Month: February 2012

• February 11, 2012

  On sports cliches

  On Thursday night, I wrote an email to my older sister, congratulating her and my brother-in-law on their huge 20 point victory at home against an important conference rival. “Whoa,” I said. “Whoa is right,” she replied. “It was a big win!” In the middle of my second reply, I offered some heady post-game analysis…
• February 10, 2012

  On the consolatio da filosofia

  The mouth of one crosses the mouth of the other. The first eye is visible but not the second eye, unless the second eye is also the eye of the other man. The two faces are not superimposed neatly, one upon the other. One lies behind the other. Much belongs to the young and not…
• February 9, 2012

  On intimacy and infidelity

  In her collection of short stories, Binocular Vision: New and Collected Stories, Edith Pearlman’s “Unravished bride” concerns a married man and married woman who, neither being married to each other, both nearly conclude that becoming intimate entails having sex. Their muddle is philosophical, having to do with the concepts they have inherited. Allow me some room…
• February 8, 2012

  On French parenting brinkmanship

  Pamela Druckerman has written a short, must-read piece for the Wall Street Journal entitled “Why French Parents Are Superior.” (No, them’s not fighting words; them’s book promoting words.) Druckerman, an American ex-pat living in Paris, has spent the last couple years comparing French parenting styles with American styles. Her investigation has led her to draw some important…
• February 7, 2012

  A very brief tutorial on drawing material inferences

  Formula When P does or embodies X (where X is a good thing), I do or say or emote-think what is appropriate, accurate, needful, beautiful, or good. And now here’s my good friend P. Examples When P asks a question, I reply with a suitable answer. When P is holding a large package, I hold…