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18 point plan for world domination 2004-02-16 This morning I read something that I thought was extremely insightful, about America's response to 9/11. "A people who have been bred to shop then can quickly become some of the most violent people in the world, exactly because they�re dying to have something worth dying for." This was said by Stanley Hauerwas, a theologian that I've met and briefly chatted with at a wine and cheese reception, and I think he's so right. I don't agree with him on a lot of his views, but when it comes to antiwar, he and I are of one accord. I want to talk about Dr. Hauerwas for a second, because has a character as big as all outdoors--kind of legendary, actually. My favorite story (there are lots of stories, and I suspect this one is apocryphal) is of a convention he was at where some young woman started flirting with him and basically offered to sleep with him. The story has it that Hauerwas said, (in his extreme Texas accent) "Honey, my wife has been sick for ten years--I would kill you". I can do a pretty good Hauerwas impression, because I've attended several receptions he's been at (only met him the once) and have eavesdropped as often as possible. The first time I overheard him talk, someone in his little group mentioned a recently published paper and he said, "I have read it, and I can tell you it is a thorough piece of shit." Mind you, these receptions are attended mostly by people in the schools of religion and theology, and probably 80% have very conservative views. It's refreshing to hear someone say 'piece of shit' when all around you others are murmuring politenesses and talking quietly about things they're working on. Not a lot going on at my homestead. I managed to infect Francisco and The Boy with my cold (which is still lingering, in the form of congestion and coughing), though I tried really hard not to. We saw some friends from Boston on Sunday--had breakfast with them--and did not see friends from NY and Charlotte who we were supposed to see, because they did not make the trip into our neck of the woods. Saturday Francisco and I were clipping Lucy's nails and Francisco accidentally clamped my left pinky finger in the clipper when we were both rooting around in the towel (the towel Lucy was imprisoned in) to find the next victim foot. My finger is cut in 3 places and I'm getting a huge amount of mileage out of it. When Francisco teases me about something or other, I've been holding up my injured finger and saying, "Are you sure that's what you want to say to me?", or "Clamps!" That second one is because, you know on Futurama how there's the robot mafia, and one of the guy is called Clamps because he has clamps for hands, and he's always saying "Clamps!"? Yeah, that's the new guilt shorthand. Me likey. I received my new Viggo Mortensen book on Friday, Recent Forgeries, and there's a painting shown in there that I Want. It's 'Red Minerva' and I need a 10 step plan to convince him to sell it to me, and a 6 step plan to figure out where I'm going to get the money to buy it. Cashing out my retirement accounts was vigorously opposed by Francisco (the spoilsport), though they are losing money by the day, so now I'm stumped. Anyone know of a get rich quick scheme that would actually work? And Viggo Mortensen's phone number? Hello? Is this thing on? Damn. I gotsta go home and take care of my boys--they pitiful. Love,
come over some time & see me - 2011-02-25 |
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