Rebel Prince

If you share my love for all things retro-travel, check out Airchive, an online museum of commercial aviation, including collections of route maps, print ads, and other assorted airline paraphernalia. Note: the site is graphics intensive, which was fine when I visited it earlier at work, but it’s noticeably slow in loading on my dial-up connection here at home. (Link via kottke.org.)

Yeah, I’m a real wingnut. More of an airline–rather than pure aviation–junkie, I suppose. Like, I won’t even pretend to know how these planes work, but I could describe, for example, the seating configurations of most commercial airliners. I have a little plastic model of a Boeing 747 in KLM livery, which I bought at a shop in the main Dulles terminal a couple of years ago. I keep it on the windowsill in my office, and sometimes in lazy moments I pick it up and play with it, sotto voce announcements and all. “Flight attendants, please be seated for arrival…”

Recent purchases: Rimbaud by Graham Robb, and An Obedient Father by Akhil Sharma (the latter I bought on the recommendation of David Sedaris earlier this year), both discounted hardbacks at Olssons; and Down with Love on DVD, directed by Peyton Reed, which Thom and I watched last night–my third (or fourth?) viewing. Still fabulous.

Some interesting things coming to PBS: tonight’s Frontline (“Truth, War, and Consequences”) covers the power struggle leading to the Iraq war. The Elegant Universe, a NOVA presentation based on the book by Brian Greene, airs Tues., Oct. 28 and Nov. 4. On Great Performances, two specials of note: a broadcast of the inaugural concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall in L.A. (Wed., Oct. 29), and the Royal National Theatre‘s production of Oklahoma!, with Hugh Jackman as Curly (Sat., Nov. 22). Speaking of Mr. Jackman, the cast recording of The Boy from Oz, in which he currently stars on Broadway, is due Nov. 18.

Finally, as part of the Masterpiece Theatre season, a new version of Doctor Zhivago airs Sun., Nov. 2 and 9, starring Keira Knightley and Hans Matheson. They’re no Julie Christie and Omar Sharif, but I’ll be watching anyway.

My otherwise unsinkable California pride sunk a little bit last night. Arnold Schwarzenegger is the next governor, yikes. I’ll have to take some comfort in the fact that most of my Bay Area compatriots voted the right way. (Go San Mateo County!)

I stayed up last night watching the news coverage as the poll returns were being reported. (I definitely had flashbacks to election day 2000, when I fell asleep in front of the TV and woke up in the wee hours to find we still didn’t have a new president.) Maybe it’s just me, but I hate that the news channels “project” the winner in elections. What is this, a contest to see which network can correctly guess the winner the earliest? Should I be thanking CNN–which I hardly watch anyway; I’ll get to why in a moment–for “projecting” the winner for me? As early as a few minutes after the polls closed, CNN already had a red checkmark next to “yes” on the recall, and “winner” next to Schwarzenegger’s name. Is that even a responsibility of the news, while the votes are still being counted and reported?

I mean, please, just show me the vote tally and number of precincts reporting, and I can make sense of it myself. Which is why I paid more attention to the state website than the TV coverage. And while I’m railing on twenty-four-hour news channels, let me say that most of it is just unwatchable. To fill all that airtime, they just stretch out what little information they have and then repeat it ad nauseum. Wolf Blitzer was talking with former governor (and now Oakland mayor) Jerry Brown, but cut away mid-interview to a reporter at Schwarzenegger headquarters whose only breaking news was that Jay Leno was scheduled to introduce him. Thanks, I really had to know that just then.

Anyway, for the sake of the people of California, I’ll wish Governor Schwarzenegger–I had to shudder there for a moment–some luck getting the state in order, since he’ll need it. I’ll stop here before I give myself a headache.

The polls in California’s special election close in less than forty-five minutes. Will Gray Davis be voted off the island? evicted from the Big Governor House? or will the electorate give him a rose and ask him to stay? or a similar reality-show metaphor of your choosing? Tune in beginning at 8 p.m. Pacific to find out. (Returns also available in fun county map format.)

I’m back from Boston! Well, there are a few things to report, but also some tasks for me to catch up on, like reading, TiVo, and oh yes, ever elusive sleep. And I’m still a bit under the weather from last week. [cue plaintive coughing] So the trip report may have to wait a bit, as I regain my senses.

Anyway, quick TV note: don’t forget, Rufus is one of Letterman’s guests on tonight’s Late Show.

My trip to Boston will finally take place this weekend, barring any further weather disturbances. (I’m talkin’ to you, Hurricane Isabel.) I fly out of National in the morning. My host for this getaway is Sonal, who makes the valid point that though we’ve each lived in our respective adopted cities for about three years now, she has come to visit Washington a number of times, whereas I haven’t made it to Boston once. Well, here we go.

We have plans to check out some city sights on Friday, and head out to Provincetown on Saturday. But for now, sleep. Mmm.

Visitors to Thom’s elf-reflection have read that his father has been hospitalized in Richmond for the past few weeks. In the very early hours this morning at Thom’s place, we were awoken by the telephone. He returned his sister’s voicemails and received the news that their father has died.

Thom left for Richmond several hours ago to be with his folks, and then they’ll make their way to their hometown, Covington.

Right now I don’t have the words. This morning has been a surreal, sleepy daze. I know this much is true: I love Thom, and I’ll be thinking about him and his family.

My dear reader,

I love writing thank-you notes. The Morning News shows you, in six easy steps, how to write your own:

I’m not going to go all Miss Manners on your ass and get into the social intricacies and delicate situations that surround thank-you note writing, as I was taught that a solid thank-you note will transcend all complicated situations–and I have seen no evidence to the contrary.

There is a six-point formula to the proper thank-you: Learn it, know it, memorize it–and it will never fail you.

Check it out: “How To Write a Thank-You Note.” By the way, if any of you are also enthusiasts of the lost art of letter-writing, and wish to begin a postal correspondance with yours truly, let me know; I’d especially like to send and receive photo and/or art postcards, à la Griffin and Sabine, and I do have some lovely, yet neglected Crane’s stationery as well.

Oh, and yes, thank you for reading.

With fountain pen poised, I remain your humble blogger,
J.