Living on a plane

Some quick hits from someone who has spent the majority of the past few days on airplanes…

1) I know I make fun of this area a lot and sometimes it is not warranted. Then something like the following happens. Had lunch with some coworkers on Friday and while we were leaving the restaurant I spotted someone wearing a football jersey. Specifically, an XFL team jersey. I’m not even sure how to respond to that one. I just want to understand that thought process: “Well, I’m going out. Better dress up and put on the XFL jersey.” Maybe it’s a postmodern statement on the inanity of modern sports, I don’t know.
2) When I’m in airports I always find myself in bookstores (which two years resulted in my being the only person on the planet who paid full price for the Harry Potter novel). My question from perusing the magazine rack is who purchases the porno mags at the airport? They’re always there, so obviously someone is making this purchase. Can you get on a flight and just sit down and relax with the latest issue of Swank? Maybe this country is a bit more liberal than I thought.
3) So I listened to the John Mayer live album last week, which despite the fact that I bought it two years ago this was the first time that I actually listened to the entire thing. (Yes, I had a reason behind the purchase. It’s one that puts the Canadian girlfriend excuse to shame). I’m still not sure what to make of John Mayer. He’s a good guitarist and song writer and I’ve been impressed by his column in Esquire, it’s no where near the level of crap that I originally expected it to be. But what struck me is what you hear when you listen to his live disc. Which is when each song starts you hear the high pitch squeal of fifteen year old girls going insane. And I’ve got to wonder what John thinks about the whole deal. I mean, getting fifteen year old girls to swoon over you is why you pick up a guitar when you’re thirteen, I’m not sure it is his goal when he wants to be a serious musician. I know part of him must be happy that he is selling so many albums but at some point does he look in the mirror and go “Oh no, I just turned into David Cassidy!”
4) Oh, and I’ve figured out that my Gen X film collection won’t be complete until I pick up Heathers and Pump Up the Volume (which I need to do to play my part in the resurgence of Christian Slater’s career). A question for the blogsphere: What other films are must own Gen X flicks? What are the films that those of us who were in high school and college in the late 80’s/early 90’s feel define us as a generation?
5) Finished Douglas Coupland’s “Eleanor Rigby”, which is easily his best book in a decade. You might argue that it is unrealistic at times but it is the first time in ages in which he has written a book with a plot that I want to follow and where he isn’t hitting you over the head with sociological insights. A very interesting read. I read about half of Mike Gayle’s “Dinner for Two” on the plane today. Mike Gayle writes a guy’s version of Bridget Jones, in the vein of Nick Hornby but probably more realistically. I mean, I want to be the guy in High Fidelity, where as the character in My Legendary Girlfriend may possibly be the most accurate description of a guy who cannot get over the fact that his girlfriend broke up with him that I’ve ever read. Anyway, the reason that I am mentioning this is that the last two times I read a Mike Gayle novel my life went insane. So, I’m expecting the world to spin out of control once again now that I dared to open his book. Oh well, I need the excitement.

The five random CDs for the week:
1) Jay Bennett “Bigger than Blue”
2) Sarah McLachlan “Solace”
3) Mary Chapin Carpenter “Come On Come On”
4) Neko Case & Her Boyfriends “The Virginian”
5) The Sundays “reading, writing and arithmetic”