MELANGE

--There is, it seems to me, a direct correlation between one’s ability to create and his physical heath. Much of the reason for the lag between posts can be traced back to a cold I’ve just gotten over. By the same token, I agree with Larry Gelbart: “Any writer, to a man, to a woman, will find any excuse not to write.”

--I’ve mentioned the outgoing Governor of Alaska, the unfairly maligned Sarah Palin, elsewhere. Anyone who governs a large state like that and still finds time to paint her toenails purple is okay in my book. Besides, Mrs. Palin’s done quite a good job; when has anything or anyone besides Sarah Palin made national news over the past few years? I thought so.

--Do you know why the Harry Potter books grew progressively bigger with the passage of time? Scholastic was making so much money with off Mr. Potter’s magic wand—and Mrs. Rowling’s golden fingertips—they were afraid to edit the books. It’s the same thing with Stephen King, John Grisham, or any other author that grew too big for his or her britches. No one censors a word that comes out of a golden mind, if you receive my meaning. The lesson for all budding authors (myself included) is this: Be humble enough to take criticism and be edited. Your audience will thank you, and so will you, when you’re driving a Beemer.

--Phillies fans, which did you appreciate more: Tug McGraw’s leap in 1980 or Brad Lidge’s kneeling in 2008?

“The mind of a thoroughly well-informed man is a dreadful thing. It is like a bric-a-brac shop, all monsters and dust, with everything priced above its proper value.”—Oscar Wilde
--These days, my favorite writer is Roger Ebert. Ever since the throat surgery, writing has become Roger’s main means of communication. Which means that his writing has taken on greater urgency and lucidity. Politically, Roger’s a liberal, but his opinions and ideas are reasoned and thoughtful. I find myself checking his main site and blog daily; now more than ever, Roger’s words deserve to be chiseled into stone.
“It’s true that it takes some time to listen to a silent face, because you can’t say in half a second what can only be said over time” –Isabelle Huppert (NOTE: It seems crazy, but I understand that.)
“Luck is preparation meeting opportunity”. –Diane Keaton
--The only thing that could top a Rays-Phillies series in 2008 is a Yankees-Phillies World Series here in 2009. That week of last October, running through my 30th birthday, could not have been more delicious if it had been topped with hot fudge, whipped cream and a Merechino cherry. So the only encore that would do it justice would be to see my two favorite teams do battle in the autumn chill.
--When someone tells me, to my face or otherwise, that they practice Tantra, Transcendental Meditation, or both, my heart floods with envy. It’s impossible, walking around a city or a shopping mall, to tell if people do those things, or what else they do. I would love to have the gift of reading other people’s minds. Not that I want to feel superior to my peers or anything.
-- “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?” -–Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love