Entry one - Samantha Prusac

In the first chapter, Petrusich's feelings towards city life and country life are laid out. When she talks about Brooklyn, it is kind of bland and dull and she doesn't really put any emotion into it. Then she talks about going on her road trip and you can see the clear difference. Petrusich got really excited when she was talking about exploring the country; the roads, the sights, the sounds, the people she would meet, the things she would see and hear. You could tell in her voice that she is much happier being in the country then stuck in the city. Although she has what seems like a lot of unnecessary detail, it helps her bring excitement into her road trip. There is so much more that goes on besides the driving and reaching your destination, and it is the little details that make road trips worth while.

"Maybe it is because I know, deep down, that the real action, the things that happen off-road, everywhere--the crying, the building, the singing, the sighing, the loving and hating and making and playing and recording--are still a million times more important than the streets that get you there." (21) The crying sticks out because if a singer has a good show, they could cry tears of joy at the end of a set because they did so well and the crowd loves them, or they could have had an off night where nothing went right for them so they cry. Either way, there is a story behind that. How an artist prepared for the show, what rituals do they have to do to give them good luck before shows, and Petrusich could focus on those details (whether or not she does, I don't know). One thing that throws me off is when she says that all those things are a million times more important than the streets, but in the first chapter she talked a lot about how important the roads are. She said she would rather travel the dirt roads and the roads less traveled, so it is puzzling to hear her say that the roads are not as important.

Petrusich tries to find the good in both country and city living. Even though it is obvious she prefers the country, she talks about the advantages and disadvantages of both. “Luckily for me, Brooklyn is not all sludge. I do not miss parking lots or driveways or property lines or cold, suburban isolation…Here there are magnificent bookstores, and too many rock clubs…In Brooklyn, on the street, there are fewer secrets, and I judge whole lives from my living room.” (12) She wants us to understand both views so when she starts her road trip the reader understands just how different and more beautiful the country is than the city. The air is cleaner, and people are overall nicer. The traffic in the country is no where near as bad as Brooklyn, so people are not always in a bad mood because they were late to work or traffic getting home was horrible.