Archive for March, 2007
The Weak in Review
When I got back a week ago, I woke up to find my voice crumbling all around the edges. This is pretty rare and, needless to say, not a good thing if 99.9% of your day job is talking too much. It also makes it difficult to carry on a conversation — people have trouble [...]
Accessory to Murder
“So . . . what did you do this weekend, Daddy?”
“Well, you know what I did?”
“What?”
(leans in close, whispers) “I murdered a guy.”
“What?”
“I murdered someone.”
“Really?”
“Oh yeah. And you know something else? I’ve been planning it for years. I’ve been working up to it, thinking about it every day and I finally did it. And it [...]
Home
My family is defined by distance and by the reunions we have to overcome them. The past few days were no exception.
We come from all over, little by little. We eat and drink. We stay up too late and tell stories from the past. We heckle each other about our hairlines and waistlines. We catch [...]
Past Lives, Pannini’s, and Other Impossible Things
I leave town later than I want, which is not so much of a problem as I have planned to arrive two hours early . . . meaning, I will be arriving three hours early. I do this partially as a stopgap against unforeseen problems on the road — traffic, car trouble, a flat tire. [...]
Midway to Sacramento by way of Sin City
I’m on my way to California later today. I don’t know what my connectivity will be so I may be out of touch for a bit.
Try to survive without me for a few days.
The Music of Chance
Most of the time, I listen to music as I write — which is not too surprising, as I typically listen to music all of the time. But usually, music plays a pretty big role in what I’m writing.
Once during an audience talkback/response session, someone asked who my influences were and in addition to [...]
A Brief Commercial
I don’t write many fan letters.
The first one, long ago, was to Herman Wouk in thanks for his book ‘Inside, Outside’ — I was fifteen, so that’s probably the epitome of pretentious, but I meant every word.
And I wrote to Buster Keaton a fair amount a decade ago. But that was a different thing [...]
Quick Note from the Kitchen Table
There are really very few things that I love more than sitting in front of a window, watching the snow coming down, and writing.
(And yes, I realize that it’s very late, but I’m working through Chapter Eighteen tonight — which means there are girls with antlers, Egyptian gods in convertibles, dating advice from a dragon, [...]
Father’s Day
(From a recent conversation with my lovely wife…)
“Which one is Joy?”
“Joy’s the one who — have I told you this?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Joy’s the one who . . . I probably shouldn’t tell you this.”
“You might as well.”
“Well, when you came to see me one time, Joy thought you were…”
“…your what?”
“She thought you were my [...]
Tee Gee Eye Eff
Keeley, tossing slivered almonds in a pan just like a pro while she holds a cell phone up to one ear, her iPod plugged into the other: “Look at that. I’m fucking awesome at that.”
Me: “Hm?”
Keeley: “What? Sorry, I’m kinda plugged in at the moment.”
She is, too. And very awesome. She doesn’t have to work [...]
