Feeling mad love for Small Town Misfit and BeeNews.com. They’re two of the best stand-ins around for those times you can’t indulge in the ultimate on-the-road entertainment: a gander at a community newspaper’s police blotter while drinking a cup of coffee at the local diner.
Archive for February, 2009
Crime Doesn’t Pay (But It Sure Can Be Funny)
Posted in Funny Stuff, tagged crime blotter, newspapers, small town on February 27, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
The Iditarod: Worth the Work It Takes to Follow It
Posted in State-by-State, tagged Alaska, dog mushing, Iditarod, sports on February 26, 2009 | 1 Comment »
For spectators, dog mushing is a hard sport. There’s no loop de loop on a race track. There’s no back and forth on a court. Once the dogs go by…they’re pretty much gone. Dog mushing as spectator sport takes patience, dedication, and a lot of reading (internet and newspaper updates of days-long races are key). [...]
Missing Mardi Gras
Posted in State-by-State, tagged Mardi Gras, New Orleans on February 20, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
There’s a gaping evil awful hole in my collection of travel experiences: not only have I never been to Mardi Gras, I’ve never even been to New Orleans. (OK, while I’m admitting to things, I’ve never seen The Godfather either but I guess that’s an issue for another website.) While I won’t be able to [...]
Nebraska–Whodathunkit?
Posted in State-by-State, tagged Nebraska, state promotion on February 19, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
I don’t know what became of my Nebraska sweatshirt. It vanished many years ago and I still mourn the loss. I bought the bright red (go Huskers!), short-sleeved sweatshirt in a thrift shop and wore it for years after my first (and so far only) visit to Nebraska in the late 1970s. Granted, I was [...]
Regional American Words: Is That a Pork Steak in Your Pocket or Are You Just Happy to See Me?
Posted in American Style, tagged language, regionalisms on February 16, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Pop? Soda? Coke? Hoagie? Grinder? Sub? They’re about as basic as it gets when it comes to American regionalisms. Yet they’re still very entertaining to discuss. Just watch what happens in the comments sections (hopefully it happens) when I declare the answers to be soda and sub. (Please, if you disagree, just don’t hurl your [...]
Would You Rather Live in a Big City or Small Town?
Posted in American Style, Reading America, tagged cities, small towns on February 13, 2009 | 1 Comment »
I keep a file titled “Good Reads,” into which I tuck stories and articles that I enjoyed reading and like to revisit from time to time. The other day, I pulled the file out and found a photocopied page from the book O Pioneers!O Pioneers! by Willa Cather. I copied the page for a particular [...]
Tucson, Arizona: Moments of Zen
Posted in Uncategorized on February 12, 2009 | 1 Comment »
A long day of flying wiped out the peace and relaxation I thought I’d stored up during two days of horseback riding and mountain biking at Tanque Verde Ranch in Tucson, Arizona. So, while there are stories to tell, they’ll have to wait. For now, with apologies to The Daily Show for the slightly more [...]
Oklahoma: Who Knew?
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Native Americans, Oklahoma, Pawhuska, Tallgrass Prairie Preserve on February 11, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Have you ever had one of those dreams, where you open a door in your own house and find a whole wing you never knew was there? That’s the way I feel about Oklahoma. It’s been sitting right there all this time and I was so busy exploring Texas, I never even gave my neighbor, [...]
Humor in America: You Know You Live In…
Posted in Funny Stuff, tagged Funny Stuff, rural America, videos on February 9, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Thanks to the must-see series and must-read companion book, Make ‘Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America, I’ve got 50 states worth of ha ha on the brain. The series’ creators offer up six genres of American comedy; some are riffs on humor birthed in lands far far away and others are distinctly American. Until [...]
