Maryland Is Not Bad
I was recently in the midst of conversation in which I defended the Seahawks and Seattle fans to a couple of Seattle dwellers (you read that right) who cannot stand the blue and green hoopla.
As they scoffed at those who wear jerseys et al., and my ire grew. I was eventually taken down with: "You don't live there any more. You don't know."
I *may* have fumed for a bit after that. After all, as someone whose ties to Seattle seemed to be getting increasingly severed as folks move away, that was a tough pill to swallow. So, like I said, I may have fumed.
"Do they even LIKE Seattle?!" I asked Chris, later in bed. Fuming.
Chris, wanting more than anything to just go to sleep, asked, "Well, do YOU like Maryland?"
His point: What's the self-righteous difference? Like them, I've been transplanted for the past decade+ and have not embraced much.
"I love our town," I said a little weakly.
"But Maryland? The East Coast?"
Oh.
Hmm. I've always felt like I'm white-knuckling it on the East Coast. I'm simply more comfy on the West Coast, whether California or Seattle. I breathe a little easier there. I don't know WHY, but I do.
As far as the East Coast goes, I suppose Maryland is no better or worse than most of the Eastern Seaboard. And perhaps that is not fair. Perhaps that is why I give you Ten Reasons Maryland Does Not Suck. I mean, Ten Reasons Why Maryland Is Awesome:
1. All-day kindergarten. This might just be a county thing, but because we live in the largest county in the state, it applies.
2. History! Right in front of your face! Even our wee church has a great Civil War history.
3. Proximity to DC. There is no place like DC, and in Maryland, you've got easy access.
4. The Naval Academy. If you're feeling a little down in the dumps, head to Annapolis and gawk at the best and brightest. Lord have mercy.
5. Our governor is quite decent.
6. Rolling hills. The landscape, in every season, is distinctive. Horses grazing against bright red barns, early morning mist, colorful sunsets.
7. Maryland contains oodles of awesome people. Granted, I maintain that the West Coast has friendlier folks than the East, but who cares how polite random strangers are, so long as the people you actually spend time with are grounded, good, funny, and NICE? True, there are a lot of Steeler fans. But no state is perfect.
8. Distinctive seasons. Falls and springs are glorious in Maryland. Summers bring dramatic thunderstorms and winters almost always give snow and an excellent excuse to use all those adorable winter accessories.
9. It contains lots of great areas, like MY TOWN, old town Frederick, Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Annapolis, Sugarloaf Mountain (and, um, winery).
10. Three options for airports! Going on a trip? Compare prices for Dulles, DCA, and Baltimore. Having more than one option = stellar for saving $.
Oh, thank goodness. I made it to ten. It was harder than I expected. But let's not think about that. After all, we have not intention of moving any time soon.
Let's move on to books, eh?
For Charlotte (and Lorelei, a bit), we're still working on Ramona Quimby, Age 8. It looks like we actually missed two Ramona books and accidentally skipped ahead, so we'll backtrack.
I'm still reading the third Bridget Jones book, Mad About the Boy, and I'm revising my opinion of it. Yes, Bridget Jones as a mother is endearing, but Bridget Jones on social media is obnoxious. Lots of mindless filler as she obsesses about tweets and texts. Book could be light years shorter.
I'm nearing the end of Sara Gruen's The Water's Edge, which is pretty good. It's set mostly in Scotland during WWII. The heroine is a little needy and eyeroll-worthy, but the story is engaging.
I'm still reading Libba Bray's The Diviners (it's LONG!), which is very dark but great.
As they scoffed at those who wear jerseys et al., and my ire grew. I was eventually taken down with: "You don't live there any more. You don't know."
I *may* have fumed for a bit after that. After all, as someone whose ties to Seattle seemed to be getting increasingly severed as folks move away, that was a tough pill to swallow. So, like I said, I may have fumed.
"Do they even LIKE Seattle?!" I asked Chris, later in bed. Fuming.
Chris, wanting more than anything to just go to sleep, asked, "Well, do YOU like Maryland?"
His point: What's the self-righteous difference? Like them, I've been transplanted for the past decade+ and have not embraced much.
"I love our town," I said a little weakly.
"But Maryland? The East Coast?"
Oh.
Hmm. I've always felt like I'm white-knuckling it on the East Coast. I'm simply more comfy on the West Coast, whether California or Seattle. I breathe a little easier there. I don't know WHY, but I do.
As far as the East Coast goes, I suppose Maryland is no better or worse than most of the Eastern Seaboard. And perhaps that is not fair. Perhaps that is why I give you Ten Reasons Maryland Does Not Suck. I mean, Ten Reasons Why Maryland Is Awesome:
1. All-day kindergarten. This might just be a county thing, but because we live in the largest county in the state, it applies.
2. History! Right in front of your face! Even our wee church has a great Civil War history.
3. Proximity to DC. There is no place like DC, and in Maryland, you've got easy access.
4. The Naval Academy. If you're feeling a little down in the dumps, head to Annapolis and gawk at the best and brightest. Lord have mercy.
5. Our governor is quite decent.
6. Rolling hills. The landscape, in every season, is distinctive. Horses grazing against bright red barns, early morning mist, colorful sunsets.
7. Maryland contains oodles of awesome people. Granted, I maintain that the West Coast has friendlier folks than the East, but who cares how polite random strangers are, so long as the people you actually spend time with are grounded, good, funny, and NICE? True, there are a lot of Steeler fans. But no state is perfect.
8. Distinctive seasons. Falls and springs are glorious in Maryland. Summers bring dramatic thunderstorms and winters almost always give snow and an excellent excuse to use all those adorable winter accessories.
9. It contains lots of great areas, like MY TOWN, old town Frederick, Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Annapolis, Sugarloaf Mountain (and, um, winery).
10. Three options for airports! Going on a trip? Compare prices for Dulles, DCA, and Baltimore. Having more than one option = stellar for saving $.
Oh, thank goodness. I made it to ten. It was harder than I expected. But let's not think about that. After all, we have not intention of moving any time soon.
Let's move on to books, eh?
For Charlotte (and Lorelei, a bit), we're still working on Ramona Quimby, Age 8. It looks like we actually missed two Ramona books and accidentally skipped ahead, so we'll backtrack.
I'm still reading the third Bridget Jones book, Mad About the Boy, and I'm revising my opinion of it. Yes, Bridget Jones as a mother is endearing, but Bridget Jones on social media is obnoxious. Lots of mindless filler as she obsesses about tweets and texts. Book could be light years shorter.
I'm nearing the end of Sara Gruen's The Water's Edge, which is pretty good. It's set mostly in Scotland during WWII. The heroine is a little needy and eyeroll-worthy, but the story is engaging.
I'm still reading Libba Bray's The Diviners (it's LONG!), which is very dark but great.
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