“The wind is in from Africa,
Last night I couldn’t sleep…” [From “Carey” by Joni Mitchell]
Always good to throw in a Joni Mitchell line or two, and it certainly removes any ambiguity that might surround the meaning of today’s title. No, it is not about gastronomical turbulence (although with my diet at Mama’s Cafe that is not something that can always be avoided), we are talking meteorology here. The wind has been very strong today, whipping up the sand and playing havoc with my newly washed hair!
My travelogue entry for today (2nd August 1973) records drunken shenanigans last night involving Tom (probably from Sweden) and Textiles Jim from Atlanta. I think I was just a bemused observer, introvert that I am.
We were also joined by three US marines who were stationed nearby. I always believed they had something to do with Vietnam, but the US had stopped deploying troops after the Paris Accord earlier in the year. A quick trip in my time capsule to an era where so much information can be accessed with a bit of clacking on a keyboard (that’s the term used in subtitles for TV drama series) shows me that the US Sixth Fleet were based at Souda Bay, about 120 km north of Matala. This seems to be a permanent strategic base in the East Mediterranean, and played an important role in the Arab-Israeli War of October 1973 – how tihngs do not change.
My notes record that the marines were 100% professional and committed to their president – this was Richard Nixon, still in office but embroiled in the Watergate scandal. I first heard of Watergate during my time in Matala. Similarly, but on a different level, I had never heard of Bachman Turner Overdrive until then either.
So, the message is – if you don’t mind the wind, go to Matala to expand your mind! The ambiguity of this statement will be understood by ardent followers of this blog.
Psychologist on the Move 