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A lover of learning; from the Greek “philos”; Philomath is the name of towns in both Oregon and Georgia; 45 seconds into “Can’t Get There From Here,” the first single from R.E.M.’s 1985 album, “Fables of the Reconstruction,” Michael Stipe sings, “If you’re needing inspiration/Philomath is where I go”; I.R.S. Records released the single for “Can’t There From Here” as both a 7’’ and 12,” and the B-side was “Bandwagon”; during my sophomore year in high school, my friends and I, all recently turned 16, took every opportunity possible to go driving; one Saturday morning, after listening to “Can’t Get There From Here,” three of us decided to look for the town of Philomath; the original name of Philomath, Georgia, was Woodstock; we drove in my friend Rob’s Toyota Corolla and stopped at a Golden Pantry, purchasing sunflower seeds and gas station cappuccino, which we nicknamed “crappacino”; we got quite lost looking for Philomath, but eventually found the town; there was not much there besides some memorials to the Confederacy and William Bartram; we determined that Michael Stipe was being ironic; “Can’t Get There From Here” is my third favorite song on “Fables of the Reconstruction,” after “Driver 8” and “Green Grow the Rushes”; I still enjoy going for long drives, and sometimes, during these drives, I listen to R.E.M.; “Reckoning” is my favorite R.E.M. album; I have never been to Philomath, Oregon, though, if it is anything like Philomath, Georgia, there are no doubt many more trees than people; so, if you are looking for inspiration, and find yourself in Philomath, Oregon, you should expect to find it in a forest.