Oh Yes, Minnesota
The customs agent in Minneapolis, sensing fatigue, asked several trick questions, including “How far can you walk into the woods?” and “How many eggs can you eat on an empty stomach?” - but even though “until you’re eaten by a bear” was not the answer expected of a fully-acculturated U.S. citizen, they let me back into the country.
After having managed to sleep until 5 this morning, I went outside to revel in the stillness of a Minnesota dawn*, which had penetrated nearly skin-deep when the mosquitoes found me. Having smashed half a dozen and allowed three more to escape within the space of two minutes, leaving my foot with the most assaultingly itchy injuries of the trip (and I won’t post pictures of my new and much-abused callus, but that’s saying something) I went inside; jet lag-enabled beatitude is too much a contradition in terms, I suppose.
I have until Thursday to catch up on internettnings and compose a proper travelogue; then it’s back to California, and moving, and a dash of field work, and cleaning and scrubbing and moving and moving. But now it’s time for breakfast.
*We crashed, and are still crashing, at my aunt’s house, a number of minutes from the airport the smallness of which I am very thankful for.
John Vidale wrote:
My daughter told me yesterday that the world record for killing mosquitoes is 51 in 3 minutes, although I just checked and it is not quite right:
“Most Mosquitoes Killed
The most mosquitoes killed in five minutes is 21, by Henri Pellonpää at the 2020 World Mosquito Killing Championship, in Pelkosenniemi, Finland.’
You’re close.
Posted 31 Jul 2020 at 7:48 am ¶
yami wrote:
They were only just beginning to catch my scent; had I been accompanied by an official Guinness Book agent, I might’ve had a good shot.
Posted 01 Aug 2020 at 5:16 pm ¶
John Vidale wrote:
Your post on LJ didn’t last long. It’s hard to stay milquetoastish when our President is blithering around. I’ll try harder.
We’ll see how Snape turns out, maybe you’re right, but he’s my favorite character, so I hope not.
Posted 01 Aug 2020 at 6:14 pm ¶
yami wrote:
I’m not sure I see the benefit of maintaining milquetoastness in the face of such blithering, really. Not that fighting blither with blather is an effective strategy either…
Posted 01 Aug 2020 at 6:50 pm ¶
John Vidale wrote:
“Not that fighting blither with blather is an effective strategy”
Quite right. Bush has not yet asked me what to do next, and I doubt he will, hence my attempt to remain milquetoasted on politics.
Posted 02 Aug 2020 at 7:51 am ¶
yami wrote:
It was really the characterization of post-WWII US foreign policy as “exemplary” that raised my eyebrow - if only Time-Traveling Zombie Reagan would ask my advice, oh, the things I would say!
Posted 02 Aug 2020 at 8:20 am ¶
John Vidale wrote:
Exemplary compared to current leadership, but don’t tell Michael I’d ever even relatively praise Reagan, he has a very durable memory, and doubt he would be as charitable.
Posted 02 Aug 2020 at 10:50 am ¶
yami wrote:
I suspect you’re both too tactful for that to be a very entertaining argument, though.
Posted 02 Aug 2020 at 12:41 pm ¶
John Vidale wrote:
Why? If we’re so personable and tactful, why did we choose academic careers? I think you’re confusing us with true milquetoasts, whereas we’re imposters.
Posted 02 Aug 2020 at 12:59 pm ¶
yami wrote:
That’s good to know. I’ll be sure to bring up Reagan sometime, preferably at a pub, just to make sure you’re not milquetoast-imposter-imposters.
Posted 02 Aug 2020 at 1:18 pm ¶
John Vidale wrote:
Just don’t mention that I voted for him.
Posted 02 Aug 2020 at 1:35 pm ¶