The Bostonian Abroad

Being that I've put 3,000 miles on my new Harley since June, I thought it wise to check with the dealer to make sure what all had been done on my bike before they sold it to me. I called the dealership in Rocky Mount, and - lo and behold, nothing at all had ever been done! They sold me a motorcycle without ever having changed the oil or even inspecting it! When this oversight was discovered, the service man immediately offered to do it for free. I was very satisfied by this offer, and I immediately took him up on it. Today, after a long and boring drive home from Lillington in my VW Golf, I hopped on my Road King and quickly set off for Rocky Mount. What a great ride! The temperature was barely 66 degrees, the sun was shining, the sky was clearing out after yesterday's rain, and the leaves were in the midst of their yearly color-dance. It was magnificent! Mindfull of the cooler weather, and of the fact that I'd be doing 70 mph or more up route 64, I dressed in layers,...

I'm tired of being embarrassed, ashamed and confused by my country. Each day it seems to get even worse, too. And this obsession we have in this country of labelling people as conservative or liberal, republican or democrat - it's utterly absurd, and ultimately, hurtful to the entire nation. There seems to be no room in the national discussion for people who don't identify entirely with one side or the other. Actually, it isn't even a discussion anymore, it is a constant, nerve-wracking, mud-slinging, evil debate, with only one goal in mind - power. We've lost the purpose of government. We've lost the ideal of participation. We've lost our sense of belonging to a greater whole. Nowadays, we all feel like we are entirely divorced from the forces which dominate our lives. We don't really even care anymore, unless we are terrified into making knee-jerk reactions. Where did America go? I want to live in a country I can be proud of again, a place I fee...

I had the best ride of my life yesterday afternoon, and this afternoon beckons with equal promise! The air is cool, but not cold, the wind is gentle and the fragrances of the season mix together, intoxicatingly beautiful. I had forgotten just how powerful an impact this season has on me! Having lived in the tropics for so long, I increasingly relied on ever-fading memory of just what it was like to go through Autumn. One thing that has come back to me quite powerfully is the quality of light at this time of year. It seems to me almost too bright - as if I've been suddenly awakened in the brightness of day, eyes squinting, trying to adjust. It's a stark kind of light that brings out the colors in everything especially clearly. And the air has so many different perfumes! I remember the wood-burning stove smell, but the other smells of Fall have been a pleasant surprise. There are the smells of the leaves in all their variety, and then the scents of fall seasonings, the orig...