Mile 12497: Perry Michigan is like a Spaceport where I land twice a week.

There's three gas stations at the Perry Exit. One has a Subway, so the food is okay. One is truck stop, so the shopping is quirky, everything from CB Radios to small refrigerators for the trucker's cab. Despite these attractions, I make a beeline for the 7-11 with the Citgo gas pumps. I first visited a 7-11 with my father in the late 1960s and I have been on the same escalator with the president of 7-11. You see, I consulted at their headquarters in Dallas, the one before the headquarters move to the arts district, summer of 2006. I have no idea how 7-11 stays in business as I have seen so many stores torn down or shuttered. The retailing reminds me of K-Mart in the Troy Headquarters days. I dislike how Dasani + Ice Mountain are priced higher here so the house brand looks attractive. I enjoy the clerks at Wesco so much more. I associate Citgo with Hugo Chavez, and although the link was broken years ago, thoughts of Hugo Chavez causes the Republicans and Democrats in my head to debate. I like the 24 Hour openess with coffee and doughnuts, a good place to write all night. Once had a conversation with an 7-11executive back from a two week training placement in a store. He did all the jobs of a clerk and when a customer crapped all over the restroom, he put on gloves and cleaned.