PenteKing’s BodyBlog

It has been more than two weeks since my last blog. During that time, I have procured a new apartment, sold off a bunch of stuff that I no longer needed nor wanted, packed up all my cares and woes, and moved from one coast (the West) to the other (the East). I’m still not fully settled in my new digs, but I am now living in the people’s republic of Cambridge, Massachusetts, home to both MIT and Harvard. I’ve signed a one-year lease, so for the next twelve months, this is where I will be. I have high hopes that the move back to my Eastern roots will prove both beneficial and salubrious.

Rather than fly, I decided to drive cross-country. The route took me from San Diego to Yuma; from Yuma to Flagstaff; from Flagstaff to Santa Fe; from Santa Fe to Denver; from Denver to Lincoln; from Lincoln to Cedar Rapids; from Cedar Rapids to Chicago; from Chicago to Toledo; from Toledo to Cleveland; from Cleveland to Erie; from Erie to Albany; and then from Albany to Boston. I drove steadily, but without haste because I had no job waiting for me at the journey’s destination. I hope to find gainful employment in the Boston area (where the economy seems marginally better than in other parts of the country), but I have no expectation that finding said job will be an easy task. Hundreds of thousands of people are out of work, and we are all looking at the same small pool.

I will write in more detail about my trip, but wanted to share some high-level observations. We grow an awful lot of corn in this country. Never have I seen a more abundant crop. It was like kudzu - growing everywhere, seemingly without requiring the aid of any farmer to plant or tend the crop. It is no wonder so many products contain high fructose corn syrup. If not for that, the country would be buried under an avalanche of unhusked ears of corn. It was truly an impressing and mind-staggering sight.

Iowa has the cleanest highway facilities in the nation. They are models that the other states should emulate. Not only was free Wi-Fi offered at every rest stop (!), but the vending machines offered choices that did NOT include Coca-Cola or Pepsi. I was stunned to discover that I could actually purchase fruit juice (albeit from concentrate) during my sojourn through Iowa. Kudos to the state for its efforts in that regard.

In Lincoln, NE, I discovered the two pound (!!!) King Kong burger. That’s right - you read that correctly. It is 32 ounces of beef captured between two highly processed hamburger buns. The whole conconction is slathered with lettuce, pickles, ketchup and mustard, and is served with an obscenely large order of French Fries. All this for the low, low price of $4.95. May God have mercy on everyone who chows down on this monstrosity.

Chicago was its usual bustling, energetic self. I spent the day at the Art Institute, and was dismayed that I had only a few hours in which to peruse its treasures. It would take a dedicated individual at least three weeks to see all the treasures housed within its walls, and I have a solemn promise to myself to return when I have more time to spend there.

 All in all, the trip was an adventure. We live in a big, beautiful country. Driving across it has given me a new appreciation of all that I have to be thankful for. We may have our problems, but there’s nothing that can’t be resolved if we put our minds to the task.

 I’ll write more later. Until then, keep lifting the heavy iron, my brothers and sisters.