Day 3

Day 3 – Eighty-five degrees and sunny in Bismarck on September 23. Who knew? So, no golf. Did you know that North Dakota is the least visited State in the Union? The realization is sinking in. The concept of the Great Plains is really obvious. I will say that the Kirkwood Mall in Bismarck is much nicer than that place in Minnesota. I ate at the Grizzly Bar and Grille – some kind of pasta casserole. Very filling.

I’ve haven’t done anything stupid yet today. I tried to drive through downtown Fargo but my Tom Tom got lost, so I headed for the highway. Just set the cruise on 85 and ate up the miles. I’m about through with an audio book called Just One Look by Harlen Coben. The characters are interesting and you can follow the many threads of the plot but of course the resolution seems like it was tacked on after the story was written. I don’t recommend it.

Although I haven’t done anything stupid today, I do have anecdotes. One is on my list of most embarrassing moments. I was on business in Milan, Italy with an English colleague. We had a small subsidiary in Milan and we were visiting our lawyer because we needed to fire our local GM because he was giving bribes – a common practice in Italian business but none the less a problem for a small American firm with a six person subsidiary in Milan. Just for those of you from Cincinnati, our local GM, an Italian of course, went to high school at Cincinnati Moeller.
Our lawyer was a short man named Giancarlo something-or-other-ending-in-a vowel. He was with Baker & McKenzie the huge international firm. Of course, I’m feeling very cosmopolitan. You know -- big shot American in his Armani suit and Hermes tie. Okay, I was wearing off the rack stuff. So, we’re in Giancarlo's office talking about the difficulties of firing a GM in Italy and Giancarlo stops; looks at me; and says “Your zipper is down.” Yeah, Big Shot!

Damn, just realized that I crossed another time zone. All the more time in Dickinson, ND. Closing in on the Montana border. I’d have to say that although ND is very nondescript, it’s still somehow compelling. Very relaxing to drive through such wide open spaces.
After three days, I absolutely love this trip. The weather has been astonishingly beautiful and hotter than hell. It hit 90 while I was driving today. Should be cooler tomorrow. I still have not spoken to anyone who was not waiting on me in a store or restaurant. Tomorrow I vow to talk with a stranger.