“We rob banks.”

The Movie: Bonnie and Clyde, 1967 (David Newman and Robert Benton, screenwriters; Arthur Penn, dir.)
Who says it: Warren Beatty as Clyde Barrow, bank robber; later, Faye Dunaway as Bonnie Parker, bank robber
The context: Clyde and Bonnie introduce themselves this way, creating and promoting their own legend.
How to use it: To be direct about an attribute others might think you’d want to keep secret.

Yesterday's leg: 206 miles, .75 tanks of gas
Stops: Massaponax, VA; Washington, DC

Dizzy and I are staying at Ashton and Joseph's. I'm delighted at how well Dizzy's doing with their stairs -- Ashton & Joseph live in a third-floor condo without an elevator -- and with their marble floors. Dizzy gets nervous about floors he thinks he might slip on.

But he's adapting to East Coast life much more quickly than I expected. His coat is already thicker. He doesn't seem to mind the rain at all. He likes to sniff the leaves on the ground.

It's my favorite time of year to be in Washington -- Capitol Hill's in recess, and the elections are coming right up. I met my old boss and mentor for a drink on the Hill last night, and the bars were empty -- everyone's out in the countryside, drumming up votes. Even I got a call on my cell phone from the Democratic Party office in West Hollywood. (It went to my voice mail, so I wasn't able to tell them that I no longer vote in California. Still, if the Democratic Party in West Hollywood really needs my vote for success, their troubles are beyond my help.)

Heightened security measures have blocked off many streets on Capitol Hill, and make it even harder than usual to get a cab up there. Somehow I think that if terrorists do attack Capitol Hill, they won't be riding in taxicabs.