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I got stalled in my Las vegas update, because I got to reading Metafilter, Salon, and various news sources. I woke this morning with a tight feeling in my stomach, and I read some more: about long term voting trends, the possibility of a one-party authoritarian state, and the number of students who think free speech is a bad idea. And then I followed a link to Umberto Eco's description of the fascist mindset.
And so I got The Fear.
It followed me all day, keeping me from doing anything really productive. It followed me to the gym, even up onto the stairmaster. When we left the gym, I mentioned it to My Lovely Wife, and she got annoyed. She suggested I concentrate on the hear and now of putting obscenities into every sentence I speak.
And so after that we drove up to Solvang and: made sarcastic comments about Danish brick-a-brak; watched a Danish storekeeper get into an insult match with Swedish customers; bought liquorish Mentos (at the only place on the central coast you can get them); had a smorgishboard dinner at the Red Viking with delicately sweet red cabbage; and went home. Where there was gourmet dark chocolate peanut butter cups and an entire bottle of mead, because we ate at the viking restaurant.
The fear has receded, because I'm back to concentrating on MY life, and not other peoples fears for the future. And so I think I'm going to stop reading Metafilter.
And so I got The Fear.
It followed me all day, keeping me from doing anything really productive. It followed me to the gym, even up onto the stairmaster. When we left the gym, I mentioned it to My Lovely Wife, and she got annoyed. She suggested I concentrate on the hear and now of putting obscenities into every sentence I speak.
And so after that we drove up to Solvang and: made sarcastic comments about Danish brick-a-brak; watched a Danish storekeeper get into an insult match with Swedish customers; bought liquorish Mentos (at the only place on the central coast you can get them); had a smorgishboard dinner at the Red Viking with delicately sweet red cabbage; and went home. Where there was gourmet dark chocolate peanut butter cups and an entire bottle of mead, because we ate at the viking restaurant.
The fear has receded, because I'm back to concentrating on MY life, and not other peoples fears for the future. And so I think I'm going to stop reading Metafilter.