Areas of Unrest

24 September 2000 - Strange Laws

QOTD: "I want him to know the subtle, sneaky, important reason why he was born a human being and not a chair." - Herb Gardner

Reading: Sarah Caudwell, The Sibyl In Her Grave

Listening to: nothing, since I am half-watching Olympic diving

The best news story I heard this week was a tidbit from France. It seems that the town of Le Lavandou on the French Riviera has run out of space in their cemetary. So the mayor has issued a decree forbidding people from dying, unless they already own a family vault in the cemetary. What none of the reports bothered to mention was what the penalty is for violating this law.

This got me thinking about a few laws I'd pass if I ruled the universe. Right now, several of them have to do with sports. For example, I'd prohibit the Red Sox from breaking my heart the way they have lately. And, cruel as it may be, I'd prohibit people with touching human interest stories (struggles against injury and illness, parents sacrificing everything for their participation in their sport, etc.) from participating in the Olympics so that the newscasters would have time to show us some of the events in which Americans have no chance. I'd also rearrange time zones so that everything I want to see can be seen live at my convenience.

Then I'd limit rain to, say, 1 to 4 a.m. so I'd never have to go out in it. Hey, it worked for Camelot!

It occurs to me that if this are the biggest things I can find to pass laws about, my life is in pretty good shape.

My real news is far more prosaic, full of tedious errand running. I had a spectacularly unproductive trip to Boulder this week, with meetings being postponed right and left. It did give me the opportunity to have a couple of wonderful dinners - Korean noodles with tofu at the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse and a seafood cauldron (followed by a very decadent black-bottom coconut cream tart) at Rhumba. The real motivation for the latter was a signing at High Crimes Books. Mary Joan and I had to explain to Milo that the idea was to get there just after the author finished talking, since we really just wanted to shop. I demonstrated remarkable restraint and only bought four books. Mary Joan had brought along a list and had a most impressive stack to be shipped home. I think even Milo spent more than I did.

Special Offer:

Ever wonder about the music I say I'm listening to? Can't hear Snakefarm or Old Blind Dogs or Pierre Bensusan on your local radio station? Well, here's your chance. In the spirit of musical evangelism I've made a mix tape of music I referred to in my margin notes over the past year. I also happen to have another mix tape handy, mostly of World Beat stuff, that I'd made for another purpose. All you have to do is send me email with your address, telling me if you want the AOU41 tape or the Worlds of Unrest tape (or both) before the end of October 2000. (The links are to playlists.) Nothing is required in return, beyond your willingness to listen. If I decide this was a successful experiment, I'll make it an annual event.