On Transitory Planes

Leaving New Mexico, taking off at dawn to pass directly over the valley of petroglyphs at the western edge of town, a valley that I'd walked a couple of days ago.

And on the Trans-Pacific flight, getting an free upgrade, which enabled me to choose my own in-flight viewing. My choices were perfectly arbitrary, but in hindsight, had profound significance. First up was "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore," about a woman who leaves behind a apparently futureless life in New Mexico. Last was "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," the story of a man who chooses to live life as an alien. (OK, I'm admittedly reaching a little with that one.) In between, I finally got a chance to watch "No Country for Old Men." What resonated in me there were images more literal than metaphoric, as my eyes wandered over landscapes that had been wandered over by foot multiple times.

And the usual return to Japan, 'usual' in that I knew how to navigate the process. (Though the fingerprinting was a first for me.) Bought a tea called "Pungency," before riding the slow train under a full moon frequently jumping into view amidst a cluttered Osaka landscape...


On the turntable: Schtum, "Grow"