Small things

Once while sitting in the Tri-Cities airport in northeastern Tennessee, a guy walked by me and handed me a book.

If you're wondering, the Tri-Cities are Johnson City, Kingsport, and Bristol (which is half in Virginia and half in Tennessee). This area is the center of what is sometimes called "The Lost State of Franklin." The State of Franklin lasted for four years in the 1780s, but was never recognized by the Congress. North Carolina, which claimed sovereignty over the counties involved at the time, won the war of rhetoric over the controversy. Obviously, since there is a North Carolina and there isn't a Franklin.

The Tri-Cities airport claims "You can get anywhere from here" and then lists the cities to which you can fly from it. Apropos of my worry about "forever" the other day, "anywhere" includes: Atlanta, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, and Orlando. So now you know.

The Tri-Cities themselves won the "All-America City" award in 1999. Also up that year, Fresno. I know where the hookers hang out in Fresno, so that you can go check with them about how proud they were to be a finalist.

2005 winners include:
1. Canoga Park, CA (which is not a city, it's part of Los Angeles, but then come to think of it, Tri-Cities isn't exactly a city either. Still, I live in L.A. and I've been to Canoga Park. Eh.)
2. Seward, Alaska (I've been there, liked it a lot. There was bingo on Thursday nights at the VFW).
3. Georgetown County, SC (I've been there too, it's pretty and very historical. You'll get grits with your meal, but don't take the boat to what Honey and I call "Biting Fly Island." If your experience is like ours on BFI, you'll be trapped for four hours and your underwear will get wet).

2005 finalists (but losers) include:
Athens, GA (indy music/UGA=weak)
Park City, UT (film/skiing=weak)
Golden, CO (beer=weak actually this one is true, Coors beer is weak)

It does seem you have to put in your AAC dues, many finalists become winner the following year. And then once they win, the can use the logo which in turn "reinvigorates a community's sense of civic pride."

Has this entry gotten away from me? Oh, right. Small things.

Anyway, it was one of those "small stuff" kind of books, though this was pre-Don't Sweat the Small Stuff. It was one of those books, though. The guy who gave it to me said I looked smart (nice) and that I should read this (don't tell me what to do) and then walked away (nice ass--actually I don't remember how his ass was, but I do remember he was a bouncy walker).

It was an odd encounter and I threw the book away later. Still, I sometimes wonder what small things I would appreciate now that I don't because I didn't read the book.

Here are some small things that I do like now (no implied order):

* How raising my bike seat today made me ride better and harder and more efficiently. Smooth.

* Speaking of the bike, my cool Pearl Izumi pittard carbon gloves.

* The squishy fresco lizard my mother brought my niece from Spain. My niece didn't like it and now it sits on my desk.

* The lizard's friends, the teeny devil ducks. My Honey and I split the six-pack of teeny devil ducks. I have orange, blue and green, which means she must have red, yellow and purple. Is that right? I also like that she and I each have half of them. And I like when people notice them.

* That my office has a view.

* How soft Biscuit's muzzle is.

* The amount of white on Halo (set off really nicely by the orange and black). It's just right to me aesthetically.

* Hugging my honey in the morning. This morning she put my glasses on top of my head so I could get closer.

* Chipotle (the flavor and the restaurant)

* The way shops at the beach smell. Like rafts, I think.

* Cool days.

That's enough for now. I'm off to the lost state of Franklin. Actually, I have to write a letter to all incoming students in my program for approval by the Integrated Communication Committee. They may live in the lost state of Franklin. Or not. But they may live in Canoga Park!