Half Shell, Will Travel

Some of you know this already, but for those who don’t get the paper, I’m leaving the office life to embark on a new adventure, beginning with a two-month excursion to England and surrounds. On Sunday I fly to London. As part of the condition of non-employment, I will be giving up this blog.

So the question is how to end it. Perhaps in a computer crash, where the characters of Half Shell dodge smoke monsters and polar bears before appearing in a flash sideways in some parallel purgatory Rhodyverse. Or maybe it ends in a blogging duel with a one-armed typist. Or I wake up in bed with Suzanne Pleshette and realize it was all a strange dream.

But then last week Olivia Culpo, a 20-year-old cellist from Cranston, became the first Miss Rhode Island to win the Miss USA pageant and will represent the United States of America in competing for the title of Miss Universe. As we know from our “Seinfeld” history, Rhode Island never wins these things, but the poised Miss Culpo, who deftly handled the toughest question of the night – “Would you feel it would be fair that a transgender woman wins the Miss USA title over a natural-born woman?” – gave hope to every Ocean State gal who looks great in a bikini and an evening gown.

It seemed like the right note on which to sign off.

As of today, Half Shell is officially on permanent hiatus. I’m a never-say-never guy, so in my admittedly warped world there is always a chance it could return in some guise. I won’t stop collecting size of Rhode Island references or obsessing over the oddities and quirks of Ocean State culture. So we’ll see what happens down the road.

But for now I’d just like to thank you all for reading. During the typical Monday slog, Half Shell has been the most enjoyable part of the day and I’ve been amazed at how many of you I’ve encountered randomly at places such as Kenyon’s Grist Mill or the Red Fez, who don’t actually get our paper but check in on the blog. Your comments (both on screen and off) are much appreciated.

As I’ve told some of you before, Rhode Island is my anchor, but every now and then I need to haul up and sail. For those who are interested, I will be starting a travel blog in England. Give me a week or so then Google my name (and "travel blog") and it should direct you to the new site. Naturally it will be a different kind of animal, but I will still be on the lookout for Rhode Islandisms wherever I can find them. Because you can take the boy out of Rhode Island, but you can’t take the Rhode Island out of the boy.

Fade to black.