Chris Dwan

Tag: travel

  • Early train

    On the early train this morning. 6:20 out of South Attleboro. Damn. The sun isn’t even up yet.

    In most of my days, there’s only one 5:30, and it has nothing to do with morning.

  • Airport

    Sitting at the Milwaukee airport again. The impression I have is still overwhelmingly positive, within the bounds of possibility for an airport. I had thought that the combination of Midwest Express airlines and stopping in Milwaukee would make for a gritty and uncomfortable trip. Both have well exceeded my (admittedly low) expectations.

    Midwest has first place sized seats throughout the entire cabin. There are only four seats in each row, which provides immeasurable comfort. Instead of sitting shoulders hunched and elbows in for several hours, I was able to relax and slump to my full width. I can only imagine how people who are not quite as ordinary sized as I must feel.

    Milwaukee provides all the amenities one might want from an airport. It’s clean, the airport music is turned low, as is the volume on the TVs. Still, it has that unique blandness of a place between. No matter how many kiosks the city council erects telling of the unique features of here-ville, airports will always be depressing and soulless pause spots within cultured life. At best, they are vanilla. Familiar, unthreatening, and the same everywhere.

  • Metaphor

    I’ve decided that most of the great teachers were *not* speaking in metaphor. Take the buddhist admonition that “Attachment is the source of suffering.” This may have some higher level meanings about spirituality, but at the moment it seems pretty accurate when related to the process of moving my household. The more crap I want to pick up and move intact and organized from here to Rhode Island, the more suffering I will experience. If I had nothing, I could leave tomorrow and it would be painless.

    I also don’t think that Jesus had any sneaky meanings with the whole “love one another” thing, or that there are any complex caveats of original intent WRT the bill of rights. Sometimes things really are that simple.

    Can’t move until tomorrow, because it’s time to go to a birthday party for a friend. German restaurant with strolling accordion players. Last year I consumed the “meter of sausage.” I have the certificate to prove it. Since then, I’ve become vegetarian. I hope the salads are tasty.

    After that, off to Boston to try to find a job. Anybody want to hire me? I program computers, climb rocks, brew beer, and I try to be a nice guy to boot. Better yet, anyone want to take me on as a PhD student? I’ll be the best student *ever*. I promise. Meet me at the BioClusters workshop at Bio IT World on Tuesday.