Subsumed by the Swarm
It is hardly possible to be lonelier than one is when in a crowd of strangers; it makes the loneliness of solitude seem pleasant by comparison. These business trips are like odysseys of alienation for me: I am surrounded at all turns by people who seem like caricatures, hard-charging management thugs, acidly-critical office vipers, and then always the great hordes of cubicle dwellers.
In Atlanta, going outside makes me feel even stranger: the homeless are everywhere, and indeed I’ve never seen so many visibly addicted streetwalkers clotting at corners and spreading out over benches. It makes it hard to feel happy.
But it is beautiful here: cool, with the evening light still far from its summer hue, and in the valleys of the many hills are clustered tiny, scenic enclaves I find appealing, despite the vulgar wealth on display everywhere. Actually, Atlanta seems like a nice place to be rich; but then I would imagine most places are.