18 - September 15, 2010

Initial Impressions

Christopher Setterlund

September 15, 2010

1.      1.  Took a really nice trip up to Provincetown to visit their lighthouses today.  5 miles of total walking on the sand and breakwater.  Wood End Light, Race Point Light, and Long Point Light(I was too tired to hike the extra 4 miles each way).

2.      2.  Met a nice lady on the walk back to my car from Race Point Light on the Province Lands bike path.  It was a nice long talk which ended when she asked me if I would like to read a book on Jesus.  She didn’t push too hard but still not exactly where I wanted to take a first conversation.

3.      3.  Oh yeah and it was a much nicer walk out there today on the bike path rather than going through the ice cold water in winter.  I mean, what kind of idiot does that?  Oh wait…

4.      4.  What do you think of that guy Vince and his Slap Chop?  Wasn’t he arrested for doing that to a hooker?  Slapping and chopping?  He looks like a weasel though for sure.

5.      5.  One of our dishwashers I swear is actually two 8 year olds dressed up in a man costume.  He squeals and giggles like a child so much that it is hard not to think that.

6.      6.  I keep wondering how that Education Connection website has not been shut down.  Every ad of their features a different website which absolutely screams ‘scam.’  Same goes for that Free Credit Report.com site as well.

7.      7.  By the way just saw that I am totally burned after my walks today.   September sun burns aren’t that common, might be my first, that fact doesn’t make it any less painful though.

8.      8.  I am trying to get 5-Hour Energy to sponsor my travels considering that I use their product all the time it sort of fits.

9.      9.  Root Beer Vodka is a great investment.  Though it did leave me with a headache all day today which made my traveling a little less enjoyable.  Still, it was delicious.

10.  10.  Daisuke Matsuzaka and a prospect to the Dodgers for Andre Ethier?  I will help Dice-K pack and drive him to the airport once it’s done.

11.  11.  Hey New York Jets, you will not win the Super Bowl, will not get to the Super Bowl, or AFC Title Game, you are severely overrated, get used to being 9-7 chumps.

12.  12.  It figures that the first overnight trip I plan to New Hampshire might get postponed due to rain.  What am I supposed to do, rent a room ahead of time and waste money, or drive up the day of and find no vacancies?  Oh yeah great choices.

13.  13.  Hypothetically, what do you do when you meet someone that makes your whole world brighter but there is a huge roadblock keeping you from being together?  Hypothetically speaking of course.

14.  14.  My idea of buying an RV and traveling the country went up in flames as soon as I saw prices.  Most were over 100 grand, damn!  I’d rather take the bus, oh wait, maybe not.

15.  15.  Should I or should I not buy a hammock for my room?  Leaning toward I should.

16.   16.  How long do you stay in a situation where you don’t feel appreciated?  I will say this, we will find out soon, if the ‘appreciation’ doesn’t come by about Christmas this ‘situation’ will be ending.

Quote of the Day:  "The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will." Vince Lombardi  

Do You Remember?:  When cereals used to have the word sugar in them?  Sugar Pops Commercial

Song of the Day:  Call On Me - Chicago

Photo of the Day:

Teacher, mother, secret lover...

17 - In My Footsteps Trip - 9-8-2010

Initial Impressions

Christopher Setterlund

17 – In My Footsteps Trip

September 8, 2010

1.       I visited the North Shore for the 3^rd time today.  Hit Beverly, Peabody, Marblehead, and Swampscott.  I will never get tired of that place.

2.      Was worried most of the way up since it was raining, but in the end it was good since it washed my dirty car.

3.      Need to ask 5 Hour Energy to become a sponsor of my travels.  I now depend on it for my increasingly long drives.

4.      Today I ended up going about 240 miles, $20 of gas.

5.      Got to photograph the Witch House in Salem on my way up, from the car of course, but since I didn’t see it before I can now add it to my collection.

6.      Beverly was actually an easy town to shoot since most of the historic homes were on Cabot Street.  This was good since the rain caused traffic which caused my drive up to take longer, boo.

7.      I bet everyone has bitten the inside of their mouths before, right?  I like chewing gum but honestly I did it twice in the same spot today and it was pretty intense pain.  Maybe I am going cannibal subconsciously.

8.      Lynch Park in Beverly is amazing.  There is an unreal rose garden which I filmed.  There are tons of beech trees too and some statue of a guy with a falcon which probably means something.

9.      Made sure not to stand on the cliff wall at Hospital Point Light this time, did it before, quite dangerous, 50 foot fall.  I told a lady there I did travel writing and she watched me take my shots, hanging over fences and stuff.  Too bad she was old or maybe she could have been my groupie.

10.  At the Smith-Felton Historic Site in Peabody some guy started yelling that I was on private property even though there were signs for parking and such.  He asked who I was with and I said ‘nobody.’  He waited for me to leave but I was nice about it since he might read my writing someday, but honestly he was a jackass.

11.  Brooksby Farm in Peabody was great.  A real working farm with animals.  I got to watch a snoring pig which was funny.  There was also a rogue chicken who escaped his pen, he was trying to get back in through the chain link while the others laughed and talked trash.  I ratted him out to the farmers and they said that chicken always escapes.

12.  I got back together with an old love today, Chick-fil-A.  Haven’t had it in 5 years since I lived in Florida.  That was part of my reason to go to Peabody.  Too bad it was in the Northshore Mall.  Had to go wander the mall to the food court but it was worth it.  Plus I am going to email the president of Chick-fil-A and ask him to put one in the Cape Cod Mall since the same folks own the Northshore Mall.

13.  Saw a sign for Bill & Bob’s Famous Roast Beef in Peabody.  I swear we had one here years ago.  What is Peabody like the U.N. of fast food?  They also have a Sonic so I am not far off.

14.  It was like Dazed and Confused heading out to Marblehead Light as wave after wave of high school girls ran past my car.  I get older but they stay the same age. 

15.  At Fort Sewall in Marblehead I was able to take a photo through the lens of binoculars.  I got a sick shot of a lighthouse out on an island.  I became more interested in doing that than checking out the fort, but that was cool too.

16.  By the way, who in the hell goes sunbathing at a fort?  Also, why sunbathe when it’s cloudy?  And lastly, why sunbathe if you are hideous?  Nobody’s gonna look, you’ll just be tan and hideous.  Hit the gym first then worry about your tan.

17.  I still say Abbot Hall in Marblehead looks a bit like the Penn Warehouse at the beginning of The Office.  Maybe it’s the shape of the tower, or maybe I just want it to look like it so bad that I am insane.

18.  Why build a cool castle if you won’t allow people inside?  I guess just to be jerks.  Thanks jerks who built the cool castle near Crocker Park but won’t let me trespass.  Hell with your privacy!

19.  Marblehead Light is awesome, it’s a skeleton.  Oh and someone spray painted a heart on it.  I am torn, on one hand it’s graffiti, but on the other hand it’s a heart and not some dumbass gang symbols. 

20.  Oh yeah and Marblehead is sort of like a corn maze with no corn.  Way too many one way streets, and narrow ones at that.  Who the hell designed that town?

21.  Swampscott is a nice place but did not have too much in the way of important sites.  It would be nice for a beach day but not for my articles.

22.  It was cool to find a random house I had seen on my Google Maps though, no significance, just a really cool design. 

23.  Did not buy a cooler to bring home some Sonic from Peabody.  Thought about it but why not save that for another trip.

24.  Oh and I sent all sorts of Facebook updates to my page, or so I thought.  Nothing like sending witty quips to nobody, waste of texting $, boo again.

25.  Found out I have multi-color lights in my car on the way home by accident.  It was like having a dance club in my car tonight.

26.  Might have to cut my trips from 4 towns to 3, just too much work, too little light, and way too many articles.

Quote of the Day: “Hey that’s private property.” –jackass at Smith-Felton Site in Peabody

                             “Yeah?  Then why are there signs for parking here?” –me

The guy just pouted and watched me get in my car.

Song of the Day: Misunderstanding – Genesis (because it played while I was temporarily lost in Marblehead…must be some misunderstanding, must be some kind of mistake, classic)

Photo of the Day:  The Rose Garden at Lynch Park in Beverly