Implementing Change: Day 2
This afternoon I ran from school to the water, because it was beautiful out and I needed some sunshine and oxygen and salt water. I went to Fort Pointe on the bus and hiked around for a while and took
. Something in the air, perhaps plant by-products, caused my upper respiratory system to react most unpleasantly, so I abandoned that plan and walked back down to the marina.
At this point, I decided that the only thing that could make me happy was a boat ride, so I looked for friendly-looking people with boats around the docks. I happened upon some upstanding young men and struck up a conversation. When they were convinced that I wasn't a serial killer or giving out religious pamphlets, they let me onto their sloop, the Elizabeth, and we chatted while putzing around the Bay. They all had "urban mohawks" (a regular haircut, but combed and pomaded upward), geeky-sweet glasses, and checkered Vans. They told me all about belonging to the Jewish Sailing Association of California (??) and were trying to teach me how to do some special knot thing, but my mind was elsewhere. My thoughts vacillated between the gorgeous cobalt sky and the paper I'm writing* for much of the ride. I was Garcin with his hands over his ears, still unwilling to confess his reason for being sent to hell. Despite the fact that I was not the most gracious guest, one of my hosts, Misha, gave me a braided rope bracelet. I suppose this bears some significance in the sailing world, but I'm not really sure. They were nice enough, but it was irritating to hear them drone on about this and that local band and about how their life quest is to find pretty Jewish girls with large inheritances who enjoy sailing. Bosh.
*My paper is an independent-ish project for socio/anthro... I'm writing about the placement and usage of subordinate clauses in various European languages: in English, we say They left without asking me, whereas in most other languages they use the infinitive, They left without to ask me. Like for example French (sans me demander) or German (ohne mich zu fragen). Other languages use They left without that me they asked, like Greek (xoris na me rotisune). Somebody shoot me, because this is the least interesting topic in the whole wide sociolinguistic world.