Marisa sometimes threw balls of sand at us, and sometimes burst in, shouting "Stop it, who cares about this Dostoyevsky, who gives a damn about the Karamazovs." Then Nino abruptly broke off and walked along the shore, head lowered, until he became a tiny speck [...] Meanwhile I felt better and better, I couldn't believe…
Once upon a time--and not so long ago--it was fashionable for all lovely ladies not to know how to cook or at least pretend not to know. Today a woman can look like a cream confection, but she has to know how to make one too! Popularity in our modern times is reserved for those…
What is success?To laugh often and much;To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;To appreciate beauty;To find the best in others;To leave the world a bit better, whether bya healthy child, a gardenpatch or a redeemed social…
After excitement we are so restful. When the thumb of fear lifts, we are so alive.-Mary Oliver ("May")It doesn't really bother me, but I think I worry too much. Or maybe what I really mean is that I think too much. At different moments throughout the day, the following thoughts float through my mind: how…
"But when we sit together close, we melt into each other with phrases. We are edged with mist. We make an unsubstantial territory."-Virginia Woolf (The Waves)My life is generally all about words these days--finalizing the conference paper, grading assignments and responding to this batch of revised papers. But even though I'm still racing to get…
"You don't get tired of muffins, but you don't find inspiration in them."-George Bernard Shaw Let me begin by saying that George Bernard Shaw had no idea what he was talking about. Recently, I've been thinking--and a lot-- about muffins. I guess you could say it all started about three weeks ago when a friend…
The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. -Albert Einstein A sad but true fact: I am a delinquent blogger. Or perhaps a better way of putting it is that, since classes started, I've allowed myself to become a delinquent blogger. But, you know, it's complicated; even without seminars, there's a lot on…
Dining with Dostoevsky 