Random Observations

Random observations from the last two weeks...

1. The very staid and proper tour guide at the Chilean National Congress (Congreso Nacional) Building was talking to us about history. Then his cell phone went off: ringtone was Gnarls Barkley, "Crazy." Broke us up.

2. Same building, same tour. Guide tells us that the chairs of Diputados (House members) and Senadores (Senators) always face front. UNLESS the President is speaking, and then the chairs all face the center aisle, so that no one is showing the President his (her) backside. There is a door at the entrance, where the Prez walks in, called something like "The Door of the People," with lots of bas-relief bronze figures and faces of people. Since the Prez walks AWAY from that door, I guess that point is that the Prez is supposed to show the people her (his) backside. I point this out, rather loudly, but the tour guide either didn't speak English or saw fit to pretend not to have heard.

3. Entrevista con nuestro amigo Ernesto Silva.

4. Walking on Av. Don Pablo, near Cafe Melba, we heard a truck with loud music playing. I stopped, to hear what cool Latin music the driver was blaring. It was ... "Evacuate the Dance Floor," by Cascada. I wanted to go take a shower.

5. On the flight, on the way back from Santiago to Atlanta, we each got our own row of three seats to stretch out in. Yay! We were a bit giddy. So when the announcement comes on about how the TSA is concerned about our safety, and that means that under no circumstances can the people from coach go up and use the 1st class potties, and 1st class can't use our coach potties, the EYM unexpectedly pipes up, "Thank goodness the TSA is protecting us from bano class fraternization!" Loudly. I was so proud. When, 30 seconds later, the same interminable announcement had still not termined, the person got to, "And under no circumstances can anyone pass through the curtains." So, I shouted (I was giddy; three seats!), "I have no corporeal form! I can pass through curtains, because I have evolved into pure energy! If you strike me down now, I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine." Several passengers cheered, but they mostly had their own rows, also, and so were giddy. The act played to mixed reviews among the crew, I'm sure.

6. Here at the Liberty Fund conference in Vermont, KPC friend R. Lawson pointed out a correction. I had said that I looked like an idiot, because of the trench coat in the Atlanta airport. He noted that in fact I looked like an idiot already, just one who happened also to have a trench coat. The trench coat was kind of gilding the lilly, he thought. Hey, Bob: Bite me.