Three City Day

5:05am EST. I wake up in DC.

7:30am CST. We land in Chicago. Meetings and stuff. I eat two lunches, both of which are pretty good. 

6:50pm PST. I land in San Francisco and drive off into the sunset. 

9:15pm PST. Dinner at IHOP near Fisherman's Wharf. I am initially ignored for what seems like 20 minutes, but then the server is highly attentive. I eat a spicy chicken sandwich with provolone, which is delicious. Also, an Avocado salad (1/4 of an Avocado on lettuce for 2.49) and a crepe with blueberry sauce and vanilla ice cream. I consume an enormous amount of ice water and feel cold. The server asks me how I liked my food, and seems to really care. I experience a flashback to a movie that involves ordering ice cream in a diner in California.  

I notice that almost everyone around me is dressed informally, compared to DC. This strikes me as odd/good/slightly sloppy. 

10:00pm PST. A man in the hotel elevator asks me where I am from. A short conversation occurs whereupon I claim exhaustion. I don't think he was wearing shoes. 

Road Trip

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With E.

1. Ferry to Hyannis Port.  4:30pm.
2. Taxi to Barnstable Airport. 5pm.
3. Rent Blue Prius from Budget.
4. Drive to Brookline. Pick-up clothing from Cambodia, courtesy of Toro 7:30pm.
5. Dinner on Tremont Street at Pop's. WTH is Lobster dust? 8pm.
6. Drop off pots and pans in Cambridge.  11:30pm.
7. Drive to the Berkshires, during a thunderstorm.  Mass. Pike is desserted. We stop at a Mcdonalds for Coffee. I complain about the weather and am informed that it hasn't rained all summer.
8. Arrive in the Berkshires. 3:30am
9. Arrive at JFK: 5:30pm

National Airport,

It  is amazing how busy Reagan-National airport is at 5:45 am. I pass an entire boyscout troop, and then they pass me. Outside it is a cool rainy blue. Good morning, America.

August and everything before

Since July 4th, I've 

-Been to New York for a dinner party

-Met a substitute teacher from my elementary school while checking into a flight at Laguardia airport.

-Visited Montreal for twenty four hours, my first time outside of the country in 2010. The French influence is overwhelming and a welcome relief from DC.

-Experienced my first Casino

-Spoken a fair bit of french

-Acela-ed (Amtrak business = wonderful) and Jazzed (Air canada economy = less inspiring).

-Ridden the new intergate shuttle at Dulles (impressive).

-considered getting new dining room furniture

-while working, fasted for lion's share of the 9th of Av, the Jewish holiday that commemorates national loss.  I broke my fast at 4pm with fare from Ray's Hellburger.

-Sweated in the DC heat. 

Like Them that Dream: A Blog Worth Reading...

My brother Raphael has just launched a fascinating community blog which aims to "post clear, well-written intellectual content on a regular basis."  It's a very high bar for the digital space, but they seem to be doing a great job. 

Stormy Monday

I wake up to discover that Senator Byrd is dead. Less shocking the Ted Kennedy's death, but still significant.  I never met Byrd but remember watching his poetic rants on C-Span, meeting his interns/staffers, and hearing him rail against the Iraq war.   His death is not mentioned during the day, though there is an enormously powerful thunderstorm which darkens the sky and distracts my office for two-three minutes. 

Empire State of Mind

I get into New York at 8:40, am in Soho by 9, eat pizza in the West village by 10 at some place called Joes. Weather is cooler here and the pizza is much better. In the words of the guys at Joes, "it is made by italian hands, with American hands accepting the money." 

Musicians sing the Beatles in Washington Square Park surrounded by an engaged crowd. Young couples pollinate benches. I meet a group of old friends and hit a bar in Soho, which is well attended by recent graduates. Seems like a tough time to leave the cocoon of college and enter the workforce.

The sky turns into a cool blue pool in the early hours of Saturday morning. Cabs slink by, and the city recovers. I do too.

Lazy Saturday in the Research Triangle

Sunlight streaming in through the trees on a hot summer morning. Johny Cash playing, L makes banana pancakes. We sit on the porch and discuss long-term prospects for economic growth in the US and the value of secondary markets for corporate equity. Great pancakes. 

I help change a tire, visit a whole foods for picnic supplies, and spend hours on the Duke campus, lounging in the sun and eating grapes with L + S, and then just S. I attend an informal rehearsal dinner at a Mexican restaurant and meet a sincere and ambitious PhD student studying mid-20th century US intellectual history (protestant thinkers), a warm and talkative wine barrel maker, and some Hill staff from my neck of the woods. I feel a special kinship with the Washingtonians. 

L and I go see the 10pm showing of Get Him to the Greek. Generally hilarious.  Driving back to his house after midnight, we pass many deer and a small white kitten. 

Carolina Dreamin'

Saw Joe Trippi today at DC Digital Week, leaving a panel. I once viewed the Obama campaign as the conclusion of the Dean/Netroots rising in 2004. Not sure if the linkage still holds up.

Flew down to Raleigh/Durham (RDU) yesterday on US airways express, the worst flight experience I've had out of Reagan National. Intense security checks, crowded departure gate, and a mini-bus out to the tarmac. Almost got bumped for a voucher, but not everyone who had booked checked into the flight. I fell asleep shortly after takeoff and didn't wake up until our descent.

Met at the airport by L, a friend from college who lives down here. Leaving the airport, I feel a surge of escapist release as i'm surrounded by trees and grass. We drove to Chapel Hill, stopping to look at a picturesque Greek outdoor theater. Dinner was at Lantern, mild but well prepared Asian food using local ingredients. Marvelous dumplings thai coffee ice cream, and rice green tea. 

Staying in a rural area, in a house surround by gardens and woods. I feel asleep in a hammock on the porch. 

Persian Princes, Cambodian-Americans, and Belize

Saw Prince of Persia: Sands of Time on Friday night in Georgetown. Very entertaining hollywood fare, a solid B-film. Ben Kingsley's character and performance are unimpressive, though Jake G. and Alfred Molina shine.

Attended the annual reception for The Cambodian-American Professionals Association, which was held at SEARAC, near Dupont Circle. The circle was packed with hundreds of fans watching the world cup... amazingly the United States managed to tie England.

Early dinner with R, an old friend from Belize who is moving to Hawaii, followed by banal party-hopping. I did meet a guy who had just come back from Belize.

Re-watched the Quantum of Solace on Sunday. Quantum is a terrific revival for the series, though Craig needs to take himself a little less seriously.