I was just reading an article in Time about George Clooney, which quotes him as saying “I know what pisses people off about fame. It’s when famous people whine about it.” The phrase “when famous people whine about it” can be interpreted either as adverbial or substantive. That is, it can be telling us that [...]

Let me assure you that conversationalism is quite different from Republicanism, Libertarianism, Democratism, or Obama-ism. It’s the one thing you can’t vote for this November. Although, if you’re politically minded, the art of conversation can help you in your local caucus.
I remember the day I discovered that conversation actually is an art. I was reading [...]

Do you do the Library Thing?
My uncle told me once, after giving me a generous birthday gift in cash, “Don’t spend it on books. You can get those from the library.” A good impulse, but I am more prone to follow the example of Chaucer’s clerk:
But al that he myghte of his freendes hente,
On [...]