Reviews of the midwest and Cloverfield.

Well, I'm here in the wilds of Cincinnati. Obama was also here today; apparently he follows me from town to town on my business trips.

As expected, no time for a Cincinnati Reds game or a visit to the zoo, or even a night out on the town. I did, however, have time for a lonely singleton dinner at Cracker Barrel. Ha cha cha!



I liked the Cincinnati airport - very clean and efficient. My favorite part? The aviating pig sculpture. See below.




I'm sure there is a story there, but I was a woman on the go, and didn't get a chance to inquire about the huge metal pig with wings and a fuselage growing out of its hindquarters. I certainly did admire it in passing, though. My favorite aspect of the pig was its graceful pose and pointed hooves, like a pig ballerina.

The rental car is great - a red Toyota Rav4 - see below. Nothing wrooong with that.

HOWEVER, I have one major complaint with National rental car company. They gave me a defective GPS that worked fine for about ten minutes, then froze up every two or three minutes thereafter during the forty-five minute drive from the airport to the hotel. This translated into near death experiences every two to three minutes as I careened through downtown Cincinnati rush hour traffic, frantically trying to restart and reprogram the GPS while trying to drive at the same time.

Yes, normally I would pull over. However, I was in a situation where I was on an interstate with nothing but exits leading to other interstates, and no idea where to get off. It was like driving in downtown Atlanta at rush hour, but without the charming southern hospitality. People drive like maniacs.

Well, I generally try to learn from my brushes with death, so here's the life lesson I have gleaned. Always bring backup mapquest directions when traveling in a new and unfamiliar place, just in case your car rental GPS screws you.


I made it, though, and the folks at my hotel are all very nice. I'm actually staying in the 'burbs, which explains dinner at Cracker Barrel, and I have seen farms everywhere. It's very interesting to see new parts of the United States. My only previous experience with the midwest was when I spent a summer working at a tennis camp at the Univ. of Notre Dame, but that was many moons ago, and I spent most of my time on campus.

So, while I'm not planning on leaving the South EVER, the midwest as a region gets a solid thumbs up from Bets. See how I judged a region comprised of 12 states based upon one two-day visit to one city? I am so efficient.


Also, Gavin and I watched Cloverfield the other day. I have resisted renting this movie for a long time because I heard the handheld camera aspect of it can make you seasick. I have to say, though, the movie was pretty good. It was about an alien attack on New York City, and it is told from the perspective of some twenty-somethings with a camcorder. That's all I will tell you, because I don't want to give too much away, but all in all, it was an entertaining movie. It kind of reminded me of the Blair Witch Project. The other movie we rented was Transamerica, which looks very interesting. I'll review that one too, once I get to watch it.


Well folks, I have a big day ahead of me tomorrow (I don't return home until 10 pm) so I should probably sign off and snuggle down. I am reading a really good book right now - Broken For You. It's my latest book from Jana, who is basically my personal library, and it is excellent so far. Thanks J!