|
• .
<br /> ..
<br /> _•
<br /> 1 _ _.......„....„.. ..„,,,,.,...,_„...,._.•-..-. .r-
<br /> I.
<br /> Attitudes
<br /> Jekes Cafe for a cappuccino. Occa- almost ludicrous. The other day I
<br /> sionally,in the evenings,my wife and was waiting to bring home one of
<br /> I stroll up to the Nugget Theatre my children from a piano lesson
<br /> for a movie or to Murphy's on the when a car stopped outside a post
<br /> Green f
<br /> or a beer. I wouldn't dream office, and a man about m.y age
<br /> ii
<br /> of going to any of these places by popped out and dashednsde. e
<br /> _ car. People have gotten used to my was in the post office for about three
<br /> eccentric behavior, but in the early or four minutes,and then came out,
<br /> days acquaintances would often pull got in the car and drove exactly 16
<br /> up to the curb and ask if I wanted feet
<br /> Id off) to the general store
<br /> t g
<br /> better to do, soa
<br /> a ride.
<br /> "I'm going your way,"they would next door. • this man looked
<br /> insist when I politely declined. "Re- And the thing is,
<br /> 1 ally, it's no bother." really fit.I'm sure he jogs j
<br /> il 1 "Honestly, I enjoy extravagant distances and
<br /> walking." From the post plays squash and does
<br /> "Well, if you're sure," office, the man of all kinds of healthful
<br /> I they would say and de- g things, but I am just as
<br /> part reluctantly, even in his car and sure that he drives to each a'.
<br /> • iltil ,as if leavingthe of these underrak;ngs. `
<br /> yidrove exactly 16 An acquaintance of
<br /> scene of an accident
<br /> without giving their feet to the general ours was complaining
<br /> the other day about the
<br /> name. store next door difficulty of finding a 1,
<br /> In the United States
<br /> we have become so ha- place to park outside the
<br /> bituated to using the car for every- local gymnasium.She goes there sev
<br /> thing that it doesn't occur to us to eral times a week to walk on a tread
<br /> unfurl our legs and see what those mill. The gymnasium is, at most, a
<br /> lower limbs can do.We have reached six-minute walk from her front door.
<br /> an age where college students ex- I asked her why she didn't walk
<br /> pect to drive between lasses, where to the gym and do six minutes less
<br /> parents will drive three blocks to pick on the treadmill.
<br /> up their children from a friend's She looked at me as if I were
<br /> house,where the letter carrier takes tragically simple-minded and said, ,
<br /> his van up and down every drive- "But I have a program for the trea1
<br /> way on a street. mill.It records my distance and speed
<br /> We will go through the most ex- and calorie burn rate, and I caad- ,
<br /> traordinary contortions to save our- just it for degree of difficulty."
<br /> n
<br /> selves from walking. Sometimes it's I confess it had not occurred to
<br /> _ t 1 •1'M A STRANGER HERE MYSELF,COPYRIGHT 0 1999 BY BILL BRYSON IS PUBLISHED(HARDCOVER,$33,PAPER
<br /> . - -
<br /> BACK.914)BY BROADWAY BOOKS,A DIVISION OP RANDOM HOUSE,INC.,1930 BROADWAY.NEW YORK,N.Y.10036
<br /> 1 70
<br /> „.}a r4".`.,kms' 4 y..a "
<br /> 33{f..i• 7}h
<br /> ' ta ; - --..Z.\--pt� if '.4t....1.'::.
<br /> { # ',�
<br /> ty } .P.£.4' a-K A : -1K44.;',-
<br /> I i _ •_,�yy . i—ih' - y54y.," 1 .#"t rd £ r
<br /> � y4y T I
<br /> z0 '
<br /> .M" 3Sit +.'fi'T Y r}i } -;'-'..:':. .'-.0-7.,',,,-,'-t•-''',,-
<br /> -�ly u. 1 tl I
<br /> ;�• s ia -.<.;:.....24,4.-.....
<br /> 'r" .y - r �h .r1K >tt1` 4 ....„....•.,
<br /> fr;...� 1.,-..,.i..:„,..-
<br /> '!?iir�� � { {` �n����
<br /> s� : k� �v "... _ rev., W"t xf.. �♦ .. I ..
<br /> i. � �.,�1�'.-3ixL'�.a.�?s•.r.,d 1 't.:f:: r.'. _ ..
<br />
|