Quick links, cheap shots, bon mots…
* C.W. Nevius, a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, blogs about respected L.A. Times sports writer Mike Penner who is taking a vacation and will come back as a woman. Asked about Penner’s sexual transformation, his/her boss Randy Harvey boss said: ‘Well, no one can ever say we don’t have diversity on this staff.” Indeed.
* "If you’re going to write a book, who asked you to? It is, in fact, quite an act of ego to sit down in a room, while others are getting on trains and subways, and put one’s vision on paper, and then ask others to pay to read it. Not only to pay but say, ‘Isn’t he brilliant.’ It’s an act of audacity." – Interview with novelist William Gaddis in Harpers ($)
* Jonathan Franzen on the fate of his second novel: "But the result was the same: another report card with A’s and B’s from the reviewers who had replaced the teachers whose approval, when I was younger, I had both craved and taken no satisfaction from; decent sales; and the deafening silence of irrelevance." (From his original Harpers article.)
* "Paths cross for a reason…Let’s find out why ours did." – A great line to use after you meet someone. Much better than, "Pleasure meeting you."
* My friend Marci Alboher, author of One Person/Multiple Careers, launched her new column on the New York Times online about careers. Here’s my review of her book. I think she’s on the mark with her thinking. Congrats, Marci!
Just curious: Would you recommend Typepad? I have been using Blogger.
Yeah, that line seems stupid.
That line sounds like some pseudo-mystical bullshit. I wouldn’t trust anyone who said that at first meeting.
Social greetings are non-committal because there are too many sociopathic or even psychopathic personalities out there to invite every stranger we meet into our lives.
If someone used that “paths cross for a reason” line on me, I’d consider seeking a restraining order.
I can see how this quote could come off the wrong way without some context. I received the quote “Paths cross for a reason” in an email following a pretty deep one hour conversation about business and life with a high profile entrepreneur. At the end of the conversation, I’m sure we both felt we’d fast made a connection with one another.
To be sure, this line should be used sparingly when a standard “nice to meet” just won’t do.