Sunday, July 17, 2005

Proof

I'm watching one of David Blaine's TV specials. He's that popular "Street Magic" guy. In one trick, he steals a woman's watch without her knowing it, sticks the watch inside a storefront window display, then seemingly shoves his hand through the window and retrieves the watch for the woman.

The nice thing about the Internet is one can immediately find out how this is done:

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=50488

Very cool trick, it must have taken a while to perfect it. I wonder how many hours a day David Blaine spends figuring out different ways to fool people. I wonder how many times he rehearses the same trick so that it is near perfect. Is it the same number of hours that a scientist spends researching a cure for cancer? Is it the same number of hours that a computer programmer spends to make a computer run faster and more efficiently? Is it the same number of hours that an engineer spends poring over schematics to make sure that a bridge will not collapse?

I tried surfing through the Internet to find out how to cure cancer, make a computer run faster and more efficiently, design a bridge that won't collapse. It's not that easy.

There are probably a lot of David Blaines walking around, calling attention to themselves by dazzling and amazing people. There are probably a lot of scientists and computer programmers and bridge engineers walking around as well. If I ever get cancer or my computer runs faster than I can think or if I ever get hurt crossing a bridge, I'll think about the other guys. But for now I'll think about David Blaine. He's cool and exciting to watch. And he dates supermodels.



Saturday, July 09, 2005

Chuck Palahniuk interview on Craig Ferguson, Quotes

Nobody reads books anymore. Heck, nobody even burns books anymore!

I remember what Laura Bush said on Oprah: "People read books to help them fall asleep."

After seeing the Fight Club movie, as the writer of the Fight Club book, I felt like a bride at her wedding, surrounded by the most gorgeous bridesmaids wearing the most gorgeous dresses. I disappeared.

At a book signing in the UK, I met a waiter who had seen Fight Club. He leaned over and told me that some famous british celebrities have "sampled" what he had to offer, just like the book. I asked him, what celebrities? He said that Margaret Thatcher has eaten his sperm. Five times.



Sunday, July 03, 2005

Truce

There is something about the quiet in your words
that only time can create, a hush
like the clear wind that dries laundry,
like the sun on a baseball afternoon.

An ease of fit, like a working boot,
a marmalade bite, a lemonade gulp,
the slow path of water to thirsty soil,
the sound of earth as it drinks.

I find that it's easier now, to listen,
after my ears have grown tired of hearing
unnecessary things,

Maybe I will understand you now, maybe.