Girls' night

About this time yesterday, Cate called the office to share a phone call she got from a government committee informing her that 24-hour negotiations and planning were finally paying off, and that Laura Ling and Euna Lee were coming home. I don't really know the two journalists who were held prisoner in North Korea, but Laura was part of a monthly "girls' night" dinner that my wife, sister, and a bunch of friends participated in. Not too ago, we dropped off a bunch of reading material that I bought at GR store with her husband to include in his weekly care packages that he sent to North Korea via relatives in England, which still has relations with the country. (I hope whoever gets the stuff enjoys the back issues of GR, The Believer, and Kramer's Ergot.)

So of course Wendy and Angelyn were totally excited when I passed along the news, and were probably following the news as it leaked out throughout the day. But I was still a little hesitant about getting too excited--much less ramble about it in a blog--until they made it home. Last night when we were watching youtube, I told my wife how surreal it was to see her friend get board a plane with President Clinton, and she said something like, "What about being held prisoner in North Korea?"

Surely, the opposition party will criticize the former president's meeting with Kim Jong Il, but in the end, the American journalists' coming home to be with their families is the real story. Hopefully, the next girls' night in the works to celebrate.