Feinstein -- Eulogy -- September 29, 2023

Locator: 45622FEINSTEIN.  

I started to lose interest in NASCAR when the "old guard" started to retire a few years ago. The other day, when Olivia asked me a question about NASCAR I couldn't even remember Jeff Gordon, much less the car he drove.

I have completely lost interest in the PGA now that the "old guard" has disappeared, and with the LIV it's all about money, now.

So, it goes. I lost interest in politics with the passing of Ronald Reagan, though the flickering embers showed some life when Obama showed up on the scene. It was, of course, impossible to ignore Trump. But Feinstein's death may be the beginning of the end for the "old guard" in politics. 

The passing of the torch may have occurred when Hillary lost to Trump, but that torch was never passed to Trump, and I know not who has it now. Certainly not the fashion trendsetter in the US Senate.

Biden, Mitch.

Sanders. Grassley.

Romney retiring.

Hillary will be around for another ten years. 

Feinstein, for the archives. At the end of the day, a pathetically (second definition) sad story all around.

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The Book Page

Wow, wow, wow.

First: never quit reading. 

I'm slogging my way through Hermione Lee's biography of Edith Wharton. It's no longer a slog; it's absolutely fascinating.

I'm so glad I got my PhD in western literature with an emphasis on Brit Lit and a minor in continental literature back in 2004, or was it 2007? I've long lost the diploma -- truth be told, I never received the shingle. The PhD was from a home-schooling program -- one student. 384 Treeline Park, San Antonio, TX. Probably depressed, probably suicidal. Don't recall. Don't care. But reading kept me going.

Goethe was just one of many, but perhaps the most mysteriously interesting. I mention that because Hermione Lee / Edith Wharton mentions Goethe's Italian Journey (written between 1786 and 1788) which has left biographers perplexed for at least two centuries. Also mentioned, Goethe's Wilhelm Meister. 

Edith read first and then traveled. To write, she said she needed to "live" the story. For me, I traveled first, then read.

College years, each summer: Tioga, Alaska, New Jersey, Europe.

Military: all over the world; fifteen years overseas.

Retired: then read. Voraciously.

Read about all the places I visited, experienced. 

Oh, back to Goethe, Italian Journey and Wilhelm Meister, I've read both. It's obvious he met the love of his life that summer; "we" just don't know her (?) name, although there are hints.

I had my own "Italian Journey" decades ago. In fact, I was fortunate enough to have had two "Italian journeys": one stateside; one in Europe.