I got out of bed. Whirlwind weeks of montreal, ottawa, toronto... just in time for new lows in federal and municipal politics. I won't get into it here, but it's disheartening. This weekend heading to louisville on friday, nashville on saturday, and then home to new orleans for a dissertation-focused month. Been reading about places to eat and drink and hear music, and hopefully there will be nice weather and walks. Cocktails. Also, 20 odd hours of driving, but i'm trying not to think about it.

Bourbon distilleries and bluegrass in KY? What does one do in Nashville? I remember giant line-dance emporiums, although I know there's more to it than that. I don't know much about Kentucky or Tennessee, I just remember thinking both states were beautiful and I wanted to spend a little more time there. I'm downloading podcasts. Perhaps somewhere around the mason-dixon line, BT and I will rehash our 4 hour epic argument about affirmative action from the last time we drove south, 4 years ago...i can't remember how that ended...uneasy agree-to-disagree most likely. These kinds of arguments are still a dealbreaker for me, as much as I try not to frame it like that. Looking forward to being in the south again where it doesn't get dark at 5pm. I was hoping for some lovely old boutique hotels where we could wander down to the bar and order bourbon, neat. But in the end common sense won out and we're going with airb*nb...mostly i don't mind being somewhat broke, but it would be nice to go on a spendy vacation one day.

My father's 75th birthday weekend was a success. The most touching thing was that my father and and my uncle were so moved and even surprised that their children had organized a weekend to celebrate their birthdays. It's so very hard for them to accept anything when they have been the ones giving all these years. It seems bittersweet... of course my father is happy to have raised children who want to give, and are capable of giving. But I could see how accepting things from his children signals a shift in his life. Not that I give much to my parents at all. It is still very much the opposite. But even these small gestures are so hard for my father to accept. Absolutely worth flying home for. These golden times...I try to just focus on them and not worry about what lies ahead.

2:46 p.m. - 2013-11-06