In The America I See From Here,

I Come From Very Common Stock, And I've Always Been Uncomfortable With Pretension And All The Forms It Can Take, Including Disingenuous Broadcasting.

The Media Is In The Business Of Finding Exceptions To Everyday Life. Bad Things Are Still The Exception. That's Good, Because Once Bad Things Stop Being News, We Really Are In Trouble. If People Forget That Bad Is The Exception, They Think They Live In A Horrible World. There Is So Much That Works And Is Right And Friendly And Warm. But We Take That For Granted.

I'm Happy To Report You Still Get Nothing You Don't Need At Motel 6, And, Therefore, You Don't Have To Pay For It. I Don't Need Valet Parking. If I Can Drive The Old Crate 300 Miles To The Hotel All By Myself, I Can Certainly Handle The Last Nine Feet To The Parking Space.

You Can Make A New Friend But You Can't Make An Old One.

That's What The American Odyssey Is Really About: Leaving Home. Leaving Home And Coming Home, And Trying To Understand The Difference.