Peeking into the rock

I may have succeeded in buying plane tickets, although I did not succeed in paying for them. I used AAA. They had some kind of problem with my credit card, which is actually a debit card, and which has been stocked with more money than we need to do the adventure. So I don't know what the problem is: they've promised to call me soon and work out the payment.

I ended up putting the flight to the 17th instead of the 16th (which is what I accidentally wrote here anyway) because the flights on the 16th were basically used up by the time I succeeded in buying tickets. Also, the tickets I finally succeeded in buying are a few dollars less than the last batch I failed to buy.

on another front -- that pirate fantasy story? I'm pretty sure it involves a boat full of Solomon Islanders out on a kula trading voyage encountering the Flying Dutchman, or something like the Flying Dutchman that's pirates, I haven't decided. It's unlikely to be real pirates, because pirates would starve if they hung out in those waters at that time. Anyway, the point is to put the Encounter with the Other on its head, and to let the Other be the white guys. Also, the kula ring is so cool I just can't sit still.