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To Whom Are You Drinking Right Now?


starfish

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For a long time now, the magazine has been my justification for shelling out the greenbacks for the Sunday NYT. The "On Language" column is a weekly read that I look forward to for enlightenment and education.

RIP, Bill.

True dat. I still remember clearly the look of consternation on my mother's face when, in high school, I told her how much I enjoyed William Safire's column. She didn't know he had a language column; I didn't know he had a opinion column. Once the confusion was cleared up, much relief ensued.

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True dat. I still remember clearly the look of consternation on my mother's face when, in high school, I told her how much I enjoyed William Safire's column. She didn't know he had a language column; I didn't know he had a opinion column. Once the confusion was cleared up, much relief ensued.

Ditto! I'm pretty sure my father looked at me in utter horror when I first mentioned loving Safire (also back in high school). We used to read it for fun on Mondays, sitting outside the Latin classroom (our teacher invariably ran late, coming from his chamber music conducting gig across town); sometimes (when feasible) we'd get him to turn the column's topic into a word game for us.

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Many years ago, before such sales were banned, a couple of longhairs set up a head shop on a folding table in the vicinity of 19th and K. Safire wrote a whole "On Language" column on their slogan "Everything you need for the head of the house and the house of the heads." The framed it and taped it to their card table, near the bongs and the pipes and the papers. Who knew that hippies read the Times?

As a speechwriter myself, I will toast Mr. Safire at dinner tonight.

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We will be drinking very good whiskey in New York tomorrow to celebrate the arrival of my first grandchild, Piper. She is healthy, very vocal and, thankfully, doesn't look like me. This has been a wonderful journey.

Excellent! Congrats!!

PS - I love the name.

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Excellent! Congrats!!

PS - I love the name.

How very nice of you to write that. Thank you. To the best of my knowledge, since I have no dead relatives that would qualify for the "Piper" name, I am assuming that the kids either had a wonderful champagne dinner in Lisbon nine months ago, or paused "The Hustler" in their condo at the appropriate moment.

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To Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, for an amazing show last night. Special kudos to Clarence Clemons, who, at nearly 68, played sax like someone a fraction of his age. So many songs with the saxophone last night. Wow. I loved it, but I can't imagine how he did it. I should find something better than Bud Light for the toast, though...

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To Claude Levi-Strauss. Born in Nimes, France, Claude first was the first to use the stiff blue fabric milled in the region around his home town in the tailoring of the heavy-duty work clothes increaingly in demand in the rapidly industrializing South. This "tissue de Nimes" -- now known to buyers around the world simply as denim -- revolutionized the art of trouser making and this new style, known as "le jean" is not only forever linked with Levi-Strauss, but their distinctive color has given its name to French national football team, known affectionately as "les bleus".

He will be missed.

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To my Grandma Lolly, alav ha-shalom, who on December 22 would finally put down the rolling pin, untie the apron, and leave the kitchen with its twenty dozen (nope, not kidding) Christmas cookies she'd baked for all the folks who worked in Pop's scrapyard -- all neatly done up on beautiful trays, ready to be handed out at work the next day.

And then she'd have some bourbon.

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