Places I won't get to

Dear Seven Australian People who looked at my blog this week.

What can I say? I'm flattered. I mean, you're so far away - or I am - and yet that didn't deter you from checking out what I had to say.

The thing is, as much as I'd like to return the gesture by visiting your country (and, by the way, my very best friend from my college years lives there), I don't think that I ever will.  This isn't really a cancer thing - I don't think.  It's not like, (read in raspy dying voice) "I have so little time left, I can't spend 24 hours on a plane!"  Even if I knew for certain that I would live to some acceptable age of death - what is that? 85? 90? anyway - there are some places (like Australia) that I simply think I won't get to.  Others include:

Hawaii - I know that sounds outrageous.  It's supposedly gorgeous.  It's one of the fifty states. My president was born there.  My spouse wants to bowl there.  But it's fucking far!  First of all, California is far if you live in Boston, and then once you get there you basically have to do the same thing again to get to Hawaii.

India - It's far too, but I have a different reason for not visiting.  I love Indian authors.  I've read many books set in India.  The best ones (White Tiger is at the top of the list) have convinced me that I never want to visit that country.  How could I go and face all of that poverty?  And I'm afraid of trekking. And how do you find all of those cool Buddhist monasteries anyway?  I would get lost for sure.

Poland - Now, I say this with some hesitation, because I did have two readers from Poland just today, but why would I go to Poland? (And, to be fair, if you readers in Poland, feel the same way about the U.S., I totally respect that. And, if you want to comment and give me an idea of what is waiting for me in Poland, I'm open.)