January 2012
20 posts
“My battles as a writer are battles with that part of myself that thinks I’m supposed to sound like T.S. Eliot when I grew up in East Texas. I wanted to sound lofty and British and to say ‘indeed’. That’s not how I am. The best thing about me is that I’m warm. The book should be that way, too, right? That’s something I can do better. I can do warm better than Don DeLillo. That’s not what he does. He does another thing.”
—
Mary Karr (via thebronzemedal)
I understand and appreciate the sentiment, but TS Elliot was from St. Louis.
Today was terrible.
And now I’m checking my work e-mail after half a bottle of wine. This is not going to end well.
John Steinbeck on Falling in Love: A 1958 Letter to his eldest son →
theatlantic.com
New York
November 10, 1958Dear Thom:
We had your letter this morning. I will answer it from my point of view and of course Elaine will from hers.
First — if you are in love — that’s a good thing — that’s about the best thing that can happen to anyone. Don’t let anyone make it small or light to you.
Second — There are several kinds of love. One is a selfish, mean, grasping, egotistical thing which uses love for self-importance. This is the ugly and crippling kind. The other is an outpouring of everything good in you — of kindness and consideration and respect — not only the social respect of manners but the greater respect which is recognition of another person as unique and valuable. The first kind can make you sick and small and weak but the second can release in you strength, and courage and goodness and even wisdom you didn’t know you had.
You say this is not puppy love. If you feel so deeply — of course it isn’t puppy love.
But I don’t think you were asking me what you feel. You know better than anyone. What you wanted me to help you with is what to do about it — and that I can tell you.
Glory in it for one thing and be very glad and grateful for it.
The object of love is the best and most beautiful. Try to live up to it.
If you love someone — there is no possible harm in saying so — only you must remember that some people are very shy and sometimes the saying must take that shyness into consideration.
Girls have a way of knowing or feeling what you feel, but they usually like to hear it also.
It sometimes happens that what you feel is not returned for one reason or another — but that does not make your feeling less valuable and good.
Lastly, I know your feeling because I have it and I’m glad you have it.
We will be glad to meet Susan. She will be very welcome. But Elaine will make all such arrangements because that is her province and she will be very glad to. She knows about love too and maybe she can give you more help than I can.
And don’t worry about losing. If it is right, it happens — The main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away.
Love,
Fa
Such lovely advice
Periodically, I get a little sad that letter writing is a dying art. The wisdom of our generation will be recorded in g-chat transcripts and pithy e-mails that are far less eloquent.
Atlanta Braves think people will confuse Pixar's new movie with the baseball team... →
jezebel.com
I’d make a comment, but, thanks to growing up in Atlanta, I thought the last line of the national anthem was “…and the home of the Braves” until I was 8.
This is a whiney post...
…about how I want to be back in Charleston. Preferably drinking wine at Social or eating Tacos at Taco Boy. Atlanta, I love you, but you just aren’t cutting it this week.
True Life: This is the most stressful bowl game ever.
And I’m listening to it on the radio at work. Where I cannot yell or throw things. This is excruciating.
My point exactly.
- Boss: Call the National Science Foundation and figure this out.
- Me: I can't. They're closed.
- Boss: Why?
- Me: ...Because it's a federal holiday.
- Boss: Why are we here, then?
- Me: ...
