Monday, October 16, 2006
10/10/06 12:45 EST
I'm sitting about 4 hours west of Penn Station on the train which is in the middle of a forest. Fall colors are showing well in some places. Mom is with me on this first leg of the journey and she's finishing her crossword in the seat beside me.
We boarded at 3 am and sleep has been sporadic. Email and phone are doing ok. I decided to leave the laptop at home to pack light and also because the battery can't hold a charge.
I'm missing parts of my book club book on CD when I doze off, but Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick was a good choice. Ah, we're moving again...
10/11/06 2:25 pm
I'm sitting on a bench near SOME GREEK ART GOING BACK TO 4000 B.C. I WROTE A PAPER IN GRAD SCHOOL THAT SPANNED THE MYCENAEAN AGE TO HOMER (NOT SINPSON). THAT'S ABOUT 2200-800 BC.
LAST NIGHT WE WENT TO A GREAT ITALIAN PLACE RIGHT DOWN THE STREET FROM MY BROTHER KEN'S APARTMENT IN MANHATTAN. TH WEATHER WAS PERFECT, SO WE SAT OUT ON THE SIDEWALK AND HAD FAMILY-SIZED PORTIONS. INCLUDING SOME NICE BRUSCHETTA WITH TOMATOES AND SHRIMP.
ALL THE TRAVELERS FELL ASLEEP DURING THE ENSUING MOVIE. NOT SURPRISING, OWING TO FACTORS OTHER THAN OUR RELATIVELY ADVANCED AGE. I GOT A GREAT SLEEP ON THE COUCH. KEN IS TEACHING TODAY WHILE SIMA IS GIVING US A TOUR OF THE SIGHTS OF NY CITY.
IT'S EMBRRASSING TO ADMIT THAT MUSEUMS TIRE ME QUICKLY. I THINK IT'S ALL THE STANDING AROUND REQUIRED.
10/16/06 8:30 am
Ready to pull out of Toronto for Buffalo~a way station before Chicago. God was gracious to smooth my way this morning. I didn't allow myself much margin and if anything went amiss I might have not made the train. But it all worked out just fine despite a pricey cab ride from the airport to the train station.
I'm listening to Gordon Lightfoot on my mp3 player. His concert in Kitchener last night was a swan song. He has lost more of his voice and range since I saw him just a few years ago. The crowd's enthusiasm had more to do with appreciation for a great career than for the quality of the performance. A local man, Steve, and I had a nice chat about the area and other topics.
Most Canadians have been very pleasant and helpful. On the other hand, I got stopped and interrogated at the border again yesterday. They keep letting me go after a few questions, so I suppose I shouldn't complain. They try to trip you up by misstating information you've previously shared and trying to get you to assent. Hey, I wasn't born yesterday, but, according to the Bell Curve, most criminals fall below the mean (in intelligence).
I suppose I might take in a flick in Buffalo in addition to writing and reading. Either that Giants movie or the one about Iwo Jima. I have 11 hours. If I'm really lucky I'll find a place to post this on my blog. I'm blowing my transportation budget. I spent about ("about" in Canada) $400 on cabs and a rental car-yikes! Hotels are also running on the expensive side. The good news is that most of that is over. Maybe two more hotel nights and three more taxis the rest of the whole trip.
I'm sitting about 4 hours west of Penn Station on the train which is in the middle of a forest. Fall colors are showing well in some places. Mom is with me on this first leg of the journey and she's finishing her crossword in the seat beside me.
We boarded at 3 am and sleep has been sporadic. Email and phone are doing ok. I decided to leave the laptop at home to pack light and also because the battery can't hold a charge.
I'm missing parts of my book club book on CD when I doze off, but Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick was a good choice. Ah, we're moving again...
10/11/06 2:25 pm
I'm sitting on a bench near SOME GREEK ART GOING BACK TO 4000 B.C. I WROTE A PAPER IN GRAD SCHOOL THAT SPANNED THE MYCENAEAN AGE TO HOMER (NOT SINPSON). THAT'S ABOUT 2200-800 BC.
LAST NIGHT WE WENT TO A GREAT ITALIAN PLACE RIGHT DOWN THE STREET FROM MY BROTHER KEN'S APARTMENT IN MANHATTAN. TH WEATHER WAS PERFECT, SO WE SAT OUT ON THE SIDEWALK AND HAD FAMILY-SIZED PORTIONS. INCLUDING SOME NICE BRUSCHETTA WITH TOMATOES AND SHRIMP.
ALL THE TRAVELERS FELL ASLEEP DURING THE ENSUING MOVIE. NOT SURPRISING, OWING TO FACTORS OTHER THAN OUR RELATIVELY ADVANCED AGE. I GOT A GREAT SLEEP ON THE COUCH. KEN IS TEACHING TODAY WHILE SIMA IS GIVING US A TOUR OF THE SIGHTS OF NY CITY.
IT'S EMBRRASSING TO ADMIT THAT MUSEUMS TIRE ME QUICKLY. I THINK IT'S ALL THE STANDING AROUND REQUIRED.
10/16/06 8:30 am
Ready to pull out of Toronto for Buffalo~a way station before Chicago. God was gracious to smooth my way this morning. I didn't allow myself much margin and if anything went amiss I might have not made the train. But it all worked out just fine despite a pricey cab ride from the airport to the train station.
I'm listening to Gordon Lightfoot on my mp3 player. His concert in Kitchener last night was a swan song. He has lost more of his voice and range since I saw him just a few years ago. The crowd's enthusiasm had more to do with appreciation for a great career than for the quality of the performance. A local man, Steve, and I had a nice chat about the area and other topics.
Most Canadians have been very pleasant and helpful. On the other hand, I got stopped and interrogated at the border again yesterday. They keep letting me go after a few questions, so I suppose I shouldn't complain. They try to trip you up by misstating information you've previously shared and trying to get you to assent. Hey, I wasn't born yesterday, but, according to the Bell Curve, most criminals fall below the mean (in intelligence).
I suppose I might take in a flick in Buffalo in addition to writing and reading. Either that Giants movie or the one about Iwo Jima. I have 11 hours. If I'm really lucky I'll find a place to post this on my blog. I'm blowing my transportation budget. I spent about ("about" in Canada) $400 on cabs and a rental car-yikes! Hotels are also running on the expensive side. The good news is that most of that is over. Maybe two more hotel nights and three more taxis the rest of the whole trip.
# posted by Paul @ 8:35 AM 
