I went with my wife on her 16 miler today. She's in great shape and had no trouble completing this part of training. Well done! Sixteen miles: that's real distance!
I just finished Red Rabbit, my second Tom Clancy novel ever. I feel like reading them all. Literary fiction never has ass-kicking heroes like Jack Ryan. In Clancy's world, irony has no place, only Soviet agents are ambiguous, and complexity gets people killed. What pleasure it is to read without having to interpret.
But I can't resist interpreting nonetheless. In TC's fantasy world, the men all have military backgrounds and heroic qualities, Republicans are patriots, the New York Times traitorous, and the Soviets are sympathetic to the extent that they see freedom as tantamount to American capitalism. You can see why Republicans have so much more fun that we do, with all our left-melancholy apologizing and introspection.
A question, then: What's fun about being progressive? Let's think about that, and maybe we'll gain some ground in the war over political psychology.
I think your blog answers its own question. What's fun for left melancholics is exactly what Clancy leaves no room for: irony. Which doesn't mean there should be no room for Clancy in your life. It seems like you love to ironize him as much as you love a good read and a good intrigue. In fact, I'm surprised there aren't more panels devoted to him at grad student conferences. He provides a perfect opportunity for indignation and self-congratulation. Another thing that's fun for progressives!
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