Summer's End

It's almost Labor Day weekend, and I swear I don't know where this summer went. Between that week with the National Concert, Napa, and then Florida and international travel and now, I really don't remember where the last three months have gone. We have a beautiful new nephew, went down to South Padre and visited Jamaica, again. I went to Montana. We had a 4th of July in Onancock. Beth visited. Steve brought home lots of Port. A friend, Elizabeth, is moving away. I watched House of Cards and read several books. We celebrated our neighbors' 30th birthdays. And we saw fireworks, twice.

Summer kind of began with the block party and ends with the triathalon/start of the football season, I think. Or maybe the H Street Festival, at least officially. And now it will be Fall. Cooler weather, pumpkin, football Sundays, fantasy football drafts, and other things to look forward to.

But it means longer nights. And other less fun things, too.

Beautiful Michigan

I thought this was a neat list of some of the most beautiful wonders of Michigan. I've been to all of them. How gorgeous is this? I miss my home state...

Let 'Em Rot Says Obama

As Obama continues to try to pass himself off as the 21st Century reincarnation of Martin Luther King Jr., he and his Administration disavow doing anything to stand up for Detoit: 

Team Obama is not a deeply sentimental group, nor is it inclined to make big, dramatic gestures without a clear political upside. That’s why the West Wing has thus far brushed off suggestions Obama make a symbolic trip to the predominantly black, bankrupt city of Detroit — because “there’s not a goddam we can do right now to help them,” according to one Obama hand.

Who can blame them? That city will vote Democratic no matter what. 

Readings Lately

After a few weeks full of plane travel, I was able to finish a couple of great books, very different ones. I finished off Sisterland, which was a ridiculous beach read with the "twist" ending about the earthquake happening (or not...). I've read a couple of other Curtis Sittenfeld books, so I knew her tone and that she was a good storyteller. I think I'm doing good with my New Year's resolution on reading more fiction.

I absolutely devoured Why Nations Fail. The authors may dumb down their theory on inclusive/extractive states, but the logic of institutions mattering more than democracy or culture or geography is a compelling thesis. It reminded me that I needed to go back to my book on the Fate of Africa, particularly after the authors detail failures in Egypt, Sierra Leone, South Africa, the Congo, and other states in Africa. And I want to learn more about the successes in Botswana. I would certainly recommend this very readable account, and I want to see out some of the more academic writings of the authors, as well.

Montana via Texas

It was a whirlwind week, to go to Texas then Montana. To see family and then to work. To head to South Padre then the mountains. To go from extreme heat to warmth and low humidity. To go from non-stop eating of shrimp and fried zucchini to rushing around a crowd of 320+ to eat hotel food. To see places like the stunning Hyalite Reservoir in the Gallatin National Forest. I wish we could have gone to Yellowstone, but perhaps there will be another opportunity. You really felt like you were in another world out there, so far from the East Coast's concrete jungle. We also saw what there was of a downtown Bozeman scene with a visit to Montana Ale Works and an absolutely mouth-watering bison burger. Yum.

That's all the travel for now, after a month starting in Detroit to Jamaica. I'm looking forward to some at-home time.

Coleman

Great piece by Steve Malanga in the WSJ that I missed.

The truth is that Detroit was a failed city long before it became insolvent, thanks to a virtual collapse of its municipal government during Young's 1974-1994 reign as mayor. A radical trade unionist who ran as an antiestablishment candidate reaching out to disenfranchised black voters, Young lacked a plan except to go to war with the city's major institutions and demand that the federal government save it with subsidies. Critics called it "tin-cup urbanism."..

Young benefited politically from his very ineffectiveness. As the economists Edward Glaeser and Andrei Shleifer write in their study of urban ethnic politics, "The Curley Effect" (named after Boston's early 20th-century mayor James Michael Curley), as whites fled Detroit, Young's margin of electoral victory grew because his electoral base of poor blacks became a larger share of the city's population.

Flashbacks

So in a 24 hour time period, two reminders of high school reared their heads. Good and bad. I'm having lunch on Wednesday with someone I literally have not seen for 20 years. And yesterday, someone else I have not seen for 20 years passed away in a tragic, freak accident. She leaves behind three siblings, a husband, and two very young children.

Ironic, huh?

I can't stop thinking about this, and the pictures online are so haunting to me. She was always beautiful, even more so now. I was always intimidated by those beautiful popular girls with gorgeous smiles that seem to attract all sorts of attention. And I never friended her online because I doubted she would remember me. But that is already a regret.

Life just happens sometimes. And who we are and where we come from...it is always a part of us. We never know what tomorrow will bring, and we will never know how many lives we touched and how many souls will remember. Our pasts can be so haunting, and so mysterious, and so unforgettable. And it's miraculous how two distinct individuals whom I have not seen in two decades both touch me in a weekend.

I have many regrets and unhappy teenage memories. But I think that small bond is always there with that group of girls from my first high school. God bless them, all.

Jamaica

From my review:

Whitehouse was our fourth stay at Sandals. Overall, we enjoyed our stay, though as returning guests we noticed a few minor issues. What we liked: We enjoyed the great service, and would single out Keon at the Casa Blanca Bar (and his colleagues, including Fletcher) and Kevin at the Dutch bar as favorite bartenders. We had a great view on the fourth floor in the Dutch complex. The views of the water were amazing. We really enjoyed having the flexibility to dine anywhere without reservations. It made ours days less-structured, and we could enjoy a drink before dinner without rushing to an earlier than desired reservation. The food was good, though the restaurants weren’t quite A-plus quality. Favorite foods included grilled tuna and calamari at Neptunes, the ice cream at Café Paris, chicken and pork from the jerk pit, fresh fruit like mango every morning, and the filet at Eleanor’s. We found Giuseppe’s fairly ordinary; the lobster ravioli was bland and over-cooked. The beach was fabulous, and perfect if you enjoy kayaking or swimming or a run along the mile-plus stretch of water. We had a good snorkeling trip, where you could see quite a few fish along a reef not too far from the beach.

We were celebrating our anniversary at Sandals (where we also honeymooned), and we were taken aback that it wasn’t acknowledged despite our mentioning it when we made reservations and when we checked in. The following day (after I mentioned it to the concierge), we received a card and a piece of cake in our room late in the evening. It was a bit of a letdown, particularly since we saw other guests’ anniversaries acknowledged on the actual day of their anniversary. We also were a bit disappointed in the Piano Bar; performances started at different times each night, and it would have been helpful to have books to sing along. No one seemed to know the lyrics, including the pianist.  However, we still enjoyed ourselves.

Overall, I’d recommend this resort if you really enjoying swimming and other water activities; it’s by far the best reach we’ve been to. The lack of a reservation system also offers great flexibility. The grounds are meticulously maintained. The ride is long and bumpy (1:45 going there; 90 minutes coming back); be prepared by either booking sedan service and/or taking some Dramamine.  

From my two cents...great vacation. Too short, but after six days (two traveling ones), it was time to come back. I feel a little refreshed and ready to tackle things here. And first class coming home wasn't so bad, either. 

Belated Binge Watch

Six months late, I just binge watched my way through Season 1 of House of Cards. While it is somewhat Sopranos meets the West Wing, it is also an addictive, over-the-top faux version of a DC soap opera. I think they taped in Baltimore, and it showed. There was a lots of unrealistic DC-type things, but the story definitely resonates. The receptions, the drinking, the elevation of some non-profit causes (drinking water) to pivotal. Like the West Wing, the show is a glossier version of Washington, and it's not how I know this city. But it's a version that speaks truth to some of the worst parts of DC.

Kevin Spacey and Robin White are marvelous, and the dialogue is quite zippy at times. I'm thinking season 2 will be one reason to hold onto my Netflix subscription.

Reunion

Tonight is my roommate reunion.

It's been a decade or so. Which is an astonishing length of time for me, since I lived with these women for four years and in that house for seven. And it's been eight since I left, five since I've been married. I've lived with the husband for much longer.

I can close my eyes and sort of remember being 22. It really is remarkable at how quickly you forget those days. DC is a challenging city for anyone. You are young, far from "home," you have to create friendships and live on $22,000 a year. You start from scratch when other friends from college are far away and immersed in serious relationships. You can't go home to your mom and dad on weekends. You move in with strangers, living intimately with them day to day, they see you at your best and at your worst. And you create these group house friendships that last for a little or maybe even a long while.

I have mixed emotions. Awkwardness. Discomfort, maybe. I don't know. I feel like I need a drink to take the edge off, and that reflects how I have changed since 22. It's been nearly 15 years to the day since I started my first job, and wow, oh how the years go by.

Maybe you are more authentically yourself at 22 than 37. Now there's a temptation to be at your best, dress your best, impress someones who don't need or care about that. But at 22, maybe this is all the more acute. You can hide in yourself more. You are more transparent at 37. You can't reveal everything, but your job/marriage/parenthood status is glaringly obvious. At 37, it isn't acceptable to be stuck in that rut. And we are coming from very different stages and phases, loves and lucks and tragedies.

So you enter into reunions with an open-mind, grateful for who you are and where you came from. And you know that this is all at face value, and then you turn away once again. Maybe meet up at 52? If we can be so lucky.