Blake and Annilee's 60th anniversary was a success! A weekend filled with West Virginia oddities, found in the small town between Ripley and Charleston, I was amazed at how much L.A. already has tainted my view of the rest of small-town America. It's getting harder not to see the very scary side of small towns (i.e., the pride in one's own ignorance) and so, I've resorted to not speaking or making any comments whenever such thoughts come to mind.

Among other things, I read the most daring and provocative and depressing book I've read in a long time over this past weekend: "Mysterious Skin" by Scott Heim. I don't recommend it to the masses...only to those of you who saw "Irreversible" and "Requiem for a Dream" and thought it was "nice."

Only a few more hours of packing, and my road to China will begin. First start? Interstate 94 West toward Chicago.