Having Passed Through

Jakarta’s traffic maybe worse than Beijing’s.  The infrastructure clearly is worse.  The subway system is currently being built.  I've starred in this movie before.  Every path is a compromise.  My hosts warned me that the eight-kilometer, twenty-minute drive we took last night at 10:00PM would take two hours the next day.  That seems a bit ridiculous.  But who am I to question?

My colleague and I left our hotel at just before 8:00AM local time. ( I was up at 4:30AM with the "call to prayer" speakers set there aside my hotel window. ) Originally I was to make my way over myself but he offered to share the ride with me as my route was the same as his to the airport.  He had a local roaming data sim card so that meant I could get on wifi weathered to his phone and therefore I would presumably be able to watch some of the debates in the midst of Jakarta traffic. 

She did great.  It was so nice to see her successfully goad him and belittle him, to the point where his thin skin was pierced and he had to lash out.  It was remarkable to see him throw two-hundred and forty years of tradition under the bus, as he refused to acknowledge that he would accept the result of the election. He is vile and he is going down.  She is showing him the way.

I thought of Obama as I made my way through Jakarta traffic.  It seemed as if Trump's eyes were blood shot as I considered his face there in the back of my Blue Bird cab. I thought Hillary looked extremely well prepared do away with this braggart and take on the job of the United States presidency.  Once again, he looked woefully unprepared. 

I had a presentation to kick off at 9:00AM. I wanted for people to get seated and with the a headphone in one ear listening to as much of the final minutes of the debate as I could.  Then, ninety minutes later when there was a break in the seminar, I began to read about what had just happened.  And while points were scored here and there and obfuscation was noted on both sides, every major paper had the same headline about his refusing to say he would concede if he lost.  That’s it.  That’s the story.  He did it to himself.  All he had to do was say “of course I'd support the outcome” and he might have had himself a solid debate.  But he didn’t and now, short of an unforeseen disaster, we can spend the next few weeks considering just how badly he will lose. 

And on a darker note, I tried a new type of coffee.  Kivo is the Indonesian specialty, which monks apparently discovered that involves the coffee beans which civets have eaten and shat out.  These beans, having passed through the civet’s digestive system take on then adopt an allegedly a significant upgrade in richness and flavor.  No Shit.  My colleagues wanted to order me some to bring it home.  (the bag of it has sat in my kitchen for a few days now,)