Already late for work, I was about a minute from our house this morning when I realized I didn’t have my glasses and had to turn around to fetch them …
I picked my glasses from the night table -- the same place they are every morning -- and got back in the car to try my drive to work again …
Until I made a pit stop at the post office for stamps, looked down at my feet as I opened the entrance door and noticed I was wearing two different shoes. That’s right -- a gray New Balance tennis shoe on my left foot and a brown dress show on my right foot.
Only slightly embarrassed, I joined the line in the lobby of the post office -- behind a police officer in full uniform -- and waited patiently until it was my turn. When it was, I scurried to the counter, trying to draw no extra attention to myself and playing Morgan Freeman’s line over and over in my head from the end of ‘Shawshank Redemption:’ “How often do you really look at a man’s shoes?”
I bought my stamps and thankfully drew no funny looks -- as far as I could tell. And then scurried back to my car, still trying to draw no extra attention. And drove home once again, this time to find matching shoes.
Finally at work -- a half hour late -- it took me another hour to get my ancient computer (don’t even get me started …) booted up and working properly. By the time that happened there was barely an hour left before I would take my lunch break and my mind was so far away from my cubicle I could hardly concentrate …
Leftover Chinese food for lunch, I returned to the office this afternoon re-energized and ready to crank out a couple stories. But still didn’t get a lot done …
My editor sent out an office-wide email announcing a change in our byline format that would include our email addresses and asked for feedback. That prompted a conversation about the majority of our readers being elderly and out of the loop when it comes to the World Wide Web, to which I responded, and the majority agreed, ‘Well, get e-mail, dang it …’ And my friend Liz noted this wonderful column in the Chicago Trib over the weekend …
And later, when a headline came over the wire about Baby Jessica being all grown up, we all took a stroll down memory lane, discussing our memories of the historic TV coverage and the made-for-television movie that soon followed … which led to a conversation about tonight’s ‘Flight 93’ on A&E and my friend Liz, again, saying something like ‘That’s the thing about TV movies: they just make up %#?! No one knows what happened on that plane.’ (… It was more comical hearing her say that then it is writing it now). Nevertheless, the film is getting good reviews and I do plan to watch it, or at least DVR it.
I spent the remainder of my day reading more of the Trib and swapping story ideas …
And came home. Again. For good.
In other news of the day ...
a Sorry, Oprah: It's still a great book! ... my thoughts exactly. I can't say I've read the illustrious book, but if it reads well and people like it, should anyone care?
a In harm's way, as Woodruff wanted ... a great column about the more personal side of Bob Woodruff, along with the related piece about the latest on Woodruff's condition.
a Favre claims he's leaning toward retiring ... It sucks to hear, but we have to move on people.
a Mike Piazza is Padres' catch ... very interesting. I like it.
a Tigers' Leyland expecting quick turnaround ... I like that too. Welcome back to respect, Tigers.
2 comments:
What! How can you say it doesn't matter whether James Frey tells the truth in his writing! If he tells us it is true, then he has violated the trust that ever writer asks the reader to give them when they pick up any piece of non-fiction, in a book, newspaper or documentary.
And since the woman who wrote the story you linked to is the same woman who won the Pulitzer for writing a non-fiction piece about the tornado in Utica, she should know that more than anyone. Are we supposed to believe that she didn't care about every single detail of the truth when she wrote that, too? She quotes passages about the plane which she considers "whopping good", but why should I believe Frey ever got on a plane? And if he didn't what's the point?
There are lots of great writers who aren't liars.
Also, I can't believe the Mets got rid of Piazza.
Ok, I'm done hyperventilating.
Hanley
C'mon Hanley ... Didn't you read the article!?! I'm not saying it's ok to write a book of lies and endorse it as absolute fact. ...I'm saying let's get over that and enjoy the book for what it's worth. Even John Stewart backed me up the other night on Daily Show. Just have fun reading it. That's all I'm sayin'
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