Magic

As you may have gathered, I believe it's important to stay informed. My ability to do so often takes a wallop when away from home and sans internet access, and so it did this week, when a business trip put me at the mercy of USA Today and the cable news networks. Factor in the RNC Convention and it was a double-whammy. I kept searching for news; I flipped channels, sought out other newspapers. I caught about thirty seconds about a North Korean reactor before CNN returned to convention coverage (scratch that, punditry).

I couldn't watch much of the convention, I have my blood pressure to think about. What I did see made me very nervous. Nervous that Karl Rove would do his magic.

As that concern crossed my mind, I thought, "wait a minute... did I just use that expression? Ah, yes-- I was concerned that in my absence, Gracie would 'do her magic' on the carpet." And then I thought, it's the same kind of magic, really, except that a shat-on carpet is easy to clean up, but we cannot let Karl Rove keep shitting on the country.
***

I liked Kansas City, beyond the usual niceties you find in much of the Midwest (very friendly people, very reasonable prices on everything from farm goods to gas to houses). Even the sushi was good.

I liked Midwest Airlines, too, and not just for the cookies (and I love the cookies) and comfortable, roomy seats. There's also just less yapping, i.e. just enough yapping to convey necessary information. No videos, no self-promotion (after all, cookies and comfortable seats speak for themselves), just logistical and safety information, and the peace and quiet to read, nap and do puzzles.

Speaking of puzzles, I was a bit disappointed with Tuesday's Express (i.e. syndicated) crossword. The theme was words and phrases that contain the word "zoo" (such as 'Kalamazoo'), yet no mention of "Zoolander." That's just not right.

And speaking of "Zoolander" and other must-sees, has anybody still not seen "Idiocracy"? If so, what are you waiting for???

***
As I arrived at the hotel and unpacked, I thought, 'how nice to have this room all to myself.' My last hotel stays-- all twenty of them-- had been categorized by sharing a room with Mom... which entailed having to step over her stuff, which quickly found its way all over the floor, at every turn; being woken up whenever she felt like saying or asking something; and so on. That night, I had a dream (nightmare?) that mom had found her way into the hotel room and was making a mess. In the dream, I woke up and confronted her. I said, "everything was so neat!" But then I tried to go back to sleep but she wouldn't let me. Then I woke up for real and realized that everything was okay.

***
The cookies on the way back were even better than the ones on the way over. I think they must be laced with heroin, because I have half a mind to book another trip just to have more of them.

When I got home, I found that Gracie had indeed done her magic on the carpet. I gave her a quick shower. Then I watched the week's worth of Daily Shows, which helped ease my mind-- the other prolific crapper in question is still doing his magic, but fewer people are buying into it.