1. My mom's macaroni and cheese, made with random cheeses, Dijon mustard, and lots of butter. I could eat this until I dropped-dead of a massive coronary and I wouldn't care one bit because I would be in heaven the entire time.
2. Driving a turbocharged car with a manual transmission. I've owned three, a Mazda RX-7 Turbo II, a Mazda 626 GT, and Saab 9000. I miss the Saab the most, but the RX-7 appeals most to my heart.
3. The New York Times. My favorite source of hard news and opinion, even though I do enjoy the WSJ on occasion.
4. Rural America. Farms and open spaces over crowded, claustrophobic cities. 'Nuff said.
5. Swans, the band. I saw Michael Gira a month ago and it was one of the finest musical experiences of my life, and quite possible one of the most intense experiences of my life. He played a setlist made up of songs from both his Swans and Angels of Light albums, and I wished that it wouldn't end. Amazing.
That's all for now, I guess.
Kevin F
1 month ago
3 comments:
Yup. The city sucks. I was in the middle of farm land today when my bike fell to pieces on me, but I could of cared less because at least I wasn't in Chicago.
#4. so, rural america is quaint and a great place to ride a bike, but man o man, i'd go CRAZY after a week or so out of the city. I mean, what do you do when the nearest source of belgian beer or good coffee is 60 mi away? Or when you can't drink because the only way to get home is driving?
It's all about perspective and maximizing your situation. Say I lived in Barlow, Ohio, which is where my mom's side of the family is from. The closest metropolitan area is Columbus, which is a good 100 miles away; the closest Starbucks is in Athens. Certainly you can't walk down the street to a bar, hell, the township is dry, but you make do. When you go to Columbus, you stock-up on Belgian Trappist ales and you load the car down with goods from Trader Joe's. If you want to go drinking, you light a fire in the backyard firepit, call up some friends, and set out some sleeping bags in the breezeway. Life in rural America is not like life in the big city. Country life is in many ways more insular, more cloistered, and intimate, but also, in many ways, a greater sense of community and personal engagement with others becomes greater. You get to know your neighbors on ways that urbanites would never imagine – you lend out your baler to the neighbor down the road, and he in turn gives you a steady supply of eggs. When the season winds down and the equipment's in the shed, you invite him and his family over for a big meal and bust out the cold beers, and he in turn does the same.
As for coffee, sure, there's not much available other than what's served in McDonald's or a Dunkin, but espresso makers are pretty cheap and coffeebeans store for a long time.
Also, life in small college towns is perhaps even more of an ideal. You get much of the culture of the big city, albeit on a smaller scale, with constant art and musical events, plus, if you're kinda lucky, there's often a decent restaurant or coffeeshop or two to patronize. Athens, Ohio is like this – it's small, in the middle of the country, but yet, there's almost always something going on.
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