I just finished Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass, the first book in the His Dark Materials trilogy, as recommended by Rebecca and Alisa, and I loved it. It’s a solid fantasy story that provides the character depth and internal workings of Ender’s Game, with a distinct and engaging world full of creatures, political intrigue, magic, science, and adventure. Even though this book is often shelved in the young adult or children’s sections, it sits in the general fiction section with equal aplomb. I recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone looking for a good read. Plus, each book has been reissued in a Knopf trade paperback edition, each with a gorgeous cover design featuring the work of Ericka Meltzer O'Rourke and lettering by Lilly Lee. With their comfortable size and inviting typesetting, there’s no reason not to pick these up.

Thank you for losing my luggage tonight. Having an arrival time after 10 PM makes luggage loss so much easier, so your timing was great. I guess by checking in early I gave you lots of time to screw up, which worked out well for you. You’ve now misplaced both my luggage and my wife’s in a three week span, in two totally different instances with completely different destinations. This has also strengthened my belief that the Philadelphia International Airport’s slogan should be: “If It Was Legal to Urinate On You, We Probably Would”.

Idiots.

Sincerely,
Chris Rugen

The annual springtime daylight savings time (DST) adjustment kills me. It’s one of those things that shouldn’t make such a big difference in my day, as it’s merely one hour, but that’s the thing. It’s juuuust enough to screw with my head and put me off at senstive intervals and the effect compounds itself (particularly since I have to get up around 5 AM more than once a week).

For me, DST is worse than travelling to another country with a dramatically different time zone. The travel difference is usually great enough that I can make a dramatic change to my rhythm by staying up and just re-orienting. Plus, for me it’s often associated with vacation, rather than day-to-day, so there’s some wiggle room in my schedule. DST, on the other hand, is like waking up one morning to find that all of your furniture’s been moved over one foot. Instead of thinking “OK, it’s all different now, I need to reorient completely,” your mind is lulled by the lack of contrast from the expected and you end up banging your shins and stubbing your toes until you can’t walk. Your point of reference is just different enough at those corners and table legs that the repeated subtle jarring of your cycle adds up and you end up hobbling. For me, those corners and table legs are meals, bedtime, and waking up.

Damn you, Benjamin Franklin!