Travel

Prompted by having just bought plane tickets again, I went back and checked:

I took 10 flights last year, adding up all the trans-atlantic, intra-europe, and domestic jaunts. (I don't think I had any connecting flights last year, which saves me from having to calculate multiple legs on the same trip.)

I like travel, in many respects, but it also gets quite exhausting. And the constant ups and downs of flights really wreak havoc on my schedules (such as they are). And I don't even need to travel as much as many others.

I hit a number of major capitals in: Athens, Rome, Paris, NYC, Chicago, Washington DC... (Not to mention Madrid!) Some cities I visited more than once.

The majority of my travel is book-related to some degree or another, even if I combine it with family/friends/holiday.

I'm glad I have another month or so before I need to pack a suitcase again and the travel grind begins again.

(Between now and the end of May my "business" travel plans already include: Florida, NYC, Chicago, Madison, Bologna.)

Security

Yesterday, I was walking along Gran Vía with Ismael when someone tried to unzip my backpack.

I noticed this almost immediately, and was able to spin around before he'd gotten the outside pocket more than half-open.

Rather than provoke a confrontation, I just stood aside (pulling Ismael with me) as they continued along the street.

But it left me with a bit of a sour taste in the mouth, even a day later.

It's such a minor thing, really, but it's a reminder of how easy it is to be lulled into a sense of security that is, in truth, illusory in any major city.

It also forces one to consider issues of morality, community, etc. and the large gaps between one's own point of view of the world and that of many other people (who are often in close proximity).