TheBurg

34 | theburg | 04.16 M y husband and I are taking a five-year anniversary trip courtesy of my father-in-law's Amtrak rewards. It'd be faster to fly from Harrisburg to Boston, even drive, but a free ride where passengers can sleep, read, eat, stretch is an easy choice. Everyone is plugged in thanks to free WiFi. Heads are buried in phones, tablets and gaming gadgets. Tweens wearing Kentucky University tees text each other. ey laugh in synchronicity. I wonder what's so funny, but I probably wouldn't understand their coded text-speak. I'm way too old. If you're not attached into the dual, 120-volt plugs then you're a snoring grandpa, Sudoku granny or a boring mommy enjoying the scenery while scribbling in a notebook. I believe there are few better, more satisfying and relaxing places to write than on a train. Constant inspiration with movement is unbeatable. Flow—it's impossible not to race along with the speeding locomotive, jotting down as much scribble as fast as possible for fear of losing even one thought to the tracks behind you. e conductor routinely passes, inspecting tickets. He never makes eye contact or cracks a smile. Maybe his malformed right ear has made his life hard, and he's detached because of it. Or maybe, like most people, it's Friday and he's ready for the weekend and has no desire to be on the job. He scans my e-ticket, places it above the seat, and sluggishly continues down the aisle. e click and clack of the nine-car vessel against the tracks lulls some and invigorates others. My husband, Chris, is sleeping or pretending to. e window seat holds my attention. I can't doze or drift, only briefly looking away from How to Celebrate an anniversary on amtrak eBurg often highlights the work of student writers from penn state Harrisburg. in this issue, we feature a personal essay. by ALISoN SMoLINSkI

• Cover