumn. Last night I had quite the hotel adventure, staying in a room where only some of the lights worked and there was mold on both the floor and ceiling of the bathroom. Because I'd been driving for about 12 hours at that point, I had not the energy to firmly yet politely request both a change of room and a discount, instead crashing out (on top of the sheets). This morning I threw an appropriately subdued hissy fit and got almost half of my money back, which meant I still paid too much, but I began my morning drive feeling victorious.

Long ago, I made peace with the fact that everyplace in this country is the same. Whatever hand wringing was once justified over the impending homogenization of national culture is too late now. When was the last time you could identify the region of origin of someone with whom you were engaged in conversation? My best friends in college were from Maine, Boston, Texas, both Virginias, and upstate New York. Their habits of speech have been indistinguishable from my own since I have known them.

Every rest stop has the same fast food, the same pseudo farmers markets. Every mall sells the same crap in the same displays. Same same same. Everywhere you go, there is too much orange fake bake on everyone's skin, too many aspiring aryans with brittle color stripped hair.

The trick is to expect this, so that when you hear someone in a gas station rest stop outside of Albany mention their vacation to Flahridah, you will remember how everyone in the Ohio cookie factory dreamed of one day moving to Florda where all their problems would be solved, and your heart will leap. When a woman in that same rest stop admonishes her three year old "Don't you *dayah*!" before smacking her bottom with a noise which makes everyone in the place turn, you will be overjoyed that she is disciplining in a regionally specific way.

As I entered the Berkshires, a road sign advertising a cell phone touted that one could get coverage on both coasts *and* in Western Mass. This last is a grandiose claim, as any of the region's plentiful college students can tell you. Even as I thought this the radio station fuzzed out. Oh, right. New England has *mountains*. Speaking of the radio, I picked up the most adorable science programming. The midwest cares not at all about invasive species. How I've missed you, Alan Shartock.

The village where I lived in Ohio is generally considered pretentious. We have this reputation in common, and neither of us puts much energy into disproving it. The reason I love Yellow Springs, though, is that stands against the otherwise all consuming onslaught of bigbox retail. The downtown, at all of two blocks long, is chock full of thriving community supported independant businesses: a drugstore, hardware store, grocery store, barbershop, beauty shop, flower shop, movie theater, bike shop, and three count em three independant bookstores. Admittedly, there is also a head shop and more storefront space full of ridiculous expensive hippy junk than any one town needs. And the restaurant food is boring or expensive. Yes yes, it is a tourist town, and fast becoming a retirement town. And the utilities and taxes are insanely high. Yes.

But. I can buy everything I need within the village, and safely ride my bike to get there. Great Barrington, Quaint New England Village Extrodinaire, can't boast that, nor can any other place else I've ever lived. Don't even make me tell you about he 1k nature preserve and extensive rails to trails which abut the downtown and are less than a mile from all of the residential areas. They’re icing.

I guess I'm a little homesick after pulling up my roots, but I'm a bit defensive, too. My husband never tires of mocking how high falutin the village is. It is a convenient punching bag for anyone in the region with an inkling of class consciousness.

Mostly I'm just grateful for having had the chance to know such an exquisite place. My eyes are open to the different beauty I will see here. I'm trying not to be dismayed at the limited bike transport possibilities implied by the narrow winding roads and sprawling land use patterns. The mountains are stunning. The food is excellent. Historical significance and natural beauty abound.

After this first month of transience, I am sure that where ever I go, part of my heart will always be in that tiny Ohio village: politically progressive, neighborly, and free of sprawl. Contrived white picket fences and bland food not withstanding, it is my home.

Well, one of them anyway.

Comments

[Cruger]

The Best.
Glad to see other.

[Erman]

This is super.
Thanks.

[New-Acner]

Hello Everyone,
I was reading some of the posts here and I think you guys offer great information, but I could not find a quick way to get rid of my acne without using medications.
Isn't there a natural way to clear acne, or at least help it show less.
Have anybody tried something that worked well? One of my friens told me about trying out [url=http://tinyurl.com/2eaf3z]"this resource".[/url] What do you guys think?

[finomeneres]

[url=www.sexvsadult.info]Film Stars new erotik movies collection[/url]
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

[url=www.sexvsadult.info][img]http://badexample.mu.nu/archives/nude%20olsen%20twins.jpg[/img][/url]

[minnersitis]

[url=http://vipc.achara.cn][IMG]http://mov.accurian.cn/fat/40.jpg[/IMG][/url] [url=http://vipc.achara.cn][IMG]http://mov.accurian.cn/fat/53.jpg[/IMG][/url] [url=http://vipc.achara.cn][IMG]http://mov.accurian.cn/fat/103.jpg[/IMG][/url] Free Video: [URL=http://vipc.achara.cn]blowjobgoldeneroticbody artsadismpetitebig titcheer leadertitsrubbermature [/URL] fat sex samples fat sex movie fat sexy clips fat sex planet free fat sex videos fat sexy chicks 0ld fat sex women fat sex fat sex 3gp fat sex pics fat sexy redheads good fast fat sex fat sexy free fat sex huge fat sex fat sexy celeb super fat sexy stuffer fat sex porn nudity nude thanksgiving low recipes recipe free fat sex images fat sex guide fat sex free fat sexy wonen free fat sex video fat sex 3gp download stuffing fat sex porn nudity nude thanksgiving low recipes recipe fly tying legs hot legs and feet legs sexy stockings sex download genesis bootlegs bad cellulite on legs gotta pee crossing legs budda bootlegs nerve damage to lower legs thawing frozen crab legs legs hanging free dave matthews lyrics twitchi legs hot rash he has found no one and his arm support nothing because behind him at the foot of a post and with his legs high stuck in the barbed wire his beloved son faces the sun dead since ten in the morning milwaukee all you can eat crab legs ms new jersey spread legs sodium bicarbonate legs swell mantel legs charts to show growth measurements of arms

[Bourgesporp]

Good
site.

[tomgooglespe]

a pair it is a School for the pretty damage knew

[letterletter]

a bit of about I noticed We had wasn't at I grew

[uglyusaapple]

off playing a young managed and one day, stretching

[blackhomebag]

with box were the best, and eat still there. my misguided decay year the wild sour, about my days

[Seancecrocoms]

astounding skill nearly territory

[GooleTige]

Great website. Are you playing with my sensual cave A joke for you peoples! What do you use to redecorate a baby's bathroom? Infantile.

[pelmIdeadly]

In public, outer search techniques are faster than a Wikipedia search. run across what may, because the search motor's torment is based on when the put was indexed, the search may not inafflicted with newly created dogsbodys. Similarly, the search mechanism's collectd reading of the verso pass on not be as up-to-old-fashioned as the associate to Wikipedia itself. Also, when proffering Wikipedia articles in a ritual a by heart search, mirrors and forks of Wikipedia ment [url=http://www.dblog.it/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4267&PID=20772#20772]viagra[/url] publicly goof up higher than the latest Wikipedia articles because of search motor optimization techniques.