Where I Live: I was getting off the metro at Vienna last Friday night when a guy with an Italian accent asked me "is this the end of the line?" When I said, "yes," he asked, "is there any nightlife here?" I'm sure he did not understand why I thought the notion of nightlife in Vienna was so funny. (We do have the wonderful Jammin' Java, but this is basically quiet suburbia.)
Travel Notes: I had a quick business trip to Los Angeles, flying out Thursday morning, having two meetings on Thursday afternoon (one of which I set up as a target of opportunity) and flying back yesterday. I took advantage of that to go to Community Storytellers on Thursday night. The group is a lot smaller than it used to be, but it was still nice to see the people who were there. I was particularly pleased that Kane was there as it's been years since I've seen him.
I should note that I see more movies on airplanes than anywhere else. Going to L.A., the movie was "Julie and Julia," which I really enjoyed. Coming back, I tried to watch "Cold Souls," but I was too tired and drifted off, so I don't know if Paul Giamatti ever got his soul back from the Russian smuggling ring.
I'll also mention my fondness for the SkyMall catalog, which allows me to entertain myself by mocking our consumer culture. Does anybody ever actually buy, say, spring loaded walking shoes? or a Lord of the Rings chess set? More to the point, does anybody actually pick up the overpriced airphone and buy such stuff from the confines of a 757?
Should anybody want to buy me something ridiculous, by the way, I wouldn't mind owning (but wouldn't spend my own money on) the irrational numbers wall clock. No, come to think of it, the joke would pall after about pi minutes.
