I don't get out much. Until a couple of years ago, I'd never been farther north in California than Red Bluff. Then we went to Mendocino. I've still never been to Oregon, Nebraska, or New York.

When we were raising kids, vacations were camping and long weekends at Granpa and Grandma's. We've traveled a few times to Hawaii and love it. But we're not the kind of people who decide fly to an unfamiliar city for vacation.

But in the last few years, I've had opportunities to travel to Atlanta, Dallas, and Minneapolis for writer's conferences. Sounds fun and a little glamorous. In Atlanta I did get to walk around downtown a bit and I visited the Coke museum and Underground Atlanta.

In Dallas, I saw the airport and a hotel. And some freeway scenery between the two.

In Minneapolis, I got to walk around the Mall of America a little bit.

In my not-even-narrow-much-less-wide travels, I've noticed something.

From the shuttle and hotel window, America looks the same. Atlanta, Dallas, Pasadena, Minnesota, and San Jose are all crisscrossed with freeways, strip malls, and chain stores.

I live near Fresno, the chain-store-and-franchise-loving capital of the west coast. We line up for grand openings whether it's Pottery Barn, Chick-fil-A, or Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. (Mea culpa - I'm still longing for a Crate and Barrel.)

I have to believe that if I was ever able to travel off a major thoroughfare, I'd get a glimpse of the real Minnesota or figure out why Texans love their state so much.

Because from where I've sat, it's all the same.

I want to open a window and holler to the world, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore."

Commercials tell me I waste natural resources and it's up to me to save the planet. Sez who?? We live in the country and have a well. We conserve water because if we don't, we might have to drill a new well at upwards of $5000. We pay for the electricity to pump the water out of the ground. I'm not going to give PG&E any more of my money than I have to.

The government says that using my cell phone while I drive is dangerous. So they legislate a law that means if I want to drive and talk I need another device that must be bought, recharged, and remembered when I leave the house.

Chocolate and red wine are health foods. A good thing. A daily cup of coffee is also good for me. But I have to find out where the coffee and chocolate are grown because if I don't buy fair trade goods, I'm evil and a big meanie.

I bought some of those new light bulbs that were so wonderful and saved so much energy. Then they told me that the new bulbs can't be thrown away and if I break one accidently, I have to clear the house and call out a HAZMAT unit.

I've had it.

I'm buying regular light bulbs. I'm throwing away a phone book. I'm eating chocolate. I might even text while I drive.

I guess blogging opens a window to something. I'm not sure what.

When I posted about mood swings and menopause, within twenty minutes I received an email with a link to the sweetest video I've ever seen. It had me in tears in about twelve seconds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCnAjel02lM

And when I talked about doing the right thing but expecting something in return, the next day I got a book in the mail.

Which is a bigger thing than it seems. I do book reviews and I have lots of reader and writer friends and I get books all the time.

I've been trying to build a discipline of writing a note every day. Sometimes to friends, thanking them for something thoughtful. I've written to writers and artists I admire.

A few weeks ago, I was searching for an address for a note I wanted to write to an LA Times columnist and found the name of another columnist I remembered from when I was a subscriber. Quick change of plans and I sent my note to Chris Erskine who writes The Guy Chronicles for the Times.

I talked about how I enjoy his column and his sense of humor and his take on family life.

He sent me a book.

How cool is that? I read Surviving Suburbia pretty quickly and I laughed out loud.

But now I have another problem: Do I write him a thank note to thank him for his thank you gift?