backhanded enlightenment

I was nonplussed by my reaction – or lack of it – upon seeing the Pacific. After all my raison d’être is significant lines of demarcation and coming upon them not having any enlightenment. It also seems – however – that I am constantly reminded of those other points – the bridge dividing New Hampshire from Maine, customs heading into New Brunswick – changing time, “it is noon 12:30 on the island or - for those - off island “nine o’clock a half hour later in Newfoundland. Even standing on the edge of the Atlantic I imagine the lands beyond – which way exactly is Eire, Greenland? Here, however, in Ocean Beach, I only thought of the sand, the objects on it, and the view along it. The let down of lack of revelation didn’t happen as the supposed significance never manifested itself.

I was surprised how I didn’t realise that the water was on the “wrong” side, I thought briefly of the next landfall being Asia but I didn’t strain to see Korea, China, Taiwan etc.

This feeling or lack of it pervaded the stay. I seem to think – because of how it is treated on television mainly – that the Pacific Time zone is different. It is ignored when mentioning the hours of programming – 9:oo eastern 8:00 central. The only time this happens is during Sunday televised football when it seems games start in the late morning. Here, however, there was none of this reference. I didn’t compare nor did I realise that when I was experiencing the day most of the country was finished with its. Here I thought about the rest of North America not at all.