First Post

Thus, with an inauspicious tappity-tap on a keyboard in an anonymous Queens hotel does my blog begin. It isn't quite On the Road, but in today's day and age, you take what you can get.

I'm a little reluctant to commit myself to the whole idea of maintaining a blog. The blog reminds me a little bit of my role in Little Shop of Horrors (I attended an all boys summer camp and played Audrey), with the blog rapidly becoming the beast. Unlike in the movie, the play ends with the plant eventually destroying the whole world, so I'll try my best to keep the blog under control.

Another problem I have with travel blogs: a lot of them aren't that interesting. I'll try my best to keep the reader engrossed, but much of this is inevitably going to be personal anecdotes that aren't particularly accessible to those outside a select few.

Disclaimers aside: let me begin.

I awoke early this morning and flew JetBlue from Portland to JFK. Easy flight: one hour, about 80% full, no mephitic neighbors. An interesting question entered my mind during the journey: why is it that people feel that sleeves are optional whilst in public? Yes, a wife-beater might be great for those hot summer days, but when you're on a plane, at the ballgame, or walking around Freeport, show some dignity America.

On the subject of dignity and America, I feel bad for the AFSers from Alaska. A typical interaction:

"Hey, where are you coming from."
"Umm, Alaska?"
"Sweet. Pretty cold, huh?"
"Yeah."
"So... how do you feel about governor Palin?"
"Same way I felt when the last twelve people asked me."

The states represented by AFS tend to shadow the more, shall we say, "blue" states. It's pretty bi-coastal.

What else? Orientations were not the most exciting things, but for those of us who paid attention there were some useful nuggets of information hidden within the talks.

Oh, one last serendipitous encounter to share. One of the AFS volunteers was a counselor at Takajo back in the 1990's, and he knew Nick Andreacci, one of my bunk counselors. He sent Nick an email and, of course, he remembered me. Remarkable. Even more remarkable is that a girl from Ghana is going to be living in Naples. (Naples, Maine, not the "real" Naples.) She'll be in for a bit of a shock come Thanksgiving-ish.

I'm going to turn in. I need to get up early and re-pack my computer and whatnot. Love to the family, and my condolensces to FHSers that school lunch went up ten cents. I'm as outraged as you are.