Time to engage in a little navel gazing. Random thoughts, they are what prompted me to start this blog. I wanted to have an outlet for the thoughts that pop into my head like bubbles daring me not to burst them. Before they disintegrate into thin air, I attempt to capture them here.
These thoughts are not deep nor meant to be any more important than soap and water creations. But perhaps they will spark thoughts of your own and your thoughts, shared, might spark another thought and who knows where it will end.
Earlier in the day I found an entry I’d made on the notes ap of my iPhone – 180 degrees, 15 minutes. As proof I’ve spent too much time in the air, my first thought was that it indicated a point in space. I left the note hoping I’d remember its meaning. Then this morning, lying in bed unable to sleep it came to me clearly. I’d watched a cooking show on the airplane – it was a “lifestyle” option on list of TV shows available. An English girl, in Paris, turned her tiny, tiny apartment into a restaurant nightly and prepared meals for two using her own take on classic French dishes. She didn’t even have a proper stove, she used a dual propane burner like people use in camping. Despite her limitations she had a following and, obviously, a TV show. 180 degrees, 15 minutes was the temperature and time eggs needed to cook nestled in crust-less, buttered brioche stuffed into large muffin tins, topped with grated cheese – her take on Croque Madame or perhaps Monsieur.
Not sleeping due to jet lag does have its up side. Not only do you remember otherwise forgotten recipes, there are interesting shows on the radio at 3am. I listened to one from the BBC. In the morning I searched through the BBC website but I couldn’t find the show.
It was an interview/discussion format, with a live audience, about the meaning and implications of globalization. As the speakers pointed out, the word “globalization” is being tossed out a lot these days but do we know what it means? Does it mean the end of borders and the free flow of goods or is it a marketing tool for multi-national corporations to gain dominance over local businesses? Much smarter people than I debated this point and if I could only remember some of their arguments, I could sound very wise. Unfortunately I was in a jet lagged haze so I can’t recall any specifics.
I do recall one of the panelist brought up semantics and somehow moved the discussion around to the issue of identity vs. identification. When people are asked where they’re from how do they respond? Do they say I’m an American or I’m a New Yorker? Would you, he asked the audience, identify yourself by your city, your state, your country or your continent? Do any of those become your identification? I guess it was the point that borders won’t disappear as long as people get a sense of identity based on geography. I’m a sucker for semantics. I should have been an English major!
To jump again to another topic entirely, I read about a new book, by Rebecca Solnit, called “The Faraway Nearby” – I never would have purchased the book based on the title but the paragraph below the title guaranteed I would own it. It said the book “offers a set of interior investigations, focusing on the importance of stories in making meaning and the necessity of narrative and empathy…the author interweaves personal material (about her mother’s memory loss, among other subjects)….” . Personal stories? Mother’s memory loss? I couldn’t wait to read her take on what I’m living with. The amazing thing is, I didn’t have to wait, not really. I went onto Amazon.com and within seconds the book magically appeared on my Kindle. Just like that, out of the ether, a book is there for me to start reading. If we can’t find that something to marvel over then we’ve become far to complacent with technology!
I’ve got to run. I have a book to read. I’ll be back to you tomorrow. Go out and be amazed!
Random Thoughts of an Empty Nester 