We got in on the redeye from Oakland about an hour ago, and I’m a bit shellshocked from two hours of sleep and it still being only 5:42am on the West Coast. What can I say in this state? We had a fabulous time — we saw so much, met so many odd people, laughed and walked and sang so much. It felt like it lasted forever and wasn’t long enough. We had the BestHoneymoonEver™.

I think it will take me days, perhaps weeks, to sort out my thoughts and get photographs printed and uploaded, to arrange our dear, beloved travels into a series of stories for you. I’m looking forward to the process, because every memory will be a delicious pleasure to pull out and catalogue. For now, I’ll leave you with the following photograph, which has a perspective that I love and which is the only one I’m putting online before a shower and a nap. Every day of the trip was full of moments like this: seeing something for the first time, seeing something through a different lens.

More soon, lovelies.

Picture me and Ross instead of Jason Schwartzman and Jude Law, whizzing down a highway in a car instead of running wildly about in our untucked shirts, and this is exactly what my next two weeks are going to look like, so don’t expect an update until at least the 21st, unless we hop into an internet cafe somewhere in Tillamook.

Gratuitous I Heart Huckabees image because we saw it last night and, rather unexpectedly, I enjoyed it a great deal. I have now gotten used to the fact that with respect to films, my opinions tend to disagree wildly with people I love and respect, so many of you probably couldn’t stand this movie. But I thought it was very funny and rather clever without thinking itself too clever; it’s about time someone pointed out the (inevitable, glorious, hysterical, wonderful) disconnect between the language of existential questions and the way we really live our lives. Or perhaps I simply liked it since for me the line between therapy and philosophy can sometimes be impossible to decipher…

Also, I thought the film contained one totally stunning moment of anagnorisis (look, I have remembered something from school). It happens when Jude Law’s character (a smarmy corporate whore) is forced to listen to a series of recordings of himself telling the same snotty story (involving Shania Twain and one and a half chicken salad sandwiches) over and over again, often using exactly the same words. If you’ve ever been at all afraid of truly seeing the face of your own boring pointlessness, it’s really kind of a wrenching scene.

See ya later, alligatahs!

P.S. The folks on Flickr have started a group that’s auctioning off prints in exchange for donations to the Red Cross. If you’re not a member of the site, you can now email your bids — yay! Buy yourself some art for your wall and put your money someplace where it’ll do some good. That first link will take you to the group’s general page. Click “The Group Pool” to see all available pictures up for auction. And here’s the photo I’ve put up for bid. The searching/bidding process isn’t the friendliest if you’re not already familiar with the way Flickr works, but you guys are smart cookies.

My camera hasn’t followed me anywhere for several days, so here’s a photo from some weeks ago to move the bile down the page a little.

Blame, that is.

Here’s an interesting article. I don’t care that it’s written by someone on the right. It makes important points. And these two documents are pretty clear evidence that there was a specific plan, in the event of a disaster scenario like this one, to evacuate residents using city and state resources. People weren’t supposed to have to leave on their own power. City and state goverment fucked up. They didn’t follow the plan. Why? I have no idea. But now I’m confused about all of the righteous anger I’ve seen and heard, and I don’t think all of it is legitimate.

The Seattle Times: Nation & World: Trapped in the Superdome: Refuge becomes a hellhole

I’m angry and sick about this and I feel totally helpless. But in at least one way I’m not. Ross and I received generous gifts from many people when we got married — most of the money went into a fixed deposit account that we can’t touch for the next 9 months, but my relatives at home sent $400 in Singapore dollars that we were saving for our next visit. I talked to Ross this morning and today I’m going to go to the bank to get it changed into US currency so I can donate it. I’m pretty sure my family would like that to be their gift. I wish there was something more concrete to do, but things appear to be in a total state of chaos right now. Avi, has the Israeli army got any down time? We could really use them in Louisiana.

Too bad Bush decided we’re doing such a great job down there we don’t need any help.

ETA: Oh, sorry. We’re not doing a great job. In fact the relief response has been “unacceptable.” Mmkay, thanks for the reprimand. Now, could you possibly do something about it? I just heard a Louisiana official on CNN begging for anyone who has a bus “just sitting around,” and some gas, to please send them down because that’s what is going to save lives right now. I’m sure there’s complications to the situation I don’t understand, but how can we be in a place where a state official is literally pleading for individual citizens to send gas and buses? Does FEMA not own any buses? Can we not commandeer a fleet of Greyhounds for three days and get everyone out of there?

Edited again to add: Our money went here, half to a fund to aid displaced residents and half to a fund that will help rebuild infrastructure to provide “basic human services” in New Orleans.