Good and Bad.
posted in General |Ok, ignoring the obvious; the best thing about the paper route is probably the mornings like today, when it’s dry and cool (it’s 95 outside right now- it was 66 this morning at 2) and quiet. I’ve always loved being outside when it’s dark and about that temperature. It’s a great feeling. Of course, I have to get out of bed at one forty five, but hey.
Ignoring the other obvious, the worst thing about the paper route is … well . Let me back up a bit. I’ve been reading Bill Bryson. I love his writing- he’s hilarious. I started with his recent Austrailian epic, and I’ve been lent a copy of his earlier return to Europe, which feels a bit more, shall we say, unpolished. It’s exactly the difference between the Cryptonomicon and Zodiac; today’s Bill Bryson doesn’t fantasize (in his public writings) about helping the legions of Danish secretaries put sunscreen on their chests. Today’s Bill Bryson talks about the history of Austrailia in a way that is only foreshadowed in his European travelogue.
As I was saying, Mr Bryson went to Austrailia and was astounded at how poisonous everything is over there. Not just one or two things, but something like 8 of the ten most poisonous snakes live in Austrailia. And water creatures, and spiders. It’s the spiders that got to me. Because I’ll be happily (use your imagination) hurrying through someone’s yard, duck under a tree to toss a paper on a porch and fffssssssrrrippp, I’ve blundered into a spiderweb. Of course, I’m not too worried- Oregon’s poisonous spiders don’t usually lay webs out (I think), but maybe this customer just came back from Austrailia, and one of the nine million unclassified spiders hitched a ride, and in a minute I’ll be gasping and choking. That’s the worst thing about the paper route (aside from the obvious).
