Minnesota travels, Twins baseball, books by reporters Kulish and Standaert, and a social criticism of Bakersfield's trashy side - By N.L. Belardes

The lush countryside of Minnesota

Just got back from Minnesota. What a beautiful clean place. I read Nicholas Kulish forthcoming book, Last One In on the plane ride over. I think the book is to be released on June 26th, 2007.

Kulish is the New York Times new Central Europe Correspondent and was an embed in 2003 with a Marine attack-helicopter unit for the Wall Street Journal.

His novel is a comedy-drama set in a Marine ground-based unit.

Yes, a comedy about war. It’s not unheard of, and when done well, makes for a fast read and a great way to juxtapose comedy with the real violence and unfairness of war. You remember MASH? Comedy about war, yet with real drama interwoven. You’ll read my thoughts on his book soon as he takes part in an interview.

I’m still working on another recently released novel that I was supposed to bring with me, titled, The Adventures of the Pisco Kid by Michael Standaert. He writes for the Huffington Report and is having problems getting reviews. I don’t think it’s the content of his novel. I think it’s the layout of the book: font size, a few typos in spacing, etc. Get past the poor layout and you’ll find a very strange tale of a philosophically-minded pest control guy caught in a weird wave of social blunders. It’s really a social critique, and since I haven’t finished yet, I will hold off on my thoughts.

The members of the Noveltown team have received some great books in the mail. Look for chingpea to start reviewing Erotica, while Matildakay takes on more women’s related novels/story collections/memoirs. I will continue to take you on a journey through whatever I stumble across lately that’s worthy of passing on.

Oh, one more book that I read where you should expect an interview: Alex Mindt’s Male of the Species. It’s a collection of short stories that reads like a mini novel even though the stories aren't really related other than through theme. The stories are all father-son relationships, and let me tell you, this guy doesn’t know how to write a bad piece. I can’t wait to pick his brain.

Back to Minnesota:


Trail to St Anthony's waterfalls...

Talk about fun: almost missing busses, almost missing trains and planes, and seeing sights like the mill ruins of downtown Minneapolis, the Superdome, or driving past St. Paul’s cathedral and capital building; wandering on trails from Minnehaha Park to skip rocks on the banks of the Mississippi.








Luckily I caught this train to the Mall of America
Almost missed two hotel shuttle buses and a plane, though.

Every once in a while I enter a location that really makes me want to criticize Bakersfield and its lack of unifying downtown architectural themes, trash littering most streets, and urban sprawl that ignores much of the city’s potential for natural beauty.

Who thought Minneapolis and St. Paul could be so incredibly inviting? The lush green landscape, perfect mild summer temperatures, landscapes worthy of wandering, and cleanliness: not one diaper splattered in a parking lot.






On a train after a Twins baseball game...

The Bakersfield area has so much potential for growth and beauty. It’s only when you step into an area with people who are also Americans, but whose lifestyle somehow is filled with a different kind of respect and knowledge for their landscapes, do you realize: there’s a problem in Bakersfield.

I remember traveling through the Oleander area one day, an area filled with great old mid-20th Century homes. I drove past Beale Park where on one side of the road stood a few mansions and delightful old homes, and on the other, mountains of trash, including one blanket sprawled out and surrounded by hills of debris.

I’ve often considered writing a story on Bakersfield trash.

But where would it lead the city? Are the people online reading articles the same people making the messes?

How can you socially impact Bakersfield’s population of people who don’t respect the streets, riverbanks, parks, and outlying agricultural highways and roads?

In this Nervous Breakdown article is a diaper from a photo taken along Edison Highway just out of town. The photo could easily be taken all over Bakersfield.

I’ll never forget my travels to Minnesota, and the surprising cleanliness of one slice of American culture. I know I will think twice about even tossing a tiny gum wrapper out of a car window, and shove it in my pocket instead.


Irish Pub in St. Paul drinking Strongbow Cider. Almost as good as Wyders Pear Cider...


St Paul Cathedral...


Wandered to the Mississippi to skip rocks...

This entry was posted by N.L. Belardes, on Saturday, June 16, 2007. You can leave your response.