The General Situation

Street Photography

I seem to be specializing in people alone behaving oddly.

Sentences I Wish I'd Written

"When you are in Paris, you have to make love to somebody." It's from Alan Furst's new novel, Mission to Paris. Amusingly, when I went to doublecheck the quote—the book is in Litchfield, and I'm not—I saw that the New York Times and the Washington Post reviewers both thought the sentence was cheesy, but they liked the book. I thought the book was written as if for a broader audience—Furst's novels seem to be getting decreasingly subtle—but I enjoyed it, and never so much as when I read that sentence (which I read as if it had been written with at least one arched eyebrow).

Street Photography

Once an Editor...

Me: Can I throw the bone meal away?

Adam: I guess. Is it in your way?

Me: Obviously.

Another Street Shot

Spruce Street

I've been trying to make myself take more traditional street photography—that is, of people and not just inanimate objects. I think this one is a winner.

Be Good to Yourself

I am.

Fun With Telemarketers

The phone rings; "Carnegie Hall" is on the caller ID.

Me: [Through clenched teeth] Hello.

Caller: Hello? Is this Adam?

Me: No!

Caller: Oh! OK! Is this his assistant?

Me: [Pause.] Yes.

Caller: Well, I'm calling to find out if he'd like to renew his membership—

Me: I know why you're calling! You're the person who swore to me that you'd never call again!

Caller: I see in the log that someone called on June 4 and that Adam wasn't there, but that's it.

Me: And then you called an hour later and swore to me you'd put it in the log! And then someone else called later that day! I can't take it anymore! You people are torturing me!

Caller: I don't see it in the log—

Me: I can't speak to your process! Just stop calling! I'm begging you! It's harrassment! Leave me alone!

Caller: So this means Adam doesn't want to renew?

Me: [Pause.] It's like you're trying to make me cry.

Fun With Telemarketers

Carnegie Hall: Is this Adam?

Me: No. But listen to me. The other day someone from Carnegie Hall called, and I respectfully asked that you stop calling, because it's relentless. Then—

Carnegie Hall: Well, I—

Me: I'm not done speaking. Then, an hour later, someone else called from Carnegie Hall, and once again, I respectfully asked that you stop calling. She swore to me it wouldn't happen again—

Carnegie Hall: I understand—

Me: Not yet. She swore to me that a note would be put in the record to stop calling, to communicate only in writing. And now you're calling again.

Carnegie Hall: What I need to know is: Is this the wrong number for Adam?

Me: Sure.

It Just Seems That Way

When Adam travels for business, I don't try to go to restaurants that he's being wanting to eat at.