MJ on my mind

***A Post from Courtney's Friend Gary***

Hello, world!

You know, it's a little ironic that Courtney introduced me as "the travel expert," considering that I'm far less-traveled than at least one of my fellow guest-bloggers. But it's definitely not a title I mind; there's really nothing I enjoy more than travel, and I'd like to think that I'm pretty well-versed on the subject. Heck, I'm even typing this post on an intercity bus from Washington DC to Philadelphia! Plus, as if that's not enough, just yesterday I got the go-ahead from work to take the trip I've been dreaming of for years. Yep, come the fall, I'll be headed to Pakistan! It's bound to be something I remember for the rest of my life, and I can't wait!

One of the things I like the most about travel is the way it shapes your memories--the way it defines an era of your life. The winter of 2004 was when I was in Europe. Winter '09? Hockey trip through Quebec with my dad. Way back in 1991? My last family vacation before my parents split up: Disney World!

Of course, there are other things I like about travel, too, just as there are other events that mark chapters in life. My grandmom died in the fall of 2008. I'll never forget the 2004 baseball strike, or the summer of 2003--when I held not one, but two of the best positions of my life: an internship that became my dream job, and a RA training at Syracuse, where I met Courtney, my fellow guest-blogger Nikki, and a handful of other people who I wish I hadn't fallen out of touch with. Those are definitely definitive events for me.

I'm sure Courtney will always remember Summer '09 as her first trip to China. Maybe, like Mari said a few posts ago, this will be the summer she saw the eclipse. Or maybe this will be the summer she got to witness the world's most crowded swimming pool:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1200986/Is-worlds-crowded-swimming-pool- Thousands-try-escape-Chinas-scorching-heatwave.html
(I hear they have a lot of people in China.)

For me, Summer '09 will be the Michael Jackson summer. Not so much because of the circus surrounding his death; I really couldn't care much less. Don't get me wrong; it's a shame. But the tabloid-fodder is just not something I can be bothered with.

No, I just like that his music is everywhere. I've never really even been an MJ fan. I like a lot of his music, but I never even noticed that up until a few weeks ago. But now, you can't go anywhere without hearing it. Walking down the street, in a taxi, in a restaurant. MJ's there. And, to me, that's pretty cool. Just like how you couldn't escape the Olympics last summer, this summer, you can't escape Michael Jackson.

I'm a little bit jealous of Court's Journey to the East, which she will certainly never forget. For me, though, the omnipresence of Michael Jackson will be the way I remember the summer of 2009. Cheers for now! Gary from www.garybutterworth.com.