– Heard at the gym today:
TRAINER So, I had my birthday party at this bar downtown where they have half-naked girls who breathe fire–and they hustle you!
CLIENT (shaking his head) That’s entertainment.
– I mentioned the other day that Mr. My Stupid Dog and I recently went to see Othello together at the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, Virginia. Since then he’s posted a two-part account of our evening, which includes this description of me:
His face suggests that he is open, frank and pleasant, but not altogether easy to peg. The bearing suggests a little of Felix Ungar, a little of Oscar Madison, frequently both at once. You wouldn’t take him for a Missourian right away (although he has written extensively about his small-town upbringing), but you wouldn’t think him a native New Yorker either: There is something about him that always seems betwixt and between, though never in a disquieting or uncomfortable manner. His Southern accent can fade in and out as the situation dictates….
I don’t know how I look to other people, but that’s definitely what I see in the mirror. Could it be that I know myself? Or am I just good at playing myself?