At the risk of sounding like a Tom Slick cartoon: We're coming to you today from Muncie, Indiana where I spent the day meeting with Jim Davis on an upcoming Garfield project. This is my third-ever visit to Muncie and it's still too level for me. You'd think a guy with Jim's money could spring for a few bucks and buy the town a hill or something.
Despite being a Big City Boy, I feel quite comfy in this environment, at least as long as it ain't snowing. In the past, I made a lot of sarcastic remarks about how it's odd to be in a place where the big cultural event is watching them change the french fry grease at Arby's, or how someone found out I was Jewish and asked to have his picture taken with me. Not only did people back home expect that but the ones here seemed to expect it, as well…and I was willing to comply. The truth is that I don't find it all that different. I mean, I can find differences within walking distance of my home in Los Angeles. I don't see a place like Muncie as much more different than that. The folks I meet are as pleasant and witty and just as likely to meet any standard of "hip" as anywhere else I've been. You see some different brand names on stores — though not many — and there's less traffic here and less hurry. But you can also get that within commuting distance of Hollywood if you know where to look.
Carolyn and I had a nice drive here on Monday from Columbus, Ohio in a Hertz vehicle equipped with their "Neverlost" Global Positioning System. I'd never used one of those before and even though I had printed directions (courtesy of Mapquest), I found it helpful to have the little lady telling me to get ready to take the right fork in .5 miles or whatever. If I ever went anywhere new, I'd get one for my car at home. Then I'd see if I could reprogram it with cartoon voices…you know, maybe get Joe Alaskey, who does Sylvester these days, to record, "Sufferin' Succotash! Hang a left at the next Tweety Bird"…or have Snagglepuss telling me to "Exit, off-ramp right." The other idea would be to get one with the voice of my first lawyer. Then I'd just do the exact opposite of everything he instructed me to do and I'd get to each destination without a single problem.
Not much else to report from Muncie except that I'm having a little trouble sending e-mail out of the hotel's Internet connection. If you await a reply, it may have to wait until I'm back in my own time zone.