Now, I grew up in a small town (Population: 985). However, since high school, I've lived primarily in suburbs: first Philadelphia, then Columbus, Ohio.
Hatfield, Massachusetts is definitely a small town. Much like my hometown of Bethany, WV, there are no traffic lights in Hatfield Center. There is a post office, and a small store, and a public library. I love the smallness, and I love the quirkiness of the town as well.
I rode my bike for two miles this evening, basically the center of town is one mile long and I live at one end. I passed: A potato farm, a tobacco farm, 4 horses, 2 historical markers, one church advertising a Lobster Dinner in August, and seven signs imploring passersby to "Save Our Math Teacher!" (I don't know what the back story regarding the math teacher.)
It is positively adorablee, and quiet, and beautiful. Most homes have plaques noting the date of building erection--the earliest I've seen is 1670.
Quite a change from the strip malls of Ohio.
Well, finally.
I have a brand new iBook, which I got about 3 weeks ago.
Finally, after several obstacles and much annoyance with Verizon, I now have wireless DSL up and running here in my little abode, which will allow me to actually check my e-mail at will and do homework at home instead of on campus. Moreover, it means I can stop carrying the laptop to school everyday so I can eat lunch and try to catch up on my e-mail. I am thrilled.
Naturally, all of this happens just before I am set to leave this weekend (we have August between the summer session and the fall semester), but at least I know it will be here when I get back. Honestly, I think I'd rather be without a stove than without internet.
I have so much less time to do all the things I used to do to keep this web site lively: read for pleasure, take pictures, watch tv, etc. However, I wanted to mention that VH1's "I Love the 90s" had one moment of complete pee-your-pants funniness, namely, in the 1994 edition when the one Modern Humorist guy sang Lisa Loeb's "Stay" to the other. Classic.
Also, the Emmy Nominations came out, and were relatively predictable, but I was pleased to see Joan of Arcadia get some nominations. It may be earnest, but it's very well acted and Amber Tamblyn (who portrays the title character) is well-deserving of her nomination. The other lingering question raised by the nominations is...who are the people who actually love Raymond? I certainly don't know many.
The above is me modeling my new neighborhoodie, a birthday gift from my friend Al. I wanted to plug neighborhoodies because the quality of the sweatshirt is awesome, and it's completely made in the USA, etc. The sweatshirt is a great reminder of the poem that inspired the name for this site, which reminds me that it is only "by going" that one learns where one has to go. An excellent reminder as I take on my current endeavor, full of things I've never done before.
A week or so before we left Ohio, I took a few pictures on our way to a state park south of Columbus (the name of which has escaped me). One of the things I love about where I am now is that it is very interesting from a topographical perspective--lots of lakes, rivers, and of course, mountains. The flatness of central Ohio was relentless, as evidenced in these two pictures.
