Tester Jobs Requirements (VIDEO GAME)

Ive been dreaming about doing the fifty for a long time now.  It started during one of our early pop-up camper trips in Cape May.  As I was walking back to our campsite from the pool I spotted a grey-haired couple relaxing under their awning, drinking an afternoon cocktail, and looking happy and satisfied.  They had one of those big sticker maps of the United States on their RV right next to the door.  They had filled in the map with all of the individual state stickers--even Alaska.  It was an act of visual braggadocio that spoke of years of adventure on the open road.  The map symbolized a particular  type of American wanderlust that is still out there for the taking--if you have the time and resources. 

When I got back to the camper Stephanie and the boys were taking a nap. But I was wide awake and pondering the bigness, and the vastness of America--and the tininess of the little campers asleep beside me.  Could we do the fifty?  Yes, I thought confidently--yes, yes, yes.  Yes multiplied by 50.

Over the past four years we have been raising our twin boys, Max and Theo, and more recently, baby brother Wes.  During that time we have knocked out seven states--not bad considering the youngsters. But I have to admit--the dream of doing the fifty had subsided quite a bit.  Not because I had given up but because the demands of the everyday were keeping me pretty well occupied.  Then I picked up Matt Weiland and Sean Wilseys State by State: A Panoramic Portrait of America, 50 Writers on 50 States.

This anthology was inspired by the WPA State guides that were published as part of the Federal Writers Project during the Great Depression.  These guides were widely acclaimed when they were published and are now hard to find collectors items.  After Weiland and Wilsey dreamed up their crazy scheme and assigned each writer a state they purchased an entire set of the WPA guides and sent them out individually to each of their authors for inspiration--a lovely touch if you ask me.

I have been dipping into this rich collection as time allows and have really loved many of the essays.  I have started by reading the essays from states where I have travelled: Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, North Carolina, Kentucky, California etc... and I have been surprised by the diversity and excellence of the collection.  State by State has also inspired me to start thinking about doing the fifty again.

When I was in England during my undergraduate years I remember mentioning to a native that my friends and I were thinking about renting a car and driving up to Scotland.  The man looked shocked.  He informed me that the drive would take a good twelve hours or so--his point being that this was clearly mission impossible.  I had recently driven over 20 hours from New Jersey to New Orleans and was unimpressed by the distance.  I mentioned this to him and his look of shock turned to complete befuddlement.  "You Americans love to spend time in your cars, dont you?" 

He was missing the point entirely.  We Americans live in a big, beautiful country--and we like to drive around and look at it.  And let others know we have.

Onward.