Miscellaneous October Notes

Yesterday I clambered out along a treacherous breakwall to a lighthouse, hoping that I would not make an idiotic mistake that would result in a sprained ankle or a crushed skull, either of which would have rendered my 45-minute drive home impossible, which would not have been a good thing, since no one knew where I was.

Then I saw a mink scampering over the rocks.

I spent a lot of today on funeral-related activities.

If I am ever a minister doing a eulogy, I promise to wear an attractive and stylish jacket. 

This is what Byron Calame in last Sunday's Times reported, in part, about the paper's readers:

<<Dan Wakin, a culture reporter, wrote that readers who pick up the paper "have an inherent curiosity as part of their basic intellectual makeup." For John Geddes, a managing editor, this means "They're curious about the world around them - the 'why' behind an event or a trend." Added Jonathan Landman, deputy managing editor, "They're curious (and this is crucial, and not so common these days), interested in stuff that happens outside their own lives."

After putting the curiosity of Times readers at the top of his list of their notable attributes, Mr. Keller cited four others. "Second, I think of our readers as people who use the news. They are engaged. ... Third, I think of our typical reader as somewhat skeptical. ... Fourth, I think our readers are busy and jealous of their time. ... Fifth, I think of The Times reader as someone who loves the language.">>

I love getting love letters from the editors of The Times.

Here is another humorous part of the Calame column:

<<In producing the Thursday and Sunday Styles sections, Trip Gabriel, the editor, explained: "We write for people who might want to sample the latest in fashion, night life, fitness or a dating trend; but perhaps more importantly, we write for readers who crave knowing about these things with no intention of experiencing them. That's why our stories invariably include a degree of sociology.">>

I, for instance, might want to be a dazzlingly stylish minister.

That's why I'm sitting here in jeans, a purple waffle-texture t-shirt, tiny glass beads from Yellowstone, clogs and a gray high school hoodie.

But I have seen a wild mink this week-end, and that was VERY cool.

Also, I have decided to read all of Shakespeare's history plays and unearth my daughter's flute and learn to play it.