So it’s pretty clear that today is the nicest day ever, and I am inside writing a paper for school because earlier in the week, when the weather was bad, I procrastinated and did other things. Right now the temperature is in the mid-70s, and there is a cloudless sky of deep blue. The azaleas have just peaked next door, and are so bright and pink as to almost be vulgar. Indeed, color that vivid outside of nature would be seen as offensive. Elke just gave me another heap of fresh strawberries, and I am watching the squirrels through the window foraging for acorns, of which there were millions this year. I am presently listening to Bach’s Flute Sonata in E Flat Major, BWV 1031.
Filed under: General, Meteorology, Music, School, WAYLTL on March 16th, 2008 | No Comments »
…I wouldn’t have thrown away my whole life (family, career, reputation, etc.) to sleep with Ashley Dupre. The New York Times has her story, and it’s a remarkably banal one about a working class Jersey girl who wants to be a singer. The only difference is that this girl starting working for the Emperor’s Club, calling herself Kristen.
It is all a little confusing, because from everything I have read over the last few days, supposedly one of the major differences between a $450 hooker and a $4,500 courtesan is that the latter offers especially charming wit and intellectually stimulating conversation. At either price point, both should have a pretty face. Ms. Dupre seems no different than half the girls on MySpace, and no more beautiful than a lot of girls I see every day at school. For the same investment, I think any man could legitimately court a young woman of comparable hotness and achieve a satisfactory result. Here’s how that might play out:
- Get yourself a few nice outfits ($400)
- Meet an attractive girl in any public place ($0)
- Take said girl on several romantic dates ($600)
- Fly to Paris for a weekend at the George V ($3,480)
That still leaves you with $20 for a pregnancy test.
Filed under: Current Events, Musings, Travel on March 13th, 2008 | No Comments »
The ceaseless passage of time is unrelenting and often disorienting. But sometimes the passing years bring a kind of gradual, organic change that is only shocking when viewed telescopically.
Today is my sister’s birthday. I vividly remember many of her childhood birthdays, like one in 1984 when I received a 45RPM record of Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl”. (It was customary in my family for the non-birthday sibling to be given some small gift to avoid feeling left out.) I also distinctly recall her 16th birthday, which almost feels like it was yesterday to me, where I think my mom’s enthusiasm exceeded my sister’s. I know she really, really wanted a car.
So, thinking back this way, where even a quarter of a century can pass in the blink of an eye, the changes wrought by time seem overwhelming. But if you had asked me at my sister’s tenth birthday party if I thought she’d be a married mother of two in her mid-30s, I’d probably have said I did.
Happy birthday, Heather.
Filed under: Family, Nostalgia, Special Occasions on March 11th, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Attention, Public Officials: Do not hire prostitutes. (Note: High-priced hookers are hookers nonetheless; the word “hooker” is still in their job title.)
Guys like me know all this, but it is apparently not part of the training manual for governors. I am very sorry to see that Elliot Spitzer, a man who certainly ought to know better, has been implicated in a prostitution ring. This is a shame, because I held out a great deal of hope for Spitzer, from the time he was a United States Attorney prosecuting Wall Street cheaters, and, ironically, prostitution ringleaders. I really thought he might one day hold a cabinet office, or higher.
Alas, the New York governor allegedly “hook”ed up (rim shot!) with a callgirl in Washington on February 13 (happy Valentine’s Day, Mrs. Spitzer!), and was caught in a wiretap. So, there goes his political career and, most likely, marriage. Also, it is my understanding that men who hire prostitutes sometimes go to jail, so there’s that.
Sigh.
Filed under: Current Events, Politics on March 10th, 2008 | 1 Comment »
I admit it is unfair of me to judge a place I’ve never been (that’s what they do in Russia), but my impression of Alabama isn’t entirely positive. So I was surprised and impressed a couple years back when I first saw their official state quarter which depicts Helen Keller, one of the most amazing human beings who ever lived. It is my favorite issue in the series.
I was reminded of the power of still images last week when a photograph of the deafblind girl was discovered and published a hundred and twenty years after it was taken. It shows Keller holding a doll in one hand, and the hand of Anne Sullivan with the other, and it is remarkably touching.
Filed under: Musings, Photography on March 10th, 2008 | No Comments »
