I admit that I consider most bloggers to be the plague-spreading fleas of the Information Age.  They feed on the already-infected rats of mainstream news, and then bite the public in barely noticeable, but irritating ways...till suddenly, their nasty little nips somehow knock out a quarter of civilization and cause untold agony.  I leave academic bloggers out of this, as they at least try to focus on debates with some intellectual value, while the rest of the blogosphere rattles on about paleo diets and whether you should spank your children.

So it's pretty damned ironic that I'm starting this blog, and I cheerfully acknowledge my hypocrisy and narcissism. But I wanted a place to keep a record of our travels this summer, and this was the most convenient of the options.  This is just a test-posting, something to  help me procrastinate packing, folding, buying, packing, cleaning, packing, laundry, packing and packing.

More to come.