Near and Far, Things Blow Up

Ed and I have gotten into a conversation on his blog. It is important to note that Ed lives in England, but (as you shall see) some distance from London.

Here is part (just part) of his initial statement, posted after the bombings:

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...Once again, I am shocked and deeply saddened that there are people in this world that feel the need to do this kind of thing. All innocent people, all somebody's son/daughter/girlfriend/father, etc.

I was planning a day trip to London sometime this summer, but, I think I'll stick to the countryside for the moment....

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Here is part (just part) of my comment on his post:

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Personally, I would not avoid London for this reason....

As you know, I live in Southern California, where Disneyland is located; I have probably been to Disneyland dozens of times since September 2001, despite the fact that Disneyland is one of the top terrorist targets in the world. And should I mention that I spent part of my vacation in Washington DC, walking by the White House?...

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Here is part (just part) of his reply:

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That's a good point actually. But I might want to leave it s short while, until they have cleared things up. I'd like to travel on the tube....

It's funny how I don't go to London very often. It feels far away, whereas it's only about 120 miles away, which in American terms would probably be considered local. The thing here is though, everything is so compact, it's not like there just where I live, then 120 miles of nothing, and then London. There's so much imbetween, and so much in other directions and nearer. Bristol is only 20 miles away from me....Bath is only slightly further away than Bristol. Then there's Cheltenham in the other direction....Not to mention that I live in the world-famous Cotswold Hills....

But I probably will go to London soon though. That's if I don't get distracted by Oxford. That's only half the distance away from me that London is, yet I've never been there....

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So, here's my complete reply to Ed, and to you (yes, you, even ResPed who is unintentionally hiding:

The idea of not visiting things near you is not unique to the Cotswold Hills. For example, I've lived in Southern California for over twenty years, and have NEVER visited the following:

• Arrowhead Pond


• California Speedway (Fontana)


• CBS Television City


• Disney Concert Hall


• Getty Museum


• Great Western Forum


• Greek Theater


• Griffith Observatory/Griffith Park


• Hollywood Bowl


• Hollywood Park


• Home Depot Center (Carson)


• La Brea Tar Pits


• Long Beach Aquarium


• Los Angeles Coliseum


• Malibu


• Marina Del Rey


• Museum of Tolerance


• Old Town Pasadena


• Pauley Pavilion


• Rose Bowl


• Six Flags Magic Mountain


• Venice


• Watts Towers

I guess I should get cracking.

From the Ontario Empoblog