They took my Revel Berry away

Tuesday, sitting in for Monday who took the day off, is a kinder but more frantic start-of-the-work-week taskmaster. Kinder, because ––let's face it–– we've already made it through one fifth of the work week, but more frantic because of all the things that piled up waiting our late return and the time-on-task lost in allowing Monday to take the day off.  Speaking of things piled up, this is a bit of a catch-up post.

We spent the weekend at my sister/brother-in-law's (that is, sister of my wife and her husband, the husband being the that of my wife's sister, not my wife –– there has to be an easier way to say that!) home and vineyard in Northeastern Oregon.  Good company and conversation, great home cooking/baking, and a tranquil setting made for a refreshingly relaxed weekend away.  Just being someplace where my list of household projects was out of reach to me made it much easier to pick up a book without feeling guilty.  It was great to seem them both.

We flew over and back.  Normally, we would drive, but the weather forecasts (at the time we had to make the fly-no-fly decision) were showing too much chance of snow on the passes and in Eastern WA.  I wasn't concerned about making it through snow, properly equipped, but the prospect of road conditions possibly turning a five hour drive into something much longer and slower didn't sound like much fun.  Plus it's a short and beautiful flight at lower altitude in a dual turbo-prop plane, which is more enjoyable in itself.  

Can't say the same for the airport and the security arrangements our current fear-state has brought us to.  The TSA folks were pleasant and all, but the process is totally dehumanizing as we all meekly shuffle along doing exactly what we're told and knowing that here, in this "security check point" zone, we have been stripped of pretty much all rights we normally possess as citizens. The what-you-can-bring-with-you guidelines are also pretty silly, and not altogether clear.  You can bring food, but otherwise liquids and gels are limited to 3.2 oz., packaged in a ziplock bag, to be scanned separately. However, a sealed can of yerba mate (like a can of iced tea) was deemed a threat to national security and confiscated.  It's food, it's clearly an unopened can, and it's not even carbonated. But it's also a liquid and, in this absolute fear state there can be no discretion or common sense.  All things must be declared solid black or solid white, thus my can of mate was declared solidly in the OMG-call-a-guard-and-search-this-bag-for-whatever-other-dangerous-items-it-must-contain category.  In the end a can of Guayaki Revel Berry Yerba Mate was either trashed (or enjoyed by a TSA agent sometime later), justice was  purportedly served, and I was allowed to rejoin the ranks of the submissively passed-inspection crowd.

Coming back to this Tuesday-cum-Monday, a halfish-looking moon was sitting midway up the arch of the overcast dome above me when I woke, looking improbably 3-D. Like a poorly done perspective drawing, the visible curve of the moon seemed to push out more sideways than directly on, creating a bit of an optical illusion.  I watched a bank of slow-moving clouds slowly envelope the moon, while I was waiting at a stoplight later in my drive in.  Even with the knowledge that it was the clouds that were moving, the effect was of the moon sliding sadly beneath a roiling sea.

This morning's playlist was another nice mix, though probably not a mix a commercial radio station of any given format would likely string together. It wound down with the track Spiritual from the excellent collaboration between Charlie Haden and Pat Metheny, Beyond the Missouri Sky. This is a one-of-a-kind albums that is evocative and spare, yet simultaneously rich and full. This particular track was composed by Charlie's son Josh, and is one of my favorites from the album.

 - Robert Walter: Snakes and Spiders

 - Big Head Todd & The Mosters: All the Love You Need

 - Bruce Cockburn: Child of the Wind (Live)

 - Charlie Haden & Pat Metheny: Spiritual