On my day off I had lunch with a young man who is an editor for the magazine of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung.
We discussed a piece I wrote for the magazine, the advantages and disadvantages of having children, and decadence that is the result of too much security.
The pasta was good. We both drank mineral water, which brought back pleasant memories of New York where the business lunch is not to be accompanied by alcohol, give or take a lunch or two.
He also wanted to know if I was happy in Iraq.
I answered: “According to a good friend of mine who read the emails I sent her from Iraq the answer is: no. But I prefer to believe: sometimes.”