April 22, 2018: The ABc’s of Listing: Non-Linearity

So here I am, in Spokane, WA. A long day of being listless. A linear day, but also non-linear. I started out at Sara’s place, outside of San Francisco. It was a very quiet, mellow morning. This should have tipped me off. Dave and Sara were not in a hurry to get moving. Flight was to leave at 1:37 p.m. and we left their house at 12:15 a.m. The plane was leaving out of Oakland. There was a lot of traffic on the freeway.

El and I got to the airport and we did not have much time. We were approaching the machine for the boarding passes when the counter clerk asked where we were going. He immediately handed us two passes. We were late, very late. We rushed off to go through the security line – I had expected to be whisked through because we had late written all over us. The opposite of what I expected occurred. Shoes came off, computer was pulled out of backpack, I had an ankle check.

I sent El on ahead and she held the plane. I left the TSA with my laces flapping, my backpack partially opened, and my computer in hand. This is just not the way I do things. El and I were the last ones to get on the plane.

Alys and Elenore riding the steam train

The flight was okay, a little bumpy. Landed, parted company with El. Waited, got on the plane to Spokane. I was distracted by this older fellow who, among other things, told me that he uses rubber bands as bookmarks. Glad to land. Transition to being with the BCHA people went smoothly.

The down side is that the three day meeting is taking place in a huge honking casino. Had casino food for dinner – it was not cheap. I did not have a notebook – the head honcho talked at the five of us from Alaska.

But what a difference, in less than a day, to be in a quiet house amongst friends and then later, in a crowded casino among strangers. The route to get here was somewhat linear, but the figurative paths followed were non-linear. How to explain the differences?

This really does go back to one of my early lists – the one in which I determined where I would go and what I would do. It seemed nonlinear, go from San Francisco, CA to Spokane, WA. I did not think at the time that I would be going from one world to the next. I liked that world, but I am not sure right now that I particularly like this world. The world of casinos isn’t my world, for sure.

The BCHA people seem friendly enough – and the people I am with are very friendly. But I very seriously doubt that they would be interested in my ideas about listing and non-linearity. I should not underestimate others.

My computer screen just went blank. The machine needed more juice. It now has more juice. And I have recovered this document.

Tomorrow will be a more linear day.

Next: 113. 4/23/18: The ABC’s of Listing 0 organization