November 2004
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Thanksgiving in Fargo
in HometownI’m back in the mellow haze of Thanksgiving, that good tryptophan groove that starts after the dinner and then just gets better after the late evening round of turkey-stuffing-potatoes-gravy. This food-induced trip is part of an actually trip back to Fargo, where I’m spending a couple of days with mom, dad, and my oldest brother’s…
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Segways on Heartbreak Hill
in BikingYesterday morning as I was riding up Commonwealth Avenue by Boston College, on the backside of Heartbreak Hill on the Boston Marathon route, I saw to young men gliding down the sidewalk on Segway Human Transporters at about 10 mph. It was suprising, to say that least, and I had no idea who these people…
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Commitment Rituals
Yesterday when I made public my profession of love for Boston, several folks responded with some insightful reflections on the nature of commitment to place. I should add that it took me six years to finally say "I love you", which indicates the commitment issues I’ve been having. It’s also a bit frustrating that I…
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Breakfast with Fred
in DissertationBiking to Royal Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge: 750 caloriesOverpriced hotel orange juice: $4Overpriced breakfast sandwich $9Conversation with Fred: pricelessAfter three and half hours of conversation about blogging, place, education, and life, we were just getting warmed up, and by the end of the moring I felt a genuine intellectual kinship with this person that I…
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Bright Leaves through a Window
Last night I biked down to Copley Square to be near the Kerry festivities. At around 2:00 a.m. I rode home slowly up Comm. Ave through a light drizzle, feeling profoundly disoriented, not quite sure what country I had ended up in by night’s end.This morning I considered posting an all black entry with no…
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Boston Skyline in Fall
This morning I was a week ahead for my meeting with Fred at his hotel by MIT. Apparently I got it in my mind that it was this Monday rather than next Monday that we were going to get breakfast, so my mistake gave me a convenient excuse to bike along the Charles on a…