It’s 6:53. I’m allotting myself 7 minutes for this entry, and then I’m going for a bike ride. (Is this “speed blogging”?)

I visited my aunt Peg yesterday. She is a great lady, who happens to be dying of cancer. It’s been a long time since I last saw her, probably 10-15 years actually (my extended family typifies the Modern American Family in that we’re geographically and socially distant. Friendly, but distant.) She now lives in the home her mother, my grandmother, lived in for ~55 years before passing away, oh, 7-8 years ago. In fact, my aunt was sitting in the same blue chair by the front window that I remember my grandmother sitting in the last few times I saw her. There is a subtle confusion in the juxtaposition of memories of my grandmother sitting there when she was both young(er) and old, with my memories of my aunt when she was young, and the reality of her now with gray hair and suffering under the indignities her disease. The memories mix in a pleasant swirl.

The visit was fun and interesting. She remains thoughtful and intelligent, as are her friends and family who were also there. We discussed politics quiet a bit, and my aunt remains as frustrated with the current political situation as we are… in spite of the fact that the reality is that she is unlikely to live long enough for any of this to really matter. But I’m sure she cares deeply about how it will impact her friends and family, even after she is gone.

We did not discuss the details of her disease or impending death. The 500-lb gorilla that we were all content to ignore for the time being.

My cousin Jacques was there with his new wife Jenny. I last saw Jacques when he was ~12 years old. Yet, we have always been close. The familiarity and comfort was immediate and satisfying in spite of the 10-15 years separation. I like that. And I am delighted to meet his new wife, who is warm, intelligent and beautiful. I find myself wishing them quiet thoughts of happiness as I type this.

The political discussion was fun. Jenny was on the road to getting her Phd in Political Science before their lives were disrupted by my aunt’s illness. We discussed the tradeoffs of dealing with the realities of an imperfect 2-party system .vs. always acting on ones ideals and (usually) throwing away your vote on a minority candidate. Which led, once again, to the idea of a reality show called, “American Candidate”, where 15 independent political candidates debate eachother each week on issues of vital US interest. And the audience gets to vote one off each week, leading up to the next presidential election. An interesting thought experiment, that.

Well, it’s 7:07 – I’m over my time limit… and need to get ready for my first day as a Google employee. Love to all.