So a friend of mine read On Manifestos and wondered if I really think my audience reads Nietzsche and smokes Gauloises and cares about the ravings of a long-dead Dadaist, to which my only possible response is, I believe, “Bite me.” Or possibly, “At least they don’t read Ayn Rand like your audience, neener-neener.” Anyway,…
Month: January 2014
On teaching life lessons
We’re watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer and I’m explaining to Jessica that a vampire can’t come into a person’s house unless he or she is invited in. “Of course there’s no such thing as vampires. And in some stories about vampires, that’s not true,” I say, in the interests for providing full disclosure. “But it…
On the rules we live by
So I’m trying to explain astral projection to Jessica, who is possibly the world’s most literal person, which makes this task somewhat more difficult than it may sound, and we end up discussing my spiritual beliefs which are, um, eclectic. I don’t believe in astral projection, although I’m pretty sure I’ve experienced it, and I…
Dojo Wisdom for Writers Book Club, #14
Welcome to the Dojo Wisdom for Writers Book Club! Every Wednesday, we meet to discuss one of the lessons in Dojo Wisdom for Writers. We’ll go in order, so it’s easy enough to follow along. Read the lesson, then read the blog post, then comment in the comments! Do feel free to comment on each…
On Manifestos
Everything happens in a completely idiotic way. —Tristan Tzara, avant-garde poet and an early Dadaist of the more nihilistic persuasion. Tristan Tzara is the author of any number of manifestos which I adored reading when I was at that time of life when the reading of manifestos played an important role in my intellectual…
On visiting the zoo
We are at the zoo on a late fall afternoon. The weather is cool but pleasant. We’re sitting at an outdoor table near the exit and I am trying to convince Jessica that it’s time to go. She disagrees. Jessica has been in charge of the itinerary for this trip, so we have ridden the…