Chapter 1: Section 2: Page 19: Line 163 (268)

 "Warnings," said Riley.

* * * * * * * * * *

Riley continues the "traveling by air these days is super ominous, guys" trend.

What would voices in the sky be warning aeronauts about? Probably the advancement of technology and the sciences toward nuclear proliferation, would be my guess! Or maybe the voices are warnings from the angels and/or the dead and/or God about mankind rising too high above their station, like a recurrence of the Tower of Babel story. The aeronauts' flights are a metaphor for mankind's ambition toward knowledge and the dangers of moving too far too fast. Like the Bindlestiffs being caught in that upriser and almost dooming themselves.

Oh! Which also means the near crash of the Chums of Chance is also probably a metaphor about how mankind can't move quickly backwards once they've attained this new knowledge! They must move steadily and with caution, no matter how they attempt to stride into the future.

Steady as she goes states the old sailing proverb! Unless it was originally a proverb told by goat herders.

Chapter 1: Section 2: Page 19: Line 158-162 (263-267)

 "There's lights, but there's sound, too. Mostly in the upper altitudes, where it gets that dark blue in the daytime? Voices calling out together. All directions at once. Like a school choir, only no tune, just these—"

* * * * * * * * * *

This book just keeps reminding me more and more of Alan Moore's Jerusalem although I can't entirely pinpoint why. I guess this bit that seems to be about angels or the voices of the dead being heard in the "heavens" is vaguely reminiscent of his story about a "heaven" that's physically just above the Earth, so close that pigeons often find their way there and trees grow up into it (although just the tree's spirit is there or something. It was a long book! I can't remember every detail!). Moore's book was also populated with angels and dead kids running around on adventures. Maybe the only similarity is the adventuring kids and because of that, I've decided the kids are angels and/or ghosts, thus causing me to compare every part of their adventure to the Dead Dead Kids in Jerusalem.

The voices in the heavens also keep bringing me back to parts of Gravity's Rainbow since so much of it is tied up in medium Carroll Eventyr and the dead with whom he communicates. In Gravity's Rainbow, Katje once describes the rocket's arc as the life of the rocket, being birthed in Penemünde and dying in London. But the rocket's arc is not just an arc; it's part of a sine wave. So its trajectory would, theoretically, continue down past the point of impact. This would be the afterlife of the rocket which must be of some concern in the novel seeing as how Pynchon's story is often concerned with the afterlife and how the opening epigraph of the novel is by the father of the rocket, Wernher von Braun, and reads, "Nature does not know extinction; all it knows is transformation. Everything science has taught me, and continues to teach me, strengthens my belief in the continuity of our spiritual existence after death." And so how does the rocket live on after its death? It lives on in how it impacts our culture's perception of death; it lives on in the force it's unleashed on our knowledge, and our perception; it lives on in manipulating our fears and our hatreds. And somehow, all of these things are part of the entire arc and life of the rocket, probably coalescing most thickly about the apex of the rocket's trajectory (and possibly, following the sine wave, most thickly about its nadir underground as well. But that's subconscious talk and I'm already too deep in the weeds on this one as it is). This built up force, whatever it might be, might possibly attract the dead somehow, explaining why Roland Feldspath winds up at this height when he finds himself attached to Slothrop and Slothrop's quest for the 000000 rocket.

There might also be something with the apex being the point Gottfried succumbed to heat and suffocation while traveling in the 000000 rocket.

"There's lights, but there's sound, too"
Perhaps the kids are picking up on radio signals? Maybe even alien radio signals from UFOs. More likely, they're seeing heavenly visions of angels and hearing angelic choirs. Or, although this is basically the same thing only once removed semantically, ghosts of the dead, calling out in unrest and flashing lights, the only things they can manipulate in the material world.

What I'm trying to express is the kids have stumbled onto a Scooby Doo Mystery! Except when they pull off the mask of this baddie, they're going to reveal the face of God! Which is probably a metaphor for light which is like the most important thematic element of this book.

Chapter 1: Section 2: Page 19: Line 157 (262)

 "Different," Zip in a low, ominous voice.

* * * * * * * * * *

See? I told you that ellipsis was ominous! Grandmaster Comic Book Reader! I mean Grandmaster Regular Book Reader!

Chapter 1: Section 2: Page 19: Line 156 (261)

 "You mean aside from the usual," Darby said, "fata morgana, northern lights, and so forth?"

* * * * * * * * * *

"fata morgana"
What Morgan le Fey has to do with lights in the sky . . . well, I was going to say I don't know but I probably do know seeing as how she's a sorceress and maybe a fairy if you take her name literally. So I guess she could be casting Shooting Stars or Fireball or Dancing Lights or Meteor Swarm.
    Actually, "fata morgana" is just a super cool mirage that makes it look like boats are floating in the sky or turns land masses & ice floes into castles hovering over the horizon. Here's a simple scientific diagram taken from Wikipedia to explain it:

At least I think that explains it for people who understand science. It also might just be a bunch of lines drawn to seemingly make sense when they don't really. I mean, why is that guy's vision going all over the place?! Probably has something to do with the curvature of the Earth or being born on Krypton, right?!

"northern lights"
These lights are caused by ionization of particles by solar winds in the Earth's magnetic field. They are a portent of the coming atomic age in Gravity's Rainbow. They also seem too awesome to be real so while I don't disbelieve in them, I'll only truly believe in them when I see them.

"and so forth"
I can't think of any other natural phenomena that might be mysteriously observed in the sky. I guess Venus?

Chapter 1: Section 2: Page 19: Line 154-155 (259-260)

 "Speaking of voices," said Penny, "what have you heard about these . . . 'sightings' that keep getting reported in? Not just from crews up in the air but sometimes even from civilians on the ground?"

* * * * * * * * * *

Uh oh! Unidentified Flying Objects! Or maybe emanations from Nikola Tesla's experiments with wireless electricity? Or maybe ball lightning!

These "sightings" could be "The Light Over the Ranges" which is this chapter's title, right? Although I think probably not (unless they're due to Nikola Tesla's experiments). I think the whole "Light Over the Ranges" bit is just the thematic message for this chapter; we're discovering how light is changing the landscape of people's lives over the Midwest. And the greatest symbol of that change is the Chicago's World Fair.

"Speaking of voices . . . have you heard about these . . . 'sightings'"
"Speaking of this sense, have you heard something about this other sense?" Poor Penelope! Her excuses for digressions are worse than mine. I suppose she's implying a link between the voices in the air and the sightings of strange objects by people on the ground. Although unless she gets more specific with these reported sightings, isn't it possible the civilians are sighting the aeronaut ships and/or the falling poo of the ships' pets?

"these . . . sightings"
That ellipsis implies Penny feels these sightings are slightly ominous. It's the exact ellipsis I would put into any discussion of the ghost that made my bed squeak late at night from the ages of twelve to, well, forty-nine, I guess. "Oh yeah, I heard those . . . squeakings too. Damn ghost."

Chapter 1: Section 2: Page 19: Line 152-153 (257-258)

 "A-aw that's nothin," cried Riley, "next to dodgin tornadoes all day! You boys want real electricity, git on out to Oklahoma sometime, get a treat for your ears into the bargain that will sure's hell drownd out any strange voices in your neighborhood."

* * * * * * * * * *

Riley easily counters Chick's boring story about static electricity with the suggestion that the Bindlestiffs dodge tornadoes on the daily. I suppose the "real electricity" Riley's talking about here are severe lightning storms like you get in the plains states. That's why the "treat for your ears" addition to the experience, being that Chick would be surrounded by thunder and lightning. Why he's suggesting Chick needs the "strange voices" drowned out when Riley, so far, is the only one admitting to hearing them, I can't say. I suppose I'd have to be a psychologist to understand his projection of an event he's probably been teased or derided about confessing to other aeronauts.

My favorite part of living in Lincoln, Nebraska, for the two short years I was there were the summer lightning storms. Those and the fireflies almost made the humidity worth it. I say "almost" because if they absolutely made the humidity worth it, I'd still be living there. But that humidity drove me out in two summers. Ugh. The worst! Just another reason why the West Coast is the greatest coast!

I know I could have made that rhyme but what do you think I am? Some kind of pop hack?! That, sir, was my father!

Chapter 1: Section 2: Page 19: Line 151 (256)

 "We'd picked up a little galvanic halo ourselves by the time we got here," said Chick, "what with the speed and all."

* * * * * * * * * *

When trading "sky-stories" with other aeronauts, you're always trying to compete with who faced the worst conditions and had the most adventurous time. Chick has only been an aeronaut for two weeks so he's really got to up his story game. This whole "Oh yeah, we had a little bit of what you just described as well" isn't going to "cut the mustard," as they've recently become fond of saying in the early 1890s. See? I can do it too, Pynchon!

"a little galvanic halo"
Okay, I guess the electric fluid was lightning. Or space electricity. Or static what-not. That seemed pretty apparent which is why I suggested it so matter-of-factly after my bombastic supposition about aether. Chick's "galvanic halo" sounds like some of that static what-not being that he's suggesting they gathered up some currents based on their speed, meaning they were producing a mighty amount of friction against the clouds and the aether and the what-not and all.

Chapter 1: Section 2: Page 19: Line 150 (255)

 "Oh, Gesundheit, Riley," said Zip, "but last time you told that one, it was strange voices and so forth—"

* * * * * * * * * *

"Gesundheit"
In just the last couple days, I said this to the Non-Certified Spouse and then I asked her what it literally means, being that she's fluent in German. I was all, "What's 'gesund' mean?" And she was all, "Healthy." And I was all, "What does 'heit' mean?" And she was all, "Technical words and grammar stuff that I don't remember exactly." (That wasn't her quote but my memory's memory of her quote!) But basically it's like saying, "Oh shit, you're dying! Maybe I can ward off death by saying some magical words of healthiness! If you don't die in the next week, I saved your life!" 

"last time you told that one"
Okay, maybe that story wasn't so recent. Or maybe Darby and Chick's camp isn't the first camp they stopped at. Or maybe they've been in this field outside Chicago for a few days. I don't need to be this accurate on the Bindlestiff's timeline! It's not like I'm solving a murder and I need to pinpoint their location across the previous weeks to rule them out as the killers.

"it was strange voices and so forth"
"Sky-stories" like "sea-stories" can often be full of hyperbole and superstition. They're just tall tales to make their adventures seem more exciting. Unless . . . maybe Riley did hear voices and, as he gets further away from the story, he's begun to convince himself that he couldn't have heard voices and thinking he did was nonsense and so he dropped that part of the story. Maybe they were up so high in the atmosphere that Riley could hear the voices of angels or the thoughts of the dead? Remember that part in Gravity's Rainbow where Slothrop begins to pick up on deceased Roland Feldspath's thoughts and how Roland seemed to be trapped somewhere in the atmosphere above the Casino Hermann Goering? And what about the angel over Lübeck? Plenty of various reasons for Riley to have heard voices way up in the sky. Also, he was freezing to death so his mind might have been going a little schizophrenic from the trauma of hypothermia.

Chapter 1: Section 2: Pages 18-19: Line 149 (254)

 "Coming in over 'Egypt,' downstate Illinois to you, Darb, we caught us an upriser off a cornfield by Decatur, thought we'd be onto the dang moon by now—'scuse me"—pausing to sneeze—"icicles o' snot down to our belt buckles, goin all blue from the light of that electric fluid, 's whirlpoolin round our heads—ahh-pffeugghh!"

* * * * * * * * * *

Riley, one of the Bindlestiffs, is telling this recent story, probably of their trip to the Exposition, seeing as how he seems to have gotten sick from the experience. Because anybody with a grandparent knows you catch cold from being too cold. I don't know the science behind catching a cold if you don't wear a jacket. I guess it has something to do with the immune system falling asleep when the body temperature lowers or maybe cold germs can only live in weather that feels fair to young people but freezes the buttocks off of old men and women.

"Coming in over 'Egypt,' downstate Illinois to you, Darb"
At first I just assumed downstate Illinois was being referred to as Egypt because that's where Cairo, Illinois is. But I did my due diligent research and learned for the first time in my 49 years that Southern Illinois has been referred to as "Little Egypt" for a period of time long enough that when Southeastern Illinois College sprang to life (fully formed the way colleges do, like stars, if my understanding of the universe by way of Giles Goat-Boy is accurate), it incorporated a sphinx and a pyramid into its seal and logo. A better dating of the time the name came about (obviously prior to 1893 since Riley is calling it that in this book) is around the 1830s when the people of Northern Illinois were stricken by a terrible winter and early frost that ruined the crops so that they needed to travel to Southern Illinois to seek sustenance. In doing so, they compared themselves to the Hebrews having to travel to Egypt in a time of famine. Except in their story, nobody was murderously jealous of their little brothers gorgeous jacket and his stupid prophetic dreams and his father's big dumb love for the stupid kid.
    From the very little I've read, it was noted that the first documented use of the term was in 1912. But it was definitely used for longer than that almost certainly and probably. Not that I'd ever heard it before but I was born and raised in California and what do Californians know about the Midwest. Or East. What region is Illinois considered to be in? I'd say Midwest because it contains Chicago. Also because "Midwest" always includes a bunch of states I never would have thought were Midwest and excludes a bunch of states I always assumed were the Midwest. Again, what do Californians know?! The only regions we're concerned with are the beaches and valleys. And the people of the valleys better damn well stay off the beaches!

"caught us an upriser"
Obviously Riley is talking about a current of air that shot their balloon well into the troposphere, possibly even into the stratosphere! I don't know much about balloons and how high they can go but I can talk atmospheric layers all day long! As long as we stick to the one that had a Masters of the Universe character named after it and the troposphere. But the term "upriser" also suggests one who takes part in an uprising. As in "the immigrants and poor people of this country aren't going to take much more of this exploiting of labor by rich industrialists and they're going to make some serious trouble if nobody institutes any labor laws right quick, don't'cha know?!"

"the dang moon"
I don't know what Riley's got against the moon but come on! That kind of language is uncalled for. Unless he just meant "by dang we sure got sent way up in the air, almost to the beautiful and gorgeous and well-adjusted moon!"

"goin all blue from the light of that electric fluid, 's whirlpoolin round our heads"
I think Riley is talking about the Aether here. It's a super important part of this book because Against the Day takes place in the—oh! oh! here we go! Am I doing it right?!—liminal space in our changing understanding of light. In 1887, the Michaelson-Morley experiment began to cast doubt on the existence of aether, previously needed for the theory about how light traveled through space. One of Pynchon's stage decorations of the novel may be that our theories of the world create the world and so while we believed in aether, the world provided copious examples of it. But as we began to doubt it, it literally changed our world. And I don't mean Pynchon suggests this with only the aether but with our entire belief system, and possibly even our fiction.
    One example of this is the Hollow Earth theory. The theory was a popular belief but disproven in the late 1700s. At that point, it became a relic of science fiction. So while you wouldn't expect the Chums of Chance to travel through a Hollow Earth, having been disproven a century before their adventures, they still manage to do it because it's still a popular theme in science fiction, such as in 1892's The Goddess of Atvatabar by William R. Bradshaw.
    Also, the "electric fluid" might just be lightning! In 1893, the Chums are also in a liminal electric space! It was only in 1882 that the first New York electric street lamps were beginning to spring up. And the Chicago's World Fair will be a major exhibition of the wonders of electricity and lighting. The 1890s were also when Tesla was experimenting with wireless lighting and wireless electricity.
    My point, and I sometimes have them, is that 1893 seems to be a perfect space in time and science for Pynchon to explore the ideas of how our consciousness, and how the world around us and our perception of it, changed dramatically through technology and innovation. And also, as we'll see, labor practices!

Chapter 1: Section 2: Page 18: Line 148 (253)

 After introductions, Chick and Darby brought out folding camp chairs, the Bindlestiffs opened their baskets of delectables, and the colleagues settled down to an evening of gossip, shop talk, and sky-stories.

* * * * * * * * * *

"baskets of delectables"
If this had been written ten years later, Pynchon would definitely be referencing Hillary Clinton's "basket of deplorables" here. Although just seeing this phrase in print makes me appreciate Clinton's wordplay even more. Also, history has proven that Hillary was being kind when she only said half of Trump's followers were in the basket of deplorables. She went on to clarify who the other half were and why they might be voting for Trump and she was way too optimistic and forgiving of those people. Because a good percentage of those supposed people readily embraced the badge of "deplorable" and showed their true selves in their stupid righteous misplaced anger.

"folding camp chairs"
Here's an image of a Hecules folding camp chair that I found on eBay:

I don't know if this is the kind stored on the Inconvenience but at least it gives you an impression of how crappy things were in 1893. Also how dainty most people's posteriors were! I would crush this thing and I'm not even obese! At least that's what I tell myself.

Here's a picture of Teddy Roosevelt in a Tripolina folding chair patented in 1877. This is probably more like what the kids had on the ship because that other thing is terrible! I'm not editing it out though because it's actually pretty interesting. This design is still fairly common now even though Tripolina inventor Joseph Fenby's company went bankrupt in 1879. If you want a better look at a modern version, just Google it!

Chapter 1: Section 2: Page 18: Line 147 (252)

 Even with the chorus of hoots it evoked from the other boys, Darby found the fleeting brush of her freckled cheek against his lips more than worth the aggravation.

* * * * * * * * * *

Geez, 1893! Way to ruin a romantic moment with a kiss on the cheek! I'm a modern man in 2021! I need some lip on lip action at worst! And yes, I know these are, at best, twelve year old children (I'm sure Penelope is an "older woman" and probably more like fourteen). But just because somebody is an old fart doesn't mean they don't remember what it was like to be every other age they've ever been. In fact, the thing most young people don't understand until they've gotten older themselves is that a person remains every age they've always been at all times. When I became infatuated with Sailor Moon during college, it wasn't the twenty-something year old adult that fell in love with the romantic entanglements and genuine friendships of the girls. It was the part of me that was still fourteen years old and still experiencing the intense feelings of those first junior high school crushes. You don't ever really leave behind the emotions engendered by the various experiences that formed you across decades. It's like looking through a prism where everything is refracted by different perceptions based on your various ages. You retain and feel the experiences of being a fourteen year old while simultaneously viewing those feelings and experiences through the lenses of a forty year old (which is also different from viewing the twelve year old's experiences through the lenses of a twenty-eight year old you (which is also different from viewing the twenty eight year old's viewing of the twelve year old's experiences through the eyes of a forty year old you (it can get pretty confusing! Maybe that's what dementia is! Too many convoluted ways to perceive your life after far too many years))). Aging isn't transmutative; aging is just insetting more and more parenthetical references into an ever-lengthening clause.

Another good but unnecessary example is Degrassi Junior High. When I was watching the original on PBS, I was about a year younger than Caitlin and Joey Jeremiah. I can still return to the show and feel exactly how I felt at the time. I can still have a non-troubling crush on young Caitlin because it's still the twelve year old me who feels that crush. It's not forty-nine year old me who is crushing on the girl. That's gross! But I still experience the part of me that's still twelve. The party of me that's forty-nine sees the women now whom I had crushes on when I was young, women like Gillian Anderson and Christina Applegate and Winona Ryder and Stacie Mistysyn, and thinks, "They're even more attractive now than they were when they were younger!" Younger me would probably disagree but fuck that guy. He's dead now! I mean, mostly, since saying he's dead argues against everything I've been saying up until this moment! And I don't want to be thought of as a disingenuous hypocrite.

No, you know what? It's fine. I actually love being thought of as a disingenuous hypocrite.

Anyway, that part about needing "lip on lip action at worst" was just a joke that didn't get to its disgusting punchline thanks to the interruption by the rumination about aging. It's probably for the best!

"more than worth the aggravation"
When the boys are teasing you for getting attention from a girl, you know it's the only way their stunted male emotions allow them to give a round of supportive applause.

"her freckled cheek"
Twelve year old me is now in love with Penelope Black.

Chapter 1: Section 2: Page 18: Line 146 (251)

 "You better kiss me," she said, "it's tradition after all."

* * * * * * * * * *

What is the power dynamic between the Captain of a ship and the mascotte of another ship? I'm concerned this might be sexual harassment. It's probably okay because Penny doesn't have any way of punishing Darby if he doesn't kiss her the way Randolph could punish Darby if he didn't kiss him. This is probably like if the CEO of Microsoft fucked the Phillie Phanatic's face. It would just be one individual whose power in their own field doesn't overlap in any way the other person's field and thus divorces that power from any intimate actions of which the two partake. The only concern for me, in that situation, is that one of those two hypothetical individuals seems a little bit rapey to me. You know which one I mean. I mean the one less likely to sue me for slander.

I wish my junior high school crush Marilyn had been this forward in the library that day when the note we'd been passing back and forth during lunch had returned to me with "I love you anyways" and I just became super embarrassed and awkward and laughed and stopped responding with the note like a big dumb socially retarded buffoon. If' only she'd said, "You better kiss me!" Although is that any less intimidating than "I love you anyway" which caused me to completely shut down and fall apart? If she'd said, "You better kiss me," my brain would have fired up an embolism on the spot and put me out of my misery for good.

Chapter 1: Section 2: Page 18: Line 145 (250)

 He found himself shuffling nervously, and with no idea what to do about his hands.

* * * * * * * * * *

"what to do about his hands"
Salute? Shake Penny's hand? Snap your fingers while pretending to juggle? Punch Penny gently in the shoulder? Finger guns? Thumbs up? Hand jive?
    If Darby didn't like Penny, I'd have a whole other list of less than polite things he could do with his hands!

Chapter 1: Section 2: Page 18: Line 142-144 (247-249)

 "W-wow! Your first command! That's champion!"

* * * * * * * * * *

Darby isn't afraid to compliment a woman on succeeding. He's the real champion! I mean, obviously Penny is the real champion having been promoted to Captain of her own ship and not refusing it for six years like a huge sucker, getting fatter and fatter and more bearded until nobody respected Riker at all anymore. But Darby can be sort of a champion for simply being a decent human being and not a typical man. Here's a chart of the decency of men:

Despicable                                   Average                               Decent                   Benevolent
<-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->

See how the average man isn't decent like you would expect? You would expect the base line of being a decent human being would be the average state of a man. At least you might expect that if you had never met a man and were an alien from another planet. But after seeing how terribly men react to things like women succeeding, you'd have to realize that just being a decent person and celebrating that news makes you better than the average man! Also notice that "Average" is much closer to "Despicable" than "Benevolent."

I hope I don't get my man card confiscated for talking about men like this! But really, we mostly suck. And yet I still love myself! So confident! And delusional!

Chapter 1: Section 2: Page 18: Line 141 (246)

 "Yeahp," Penny grinned, "they gave me the Tzigane—just brought the old tub in here from Eugene, got her berthed down past that little grove of trees there, nobody worse for wear."

* * * * * * * * * *

"Yeahp"
I guess this is how we're supposed to say "Yep!" in Oregon? Like how all the Maine residents in Stephen King books say, "Ayuh." The only problem is I'll have to figure out exactly how to say it so people know I'm not just saying "Yep!"

"the Tzigane"
A "tzigane" is an Eastern European Romani person, particularly from Hungary. I already pointed out how the name of their club, "Bindlestiffs," could possibly be an offensive term and now they're basically calling their wandering ship the Gypsy. It's possible the crew are all Romani in which case the name is fine. The earliest documented mention of Roma in Oregon is from papers in 1893! The story, you might not be surprised to hear, is about a missing girl who was presumed kidnapped by a passing group of Romani. With no evidence, of course! But my guess, since they're ascensionaries, is that they're probably just a bunch of white protestants who think it's cute to play as traveling bindlestiffs and wandering Romani. Or, as we would have said in the 70s because they were two of the most popular Halloween costumes (because they were so easy to pull off), hobos and gypsies. But we wouldn't say that anymore! I mean, I wouldn't. I won't pretend Conservatives don't exist. They're not going to give up their casually racist and offensive terms unless we pull them from their cold dead hands! Hint, hint!

"Eugene"
This is where all the hippies live in Oregon. It's where the University of Oregon is located. Their mascot is the duck. That's pretty lame even when you consider the other big Oregon University's mascot is a beaver. Portland State's mascot is the Viking which seems more like a football mascot (probably because it's also a professional one!) although it feels a bit racist in the 21st century. Not racist like calling your football team the Redskins! But racist like celebrating European white heritage!
    A truck I was driving on a road trip with my cousin once broke down in Eugene and I was lucky that my step-grandfather lived there so he could pick us up until help came to get us back to Portland. He was the father of an ex-mayor of Portland who totally cheats at Scattergories. I don't want to name him because knowing he cheats at that game could hurt his reputation. But you might also know him as the Portlandia mayor's assistant!

"that little grove of trees"
That's where the man with the camera and the naked lady ran off to! I wonder if Penny saw them doing it!

"nobody worse for the wear"
I think she saw the Inconvenience's terrible landing and is breaking Darby's balls here.

Chapter 1: Section 2: Page 18: Line 140 (245)

 The Bindlestiffs were known and respected for granting the loquacious sex membership on a strictly equal footing with boys, including full opportunities for promotion.

* * * * * * * * * *

"the loquacious sex"
Weird to think how women got the stereotype of talking a lot when men have tried to keep women's voices silent for most of history. I suppose in that environment, where you never want to hear a woman's opinion on any topic, any amount of speaking seems like too much. Maybe men have gotten the reputation for not being so talkative because most of the stuff they want to say is crass and disgusting which is why they only say it in the locker room where only other crass and disgusting creatures are hanging out.
    I'll tell you this about locker rooms: anybody who says something like "that's just locker room talk!" is a disgusting, vile monster of a human being. As a male, I've spent way more time in locker rooms than I would have liked and being in those locker rooms was always torturous. If a guy thinks it's somehow "out of bounds" to criticize a person for "locker room talk," that guy is telling on himself. If he enjoys being in a locker room with all of those other monsters, he himself is a monster. Being in a locker room as a fat kid in junior high were the worst moments of my life and all guys who think "locker room talk" is okay can get fucked. They're sociopaths if they think the person they are in the locker room isn't their true self. Who you are when you think nobody will judge you is exactly who you are. When you're out of the locker room, you're in your secret identity.

See how much I just talked there! Okay, sure, it was writing. But it's basically the same thing! I want to "talk" so much that I've written over 4000 blog entries on my other blog! Although if we were face to face, I probably wouldn't have much to say and you would think, "As a male, he's not very loquacious." I would really hope you enjoyed carrying conversations.

If the Bindlestiffs were known for gender equality then the standard among aeronauts was not that. I guess I didn't expect anything different, it being 1893 and all. But I still do hope one of the Chums winds up being a girl in drag.

Chapter 1: Section 2: Page 18: Line 138-139 (243-244)

 "That's 'Captain' to you." She held up a sleeve to display four gold stripes, at whose edges could be seen evidence of recent needlework.

* * * * * * * * * *

Oh no! Penny is a captain?! Darby, being a "mascotte," doesn't have a chance! What Captain would rightly be seen dating what amounts to the 1893 version of the San Diego chicken?! Or the Philly Whatsamajig?! Poor Darby!

"four gold stripes"
This is the Naval insignia for a Captain. Also for airline pilots! But the aeronauts are probably using Naval designations because they crew ships of the air and also because airline pilots didn't exist yet.

"recent needlework"
She's only been a Captain for a short time! This is the kind of clue Sherlock Holmes would use to solve a murder. I don't know what good the information will be to Darby. Also, has there been a murder?

Chapter 1: Section 2: Page 18: Line 137 (242)

 "Hello, Riley, Zip . . . Penny," he added shyly.

* * * * * * * * * *

Darby was me in junior high school. I'd always find a way to acknowledge my crush but only as casually as possible, like saying hello to everybody in class just so it didn't look like I was actually only interested in saying hello to Marilyn.

Chapter 1: Section 2: Page 18: Line 136 (241)

 Darby, recognizing them as members of Bindlestiffs of the Blue A.C., a club of ascensionaries from Oregon, with whom the Chums of Chance had often flown on joint manœuvres, broke into a welcoming smile, especially for Miss Penelope ("Penny") Black, whose elfin appearance disguised an intrepid spirit and unfaltering will, and on whom he had had a "case" for as long as he could remember.

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"Bindlestiffs of the Blue A.C."
I'm fairly certain the "A.C." just stands for "aeronautics club" even though I really wanted it to stand for "antichrist" or "amazing Christ," seeing as how this club is made up of ascensionaries. I think that's something like "missionaries who descend upon you like vultures from the air." "Bindlestiff" is probably a derogatory term by now but it basically means a tramp or a hobo. You know, somebody who carries a bindle. These guys are just tramps of the air, flying around getting into trouble stealing pies from windowsills and destroying primitive cultures with their love of Christ.

"from Oregon"
I'm not from Oregon but I'm kind of from Oregon since Oregon was where my alcoholic father geographicked to after divorcing my mom when I was two. So I spent the odd weekend or two up there growing up. Now I live here. It's exactly the kind of place an aeronautics club called the Bindlestiffs of the Blue would be from. Except they wouldn't be espousing Christ's teachings now. Now they'd be spreading Marx's words and their balloon's gondola would be full of chickens.

"Miss Penelope ("Penny") Black"
This is the first knowingly female aeronaut! I bet Darby isn't the only aeronaut with a crush on her. Part of the reason men think women have their pick of any man they want is because so much gatekeeping is done on various hobbies and occupations. If you only allow one or two women into your club of dozens of men, the men are going to swarm all over the woman as a potential partner. And when she refuses them all, it isn't because she's some prude or cold hearted person. It's probably because the guy she's attracted to isn't attracted to her which means she's in the same boat as all the men attracted to her who she isn't attracted to! If you want more opportunities to meet a woman whom you're attracted to who is also attracted to you, let more women into your spaces! Or, better yet, get into hobbies or occupations that are typically considered feminine by society! Or, and this is a revolutionary idea, if you're a heterosexual man, maybe don't treat every member of the opposite sex as simply an opportunity to get laid!
    Why did I go on that rant? Who knows?! What I really wanted to say was that Penelope is a great name for a dame from 1893! And her surname of "Black" probably means something too! Like, "black" is the color of a moonless night so it's the opposite of "day" which we're apparently "against." It's the absence of light and light is (or will be?) an important theme in this book!

"elfin appearance"
This either means she's short or tall, depending on what kind of elves Pynchon is talking about. Probably short since this moment is pre-Tolkien (not pre-Tolkien existing since he was born a year previously! But definitely pre-Lord of the Rings which he didn't write until way after he was one year old). It also means she's cute, probably. If she were ugly, she'd probably be described as "goblinesque" or "troll-like."
    Being tiny and demure would also explain why her look "disguised an intrepid spirit and unfaltering will." I hope "intrepid spirit" and "unfaltering will" are euphemisms for "horny like a goat in spring."

Chapter 1: Section 2: Page 18: Line 134-135 (239-240)

 "Howdy, Darb! What's up and what's down?"

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The new mystery person appears to be one of Darby's peers but is it a rival or a friend?! Who can tell?! Other than a person who reads books as one continuous action and doesn't take a break after every sentence to ask stupid questions.

"What's up"
This is a thing people ask other people when they want to know what the other person is currently up to or has recently been up to or maybe even what they've been up to since they last met. Sometimes it doesn't even require an answer and it is just meant as an informal greeting. It can be answered by a smart ass friend with "The sky!"

"What's down"
This is not a formulation that I'm familiar with. This character is probably just adding it as a sort of poetic and balancing factor to the "what's up," a bit of casual fun with language. But it could also be something aeronauts say to each other when they're on the ground. "Hey, I know you're not up currently so what's going down here on the ground, my good buddy ten four roger!" "What's going down?" is another way to say "What's up?" which is kind of weird, isn't it? You would think opposites would mean something different! Maybe it's like an 80s edgelord comedian's routine. "You ever notice how white people are always all, 'What's up?' But then Black people are always all, 'What's going down?'"

Chapter 1: Section 2: Page 18: Line 132-133 (237-238)

 Into the firelight emerged two boys and a girl, carrying picnic baskets and wearing flight uniforms of indigo mohair brilliantine with scarlet pinstripes, and headgear which had failed to achieve the simpler geometry of the well-known Shriner fez, being far more ornate and, even for its era, arguably not in the best of taste. There was an oversized spike, for example, coming out the top, German style, and a number of plumes dyed a pale eclipse green.

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I bet those picnic baskets are full of valuables nicked from campsites without dogs where aeronauts have already collapsed into sleep around their campfires. I don't trust these new kids at all!

Here's what the Bindlestiffs of the Blue A.C. might look like according to the Non-Certified Spouse, Kendal:

And here's an early draft of Penelope Black before she decided the hats weren't the same material as the uniforms.

I hope I can get Kendal to imagine all the fashion descriptions throughout the book! The only issue is that drawing takes much longer than my crappy analysis and I'm already going to spend over ten years doing this project! So in the future, I'll just add her art later and re-share the link to the entry when it's ready.