Travelling The Highways Of America (Or At Least A Small Part Of Them)

Me and my family drove to Ohio over Thanksgiving to Visit Relatives. This sixteen house drive gave me a chance to observe the highways of America (outside of New Hampshire and Vermont) for the fist time in two or three years. It was, to say the least, distressing. The fist thing I noticed was how grateful I am to the government of northern New England for outlawing billboards. The greater part of American freeways are spattered with hideous and obnoxious signs advertising anything and everything. I was amazed to see that there are even billboards advertising themselves ('your ad could be here!! call 125-8325 for details'.) It's ridiculous!

The next thing the baffled me was the fact that it's nearly impossible to find local restaurants anymore. It would appear that the only food one can get without venturing several towns away from the highway is from chain restaurants. Generally food from these places is nasty stuff that makes you feel as though your arteries might be clogged after the first bite. This is not the kind of food you want to eat when you're going to be sitting in a car for the next ten hours. In short, it feels as if the roadways of this country have been defiled and ruined.

November Funk

People, New Englanders especially, always complain about becoming depressed or blue during the month preceding winter. I have never been privy to these feelings of despair. I tend to remain content during the winter months, but this year may prove different. It may be that the time of year has nothing to do with this, it's possible it's just circumstances being he way they are. but either way I'm feeling a little down these days. not depressed, you understand, just down. Lots of wandering around the house simply because I feel I have nothing else to do, or grouching at everyone because everthing feels the same and couped up and beating down on me. now of course that isn't the way it actually is, but that's the way this venerable month makes it feel. Short days and long cold nights will do that.

I like to call these November Doledrums...