I went back to Ohio…and if you’re a Pretender’s fan, you know the rest. Here are some selected smells:

• Fresh cut grass
• Corn fields
• Pigs (particularly being transported in trucks)
• Cassano’s pizza

While here, I plan to visit my Father and Wicked Step Parent, my Brother and Sister, my Brother-in-law (and Sister-in-law,) and a few friends. This is the nicest time of year to be back, everthing is ready to be harvested and the weather is very pleasant in the fall.

In an unrelated subject, I ran across a great Web 2.0 company directory with descriptions today – Go2Web20.net. Check it out for everything you wanted to know about companies in this space. Kudos to Orli Yakuel and Eyal Shahar for creating and maintaining this fantastic resource.

Meatspace coordinates: N39.468 W84.006
Ohio State’s 2006 record: 2-0 Next up: Cincinnati 9/16
Tune: Look at Miss Ohio by Gillian Welch
Technorati Tags: Travel | Roadtrip | Ohio | Mike Harding Blog

Yesterday I had the opportunity to visit with my Mother and Step-Father in NW suburban Chicago. It’s been a few years since I’ve been out this way and wow, what a change. Their place used to be a nice collection of homes in the middle of fields and now it’s a full-on suburban city matrix. You can see a physical manifestation in the buildings and businesses. My Mom works in the school system here and she mentioned to me that the total students in the area have increased from 1,600 in 1999 to over 7,000 now. They can’t build schools or hire qualified teachers fast enough.

It’s a stark contrast to the erosion evident in downtown Chicago where landmarks like the Sears Tower are essentially empty.

About to hit the road for points east today, I’ll likely end up in the Dayton area before the day is over.

Meatspace coordinates: N.42.118 W88.231
Ohio State’s 2006 record: 2-0 Next up: Cincinnati 9/16
Tune: Amie by Pure Prairie League
Technorati Tags: Travel | Roadtrip | Illinois | Mike Harding Blog

Yesterday morning while eating my breakfast I caught an item broadcast on Fox News showing imagery of 100 high-level Taliban officials meeting in a cemetery in Afganistan. The words that went along with the image said “US forces were not allowed to engage because cemeteries are off limits.” Schools, hospitals, yes, you don’t shoot at those. Cemeteries? Seems like it might just speed along the process if you know what I mean.

The excuse given is pure humbug (bullshit in the common vernacular.) War is about the application of lethal force as quickly and efficiently as possible. This leads me to one of two conclusions: a) we were not able to exercise such lethal force efficiently and rather than face a failure our government is “spinning” by hiding behind “we can’t attack cemeteries or we sink to the level of our enemy” – we’ve missed opportunities before or b) there is too much oversight on our military from our political leaders ala Vietnam where “you can attack this, but not that, and only at this time.” I thought we’d learned some lessons from that little foreign adventure. Apparently not. I think our leadership is asleep at the switch.

The bottom line is this, you can’t be both a policeman and a soldier. You’ve got to be one or the other, if you’re a soldier, your job is to achieve an objective (take that hill for instance) and get out alive. If you’re a cop, your job is to maintain order with a minimum of collateral damage. We’re risking the lives of our sons and daughters without understanding or exercising this principal. It’s our leader’s job to know the difference and employ our resources effectively. It’s not a Republican or Democrat issue, it’s a common sense issue. Our leaders are intellectually, morally, and legally confused; current administration, congress, and supreme court inclusive on both sides of the aisle.

It’s well past time for a change in our national leadership. Our policies are failing miserably with no end in sight.

Meatspace coordinates: N41.572 W87.413
Ohio State’s 2006 record: 2-0 Next up: Cincinnati 9/16
Tune: Ohio by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young
Technorati Tags: War | Terror | Afganistan | Mike Harding Blog

Short entry for tonight, i’m in Chicago visiting my brother. Will write a little more tomorrow. 580 miles today – a long day time-wise, though not so mile-wise.

It’s a new day and I’m (mostly) recovered from the driving and night out on the town with my brother. Yesterday saw three states, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Chicago traffic is pretty bad, even by San Francisco standards – 1.5 hours to go 10 miles at one point. I saw the Hormel Spam Museum yesterday, yes, it is more than just a mystery meat with a 66 year history. If you’re around Austin, Minnesota, check it out for giggles. There are thousands of spam cans from around the world on display in this 16,000 square foot exhibit.

Speaking of meat, one of the questions I’ve gotten several times is “what does meatspace coordinates mean?” in my blog footers. Meatspace is physical space as opposed to cyberspace, the coordinates represent my current GPS position on the planet. Not all that interesting when stationary, but moreso when moving.

I’m going to hang out in Chicago a little while more, visit my Mom and Step-Father and then move along east.

Meatspace coordinates: N41.572 W87.413
Ohio State’s 2006 record: 2-0 Next up: Cincinnati 9/16
Tune: Sweet Home Chicago by Robert Johnson
Technorati Tags: Travel | Roadtrip | Chicago | Mike Harding Blog

Original December, 1931 Wall Drug Store


It’s more than merely a drug store, trust me on that. It’s a whole city block (of a town with two blocks) that has everything a tourist could want or need. Don’t believe me, see for yourself. 605 miles today – mostly South Dakota. The Badlands are an outside cathedral. The carcass count decreased steadily throughout the day – at one point on WY220 and I25 it was about 4 per mile. By the time I called it quits, it was about 1 every 10 miles. Now that’s a job I wouldn’t want, carcass disposal! They’re busy in Wyoming!

Badlands photo (like most places, photos just don’t do justice)


Meatspace coordinates: N44.276 W106.497
Ohio State’s 2006 record: 2-0 Next up: Cincinnati 9/16
Tune: Lover’s Will by Bonnie Raitt

Technorati Tags: Travel | Roadtrip | South Dakota | Mike Harding Blog