If there is a Bostonian who ever sailed from his own harbor for distant lands, or returned to it from them, without feelings, at the sight of the Blue Hills, which he is unable to express, his heart is differently constituted than mine.

-John Quincy Adams

I’m kind of on a John Quincy Adams kick right now, certainly an odd place to be.  I got the above quote from Josiah Quincy’s 1858 biography, Memoir of the Life of John Quincy Adams.

I’m not terribly homesick for the blue hills of Massachusetts, but I will say I’m prouder than ever to be a native son of the Commonwealth.  With the passing of our great Senator Edward Kennedy I am reminded again of the great politicians and leaders that have come from the Bay State and our long and storied past.  I’ve found over the years that there’s no better vantage point to appreciate your home and government than from overseas, so these days I’m trying to find time between reading novels and watching Mad Men on Tudou to read about Massachusetts’ history and about some of the excellent people that have hailed from our state.  It’s a nice change from reading the Chinese news and researching Chinese law.  And what about those Red Sox, huh?  They’re just six games behind the Yankees at 89 and 60.  If we get to the Playoffs (knock on wood) I’m fairly certain I’ll be able to find a bar in Shanghai playing the games, of course, the timing couldn’t be worse here on the other side of the world.