Joho the Blog
An Entry from the Archives

You can't go wrong with that as an opening sentence. Esspecially if you follow it up with:

I'm writing this from an Internet cafe in Naples.

So, ok, I'm willing to stop my travel whining and admit that I am privileged beyond reason to be able to go to places like these. I don't know how I got so lucky, but next time I ever moan about traveling, just slap me across the face with something spelled in Italian. Anything.

The flight was fine: I got an aisle seat and saw an episode of Scrubs I'd missed. 1.5 dramamines knocked me into a veal-like sleep for almost 4 hours. Then we drove to Rome where, after a few loops, I hooked up with Derrick de Kerckhove. Derrick heads the McLuhan program at University of Toronto, teaches at the University of Naples, and occupied an endowed chair at the Library of Congress. Not too shabby. We took the train to Naples and a cab to my hotel, the Chiaja Hotel de Charme, which, without Derrick as a guide, I would never ever ever have found: You have to know to ring the bell to be let in through a 4-foot high door within a massive brown door. Lovely on the inside, though. I left immediately to walk around a little, had a terrible slice of pizza, and found this Internet joint. (3.50 euros per hour).

Anyway, the day has been way too rich to capture. I haven't even said anything about the fascinating hour conversation I had at 3am (Boston time) with Jon Luca Botanica (whose name I'm undoubtedly mispelling massively - Sorry Jon Luca! [Embarrassing Stoopid American correction: Gianluca Baccanico.]) on the ride to Rome about his attempt to understand the Internet via Kant's sense of space and time. Jon Luca is one of Derrick's students. I am in for a stimulating few days.