We are now ensconced at my daughter-in-law’s house. Everyone was waiting for us when we drove in from the airport last night. Needless to say, Eileen and I were a bit exhausted, but it was great to see everyone. My grand kids are so beautiful and grown up.
The flights were tolerable. But when I was unpacking I discovered my portable speaker was missing from my checked bag. I called and reported it. The airline person was actually pretty good about it. He apologized twice. This seemed to be part of the script as well as pointing out that though the airline takes no responsibility for electronic devices in checked luggage, in this case he would wave that. The speaker cost around $125. The airline is mailing me a $75 certificate. I was satisfied with that.
Eileen was very upset about this. It reminded me of flying into Barcelona and unpacking only to discover that my little personal CD player was missing. It, too, had been checked.
On the first leg of our journey, we arrived in Denver to discover that the people sitting in front of us were Tom and Mary Lou Taylor. They were long time parishioners at Our Lady of the Lake when I worked there. Mary Lou was the DRE. They are classic old timey RC liberals.
It was fun to see them. Tom was nice enough to say to me that he misses my music.
Russel Hoban’s Riddley Walker was an excellent in flight read. It distracted me enough that the flights were not bad. I like this book quite a bit but have several chapters left until it’s finished.
I discovered that my tablet does a good job with YouTube videos. I am working my way through the one above. I used it today to distract myself while exercising quietly.
I stumbled across this video while thinking and researching Erpenbeck’s finely wrought Go, Gone, Went. Saunders is not only thinking about borders but makes a striking point about the contemporary constantly “verified self.”
She describes the recent death of a pregnant refugee and her just born baby in the bottom of a refugee ship. The mother and the child were unidentified. Then Saunders launches in to a description of the incredible way we are constantly verifying who we are. Our smart phones are pouring out data about us. I especially liked her ideas about the absurdity of airport security checks, visa applications world wide, and maintaining that algorithms can actually know much about the complexities of humans.
I haven’t finished it yet.
Marlon James has caught my interest. He was interviewed by Kevin Young on a recent New York Public Library Podcasts (which are wonderful by the way). He won the Booker Prize for A Brief History of Seven Killings.
But he and Young were talking about his new book, Black Leopard Red Wolf and sci-fi and fantasy. It’s a fun podcast. He is now on my growing list of authors to read.
Rachel Maddow, Chuck Todd and Lester Holt Are Among Moderators of First Democratic Debate – The New York Times
20 Candidates (yet to be announced) and Rachel Maddow. What’s not to like?