Friday, September 12, 2008

Towers of Light

It was a cool, clear day here in New York. There seem to be a large number of tourists in the city, and the locals swam through the day with a slightly detached air...watching. A co-worker from Mississippi inquired into the past....I was the only person in my office to have been around in 2001.

My high school friend E encountered the senior Senator from Delaware on 114th, and blurted out "Biden, we love you;" the comment was graciously returned with an about-face, pat on the arm and a broad, white-haired grin. Walking home after work, I stumbled across the premiere of "The women" at 19th street. Jada Pinkett is very small in person and Julie Stiles carries herself with elegance. Eva Mendes is less attractive in person, surprisingly. The flashing of the paparazzi was surreal and mesmerizing.

Seven years is a long time. If this is a return to normalcy, it is disquieting... as Maugham said of Perfection, [its] "a trifle dull... It is not the least of life's ironies that this, which we all aim at, is better not quite achieved." On the other hand, dinner was a glaringly imperfect Serbian meal.

The twin beams stretch endlessly into the sky.

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