I’m on vacation, and it’s already been very exciting. At the Miami ariport yesterday, I saw actor David Caruso at the baggage claim (hey, youtry getting 10 days’ worth of clothing into a carryon!). I texted my husband back home (this is a mom-daughter-children trip) and he texted back: “Tell him you loved Jade!”. I didn’t do that, because by the time I turned around to get a second look, he had been escorted into a special room and handed his luggage, while the rest of us plebes waited for 30 minutes in the heat and noise.
Anyway, we are going on a cruise and I doubt I will be doing much posting, because the prices for internet access are steep on the ship. My mom is a big cruising fan, and my last Caribbean cruise was in 1994, with her. I was in graduate school, and had a terrifying seminar on Heidegger that semester. I brought Being and Time with me and stayed in my cabin the entire week reading it.
Cruising has changed a lot since then, I am coming to realize. Instead of watching the ocean go by with a drink in your hand, you are supposed to DO things. There’s a climbing wall, a surfing pool, you name it. Of course, this works well for kids. My sons are most excited about the ice skating rink on the ship. Hmmm. You can take the boys out of Maine …
I hope to actually get outside the cabin this time, but in order to maintain the tradition of mixing post-Kantian German philosophy with American indulgence and excess, I downloaded Nietzsche’s Beyond Good and Evil to my Kindle, which I badly need to reread. Maybe I’ll post on it!
I’m reading Adele Ashworth’s Winter Garden and Lisa Valdez’s Patienceat the moment, as well as a collection of essays by Sloane Crosley and, of course, Dracula. I am not sure if I mentioned this, but my proposal for a paper on vampire fiction and bioethics was accepted at the major conference in my field (and by “major conference” I mean, specifically, ”conference that has rejected my proposals in the past”). The best thing about it is that between now and October, everything vampire-related that I read can count as “work”! Finally, I plan to read some Carolyn Jewel and Carry Lofty in preparation for RomCon.
Have a great week!
*G* Everything vampire related is work, huh? Dear Jessica… i write vampires. ;o)
you saw David Caruso? That’s kind of cool. I don’t wanna be a movie star, but man, I’d like to be escorted to a special area and handed my luggage instead of the plebe treatment…
I’ll be curious to hear how much reading you actually get done. I have been away for two full weeks now, and while I finished two books on the plane flights over, I haven’t managed even one short one since then.
Cruises scare me, because I’m subject to seasickness. I never know how enjoyable any sort of boat is going to be for me. Hope you have a marvelous time — lots of activities for the kids is always a good thing on a vacation.
Have a great time! The kids will love it!
I must know – did David Caruso do his sunglasses thing when you saw him? Please say yes.
[...] between now and October, everything vampire-related that I read can count as “work”!
WIN! (I recently finished Southey’s 1801 vampire (long-arse) poem, Thalaba the Destroyer. It was…interesting. In fact, it’s coloured my perspective of (British) Victorian-era vampire literature. Up to then, I believed vampirism in those days generally revolved around sex, xenophobia and such, but Thalaba proves me wrong.)
I have never been on a cruise so excuse me for swimming in a pool of pure envy. Regardless, I look forward to hearing your experiences and hopefully, photos. I hope you and your family will have a fantastic time!
i love Sloane Crosby. ive only read I Was Told There’d Be Cake and it was hilarious. i love her voice. she has a new one right? with a bear on the cover? haha thats all i remember about it
enjoy your vacay!
I couldn’t be more delighted by your Pavlovian association of Caribbean cruising with post-Kantian philosophy. Never underestimate the power of a contrast….