Maphead

...totally want this book now.

I am such a map freak, it isn't even true. I went to the State Geography Bee twice, won it four times in a row during my interminable educational purgatory at the Catholic School That Shall Not Be Named (5th-8th grade bay-bee, that sucker was MINE! Someone came close in 8th Grade, but I knew the capitol of Eritrea and he didn't. Not that anyone in that school cared when I did win, but I took what I could get and owned it.)

I love maps. There's one in my parents' basement right now- the biggest National Geographic map of the world that the imagination can handle- dated 1984, I believe- so it's a historical relic. I just need to find space for it the house somewhere. I am pretty much incapable of walking past a globe without first picking it up and finding out what's wrong with it. The fact that Google Maps (up until today anyway) had yet to edit their map to include the newly independent nation of South Sudan bothered me- intensely. (They felt my telepathic rage and changed it, I know it.)

I read Eddings, McCaffery and Tolkein when I was growing up and I could draw maps of those worlds almost better than their illustrators could. (I recently saw another fantasy world map somewhere and thought 'good God, that's just like Middle Earth' but now I can't remember what book I saw it in.) I fell in love with geocaching and want my own handheld GPS so I can go do it whenever I possibly can. (Note to self: add to Christmas list and drop broad hints to Missus about Anniversary and whatever other occasions apply.)

So Ken Jennings, I totally get where you're coming from. And I really want to go buy your book now.