From the far reaches of the United States ...
And for my final blog from the confines of Miami, I thought a reflection on the most important things I’ve learned this summer might be in order. And since I’ve spent the whole summer editing clichés out of writing (actually I’ve been doing that since I got into journalism), I thought what better way to enjoy my one week of summer vacation than to organize this list in one of the most cliché ways possible: a Top 10 list. And without further adieu, the Top 10 things I learned in a far corner of the United States:
10. A trunkfull of belongings will expand to exactly fill whatever space it is supposed to occupy—whether it’s the trunk, an entire three-bedroom house or one bedroom.
9. An entire day worth of sports that get its own story can be summed up in 15 inches of text with one headline.
8. I still don’t know a thing about auto racing, even after a summer of editing stories and putting together roundups of the day’s auto racing news, and I will never see the fascination with it.
7. Perhaps my whole navigational deficiency is a mental block in Abilene because I managed to navigate around my basic areas in Miami with almost no trouble except my first encounter with Florida toll ways, which put me into work more than half an hour late.
6. Tropical storm force winds and rain aren’t anything to get concerned over, but the mosquitoes that appear on the first hot, humid day after the tropical storm rain can carry you away.
5. 1983 computer technology can still function well in 2005 and even have advantages over other methods of putting together a newspaper.
4. Dial-up Internet is an unfortunate inconvenience. Phasing out the 28.8k and 56k modem was as important a step in this world as the end of nuclear proliferation between the United States and Russia.
3. There is proof that I could in fact be closer to the age of 42 than 22. On any given day during my 1.5-2 hours of driving to and from work, I was just as likely to listen to talk radio as I was my CD player.
2. And if I am in fact closer to 42, there is hope. Men in their late 30s and 40s still quote Celebrity Jeopardy and find it hilarious.
And the No. 1 thing I learned in a far corner of the United States:
1. Once thought simply to be simply an Abilene and Tyler phenomenon, I discovered that I belong somewhere in the center of the strange news universe.
I’m not sure there could be any more important things to learn than those. Thanks folks. I’m out. I’ll see you after a short 20-hour drive if you’re in Tyler or another 4.5-hour drive if you’re in Abilene.
10. A trunkfull of belongings will expand to exactly fill whatever space it is supposed to occupy—whether it’s the trunk, an entire three-bedroom house or one bedroom.
9. An entire day worth of sports that get its own story can be summed up in 15 inches of text with one headline.
8. I still don’t know a thing about auto racing, even after a summer of editing stories and putting together roundups of the day’s auto racing news, and I will never see the fascination with it.
7. Perhaps my whole navigational deficiency is a mental block in Abilene because I managed to navigate around my basic areas in Miami with almost no trouble except my first encounter with Florida toll ways, which put me into work more than half an hour late.
6. Tropical storm force winds and rain aren’t anything to get concerned over, but the mosquitoes that appear on the first hot, humid day after the tropical storm rain can carry you away.
5. 1983 computer technology can still function well in 2005 and even have advantages over other methods of putting together a newspaper.
4. Dial-up Internet is an unfortunate inconvenience. Phasing out the 28.8k and 56k modem was as important a step in this world as the end of nuclear proliferation between the United States and Russia.
3. There is proof that I could in fact be closer to the age of 42 than 22. On any given day during my 1.5-2 hours of driving to and from work, I was just as likely to listen to talk radio as I was my CD player.
2. And if I am in fact closer to 42, there is hope. Men in their late 30s and 40s still quote Celebrity Jeopardy and find it hilarious.
And the No. 1 thing I learned in a far corner of the United States:
1. Once thought simply to be simply an Abilene and Tyler phenomenon, I discovered that I belong somewhere in the center of the strange news universe.
I’m not sure there could be any more important things to learn than those. Thanks folks. I’m out. I’ll see you after a short 20-hour drive if you’re in Tyler or another 4.5-hour drive if you’re in Abilene.
posted by Jonathan at
1:07 PM
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