Whoa, Plei. That's scary.

And bakery has been taken over by high school students, so I'm going to cede the terrain.

I'm not that familiar with Ta Nehisi--why would he have died in other countries? People don't have epipens? Don't help black people? Don't help people?

My anxiety over his safety is clearly mollified by reading an article by him after the fact--so I am left confused by the definite patriotism of his gratitude.

My conference call at 3 got a lot better when someone walked up and handed me a beer. March Madness floor-wide happy hour.

Oh, man, I want. Just got off a conference call with a couple of contractors who clearly have only the foggiest idea of what they're going to be doing. OY.

And I of course could not tell them that there's a not-insignificant chance that I won't be here in five weeks to oversee the project...

My anxiety over his safety is clearly mollified by reading an article by him after the fact--so I am left confused by the definite patriotism of his gratitude.

I think because he's all stressed out about being about to travel overseas for the first time in his life. The man's in his mid-30s and never been anywhere he couldn't communicate in English. And he's going by himself, not as part of an organized thing, or meeting friends or anything.

He would have been okay in Europe, too (an old friend of mine fell ill with toxic shock syndrome on a school trip to Switzerland, got excellent care in Lausanne), but it would have been even more scary than it was here. Or so I read it.

I guess first time travelling abroad gives you the shakes if you leave it for a while, but:

It did not escape my mind that in some other place I might have died. This is not chest-thumping or jingoism. It is a fact of my residency.

Is going to confuse me, because there was nothing I understand as American in his rescue. Yes, in some other place he might have died, and that some other place could be anywhere in the US.

Yes, in some other place he might have died, and that some other place could be anywhere in the US.

Indeed, this is true.

t shrugs I dunno.

He had a very close call and that often leaves people misty-eyed. What I read was gratitude for the kindness of strangers, and the knowledge that in a different time/place he might not have gotten it.

and the knowledge that in a different time/place he might not have gotten it.

Perfectly true. Still don't see what that has to do with the US, though.

I'm willing to bet that 90% of the time (or more) when someone says, "Only in America!" it's not actually true.