I'm back.

My return home was something of an adventure. It began with my grandmother getting the flu, leaving my grandfather (who does not frequently drive with or without my grandmother) taking me to the airport. I could spend three paragraphs describing it, but in the interests of time, I'll just share this little conversation with you that occurred as we got on the road:

GRANDPA: Do you know how to get to the airport?
MICHAEL: Uh...no...
GRANDPA: OK. I think I know how to get there.

You get the general drift.

My adventure continued as my flight was delayed in two places, first in Sarasota (was rather grateful for that, actually); and then in Atlanta. Atlanta heralds the coming of a new C Concourse. This must be something everyone agrees they need, because there are big signs up all over C Concourse reading, "The New C Concourse: Cleaner. More Comfortable. But Your Flight Will Still Be Delayed, So You'll Still Pay Exorbinant Prices To Eat Stuff That Isn't Airline Food. Coming in 2006." Well, the exorbinant prices have come but I can tell you that the rest of the C concourse is not cleaner or more comfortable. (Although, I will tell you that the Atlanta Bread Company makes an AWESOME Italian vegeterian sandwich. That place could almost compete with Panera.)

I landed in Cleveland around 12:30 last night. It was really cool walking through Cleveland Airport when there was almost no one there. In fact, from baggage claim to the ticket taker at the parking garage, I never saw another human being. It was quite an experience, being in areas that was built for thousands of people to pass through, and I was the only one passing through.

(Having Frank Sinatra and Bono doing a duet of "I've Got You Under My Skin" helped the mood.)

***

I have finished William Shirer's 1,147 page masterpiece The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. I feel compelled to point this out because completing it is a major achievement. It's, obviously, long, somewhat deep, and took me years to be able to get into and about a month or a month and a half to read. (I don't remember the last time I was NOT reading this book.)

What I found most amazing was how so many megalomaniacs could be running a country at one time. And not just one country -- you had Hitler in Germany and Mussolini in Italy (not to mention Hitler stooges like Seyss-Inquart and Quisling.) But Goerring, Himmler, Goebbels -- all these infamous people who were clearly birds of a feather to Hitler's mental illness.

What is it? Is it that like attracts like? Is it that Hitler was just a recruiting genius? Were they all just self-serving that no one ever stopped to say they were wrong?

***

If you're looking for some good political writing, check out Dear John: We Won't Take You Back by Ellen Goodman. She suggests, basically, "Stop Him Before He Kills (the Democrats' Chances Again.) Two great quotes:

On 2004, and how Democrats voted for Kerry in the primary because they thought he could win (not all of us did!): "Democrats are cute when they get pragmatic, but not necessarily successful."

And: "In the end, a majority of voters thought we were on the wrong track and voted for the conductor anyway."

Aaaaaaaaarrrrghhh...