On Saying No (and Yes, too)

"Shyness is when you turn your head away from something you want. Shame is when you turn your head away from something you do not want."

-- Jonathan Safran Foer, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Ever since I read that book, this line has been floating through my head like a pop song you heard in the grocery store or maybe like a spell. I find it hard to differentiate between these two. Shyness and shame, that is, not pop songs and magic spells.

Well, actually.

I started writing something today and maybe you can finish the last sentence for me. And then maybe I'll write some more. What do you think?


It was a Tuesday when I noticed the plants were dead.

At least, I think it was a Tuesday. That may be one of those 'facts' that one invents later to convince oneself that one's memory is accurate and irrefutable. Anyway, it was definitely raining because I remember that I'd planned to go out for a baguette and noticed that it was raining too much for a baguette. It wasn't raining too much for wine but then I had wine.

That's another thing I remember. I had wine.

And the plants were dead.

The fact that the plants were dead isn't important (well, it may have been for the plants), the important thing is that was the day I decided to _____________________________.


Y'all, the Tour de France is going to be here on Sunday! That's probably going to be annoying! But exciting! And annoying! Simultaneously!