Monthly Archives: August 2008

Slow Down…

One day a few years ago, I was wandering through lower Manhattan and saw a book title that stopped me dead in my tracks. The book was In Praise of Slowness, by Carl Honore. Mr. Honore surveyed the Slow movement … Continue reading

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Writing on Writing: Help! I’m Stuck!

Every so often, it happens. You stare at a blank page, and… stare. And then stare some more. You go back to your notebooks, then back to staring. You try coffee, tea, warm milk, eight-year-old scotch, late-night phone calls, and … Continue reading

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Who Wants My MTV?

Here’s a quick way to date yourself: do you remember when MTV actually played music? Like, all day? And from different genres? Boy, are you old. I was flipping through the channels last night looking for something to watch, and … Continue reading

Posted in Crossing Madison Avenue, Television, Two Minutes' Hate | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Vermeer’s Rabbits?

I can’t find a pearl earring on any of Daphne Louter’s many (painted) rabbits. I’ve tried. It seems as though they should be there, at least in part because the artist’s style owes more than a bit to fellow (if deceased) … Continue reading

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Blog Review: Studio Wikitecture

A long while back, I accidentally got into architecture. Not as an architect, mind you, just as a spectator. The way some people channel surf to find a good game, I’ll scan anything from bookstores to skylines to find something … Continue reading

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Colin Grant: Negro With A Hat

“Marcus Garvey’s words come to pass Marcus Garvey’s words come to pass Can’t get no food to eat Can’t get no money to spend…” –Burning Spear, Marcus Garvey  So what and who, exactly, was Marcus Garvey? It all depended, apparently, … Continue reading

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Writing on Writing: The Audience is Listening

Just the same as nobody writes in a vacuum, nobody writes for a vacuum, either. Nobody writes for the sake of not being read. Nobody–at least no one that I know–writes something with the fervent hope that it’s overlooked or … Continue reading

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Panning for God

As with so much else, Rumi had it right: When light returns to its source it takes nothing of what it has illuminated. It may have shone on a garbage dump, or a garden, or in the center of a … Continue reading

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Writing on Writing: The Ideal Copy

A little while back in this space, I wrote about certain writers and writings acting as inspiration, or permission, for your own efforts. I’d like to take up what I think is the flip side of that particular coin: separating … Continue reading

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