Jun 29, 2008
From The New Yorker
FREE-RANGE CHICKENS
“Well, it’s another beautiful day in paradise.”
“How’d we get so lucky?”
“I don’t know and I don’t care.”
“I think I’ll go walk over there for a while. Then I’ll walk back over here.”
“That sounds like a good time. Maybe I’ll do the same.”
“Hey, someone refilled the grain bucket!”
“Is it the same stuff as yesterday?”
“I hope so.”
“Oh, man, it’s the same stuff, all right.”
“It’s so good.”
“I can’t stop eating it.”
“Hey, you know what would go perfectly with this grain? Water.”
“Dude. Look inside the other bucket.”
“This . . . is the greatest day of my life.”
“Drink up, pal.”
“Cheers!”
(Laughs.)
(Laughs.)
“Hey, look, the farmer’s coming.”
“Huh. Guess it’s my turn to go into the thing.”
“Cool. See you later, buddy.”
“See ya.”
Apr 20, 2008
…on top of that Central Asian weirdness is all this Richard-Gere do-gooder nonsense about the peace-loving Tibetans assaulted by the ruthless Red Chinese. Both parts of that story are wrong, wrong, wrong. The Tibetans were never peaceful people at all. They were one of the most warlike peoples in Central Asia and even conquered the Chinese capital, Chang’An, in their heyday.
THE EXILE - Tibet: Five to One Against - By Gary Brecher - The War Nerd
Jun 22, 2005
Conversations from work tonight (customers):
Table 5–I walk up with the dinner silverware.
girl: I just want to make sure it’s cool with you.
guy: yeah.
girl: I mean, because it wasn’t cool with my last boyfriend and I just need to know.
I walk away.
Table 3a–I’m bussing their appetizers. A man and a woman in their late fifties or early sixties.
man: what’s that say on your arm?
me: This [pointing to my left arm] is from Lord Jim…
man: Ahh. And the other arm?
me: That’s my mom’s name.
An hour later refilling decaf
man: What’s that say? What’s your mother’s name?
me: Glenda Grace.
man (genlty): Hmm…Did she pass away?
me: Yeah, when I was little.
woman: What a beautiful name.
I smile at them.
man: What a beautiful gesture.
I smile at them.
woman (Raising her cup of coffee): Here’s to Glenda Grace.
I smile at them, try not to cry, and walk away.
Here’s to Glenda Grace.
