For obvious reasons, I will and always have - held everything American and America in general - very close to my heart, and truly respected. The country has done a hell of a lot for me without knowing it - so has China, so has every place I've been to, visited - nay, LIVED - I've always maintained simply visiting dont cut it. You have to LIVE there, get into the culture, build relationships - even when I travel, I'd rather spend time in one place than run helter skelter all over the place like a chicken with its head cut off deeply in love ... hehe. Women love that tho!
The real America - not the tom foolery the Liberals want to turn it into - just clarifying. Real old school "pull thy sleeves up America" - when American manufacturing was strong, American craftsmanship truly the best in the world.
Anyone even remember them days??
Anyway - old timers aside, every place has some things about it that must be called out.
And the drinking age in the US is one of them.
I mean goddang it, you can fight wars at 18, die for your nation, join the Marines, you can vote - whatever good that does, lol - but you can't buy a damn beer?
I remember being constantly pissed about that law, and finding inventive ways to break it. Like growing out my beard. Hehe. Age of 19, I'd look 26...
Or, NOT being a "definite" - which was our definition of a pothead back in school. Hehe.
Or, getting the girlfriend to buy it. No fake ID's tho, hehe. Some things I draw the line at ... I still remember up in NY, not having a driver's license initially (when I did the change over from MS to NY) - and the girlfriend who never changed hers which we didnt really need to, to be frank - the MS license was nice and plated for one, not so the NY one ... plus we weren't moving there full time ... buying 'em from me, guy in the office who'd bum cigarettes off me and apologize saying "I know your girlfriend has to buy 'em for you!" Hehe. Memories!
Sneak in, sneak out, no lengthy convos or smiles... I still remember hoping at Jr Food Mart the guy wouldn't ask for my ID. He never did. Hahah ... (and then sneaking into the dorms with it).
Memories!
Lots to share with regard to my US travels as well - including, but not limited to icy cold Maine on Memorial day, lots of creeks down South - Biloxi - the casinos - And of course, Niagara Falls and the trip to Canada that never happened at the time. Hehe.
New York in general and the great times we had up there.
All of that was way before the internet took over - it was back when we had Mapquest printouts to give us directions (I still remember the ex telling me I was like her grandfather, I'd get SO pissed if someone would deviate from the set route) ...
... and a trusty camcorder I gave away to a school in 2021, hehe (in India).
Along with my old Toshiba...
Anyway.
Tons of memories, too many to list here.
Fitness wise, here are some ...
And I'll have more on this later. BAck soon!
Best
Rahul Mookerjee