For every working day since 1983, John Harris has written for his living. Although he loves writing, he only occasionally loves what he writes.
Afterthought is a place where John records what interests him - travel tales and happy snaps from a blind photographer; book reviews of novels that no one else can be bothered reading and, of course, his trademark technolgy rants.
With fields of the rogue weed kudzu lining each side of the road,
Mississippi’s Highway 6 leads from Oxford to Clarksdale. But despite
this asphalt artery being only 46 miles long, it links two towns that
otherwise exist in different worlds.
Named after the English university town, Oxford is a leafy
prosperous town filled with boutiques, bookshops and bars to meet the
needs of students attending Ole Miss, the University of Mississippi
whose alumni include writers William Faulkner and John Grisham.
Oxford shot to world prominence today when it hosted the first
debate of US Election 08 between presidential aspirants John McCain and
Barack Obama. After threatening a no-show, McCain arrived in town for a
last-minute ambush that seemed to have Obama on the back foot for most
of the debate.
Robbie and I arrived in Oxford about 30 minutes before the Election
08 debate started after a long-haul drive from Louisville, a 460 mile
journey that traversed the states of Kentucky and Tennessee. We managed
to find the last vacant room in town, at the Comfort Inn on Jackson
Street.
I distinguished myself today as the worst-dressed person to attend
the 11am service at the Ebenezer Baptist Church.
The day started badly when I woke up in my room at The Ellis
Hotel at 10.50am after hitting the sack at 2.30am (about 4pm in Adelaide) after
a midnight visit to Blind Willie's blues club in the entertainment district of Virginia
Highlands. Before climbing into bed, I'd closed all the curtains so day's break
would not disturb my slumber.
It worked! The result was eight and a half hours of
relatively deep sleep - my only interruptions were the bleep of an incoming text
message and a full bladder. I finally woke when the driving force behind this trip Robbie
headed for the shower. I rolled over, checked my watch and then immediately
double-checked the hotel clock to make certain my eyes were not full of sleep.
I spent the next 10 minutes cramming the tangle of
electrical gadgets that had crept out of my bags back inside and climbing into
my travelling clothes. I told Robbie to meet me at the Australian Bakery in
East Atlanta. "I'm off to church," I said.
"You do what you gotta do Johnny," he replied, sleepily.
Impress Media Australia managing director John Harris is travelling in the US from September 20 to October 6, 2008. The best way to contact John is by email at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
. If your matter is urgent, feel free to contact John's colleague, Mike O'Reilly, of O'Reilly Consulting, for assistance. Mike can be reached phone on 08 8364-6701, mobile 0414 882 505 or email
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. John will be back behind his desk from Tuesday, October 7, 2008.
For an itinerary of John's locations, time zones and contact details, read below.
As an old rocker, JOHN HARRIS hears that Apple may be about to launch an iTunes subscription service, giving even more impetus to the online music phenomenon.
In a fit of DIY determination, JOHN HARRIS decided to use the Internet to book a five-week holiday to the US and discovered the high price of his over-exuberance.
Afterthought 
For every working day since 1983, John Harris has written for his living. Although he loves writing, he only occasionally loves what he writes.
.jpg "Election 08 first debate, Oxford, Mississippi")
With fields of the rogue weed kudzu lining each side of the road,
Mississippi’s Highway 6 leads from Oxford to Clarksdale. But despite
this asphalt artery being only 46 miles long, it links two towns that
otherwise exist in different worlds.
I distinguished myself today as the worst-dressed person to attend
the 11am service at the Ebenezer Baptist Church.
JOHN HARRIS wishes Google a happy birthday as it turns 10 and has a look at its new Chrome browser.