Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles

In the early 00’s, I embarked on an accidental career as a traveling salesman. But I wasn’t exactly Willy Loman. I was given the task of visiting existing clients to generate revenue for the company. This was a wholesale endeavor, so I would fly to a remote location with my suitcase full of jewelry to visit retail buyers. As someone who doesn’t get the opportunity to leave his backyard often, I was thrilled by the chance to see the flyover states. I can’t exactly say my itinerary was A-List. I was shuffled off to low-rent destinations like Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Detroit. And since I do not drive, I was provided with car service which would chauffeur me to my sales appointments. It was a fairly cushy gig, I just had to write enough business to cover the cost of the trip. So I would try to razzle dazzle the boutique owner with my glam gems and make the order as high as possible. The actual meeting took two hours and I was left to my own devices for the rest of the day. If being a stranger in a strange town is an alien sensation, then walking through a ghost town on your own is freaky. Because this was an expensive line, I was usually cooped up in an affluent suburb, far from the downtown lights. But I was eager to explore the hidden terrain. Random memories include: a trip to the Ohio waterfront to eat dinner at Hooters (a family restaurant in the Midwest!) , getting stranded at the airport in Amarillo and spending the next day at the shopping mall, and eating a Fuddruckers! But isolation can be a bitch. Although I loved the idea of discovering this lost America, it did become a lonely voyage. The novelty of staying at the Holiday Inn with room service wears off quickly. I can imagine jetting around the nation making observations and writing a book about my experiences. Or at least a blog! It’s not often we get the opportunity to leave our comfort zone and meet other strange species. This was before the current blue state / red state mindset, so I treated people with respect. But being alone in an unfamiliar setting can resemble the surreal life. Now let’s talk about the music! Bananarama did not like the song. Originally released as a stand-alone single in 1985, this track missed the UK top 30. I was fond of it, but I am in the minority. Story of my life! This tune marked a turning point in their career. After Venus and their association with SAW, the talented trio morphed into pop puppets. Although they continued to produce quality material, their personality was streamlined into a disco dolly image. Gone was the quirky charm of their earlier efforts, replaced with a sexual knowing.