Maybe there *is* hope for the planet, I thought while purchasing a 'vegan buffalo cauliflower wrap' at the Pittsburgh International Airport. I haven't seen actual numbers about this specific idea, but my sense from reading other articles is that if roughly 25 percent of meat dishes in the United States alone were replaced by vegetables, it would go a long way toward curbing carbon emissions. But according to the New York Times, there's almost nothing that the United States can do to curb global warming, and 'it is in some of the poorest countries on Earth that the battle to keep global warming at bay will be won or lost.' I found this perspective difficult to square with the fact that '[t]he top three GreenHouseGas emitters — China, the United States and India — contribute 42.6% total emissions, while the bottom 100 countries only account for only 2.9%.' I ate my wrap with a self-righteous vengeance.
It was nice to get home after a week away.
Clio, who has been spending most of her time in her new 'penthouse' was at first surprised to see me but then remembered that I had been gone.
'Oh, it's you.' -- Clio
On Wednesday, Stephen and I went to an art show at a nearby cultural institution. The art was mostly unremarkable, but the tiled floors were gorgeous.
Our favorite exhibit was installed in a gallery in which recordings of an aviary were played over several rows of black wedges.
We didn't realize at first that they were meant to be used as recliners. It was pleasurable and disorienting to listen to the missing birds. If the city cracked down on cars and mopeds, I thought, we could listen to real birds.
The next morning, I went to my classic-rock dentist, where I was happy to hear 'Rocket Man' as the hygienist cleaned my teeth. There are so many songs (e.g., 'Born To Be Wild' which came on next) that I never want to hear again in my life, but there are a handful of Elton John ballads that still feel good (i.e., gay) to me.
On the way to the dentist, I walked through Washington Square Park, which like much of the city these days was filled with people who seemed to need help, with housing or mental issues or whatever else leads someone to wander around in dirty clothes, muttering, in a daze. It's okay, I wanted to say to them as I focused my attention on the asters, Eric Adams is about to be indicted, and things can only get better from here.
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