Then and Now

Thrilling. For all the travel and international gallivanting that one does, making friends and enjoying people the world 'round, there is scarce a chance to follow up on those friendships and connections in a meaningful face-to-face way. Last night the old boy and I got to see our dear friend Amelie as she passed through Chicago with her rag-tag group of friends on their whirlwind U.S. tour. She just might be the most international friend that I have. We met in Guatemala, where we stayed in the same house and studied at the same school as her and her friend from back home in France. We had the chance to travel with them a couple of weekends and spend lots of quality time together in Antigua, soaking up their Continental je ne sais quoi. After Guatemala, Amelie went to visit her brother in Shanghai for a few weeks, after which she obtained a visa to work in Canada for a year. She has just finished several months in Vancouver, and is travelling with her friends to Montreal, where she plans to stay until next March. And then, who knows?



In our home in Antigua



At Giordano's last night



At a Guatemalan brunch feast



On the Red Line last night



One more from Thanksgiving at the avocado farm in Guatemala because it is such a smiley picture, and I just love her so much


In a completely unrelated note, will the horrors unleashed on us by the current U.S. presidential administration never cease? I'm not sure I want to live in a country that can sanction this kind of torture on poor, defenseless bicycles. Ripped gear from limb, leaving only one sad pedal and one sturdy bike lock behind. Whatever happened to the Geneva Convention, habeas corpus, and the rule of law?



Seriously, doesn't it remind you of those Abu Graib Iraqi prison photos, with the hoods and the dog leashes? I'm not being flippant; there's something stark and horrible about it.



How would you go about reporting this to the police? "Um, my bike has been stolen, I guess. Piece by piece. They left, um, kind of the middle part, just. And a twist of broken chain. And a pedal."


Currently Unable to Stop My Hands from Involuntarily Moving to the Sounds of
The Life Pursuit by Belle and Sebastian