Around the Moods in 80 Seconds

This morning I spent a wonderful time watching Michael Palin's Around the World in 80 Days. If you're not familiar with it, it's just what it sounds like. The BBC approached Michael Palin of Monty Python fame about taking, in real life, Phileas Fogg's fictional journey from Jules Verne's novel. So Palin and a five person camera crew would try to traverse the world in 80 days, roughly staying to Fogg's path and eschewing air travel. In a way they have it easier since they have motorized cars and Fogg did not. In a way they have it harder since the dominance of air travel has done away with many of the dependable sailing options that Fogg had available to him.

Palin as himself (or as this traveller) is quite different than he is in Python skits. Though he's not as zany, he remains entertaining as he is quite charming. His fellow Python, Terry Jones, hits it on the head at a send off dinner the night before Palin's departure. What he's doing is really making a piece about travel itself.

So I started watching the piece a little down, a little in the blah's from taking stock of my life ...

... and then I was blithely transported away watching Palin begin his Trek ...

... and then I thought, "Oh great. Isn't this the perfect American thing to do -- sit in comfort on my grossly fat ass with food and drink, enjoying watching someone else rough it on an adventure in a way that I, myself, would never want to ..."

... so now I'm even more depressed.