Kudos to Mr. Fallows on a brilliant book, and I can only dream of what Alan and Dale come up with in answer to Vern’s Eclipse. (Hold on to your parachutes!)
Just a brief item that threw me for a loop. On page 219, Jim’s friend Linc Caplan is clearly a woman, as in: “In New Haven, my wife got onto the train…My friend Linc Caplan took her place in the plane. Together we made the last day’s journey back to the Midwest…”
Only a page later: “Linc Caplan and I left New Haven just before noon and were in St. Paul for a late dinner. It took him far longer to get back, by hub-and-spoke routing on jets.”
Just wanted to know whether: (a) Linc & Jim stopped at a hospital somewhere between New Haven and St. Paul for a secret surgical procedure (and if so, how could he have left this great piece out of the book!) (b) Linc Caplan is androgenous; or,©there is something that Jim is not telling us here.
Anyway, wonder how Jim’s friend Linc feels about his/her part in the book…
Fly high, folks.
Just a brief item that threw me for a loop. On page 219, Jim’s friend Linc Caplan is clearly a woman, as in: “In New Haven, my wife got onto the train…My friend Linc Caplan took her place in the plane. Together we made the last day’s journey back to the Midwest…”
Only a page later: “Linc Caplan and I left New Haven just before noon and were in St. Paul for a late dinner. It took him far longer to get back, by hub-and-spoke routing on jets.”
Mort: Ah, the English language! I don’t yet have my copy, but the first reference you quote at page 219 could be read either as (1) “My friend Linc Caplan took the place that was formerly occupied by my wife” or (2) “My friend Linc Caplan was seated in ‘her place’ in the plane”.
Since the second interpetation would seem to imply some kind of property right in Jim’s plane that Casplan does not have, the first interpetation would seem to be correct. I don’t see an inconsistancy.
Thanks for your kind words!
I assume, from the icon next to this posting, that it’s more or less in joshing spirit. Right???
[Ie, “her place” = “my wife’s place”]
Otherwise Linc Caplan – college football player, also lacrosse player – will be interested to hear this, and will come after you with his lax stick!