No Internet

Sorry that I have not yet been able to post. I know you are all thinking that the delay signifies my laziness and lack of dedication to this blog, but that couldn’t be more off base. The truth is, I did not have working Internet until today. And that simple fact is pretty symbolic if you think about it. You see, I’m used to just showing up in my new places of residence and having Internet provided for me. Plug in my Dell, which was purchased at University Computers, and BU’s Office of Information Technology would take care of the rest. Not the case when you are living alone. Sure, work is paying for my Internet and phone, but that doesn’t mean it just magically appears like it has the past four years of my life. No, I had to call the cable company and set everything up myself. Talk about the real world.

Lacking Internet also tells a little bit about life here in Superior, Montana. It’s slow paced, just like the average Internet connection speed in town. Kyle, who traveled with me and spent a night with me in town, said that when people ask me about what Superior is like, I should tell them that my neighbor is a real live gold miner. I can also tell you that my landlord has a row of antlers hanging from the garage. When Kyle and I first rolled into town, an antique car show dominated most of River Street. On my morning run I hear roosters.

The trip here was largely uneventful, which is good. Kyle and I needed frequent stops because we both like to eat and because Kyle’s long legs needed to stretch outside a crammed car. We saw Mount Rushmore, Chicago and a whole lot of farms. We stayed with Kyle’s aunt and uncle in Rochester and with my friend Daniel in Chicago. Once we crossed the Mississippi, we started to see billboards for all sorts of crazy things like the National Wood Carving Museum and the Corn Palace. We indulged if we had time, which was not frequently. We needed to travel about 800 miles per day.

Now that I am here and settled, it’s time to get to work. I’ve met a lot of the main players in the town already. That’s the advantage of working in a place that houses fewer than 900 people. Everyone should be pretty accessible. I have not really made any friends yet, but everyone sure is nice. I guess reporters are never really anyone’s friend. Maybe that’s why so many of my friends are journalists.


Comments Welcome,
Andrew