The Long and Winding Road ...that leads to Rhode Island. That's right, after much talk and much more procrastination, I have finally arrived in Providence. It's a new year, a new city, a new life for your dashing slug of a narrator. I don't actually start my Term of Service for AmeriCorps until January 30th, but I'm here now and I'll spend the next few days being cold and getting adjusted to city life. There are certain rules to city life (walk like you have a destination, don't stare, etc.) that are very different than the rules in the suburbs. I will cover them as I break them on a regular basis.
Okay, okay, it's not that I've never been to a urban area before, but I haven't stayed for much more than a few days. But this is the real deal. I live four blocks from downtown. I can see the State Capitol from the backyard. The house I stay in is 160 years old. That's almost as old as the city I grew up in. Awesome.

So I made my way up this weekend from Texas over two days...two very long days. I left Texas at 7am CST Saturday and crashed at midnight EST in Kentucky, and left again at 8 EST the next morning and didn't arrive until around 1030pm. I only stopped to fill up and ate within close proximity to the stations I stopped at. I only took a few very serious wrong turns...rusty from my travels of 2003 I guess. As with those travels I made as an intern during college--that seem so long ago now--I owe my thanks and gratitude to the Eisenhower Interstate System. This system of road across the country in my opinion is the clearest definition of what America is and who Americans are and what we both stand for. It's just an amazing metaphor for the country, one I could write a treatise on. Instead I'll just upload a picture of Ike at the time of the creation of the system around 1944. He is surrounded by Lane Smith (deceased, actor), President Eisenhower (deceased, bald) Sammy Davis Jr. (deceased, entertainer, Candy Man), and Norman Minetta (alive--still the Secretary of Transportation today! Believe it!). At least I think that's who is with him. I couldn't find a caption.

I don't know what else to write. I'm not sure what to expect for this year so I'm trying not to set my expectations too high. Just experience all I can, live a little, enjoy myself, and work to the best of my ability. Maybe I'll have more thoughts later this week. In the meantime, check out my pictures.  ¶ 1/10/2006 03:40:00 PM