Hey, Stephen Pinker, What Did <i>You</i> Do Saturday Night?

Last night was a gift. I had thought I’d be spending it on airplanes on the way to Aspen, where I’m giving a talk today at a conference on “The Future of Higher Education.” I went to Logan airport in the late afternoon, but they told me that the flight had been canceled due to mechanical problems, and I’d have to fly out early Sunday morning instead. So I had a free Saturday night, out of the blue! I jumped in a taxi and got home in time to join my girlfriend Rebecca for a long sunset walk along the Charles and around Harvard Square.

At one point a guy started following us, playing a concertina and singing “Let Me Call You Sweetheart.” We got into a long conversation with him about the neighborhood. Rebecca was thirsty so we stopped into a convenience store on Mt. Auburn St. to get some water, and then noticed it rented DVDs. We decided to rent “I [heart] Huckabees,” because Rebecca teaches philosophy and heard that it was a philosophical comedy. We picked up a sandwich and salad at Au Bon Pain, and a six-pack at Cardullo’s, and curled up on the couch to watch the movie. It was bad—neither philosophical nor funny— but that didn’t spoil the magic of the evening.