Thursday, September 01, 2005

(from New England, unfortunately) it pays to carry around a spare set of underwear.

Wouldn’t you take me on board your plane, even if it was over-booked and I was, through a tremendous set of errors (whose my mistakes? – mostly my own) not on the list of passengers scheduled to take off?

Of course you would! I travel light, I did not eat lunch, I am a safe bet.

So why am I sitting at the world’s smallest airport thinking that the pilot will issue a big fat no any minute and my planned return to Madison tonight will not happen? Why do I think that?

Because they’re sensing that I am a pushover and if it’s me or some needy needy passenger, I’ll probably not make a fuss, because I hate fusses and I’ll surrender and not fight and go back to town with the tail down and tears swelling and there you have it – a nice beginning to the month, don’t you think?

LATER: Bingo! My predictions were right. I first got put on the flight, then dragged off out of my rear seat, like some kind of high-risk suspect or at the very least someone caught stashing drugs in her suitcase.

And I didn’t even get reimbursed for my cab fare.

Ah, Polish grit! One needs to regroup and consider the options.

First step: go back to Starbucks and blog your troubles right onto the screen.

Second step: go for a walk to get that caffeine out of your system.

Third step: find a daughter and beg for floor space. Or something.

Fourth step: there’s always crying over spilt beer, especially since this situation begs for beers, to be drunk alone in huge amounts. (Can no longer justify Cosmos given the nice way dollars are just flying from my pocket today.)

(from New England) fresh and honest

September 1st. Moving on to new places, new ways of doing things.

I left Cambridge this morning. My image of Boston remains that of a city under construction. Oh sure, there’s this, at the border of the North End:

New Haven Aug 05 057


But even more so, I see it as a city that remains weirdly symbolic for me of changes in my attitude toward my surroundings (see post below), a city that forces me to examine my own behaviors as a result. It’s odd how cities can do that – how they can be places where you reach some new understanding of how you are as a person. Some people hit high peaks in the Rockies, or even better – the Himalayan Mountains, hoping against hope to get to some greater level of self-awareness. Me, I walk along Newbury Street and hit a gallery and there you have it – I am ready to make all necessary adjustments.

Or maybe it’s being around Cambridge that drives one to sift and sort constantly, repeatedly, until one gets it right (or at least closer to some honest rendition of your given reality). It’s a town that takes itself seriously. Step aside, New Haven, this is Cambridge – it asserts in its bullish ways. We are brainy, we are edgy, we are demanding!

New Haven Aug 05 055
(Harvard Square)

Ah, New Haven. My work in Cambridge is complete. My Boston interlude is behind me, I am moving forward. Hi New Haven! I’ve missed you.