Since I (semi-permanently) dismissed the idea of getting a tattooed map of the U.S. on my person in order to mark off, one tattoo pin at a time, where I’ve traveled, I’ve been on the hunt for a new way to detail where I’ve been. (Please don’t recommend a scrapbook. I’m not that girl.) I [...]
Monthly Archive for March, 2009
I love the idea of bird-watching.
I love birds, I love being out in nature, I love having something to do while I’m out in nature. Too bad I’m really bad at bird-watching. I can spot only the most obvious birds, I can identify only the most easily identifiable. Subtleties escape me. (What color are their [...]
Are We Ready To Honor Confederate History?
Posted in Discuss on Mar 24th, 2009
As a Yankee in the South, I’m used to the sensitivities still surrounding the Civil War, aka the War Between the States, aka (‘round these parts) the War of Northern Aggression.
But while visiting Civil War battlefields is standard historical tourism, I wonder if enough time has passed even now for the nation to join Southern [...]
Twitterers are all a-twitter about the fun they’re having at SXSW in Austin, and the party is only just getting started. But are long-time locals having as much fun being descended upon by the hipster masses? I polled a few of my Austin buddies about the fun they’re having … or not.
Ruth Pennebaker, a blogger [...]
Every time I watch it on the Winter Olympics, I decide that luge is an utterly insane sport that you could not pay me enough to try.
“Chicago Tribune” reporter Christoper Borrelli evidently does not feel the same way. They paid, he tried (in Muskegon, Michigan). Here’s the story.
A sample: “Sue Halter, my instructor, told me [...]
Time magazine’s slideshow capturing Detroit’s decay in photos by French photographers Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre is stunning and utterly heartbreaking.
My thought as I watched: As travelers/tourists we’re a powerful economic force. Can we help save Detroit?
A number of years ago, I worked with a woman who was originally from Detroit. She loved her [...]
I have to admit that I am among those who laughed and laughed at this harsh Saturday Night Live skit that had Hawaiian officials in a huff.
The Gallup Well-Being Index recently ranked Hawaii as the second happiest state in the nation, after Utah, but my limited experience with the state (three visits) introduced me to [...]
West Virginia: Reversal of Fortune?
Posted in Discuss, West Virginia on Mar 12th, 2009
Oh, West Virginia. We feel for you. It can’t feel good to show up dead last on Forbes’ list of the best states in which to live. Word of your ranking comes on the heels of your governor’s plan to boost the state’s image. Maybe the campaign will also help brighten the spirits of residents [...]
In my previous, non-flyover life in New York City, the first signs of spring were when the forsythia bloomed in Central Park and a ripe and not-unpleasant scent started wafting through my neighborhood from off the Hudson River.
One complaint I’ve heard many times about my current home state, Texas, is that it has no change [...]
Photographers Focus on the 50 States
Posted in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, See, South Carolina, South Dakota, States, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming on Mar 10th, 2009
The Works Progress Administration did it. Musician Sufjan Stevens has done a bit of it. Matt Weiland and Sean Wilsey got a whole bunch of people to do it. And, of course, Sophia, Matt, and I are deep into our own version of it.
The it in question? Exploring, one by one, what makes each of [...]
