“The lines we draw that make us who we are are potent by virtue of being non-negotiable, and even, at some level, indefensible. Sally will not wear synthetics. That’s who she is. Billy won’t touch eggs. That’s Billy for you. To apologize for your personal absolutes, for what Sandy Pinter calls your ‘Core Attachments,’ means apologizing for your very existence.”
| — | Walter Kirn | Up in the Air |
Lugnasa Hiroshima Moon
Lotta moving around today. Into the museum by 10:40 for an 11:00 am tour with a group of developmentally disabled adults. Rembrandt. Back home for a bit, then out to Lake Minnetonka for an evening boating with the Woollies. Then, swing over to the airport to pick up brother Mark, flying in from Ha’il, Saudi Arabia.
Summer Hiroshima Moon
Outside. Thinning. Good to be outside in less than tropical heat. Though 81 degrees with a dewpoint of 72 is not the desert, either.
Got my new bike yesterday. Gotta take it over to Erik’s Bike Shop to have it assembled. I’m not good at such things and it requires tools I don’t have.
Summer Hiroshima Moon
Caution: air travel rant ahead.
Delta strikes again. After three delays, my 1:14 pm flight has gotten bumped back to 7:30 pm. I returned my rental car at 10, Jon got me to the airport at 10:30 and 9 hours later, all things remaining as the current Delta claims, I’ll leave here.
This is the second time in two months Delta has screwed up my return flight, the first being the flight from Schipol to Minneapolis after my trip to Romania. In both cases my return home has been delayed by many hours. Don’t count me as a fan of Delta. Or, air travel.
Summer Hiroshima Moon
At breakfast this morning a man came through the hotel corridor with three chocolate labs on leashes. Had a funny reaction. The dogs humanized the space. People greeted the man, bent down to pet the dogs, yes, but the very presence of dogs made the place more human. Odd.
Returned the rental car, Jon picked me up and we drove out to the airport. He volunteered, so that made it special. I’d already arranged the hotel shuttle, but was glad to cancel.
I’ve done the security shuffle, deshoeing, delittering pockets, disrobing my laptop, bagging my necessary liquids, remaining calm in the face of idiocy.
Lunch and then, since I had plenty of time my gate was at the very front, Gate 40 of 40 thru 99. How bout that?
Summer Hiroshima Moon
A little bleery eyed this a.m. Don’t know how frequent business travelers do it. Strange beds, overly large portions. Not very romantic.
Sometime after noon Jon, Ruth and I plan a trip to the Colorado History Museum. It’s one of my favorite places here in Denver, a museum rich in geologic, demographic and historical information about this square state. There’s also a lot of material culture from native people to mining, frontier and contemporary culture.
I’m a sucker for museums anyhow, and this is a good one.
Summer Hiroshima Moon
Kate and I talked about the Aurora shootings. I mentioned the unease here with the wildfires, a shooting two weeks ago of a Denver policewoman at an outdoor jazz concert and the everpresent Columbine massacre as background.
My street corner philosophical analysis was this. Colorado is where, today, the West meets contemporary civilization. It is an uneasy coming together. Each January, when I come out for the National Western Stock Show, Colorado fills up cowboy pickups, men and women in Stetson’s, wide belt buckles and cowboy boots.
It’s a rural, rancher culture with traditions rooted in the 19th century. They come here, to the city, together, see many of their own and feel comfortable for a time, the two weeks or so of the Stock Show.
It’s also a violent, one man against the markets and the elements and the wolves and the Indians, culture. The NRA and its insistent drumbeat for gun rights can be seen as an extension of this culture and a reinforcement of it.
Where urban culture and rural culture meet, especially rural Western culture, the thin veneer of civilization can easily strip away. Yes, this was an urban California gunman, but here, in Colorado, our overall cultural superego is conflicted. That leaves space for someone with errant thoughts, just enough space, for them to choose action over anger.
There’s one final thought here. With the Giffords instance in Arizona, the Aurora tragedy and several other spree shootings, I would like to know where all these stalwart citizens packing heat* with their concealed carry licenses were? As far as I know, no one has ever fired a return shot.
“*(the aurora gunman) bought four guns and 6,000 rounds of ammunition, Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates said…
In May, he began buying guns and apparently stocking up on the body armor that police said he wore during the shooting: a ballistic helmet and vest, ballistic leggings, throat and groin protector, a gas mask and black tactical gloves.”
7/21/2012 online.
Summer Under the Lily Moon
Out to plant more collard greens, beets, chard. In the bed Kate cleared yesterday. Gradually getting the second phase of planting done. After this, I need to move onto clearing weeds from the firepit area, perhaps doing some planting. We also need rock for it.
Inside today. Rembrandt tour. Object selection. Settling on themes. Information. Path.
Summer Under the Lily Moon
Harvested more chard and beets. Kate plucked some onions out of a larger bed she weeded this morning. Replanted beets and chard. About an hour, an hour and a half is enough for me. Collard greens tomorrow plus carrots and perhaps some more beets.