In which there is a Mission Statement with bullet points and also some statistical rambling.

Okay. So, at the behest of my lovely and persuasive friend Jess (she whose fault it is I live in Los Angeles, when it comes right down to it) I have started this blog for the following purposes:

1) To keep anyone who's interested updated about my frequent domestic and less- frequent- though- hopefully- increasingly- so international travels.

2) To encourage myself to think critically on a slightly more frequent basis than I currently do, i.e. to serve as a repository of movie/ book/ (and maybe) music/ restaurant/ hotel reviews and/or mini pop-culture essays. I will try to limit self-indulgent wankery if at all possible.

3)To have a place to put those things that make me want to call everyone I know to say... What The Fuck?? For instance, yesterday, as I drove to work, I saw that the Staples Center's blinky light sign (I'd say neon, but it's more amber alert), rather than flashing the next six month's events, simply displayed the following: Los Angeles Welcomes King Tut. Rather as though a small town in Iowa were welcoming a Soviet Premier. Perhaps I'm the only one who thinks this is hilarious.

Occasionally I will probably post pictures of my dog. You have been warned.

So, statistics!

I have been to:

41 states (though my friend France would argue that some of them don't count, because you can't claim a place unless you spend three nights there. I would adopt this rule except that it would mean I had to go back and spend three nights in Nebraska, and really, I'm quite convinced that driving across it showed me all I needed to see. There is possibly room in my heart for one night in Omaha and the investigation of thrift stores therein, but not three). Of the nine I haven't been to, the one you're not expecting is Vermont. Yes, I spent four years within 100 miles of it. No, I have no idea how I managed not to go there either. Um... it's not on the way to Maine? I was lame and didn't go to Montreal? Can't tell you.

21 countries outside the U.S. (though Sweden and Botswana are logistical technicalities, as I drove through one and spent three hours in the other, Vatican City probably shouldn't count, and I'm counting Scotland just because I feel like it, on the basis of... culture trumping empire. Or something.)

3 continents, soon to be 4 (no disclaimers here), and....

2 Canadian provinces. This is shockingly few and I'm not sure how it happened. But I clearly suck and need to go on a big Canadian road trip.

Hmm. This spellchecker is le suck. It found no actual misspelled words, but suggested I replace "fuck" with "Fuji" (there's an apple/carnal knowledge joke in there somewhere that I am too lazy to make) and "Tut" with "tutu." It also suggested I replace my correctly used contractional "it's" with a possessive "its." Grr.

Oh, wait, I promised no self-indulgent wankery. Please to ignore the grammar obsessive.