"When someone says 'who cares?' what they often mean is 'WHO CARES?' as in 'I care very much and I'm not going to stop telling you that I don't care until you tell me you care as little about this as I do.' "
Slate columnist Inigo Thomas, on the British people's affectionate two-mindedness when it comes to the royal family, vis-à-vis Charles' upcoming marriage to Camilla Parker-Bowles. http://www.slate.com/id/2113387/
February 11, 2005 in Text | Permalink | Comments (0)
"Maybe the books at the National Archives really are just telling it like it is. After all, it's possible that George W. Bush is an illegitimately installed fascist monster leading America's military-industrial complex on a nuclear crusade for world domination. But what kind of dime-store dictator can't even crush dissent at his own bookstore?"
Jonathan V. Last, noticing the plethora of anti-Bush books on sale at the National Archives
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB109054781921471993,00.html?mod=todays_us_weekend_journal
July 23, 2004 in Text | Permalink | Comments (0)
"In that carriage, between the grumpy woman oozing vulgarity and the similarly asinine creature with her, the progenitor and her eczematous brat, the purple-faced fatso, the half-bald guy like a vegetarian may-bug, the verbose matinee idol and the crazy witch, no room for me."
A line from Michel Dansel's new book -- a 233 page novel without verbs
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB108993463287965430,00.html?mod=todays_us_page_one
July 16, 2004 in Text | Permalink | Comments (0)
Misadventures in the 213
Dennis Hensley
Ok, so it screams early-1990s (answering machines?), but if you're gay and you've ever lived in Los Angeles, it's a must-read. As Karen Walker would say, it's funny because it's true.
May 31, 2004 in Text | Permalink | Comments (0)
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Klay
Michael Chabon
One of the reasons I watch The O.C. (besides my weakness for palm trees and the witty, rapid-fire Sorkin-esque dialog) is that they insert pop-culture references the way most shows sneak in product placements for Pepsi. So when Seth prodded Ryan to read The Amazing adventures of Kavalier & Clay, my interest was piqued.
It was a great book. But more about that later. Kids, I have discovered the source material for The O.C! It's a story about a young Jewish boy who, through a twist of fate, becomes best friends with a distantly-related relative (a tall, blonde, dashing, silent-but-passionate type). The two hit it off, change each others' lives, and, against all odds, become famous by launching their own comic book. The problems of fame ensue, girlfriends are alienated…you get the picture.
Sound familiar?
But back to the book. I've never been a big fan of comic books, but I really like what Chabon's done here. He took the hallmark elements of comics -- larger-than-life heroes, fantastic adventures, bombastic villains -- and translated them, quite elegantly, into prose. He completely recreated the look and feel of a comic book, all without a single illustration. POW!
May 31, 2004 in Text | Permalink | Comments (0)
"Without delving into the litany of great source material that is the women versus men dichotomy, let it be said that men and women are different in one specific way. Men can be read. Women cannot. Men are the Sunday comics. Women are Ayn Rand." http://www.rushmagazine.com/articles/516
January 01, 2004 in Text | Permalink | Comments (0)
"What's the ruling when you're in a precarious Twister position, and then suddenly an earthquake hits and you topple? Do you lose? Or is there an act-of-God provision in the fine print of the Twister rule book?"
Seth Stevenson in "Tokyo on One Cliche a Day" http://slate.msn.com/id/2089630/entry/0/
October 17, 2003 in Text | Permalink | Comments (0)
