I've always been an avid reader. If I don't have a book in the car, I'll stop and pick one up just to have something to read. I don't even remember learning to read.
Things were here before you and will be here after you're gone. The geographic features, especially, give you a sense of your own place in the world and in time.
Because when you watch U.S. television, all the presenters and reporters, they're all out of central casting.

