The Lost Generation

I was having dinner with some friends last night and we got on the subject of what people were reading. Someone at the table mentioned Hemingway and we found ourselves on the topic of what was most compelling about his work. Was it the man or his craft ? I listened intently and chimed in that there may have been no distinction ; One complimented and defined the other in an inseparable way. He was the old man and the sea.
Hemingway was part of a movement called the lost generation and they were writers and artists that lived in Paris post WW I and were considered literary modernists who challenging traditional Victorian ideals and grew cynical of the death and destruction of the war. They didn't fit the mold and longed for something different. They also produced some of the greatest American literature ever written.
Fast forward and I am back at dinner--- As I pick up my glass, I look over at Ryan and ask him jokingly if he'd run off to report on the Spanish Civil War on a whim (like Hemingway) for an unlimited supply of tapas and he smiled and replied "I just might". I hope your move to Boston inspires you like Paris did Hemingway and keep moving - it will lead you somewhere.
In other news, I have been shopping for a new bike for some time now. I need a balance between street and mountain bike. There is practical riding (going to Trader Joe's for bread) and recreational and off-road riding and my current bike just doesn't cut it. I visited River City Bicycles because I wanted to test ride the 07 Cannondale bad boy and when I called this morning they said they had a few assembled. It is a kick ass bike and after taking her for a test ride down Water street I was convinced. It's under the Christmas tree right now. I feel guilty about the price however it is offset by endless bike trails and the promise of better health.