Not quite a vacation

Of all the places to be sent for a conference, the Thomas Edison Inn isn't a bad one.  It's hard to knock the scenery; the inn is nestled at the Michigan end of the Blue Water Bride, where Lake Huron spills into the broad St. Clair River.  I see Canada out the window.  The building itself is a sprawling mock Tudor, very much a "they don't make 'em like that anymore" kind of hotel.  There are ballrooms with wooden dance floors.  There are photos of noted local residents lining the hallways. There are portraits of Mr. Edison everywhere, including two in the guest room. 

The Edison angle is amusing, given that Port Huron's favorite son hated the town and called it "that hole of a Port Huron."

We had a group outing to a local smokehouse last night, so I decided to make a nice walk of the 1.5 mile trip; it took me along the riverwalk, through a park, and down Port Huron's old-timey Main Street, which appears to be struggling but at least it's, you know, there.  It was a deeply pleasant evening, though my plans for a dawn walk along the river were scotched by rain.

Not bad, as conferences go.  And I am now the new rock music trivia person for my group, which is amusing because they're all 55-year-old guys and I wasn't even born when the Dave Clark Five were recording.  I think my recall ability scared a couple of people.

Meta Month, Day 22: Peerless Warrior

"You’ll be my master strategist, and I’ll be your peerless warrior!"

Thus, a million and twelve visions of Tactician glory were born.

I think it's worth contemplating exactly who, and exactly what, is speaking this line at the outset of FE7.  The speaker is a teenaged girl who's lost her family, her place in society, her entire network of associates, and who has been getting by alone for several months.  I've seen a lot of straight-faced interpretations of this line, when actually, it's pretty fantastic-- and appropriately so.  Again, Lyn is a grieving and lonely teenaged girl who just had some stranger fall into her life with positive consequences.  A little indulgence in fantasy can be justified.

But I do feel that line ought to be met by the player with something less than a solemn nod and the taking of the sentiment to heart.