Two Mornings, a Study in Contrast

On my morning commute, yesterday, things went bad. It started at what is called, locally, the Fifth Avenue curve. A gentle sweeping arc that sends you from a warming southern drive seeming soft and kind casual and kind to a more western orientation looking at the tall buildings of business gone mad. Things get serious. You can almost hear the crackle and pop of an interspace communication. “Red Leader, assume attack formation.” Everything seems to start on the curve.

Yesterday, after passing 5th Avenue things slowed down. Slowed to a crawl. A crawl broken by stretches of a complete stop. Eventually, I made it past Leonard Avenue, the first exit west of 5th Avenue. A police car came screaming up the east bound freeway, crossed on the overpass and went accelerating down the westbound lanes. I could hear the roar of the engine over my music,  Summer in the City by the Lovin’ Spoonful. Which is one of my favorites, so it was kind of loud. I knew it was bad, then.

And it was. There was a horrible accident, multiple cars, multiple injuries. I didn’t know how bad it was, but it was obviously so bad my first thought was a silent prayer. Not the usual disgust for people who have to drive carelessly and wreck, ruining my commute. In fact it was so bad they closed the freeway, and I was forced to exit and wind my way through the downtown streets crowded with frustrated, detoured commuters.

The sun came up. It was weak, hidden with dark clouds. There was no rain in the forecast and none in the clouds. But, they were dark, ominous, heavy with something. Anger, sadness? Maybe they wanted to shed a few tears for the poor souls. Nothing more painful than impotent sorrow. It was a very uncomfortable morning. And, I have never been so glad when morning ended and the skies finally gave a little break. I know, occasionally, I see things for more than they are, and I am sure this was one of those times. It doesn’t take much imagination to make the connection, though.

I looked online and it doesn’t seem as if anybody was killed. But, once the traffic is cleared it doesn’t seem to be news anymore. Though, I imagine those involved would feel differently. 

This morning, though, I am comfortable, alone, with a cup of coffee, an iPad and my thoughts. I am mapping out the Nancy/Tim Casino Extravaganza. We are stopping at Jungle Jims, in Fairfield, the Party Barn in Louisville and a used bookstore in Dayton.  We may have to stop at Jungle Jims and the book store both ways.

I love used books. For one thing they are cheaper. More important, though, it is sharing a treasure with someone, somebody you don’t even know. In a way you have both lived somebody else’s life. Enter stage left, a new character, three people. Maybe several people owned and read the book.  It is a whole village, really. All sharing a story. I know people who only like new books, hard cover, fresh from the factory books. I like books with character, lived in books, loved books, hated books, books that have been around the block. Like me.

I have two books I have been looking for. It is a quest. I could buy them off Amazon, or Barnes and Noble but where is the thrill in that? They have become my grail. I am almost afraid I will find them. What then? There is always another foolish adventure, another pointless chase through aisles filled with the forgotten relics of modern life. It might be a book, it could be a Bluetooth keyboard for an iPhone, possibly a coffee cup with a particular companies logo. But, it is out there and I will find it, or at least look for it. 

So, next week we are off to spend a couple of days in a casino. Not really in the casino, but in a room in the same building as the casino. We will go hiking through a state park. And, hike through the casino as well. We might even drop some coin on a game or two. Why not? And we will hike through the grocery store, and the used book store. You have to stay active, right? We love to hike. 

And, I will hope the people in the awful wreck yesterday are ok. But, I probably won’t know. And I guess I can live with that, too.

Another Adventure,

We decided, my wife and I, to take a little trip, blow off a little steam, let our hair down, indulge in a little spring break leisure. Maybe we are just preparing for our impending retirement. Anyway, we looked around and Louisville is always fun. There are things to do, stuff to see. Plus, Louisville is only about three hours from Columbus, a real benefit. But, we have been to Louisville several times, and we are on a mission to try new things. So, we went looking. About 12 miles from Louisville is the Horseshoe Inn and Casino. Where, in the words of The Grateful Dead (from Ramble On Rose) we will “be sitting plush with a royal flush, aces back to back.”

We have started a list of places we are going to visit. Stops on the Life Explained World Tour. It is a list of destinations, goals to be achieved before we die. We may have to live forever. Or stay off the internet. Las Vegas is one of them. Maybe this is training. We are not gamblers. We won twelve dollars on a slot machine in South Dakota and four dollars from a slot machine in Michigan, and we were rolling in the dough. But, the room at the Horseshoe was cheap, and we got a fifty dollar food credit. And the food looks amazing. The way I see it we already won. Vegas here we come.

Plus, I have a new fascination with making videos. A fascination, but not much talent. If you hate my writing wait until you see my videos. One inescapable truth; it takes a lot of time to make a video. So, the first thing I did this morning, after emailing the owner of the company asking her for the days off,¹ was start making the introduction. It turned out pretty well. Unfortunately, it is not this video.

Which is just something I cobbled together last night. Sort of an adhoc preview of the real video. So enjoy this and know it only gets better. Maybe.

Plus, there will be a scintillating account of our trip.  Including obsessive description of our stops at Drake’s and The Party Barn in Louisville. You don’t want to miss that. It will be here, or on my new WordPress site (or both).With the shuttering of Google + I began to worry about Blogger so I branched out. Though, I’m not sure it is much ado about nothing, but if you know me, you know I like finding problems that don’t really exist. It makes it easier to ignore real problems. 

Anyway, we may win enough to retire in style. Or we may just have a great time. Either way we are winners. Winning isn’t hard, if you know how to keep score. See you soon, we may stop in a city by you.  Let me know where that is, we are always looking for an excuse to get away.

¹ She said it was ok.

It's potty time

It was a great idea, and one that should have been further developed. Nobody has really gone to the trouble of rating Interstate Rest Areas. These expensive, vital links to interstate travel and commerce are unreported, and frankly vary widely in quality, and amenities. It seemed time that someone begin the toil, and labor that would be involved in such a worthwhile endeavor.  I never planned on reviewing them all, just get the ball rolling.  And, then anyone who travels anywhere could submit a review of the rest areas they used.  Sort of a Yelp or Trip Adviser, for bathroom breaks.

But, as with so many revolutionary ideas this one died on the vine when my wife and son refused to stop unless someone needed to stop.  And then it was kind of rushed without time to fully evaluate the offerings.  So, we only have a small sampling, and there is no real organization. Honestly organization is not really a strength, though, so it probably is not all her fault.

So, here goes.  There is a rest area just east of Rapid City, sitting right on a river, though I don't really know which river, that is very nice, and clean.  The attendant was pleasant and polite, but the vending area was a little skimpy.  And the river was in danger of flooding out the entire area, but I don't suppose you can blame the rest area for that.  If you are traveling on Interstate 90, and happen to be slightly east of Rapid City, west of Wall, stop in (unless it is flooded) with confidence.

West of Kearney, outside vending machines.
What are we, animals?

Nebraska, along Interstate 80, had a variety of quality in the rest stop offering.  If you can wait, I would.  Don't stop anywhere west of Grand Island.  The areas in the eastern third are much newer, with vending areas that are inside, which is much nicer when deciding between cookies and a candy bar, or chips and crackers.

Iowa seems to be upgrading, so you are kind of safe anywhere, but only on Interstate 80, don't use the old ones on I29.

Illinois, the Rest Stop State

Illinois is a safe place to use any facility.  They have trails, and attractions, like a Metro Park, with elaborate vending areas, right inside the sumptuous main buildings.  Indiana and Ohio, well just don't bother.  Just wait until the next state.

Here is the first installment of the Rest Areas of America.  We will continue this during our next trip, we are dedicated Interstate travelers.  If you would like to submit a review, just send it along.

An adventure in mediocrity.

Driving down the freeways of America is a great way to find out a little about yourself.  Without all of the life and civilization intruding into a trip you have time to look inward.  

This unique opportunity for introspection, this chance to examine what is important is so hard to find in today's hyperconnected, constantly plugged in world. Each of us carries ideas, thoughts, dreams, constantly bubbling subcutaneously.  Percolating, flowing, ebbing and waning, waiting to break through. Aching to be discovered. On this trip, for example, an idea came bounding through. Popping out, demanding action. 

I sprang from a packing stupor and downloaded an ecard app (appygraph, if you are interested, and for a free app it is remarkably flexible). I am going to use it to document the trip through the heartland.  I am going to post a progress report on Facebook.

I am not an artistic photographer, my hands shake too much, and my impatience, and haste force me to rush the shot, so I am going to pass the beauty and take pictures of the more ordinary. Figuring it is best to leave the beautiful, spectacular vistas, and gorgeous scenes filled with color, contrast, and all of those important artistic elements to those steady handed, rock solid, keen eyed photo geeks with their expensive cameras and multiple lenses, apertures and focal lengths walking around with bags, and straps, and light meters, acting as though they have some sort of spiritual attachment to the simple practice of pointing a machine at an object and pushing a button, like that takes some divine, instinctive talent… Oops.

Anyway, I will focus on the more average, more typical snapshots of Americana. It will be Postcards From the Mundane.  A series, by Life Explained.

At some point it will become an award winning documentary with musical accompaniment by an artist to be named later.  But, you will not to wait that long, get on the band wagon while there is still room, and the ticket price is still reasonable.

Please join us on our travels here, Our Home on Facebook.

Indiana, is that east or west of 1962?

In a stunning move sure to incite debate Indiana has passed the "Religious Freedom Act."  Which really sounds benign, our country was founded on several inalienable rights, among them was religious freedom.  Apparently, this law is not really about the right to practice any religion.  From what little truth can be sifted from the growing pile of vitriol and hate, misinformation, and anger, this law is more about the practice of exclusion.

It seems business owners can refuse to sell products, or services to people who are of a different faith.  Using the the sanctity of "religious freedom"  a business can keep their stuff, and the consumer can keep their money.  Which is not "smart business" but it is possible, now, at least in Indiana.

Amazingly, the Indiana Soybean and Corn Alliance has recently reached an agreement to export agricultural commodities to Taiwan, mostly, one can assume soy beans and corn.  This makes a lot of sense, Indiana has soy beans and corn, taiwan could use some.  Everybody is happy.  But, the chief religions in Taiwan are Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism.  None of which are probably the religion being protected.

Boldly, the Program Manager for the Indiana State Department of Agriculture attended the Dubai Wood and Machinery Show in the United Arab Emirates.  He was promoting Indiana hardwood, which is, surprisingly, a very important crop for the state.  He sees the "hardwood sector growing into a more global economy all the time."  Of course the "global economy" would be significantly narrowed if you filter by the protection of "religious freedom."  It is not clear, but it is a good guess that the chief religion in need of "protection" in Indiana is not Islam.

Of course, a state needs to generate revenue, doing so requires a healthy economy, and a healthy business atmosphere needs a vigorous exercise of exchange.  Pursuing markets for the products produced by the businesses is a requirement for any state in this age.  And protecting the rights of citizens is one of the most sacred necessities of governing.  Religious differences are clearly not a problem for the state of Indiana when pursuing its goals.  Does Indiana really feel that the small business owners should be allowed to discriminate, or are they just invoking the name of religion to camouflage bigotry?