“Happiness is a gift – and the trick is not to expect it, but to delight in it when it comes.”

The Movie: Nicholas Nickleby, 2002 (Douglas McGrath, director and screenwriter, from the novel by Charles Dickens)
Who says it: Nathan Lane as Vincent Crummles, theatrical impresario
The context: Vincent gives his blessing to Nicholas Nickleby (Charlie Hunnam) when Nicholas leaves the company to confront his wicked Uncle Ralph (Christopher Plummer)
How to use it: General life wisdom.

More than once over the past twelve months, I've described my year as Dickensian -- but, in the great tradition of Mr. Dickens' novels, it's ending far better than I had any right to expect.

Thanks, everybody. See you next year.

“Live! Life’s a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death.”

The Movie: Auntie Mame, 1958 (Betty Comden and Adolph Green, screenwriters, from the book by Patrick Dennis; Morton Da Costa, dir.)
Who says it: Rosalind Russell as Mame Dennis, international bon vivant and would-be author
The context: Mame has been dictating a book to her secretary, Agnes Gooch (Peggy Cass), but Agnes isn’t getting the point.
How to use it: When you need an extra dose of enthusiasm.

Yesterday's trip: 214 miles, .5 tank of gas
Stops: Mechanicsville, VA; Washington, DC

Dizzy and I are back at Ashton & Joseph's, after stopping in Mechanicsville to hang out with my sister Peggy and her boys. The weather was unseasonably warm, so we put the boys in their red wagon and went for a long walk. Neighbors of Peggy's have created a Christmas Fantasyland in their yard, at the end of a cul-de-sac; every spare inch of lawn is covered with a Christmas decoration of some kind, and it all lights up. I respect that level of commitment, although I might not want to live across the street from it.

Milo and Lucy were delighted to see Dizzy. I think Dizzy is a little confused about all the traveling, though he seems happy to see everybody. He's comatose next to me right now, and seems to be chasing something in his sleep.

My friend Carla, in Singapore, sent an e-mail last night (this morning, her time). Since Singapore is east of Sumatra, they didn't even feel the earthquake, which happened off the west coast of Sumatra -- but they know some people who are now missing. It is possible, even likely, that we'll never have an exact toll of the dead from this disaster; if an entire family is wiped out, or an entire town, who would be left to remember their names?

“When you’re a kid, a day can last forever. Now, all those years seem just like a blink.”

The Movie: Hearts in Atlantis, 2001 (William Goldman, screenwriter, from the novella Low Men in Yellow Coats, by Stephen King; Scott Hicks, dir.)
Who says it: David Morse as the adult Bobby Garfield
The context: Bobby is remembering the events of one pivotal summer during his childhood.
How to use it: At high school reunions, whenever you meet old friends, or right around New Year's Eve.

Dizzy and I head back to Washington today, stopping in Richmond along the way. Maybe I'll be back for my parents' 40th wedding anniversary, in February, but Dizzy probably won't come along on that trip.

Salon magazine's lead article today is a brilliant debunking of The Da Vinci Code, my second most-hated book of all time. (#1 remains Bridges of Madison County, which I ripped in two and stomped on when I finished -- weeping, of course, but still enraged beyond vision or reason. I borrowed Da Vinci Code from a friend, so felt obligated to return it in decent condition.)

I read a lot of books -- between 250 and 300 a year, probably -- and can find something kind to say about almost all of them. I read Dan Brown's earlier book, Angels & Demons, on a plane, and thought it was pretty entertaining, though overwritten, clunky, and ultimately ridiculous. The Da Vinci Code is a lazy, sloppy rehash of Angels & Demons with an extra helping of anti-Catholic paranoia, and I have no idea what to say to all the people who've told me, in the past 18 months, that it's the greatest book ever.

This was a particular challenge during my long Sunday shifts alone at The Mystery Bookstore. All I could do was propel them, sometimes physically, to the "P" section of the bookshelf, and thrust any Douglas Preston-Lincoln Child thriller upon these people. (My own favorite is Thunderhead, but they're all good.) Preston & Child understand that it's okay to make the big stuff up if you get the small details right. It's just a matter of respect for your readers.

“Stupid is as stupid does.”

The Movie: Forrest Gump, 1994 (Eric Roth, screenwriter, from the novel by Winston Groom; Robert Zemeckis, dir.)
Who says it: Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump, a childlike man
The context: Forrest repeats this line throughout the film, whenever anyone says that he’s stupid.
How to use it: To admit that you've done something stupid.

I'm sure I'll find some use for this line by the end of the day, though nothing springs immediately to mind.

Since I write this blog primarily for my mom, keeping it up when I'm at my parents' house is surprisingly difficult. Stephen King talks about this phenomenon in his memoir, On Writing. On Writing is fascinating as memoir, not especially helpful as a guide for writers -- except for King's suggestion that writers target their work toward one particular reader. In his case, he says, that's his wife, Tabitha.

I'm not sure why this feels like such useful advice. Part of my difficulty with finishing the novel I've been working on is that I've gotten too much feedback on it; returning to it, I need to find one particular person whose comments I respect, whose ultimate approval I'm looking for. I know that's contrary to conventional wisdom about self-esteem, but it makes sense to me.

“A toast, to the end of the world.”

The Movie: Independence Day, 1996 (Dean Devlin & Roland Emmerich, screenwriters; Roland Emmerich, dir.)
Who says it: Jeff Goldblum as David Levinson, an under-achieving scientist
The context: David has just been reconciled with his father, Julius (Judd Hirsch), as aliens prepare to destroy the world.
How to use it: After natural disasters, or in the face of catastrophe.

Every time I see my friend Michelle and her husband Chris, Chris asks me to tell "your Hollywood pals" to make a sequel to Independence Day. I've never passed this message along -- sorry, Chris -- mainly because I wouldn't know whom to tell, but also because I think they've made sequels to Independence Day, except they were called Armageddon and The Day After Tomorrow.

The headline on the front page of this morning's paper says, "12,000 DEAD," and it's a horror I can't get my head around. All yesterday afternoon I kept checking for news updates, as the TV networks broadcast stupid movies and meaningless football games. I haven't heard from my friends in Singapore, but maybe they're just having a computer-free Christmas weekend.

“It’s such a fine line between clever, and stupid.”

The Movie: This is Spinal Tap, 1984 (Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer and Rob Reiner, screenwriters; Rob Reiner, dir.)
Who says it: Michael McKean as David St. Hubbins, a founding member of Spinal Tap
The context: St. Hubbins is commenting on the difference between Spinal Tap’s unacceptable album cover and another band’s wild hit.
How to use it: After conversational gaffes.

My sister Susan gave me this DVD for Christmas, which I appreciate very much -- I own it on VHS, which is useless since I haven't owned a VCR in years. Besides, the DVD has all kinds of cool extra features that I haven't even begun to explore.

It's snowing here. Dizzy was shocked. I'd planned to take him to the beach today, but will probably reschedule.

“Here is my Christmas speech. ‘Thank you all, and Merry Christmas.’”

The Movie: The Muppet Christmas Carol, 1992 (Jerry Juhl, screenwriter, from the story by Charles Dickens; Brian Henson, dir.)
Who says it: Frank Oz as the voice of Fozzie Bear, playing Scrooge’s employer Fezziwig
The context: Fezziwig is throwing his traditional Christmas party for his workers, including a young Ebenezer Scrooge (Michael Caine).
How to use it: When called upon to make a Christmas speech. As Statler (Jerry Nelson) and Waldorf (Dave Goelz) point out in the movie, it’s short.

The whole family isn't together this year, but my brother James is coming over and Susan, Peggy and Scott and the boys are driving down from Richmond this morning, and everyone is healthy and cheerful.

Merry Christmas to everyone, and tidings of comfort and joy. I'm taking the rest of the day off.

"You have no idea."

The Movie: Reversal of Fortune, 1990 (Nicholas Kazan, screenwriter, based on the book by Alan M. Dershowitz; Barbet Schroeder, dir.)
Who says it: Jeremy Irons as Claus von Bulow, accused of the attempted murder of his wife, Sunny (Glenn Close)
The context: Alan Dershowitz (Ron Silver) tells his client, Claus von Bulow, that he is a very strange man.
How to use it: To let someone know that they’ve only heard a fraction of the story.

My friend Tom Ehrenfeld says this is the greatest quotation ever. It's pretty good, but you don't get the full effect if you haven't seen the movie. It's Jeremy Irons' finest hour. The point of Reversal of Fortune was that it's possible to be a dreadful human being, but still not a murderer -- an argument since made, with varying degrees of success, by OJ Simpson, Gary Condit and Scott Peterson, among others.

It's Christmas Eve (my mind automatically adds, "in the drunk tank..." from the Pogues song, "Fairytale of New York"), and I drove down to my parents' yesterday with Dizzy and my brother Ed. This morning I tried to go to the bank and to the gym, but both were closed. I always feel a little indignant about three-day weekends; Saturday's just another day for us freelancers, so what do people need with THREE days off?

Then again, people who work in offices can't nap in the middle of their working days.

“I believe – I believe! Even though it’s silly, I believe.”

The Movie: Miracle on 34th Street, 1947 (George Seaton, screenwriter and director, from a story by Valentine Davies)
Who says it: Natalie Wood as Susan Walker, daughter of a cynical Macy’s executive (Maureen O’Hara)
The context: Susan insists that Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn), Macy’s Santa Claus, is the real thing.
How to use it: To reassert your belief in Santa Claus, or in anything else allegedly mythical.

I understand that Santa Claus is a luxury only wealthy nations can afford. I know that Santa Claus probably won't save the children of the Sudan. And yet -- and yet -- I believe. Santa Claus might not be a physical human being who really lives at the north pole, but Santa Claus is the best explanation I have for the fact that, when I've asked the universe for something I really, really wanted -- not something stupid like an X-Box, but something important -- I've gotten it.

And sometimes I've gotten what I asked for even when it was stupid. All I asked Santa for this year was to win the Powerball, so last night I did win -- $3.00. Santa can be tricky that way.

“Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.”

The Movie: Casablanca, 1942 (Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, and Howard Koch, screenwriters, from the play by Murray Burnett and Joan Allison; Michael Curtiz, dir.)
Who says it: Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine, owner of Rick’s American Café
The context: Rick has just seen Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), his lost love, walk in with freedom fighter Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid).
How to use it: When you meet an old friend unexpectedly.

It's not Gardiner, but Washington is a small town. I've been running around a lot the last couple of days, and along the way I've seen several people I hadn't expected to -- which, for the most part, has been nice. A friend said to me the other morning, "Your work family is still here," and that is true.

Washington is in its traditional post-election job shuffling mode, and if I wanted to come back, now's the time. I'm considering it more seriously than I'd thought I would. The past year has shown me the importance of a safety net; there's a lot to be said for the security of a salary, health insurance, a retirement plan.

Then again, I could win the lottery. If I remember to buy tickets today.

“When someone asks you if you’re a god, you say, ‘YES!’”

The Movie: Ghostbusters, 1984 (Dan Ackroyd and Harold Ramis, screenwriters; Ivan Reitman, dir.)
Who says it: Ernie Hudson as Winston Zeddemore, the fourth Ghostbuster
The context: When the Sumerian god Gozer (Slavitza Jovan) asks Dr. Ray Stantz (Dan Ackroyd) whether he’s a god, he says no – so she blasts him.
How to use it: To remind someone that confidence is half the game.

Dizzy is big, but gentle. Ashton and Joseph's two Boston terriers stand on their back paws and lean on his shoulders, and Dizzy does nothing but grumble a little. It's possible that he doesn't have a good sense of how big he is compared to Milo and Lucy, or maybe he just knows that being bigger means he has to be careful.

Whether and how to restrain one's natural powers is the central theme of The Incredibles, which I saw last night. Great movie. "When everyone is special," one of the kids says, "that means no one is." Ow.

Ashton & Joseph are off to Rome this afternoon, so I'll take care of Lucy and Milo for a couple of days before handing off the responsibility to Ashton's mom, Penny. More important, however, I need to remember to buy them some Powerball tickets before tomorrow night's drawing, because we asked Santa especially. I, at least, have plans for that $30 million.

"I saw something nasty in the woodshed."

The Movie: Cold Comfort Farm, 1995 (Malcolm Bradbury, screenwriter, from the novel by Stella Gibbons; John Schlesinger, dir.)
Who says it: Sheila Burrell as Aunt Ada Doom, matriarch of Cold Comfort Farm
The context: A childhood trauma, barely remembered, gives Aunt Ada an excuse to sit in her room and have her family wait on her hand and foot.
How to use it: As a bare-faced plea for sympathy.

Ashton's mom, Penny, gave him the DVD of Cold Comfort Farm for Christmas, so we watched it last night. Classic. Penny had her Christmas open house, which was lovely, and we had both a thunderstorm and a snowstorm between the hours of 3:00 and 7:00 p.m.

Afterwards, we all (Ashton, Joseph, our friend Brian Cook) piled into Brian's car for some Christmas shopping at Pentagon City. Brian said, "Yes, we're going in 'You're still driving that thing?'" "That thing" is Sweet William, a 1993 Honda Civic in a color that I would call pink, Ashton calls purple, and Brian calls Metallic Cranberry. Brian inherited Sweet William from our friend Jack Hart, who died in 1997, and Brian's driven it across the country east-west and north-south more than once. In fact, I think it was Sweet William that took Anna up to Maine, when she first moved there. It's not just a car, it's a legend.

“Don’t get him wet. Keep him out of bright light. And never feed him after midnight.”

The Movie: Gremlins, 1984 (Chris Columbus, screenwriter; Joe Dante, dir.)
Who says it: Keye Luke as Mr. Wing; Hoyt Axton as inventor Randall Peltzer
The context: Mr. Wing gives Peltzer these instructions for the care and feeding of the mogwai Gizmo, and Peltzer passes the rules along to his son, Billy (Zach Galligan).
How to use it: To comment on any person or animal who seems excessively high-maintenance.

Happy birthday to Gary Fleder, cherished friend of my youth, who has actually grown up to do all the things he said he wanted to do when we were teenagers. Don't worry, Gary, this quotation is not about you.

In fact, I wasn't thinking of anyone in particular; I just wanted a quotation from Gremlins, because no one ever mentions Gremlins when they talk about great Christmas movies. The movie is a very dark cautionary tale about what happens to people who don't take proper care of their belongings... I wouldn't show it to kids, because it's quite scary and violent, and Phoebe Cates' character's story about why she hates Christmas is awful.

Ashton and I were all over Washington yesterday -- downtown, Foggy Bottom, Chevy Chase, Friendship Heights -- doing some Christmas shopping. Driving around Washington takes time, because the city was not designed for automobiles; it was designed, at least in part, to prevent an invading army from moving across town quickly.

I've been thinking about whether to look for part-time work in Portland, just to get me out of the apartment a few times a week, but the idea of the 45-minute drive from Gardiner to Portland gave me pause. Then I remembered that on any given day in Washington, it could take me 45 minutes to drive the four miles from my old house in upper Northwest to my office on 18th Street.

"The Dude abides."

The Movie: The Big Lebowski, 1998 (Joel & Ethan Coen, screenwriters; Joel Coen, dir.)
Who says it: Jeff Bridges as Jeff Lebowski, the Dude; Sam Elliott as The Stranger
The context: After solving a mystery, almost getting killed, and losing his rug and one of his best friends, the Dude is back at his favorite bowling alley (the Hollywood Star Lanes, now sadly passed into memory).
How to use it: To calm yourself down.

Yesterday's trip: 626 miles, 1.5 tanks of gas, approximately $20 in tolls ($5.00 just to get in and out of Delaware)
Stops: Portsmouth, N.H.; Newport, R.I.; Thomas Edison rest stop, N.J.; Washington, D.C.
What I learned: Too long a trip for one day.

Maybe it wouldn't have been too long a trip without the detour to Newport. I listened to all of Dubliners on tape, with the last lines of "The Dead" coming just as I crossed into New Jersey. That stretch of highway is grotesque by daylight, but at night all the lights and smokestacks of Newark are weirdly beautiful. If aliens landed there after dark, they wouldn't have the slightest idea of what they were seeing.

Dizzy and I went to the small park at 17th and S this morning. He was very excited to see grass again.

“Stay on the road. Keep clear of the moors.”

The Movie: An American Werewolf in London, 1981 (John Landis, screenwriter and director)
Who says it: David Schofield as an anonymous dart player in a country pub
The context: The dart player says this to David (David Naughton) and Jack (Griffith Dunne), American students hiking around England. Of course, David and Jack wind up on the moors, where a terrible fate awaits them.
How to use it: Good travel advice, even in werewolf-free areas.

Dizzy and I are on our way south this morning. The goal is Washington, DC, which I expect to hit around 10:00 tonight.

We'll see how Dizzy does when he realizes this is another long car trip. He was thrilled to see the Beetle again, when I got it back after the accident; every day since then, he trots right over to the car to say hello and pee on a tire.

Last night I met Mary and Jerry Maschino at a wine-tasting at the A1-to-Go. It was the last time I'll see them until spring, because they head south for the entire winter. Mary gave me an amazing book from her father's collection: Adrift on an Ice Pan, the 1909 memoir of a medical missionary to the Labrador coast. I love stories of Arctic and Antarctic adventure, and this book is such a treat I want to read it a page at a time, so it lasts longer. This Dr. Grenfell might have done better to stay on the road, but if he had, who would remember him now?

“There’s out, and then there’s out.”

The Movie: My Favorite Year, 1982 (Dennis Palumbo and Norman Steinberg, screenwriters; Richard Benjamin, dir.)
Who says it: Peter O’Toole as Alan Swann, former matinee idol and hopeless drunk
The context: Swann explains to the young writer Benjy Stone (Mark Linn-Baker) how he heard something while apparently passed out.
How to use it: To insist that you really were paying attention. No, really.

Somehow the days slipped by, and we're only nine days from Christmas. If I weren't superstitious about announcing any plans related to my car, I might say that Dizzy and I are headed south tomorrow. Instead, I'll just say that the car is at the mechanic's right now, having its oil changed and everything checked very carefully, just in case anyone wants to drive it 1,600 miles over the holidays.

Theresa Schwegel, one of my clients, has sold her first novel, Officer Down, to St. Martin's Minotaur. The draft of Officer Down I read was already terrific, so it should be a great success; it'll be published next fall. It's always so encouraging to see good work rewarded. Congratulations, Theresa.

“It is beyond my control.”

The Movie: Dangerous Liaisons, 1988 (Christopher Hampton, screenwriter, from his play, from the novel by Choderlos de Laclos; Stephen Frears, dir.)
Who says it: John Malkovich as the Vicomte de Valmont
The context: The Vicomte is brutally discarding his mistress, the formerly virtuous Madame de Tourvel (Michelle Pfeiffer).
How to use it: When you’re doing something terrible, and not apologizing.

I don't think I'm doing anything terrible today, but it's still early.

While I don't want to turn this blog into a weather report, I would like to note that it is 9 degrees outside my door this morning. Nine, as in one less than ten, as in 23 less than the freezing point, as in -13 Celsius, for those of you reading outside the United States.

And what 9 degrees is, is very, very, very cold. Very. Cold. Cold enough that Dizzy's chin whiskers were needle-thin icicles -- I'm not kidding -- when we got back from the cemetery this morning. Cold enough that when I took the turnpike up to Augusta last night, my window was frozen shut and I had to open my door to pay the toll.

It is interesting to notice how much colder 9 degrees is than, say, 25 degrees, and how much colder 25 is than 35. The temperature was in the low 30s the other morning, and one of my neighbors was shoveling his driveway in shorts. And here I was thinking I wouldn't need my summer clothes until July.

“Sometimes nothin’ can be a real cool hand.”

The Movie: Cool Hand Luke, 1967 (Donn Pearce, screenwriter, from his novel; Stuart Rosenberg, dir.)
Who says it: Paul Newman as Luke, a hardened criminal and prison escapee
The context: Luke has just won a poker game on a bluff.
How to use it: When you’re surfing the universe unprepared.

In the movie Serendipity, Kate Beckinsale's character asks John Cusack's character what his favorite movie is, and he says, "The correct answer is Cool Hand Luke." This is one of those movies, like Deliverance, that speaks to something deep within the Y chromosome; I admit I don't get it. Plus, the scene with the hard-boiled eggs makes me want to hurl.

Nevertheless, this is an excellent line. I live a shockingly irresponsible life for someone my age; I am always surfing the universe unprepared, and this year in particular that has taxed my friends and family -- which I apologize for, and appreciate more than words can express. But things seem to be -- I want to whisper this -- falling back into place, and I feel a dangerous sense of optimism as we approach the new year.

Happy birthday to my dear friend Deidre Sullivan -- author, screenwriter, performance artist and personal guru. The only reason she's not running the world is because she doesn't want to.

"Coffee is for closers."

The Movie: Glengarry Glen Ross, 1992 (David Mamet, screenwriter; James Foley, dir.)
Who says it: Alec Baldwin as Blake, the aggressive new manager of a real estate sales office
The context: Blake is denying coffee to his struggling sales force.
How to use it: To hold someone -- or yourself -- to an unreasonable standard.

One of the signs of addiction is that the substance no longer makes the addict feel better, it just makes her feel normal. If that's the standard, I've been addicted to coffee for an embarrassingly long time. I miss those ads that used to run in the 1980s... scenes of people doing gymnastics, roller-skating, and otherwise racing around, with ELO singing, "Hold on tight to your dreams," and a voice promising that coffee was "the calm moment... that gives you the serenity to imagine it, and the vitality to do it."

It's probably too late to sue those people for false advertising.

Lots of work to finish today, in part because I did very little yesterday afternoon but watch The Princess Bride again on cable and read most of Peter Ackroyd's latest novel. I considered using another quotation from The Princess Bride today, and I probably will within the next few days -- without much effort, this whole blog could be nothing but quotes from The Princess Bride, The Wizard of Oz, and the complete works of Christopher Guest.

If I get everything done today, though, it leaves the rest of the week free for Christmas shopping... or I could just buy everything from my cousin Sheila's website. She has some art prints up on EBay, too, if anyone needs something for their walls -- go to "advanced search," and look for items from the seller "Hollywoodkit."

“Someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets.”

The Movie: Taxi Driver, 1976 (Paul Schrader, screenwriter; Martin Scorsese, dir.)
Who says it: Robert DeNiro as taxi driver Travis Bickle
The context: Travis is driving around New York City, watching the rain come down.
How to use it: To comment – ironically, please – on urban decay.

I used to say this all the time when it rained in L.A. I wonder if I'll ever be able to live in a city again.

This morning Dizzy and I met another of our neighbors, Will, who lives around the corner with his wife and their four-year-old and their Alaskan Husky, Silver. Dizzy loves snow dogs.

Anyway, Will is a police officer for the city of Portland, and he and his family moved here from Memphis two years ago. We were talking about how different it is up here, how peaceful. In Memphis, he said, he might respond to three shootings a night; up here, even knife fights are rare.

Dizzy slept until 11:00 this morning, a new record for him and one that I appreciated very much. Too much frolicking at Anna and Tarren's yesterday, I guess. I bought him a new squeaky duck, which entertained Anna's dad, Jerry, as much as it pleased Dizzy.

My aunt Kit reminded me that of course Dizzy had seen a Christmas tree before -- at my cousins Kathleen and Mark's, last year and the year before.

"That'll do, pig. That'll do."

The Movie: Babe, 1995 (George Miller and Chris Noonan, screenwriters; George Miller, dir.)
Who says it: James Cromwell as Farmer Hoggett
The context: Babe the pig has just won a sheep-herding contest by being polite to the sheep, rather than intimidating them.
How to use it: As understated praise for someone who’ll get the joke.

Unpacking's going to take a while. Everything that Ashton and Joseph packed came through beautifully, but a box of bowls that I packed had only two survivors, with the rest broken to pieces and in one case crushed almost to powder. It probably didn't help that the movers completely disregarded the "FRAGILE" and "THIS END UP" markings on the boxes -- I found the box of bowls underneath two boxes of books.

But it's okay. I made toast last night for the first time in about six weeks, and I almost wept when I found the box that held my silverware. No more plastic cutlery! No more paper plates!

This afternoon, Dizzy and I are going over to Anna and Tarren's to help decorate the tree and celebrate Anna's mother's birthday. Dizzy's never seen a Christmas tree, as far as I know.

“Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.”

The Movie: The Wizard of Oz, 1939 (Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf, screenwriters, from the book by L. Frank Baum; Victor Fleming, dir.)
Who says it: Frank Morgan as the Wizard
The context: Toto pulls away a curtain to reveal an undistinguished, middle-aged man operating the controls that create the giant hologram of the Wizard’s head.
How to use it: To acknowledge that something is staged.

This quotation always reminds me of a Penn & Teller show I saw in Washington several years ago. Penn was alone on stage, talking about death while he did terrible things to a balloon. He was talking about how resilient people are, about friends of his who had survived disease and brutal attacks, as he beat the balloon with a paddle and hacked at it with a knife. "But sometimes," he said, covering the balloon with a scarf, "people just die." The balloon deflated underneath the scarf, and he pulled the scarf away to show that the balloon was gone.

Now, I knew exactly how that trick was done -- it's not a trick at all, it's just clever manipulation of an underinflated balloon -- but the genius of Penn & Teller is that you believe it's magic even though you see how it works.

I'm not sure what my point is, except to say that even seeing the man behind the curtain doesn't always diminish the power of the illusion.

Yesterday morning I picked up my car. I stopped off at the grocery store on my way home, and suddenly started to shake -- a delayed reaction, I guess, to everything. Once I finally had my stuff and my car, I could have that nervous breakdown I've been postponing.

Fortunately, my cable's not working and some things are missing from my shipment, so life's still normal, and the nervous breakdown can hold off indefinitely.

"It's my dirt! No good, but it's all mine."

The movie: The Grapes of Wrath, 1940 (Nunnally Johnson, screenwriter, from the novel by John Steinbeck; John Ford, dir.)
Who says it: Charley Grapewin as Grandpa Joad
The context: Grandpa Joad doesn’t want to leave his farm, although it’s turned into a barren wasteland.
How to use it: To express pride in your humble possessions.

The movers arrived last night around 11:45. A couple of things seem to be missing, but the most important items are here.

Deadlines today, and I have to pick up my car, so this will be a short post. We had a thaw yesterday, and the snow turned to slush before turning into solid blocks of ice overnight. Dizzy and I both slipped and fell this morning, but no damage done. I might need to get cleats.

"We're past pretending now. We'll leave that to the amateurs."

The Movie: Sleuth, 1972 (Anthony Shaffer, screenplay, from his play; Joseph L. Mankiewicz, dir.)
Who says it: Michael Caine as Milo Tindle, a hairdresser in love with Andrew Wyke's wife
The context: Having humiliated each other with elaborate ruses, Milo and Andrew Wyke (Laurence Olivier), a mystery novelist, move to a more serious negotiation.
How to use it: When you’re getting down to business.

It's not true, in case you were wondering, that Eskimos have 100 (or 200, or 400) words for snow. But they do have about 15 words, depending on how you count them.

I could use a few extra. Last night we had frozen rain after snow, leaving a crust of ice on top of about an inch of powder. It's treacherous walking, even in my LL Bean Mountain Moccasins, and it's dangerous for Dizzy, because the ice has sharp edges when his paws break through. I doubt the temperature ever rose above 20 yesterday; when I returned the rental car, the bank thermometer on Western Avenue read 15 degrees.

But today it's supposed to warm up considerably, and once it does, I'll go retrieve my car. The wise thing to do would be to take it directly to the Volkswagen dealership, to have the tires checked and everything winterized, but I'll probably do that tomorrow.

The short hours of daylight compress all the day's activities, and create a sense of urgency to get things done while the sun's in the sky. Sunrise to sunset is less than nine hours now, and we're still about two weeks away from the shortest day of the year.

When I moved up here, a friend of mine called it rookie league for Antarctica -- a long-cherished fantasy -- and that was truer than I could have imagined.

“You need more than luck in Shanghai.”

The Movie: The Lady from Shanghai, 1948 (Orson Welles, director and screenwriter, from a book by Sherwood King)
Who says it: Rita Hayworth as Rosalie Bannister, the wife of a wealthy lawyer
The context: Rosalie is telling sailor Mike O’Hara (Orson Welles) about her earlier life as a gambler in Shanghai.
How to use it: To express quiet confidence when someone wishes you luck.

When Rita Hayworth made this movie, she was the most beautiful woman in the world. No one else was even close. I watched it again recently, and it's tremendously entertaining on many levels -- just keeping track of Orson Welles' dreadful Irish accent is hypnotizing.

It's snowing again. I'm afraid to go pick up my car in this weather, because I really don't know how to drive in this weather, and I am absolutely positive that if I try to take the Beetle out in it, nothing good can happen. But I need to return the rental car... it's all giving me a headache, or maybe that's just the paint fumes.

Happy anniversary to Anna and Tarren, whose wedding in Portland two years ago was the first time I seriously considered Maine as a place to live.

“The things you own end up owning you.”

The Movie: Fight Club, 1999 (Jim Uhls, screenwriter, from the novel by Chuck Palahniuk; David Fincher, dir.)
Who says it: Brad Pitt as maverick entrepreneur and total psycho Tyler Durden
The context: Durden is commenting on the lifestyle of the Narrator (Ed Norton), whose apartment is full of brand-name electronics and mass-produced furniture.
How to use it: Before you buy anything else.

I've never been a shopper. I'm not an accumulator, except of books. And maybe of CDs. And friends, of course. Okay, never mind that part. But I'm not a shopper, and it makes me anxious to own too much, because everything I own is something I could lose or wreck. (Yes, I've discussed this in therapy. It still feels like a rational perspective.)

And this week is a case in point. This week I am getting my car back -- it's ready now -- and my stuff is supposed to arrive from California. In both cases, I have to shell out large amounts of money in order to get back what's already, theoretically, mine. I know that's not what's really happening; I'm paying for a service related to my stuff and not for the stuff itself, but that's not how it feels.

Then again, I'd pay almost anything just to sleep in my own bed again. It was my first purchase in California, and I got a great deal on it. It's a queen-sized Serta with a pillow-top mattress, which seemed almost criminally self-indulgent at the time. But my friend Caroline, a screenwriter who actually does a lot of her writing in bed, said, "No, you spend a third of your life in bed. You need to buy something good." The headboard is a brass-and-ceramic set of rails I inherited from my friend Nan when she moved to Arkansas; it was the only piece of furniture I moved from D.C. to L.A.

It's not true that I haven't gotten a decent night's sleep in three months, but this morning it feels that way.

"Did you guys ever watch the show?"

The Movie: Galaxy Quest, 1999 (David Howard and Robert Gordon, screenwriters; Dean Parisot, dir.)
Who says it: Sam Rockwell as Guy Fleegman, a.k.a. Security Chief Roc Ingersoll
The context: Aliens have kidnapped the cast of the cult TV show “Galaxy Quest;” actress Gwen DeMarco (Sigourney Weaver) is completely horrified when their alien hosts begin to eat a wounded companion.
How to use it: To make yourself and your companions accept the current reality, however bizarre it might be.

Thanks to my friend Tom for this quotation.

It occurred to me this morning, not for the first time, that Dizzy lives a much more exciting life than I do. For him, everything is fraught with adventure and possibility. Every squirrel is a new chance for him to assert his dominion, even though he's never caught one single squirrel in hundreds of tries. Every pile of leaves offers the promise of something seriously disgusting at the bottom. Every dog could be his new best friend, every cat could hold the secret of the universe -- if they just wouldn't run...

Snow is a miracle he can't understand, but loves. At the cemetery this morning, he kept trying to pick up a stick, then jumping back when he felt the cold of the snow on his teeth. He likes to sit on the snow, but he doesn't like the feeling on his mouth.

A neighbor said, "He'll be tired of it by January, like we all are." But I don't think so. Every day in the life of Dizzy is an exciting new episode.

And speaking of exciting new episodes, happy birthday and many more to Ashton LeBourgeois, who looks younger every year.

"Go ahead! Eat the writer!"

The Movie: Shadow of the Vampire, 2000 (Steven Katz, screenwriter; E. Elias Merhige, dir.)
Who says it: John Malkovich as pioneering film director F. W. Murnau
The context: Having hired a real vampire (Willem Dafoe) to play Nosferatu, Murnau finds the production slipping out of his control; he says this line sarcastically, not sincerely.
How to use it: Every professional writer will find some use for this quotation. Trust me.

Lack of hot water (which did finally come back) and bad weather delayed my departure for Cambridge, and then a misunderstanding of the Mapquest directions sent me the long way around -- I wound up taking Route 1 through a big chunk of southern Maine and through New Hampshire before realizing that I never should have left 95.

Val, a neighbor of mine who keeps cats, rabbits and a horse, is taking care of Dizzy until tonight. He likes her, and he especially likes the way her jacket smells. The horse lives at its own stable, and Dizzy's staying in my apartment, so he's not likely to meet the cats and rabbits personally.

I got to Kate's late, but did manage to talk to a couple of people I wanted to see. I also made sure that Kate's going to order my client Kent Harrington's new book, Red Jungle, which is coming out just before Christmas. The publisher, Dennis McMillan, produces limited runs of beautifully-designed books; he does very little marketing, because he generally doesn't need to. But Kent's book deserves a wider audience, and we're all hoping that some major press will swoop in with a mass-market deal once Dennis's print run sells out. Publishers Weekly gave the book a good review this week, and that's always encouraging.

This morning I'm working with Mikki Ansin on her book project, a retrospective of candid stills from the Merchant-Ivory productions of the 1980s and 1990s. Mikki was the still photographer on most of those movies, and she has gorgeous pictures of the actors and technicians going about their lives "between takes" -- which is what the book will be called.

“I'm pretty sure there's a lot more to life than being really, really good looking.”

The Movie: Zoolander, 2001 (Drake Sather, Ben Stiller and John Hamburg, screenwriters; Ben Stiller, dir.)
Who says it: Ben Stiller as supermodel Derek Zoolander
The context: Derek contemplates his future after his roommates die in a tragic gasoline-fight accident.
How to use it: If your friends don’t laugh when you say this, you have a problem. Unless you're actually a supermodel.

This line has no specific application today, it just cracks me up.

Dizzy woke me up right around 6:00 this morning, apparently to let me know that a) we had no heat and b) it was snowing. We went out in the first gray light of dawn so Dizzy could check it out. He likes it, although he doesn't have the slightest idea of what it is; he kept pawing the ground, trying to make it move, and sniffing to see what was going on. We're supposed to get about an inch before it stops.

Not having heat -- or hot water -- is a bigger problem. There might be more to life than being really, really good-looking, but I am NOT going to Kate's holiday party without washing my hair.

"I should get coffee. Coffee would help me think."

The Movie: Adaptation, 2002 (Charlie Kaufman, screenwriter, from the book by Susan Orlean; Spike Jonze, dir.)
Who says it: Nicolas Cage as Charlie Kaufman, a frustrated screenwriter
The context: Kaufman struggles with writer's block as he tries to adapt the book The Orchid Thief into a screenplay.
How to use it: When you're procrastinating.

Procrastination has a seriously bad rap. If you look at it the right way, it's a heroic expression of faith that we’ll all be here tomorrow. Don't you think?

Yesterday morning, in a driving rainstorm, the FedEx man delivered a giant box to my doorstep. In the box was a birthday/housewarming present from my friend Gary: a fire engine red espresso-cappuccino machine, with enough coffee to last through the winter. Wow, wow, wow. I don't expect to sleep again until sometime after Christmas; I am making coffee I don't even want to drink, just so I can play with my new toy.

The movers say my stuff is in a truck, on its way to Maine, and might arrive as soon as this weekend. In the meantime I borrowed Anna and Tarren's air mattress, which doesn't leak. Hurray!

“Pshaw right, and monkeys might fly out of my butt.”

The Movie: Wayne’s World, 1992 (Mike Myers, Bonnie Turner and Terry Turner, screenwriters; Penelope Spheeris, director)
Who says it: Mike Myers as Wayne Campbell, star of his own cable-access TV show
The context: Wayne considers the possibility that he might be able to do his show, “Wayne’s World,” professionally.
How to use it: To express skepticism.

My car might be fixed today. No, really. (Gary said on the phone last night, "I'm not even going to respond to that.")

Today I need to figure out my weekend logistics. Kate's Mystery Books is having its holiday party on Friday night in Cambridge, and I'm supposed to see a client in Cambridge during the day on Saturday. It's no problem to drive down there, and I have a place to stay, but I need to figure out what I'm doing with Dizzy.

Still no snow... maybe this weekend. Anna says, "Shut up! You'll have more than you want soon enough." But they've been rolling the paths in the cemetery, because people cross-country ski there.

"Well, that can't be good."

The Movie: Evolution, 2001 (David Diamond, David Weissman and Don Jacoby, screenwriters; Ivan Reitman, dir.)
Who says it: Dan Ackroyd as Governor Lewis
The context: A National Guard officer informs the Governor that they have just lost video feed of the devastation being wrought by alien invaders.
How to use it: To express alarm in an understated way.

What a waste of talent this movie was. It's a good line, though, if only because I already say it all the time.

Yesterday I called my movers, and talked -- again -- to a nice dispatcher named Penny. Penny had no memory of having talked to me at least twice before (I've also talked to a dispatcher named Nina), and no memory of having read the e-mails I've sent them. She could not tell me the status of my shipment, but spent a good ten minutes explaining the process for filing a claim or a complaint. Then she said she'd look into things and call me back.

She called back to say that my belongings were still in California, because they haven't yet been able to find a truck that's going to Maine. She assured me that her manager would be making calls all day to find a truck, and that she'd call me today to let me know the status.

It doesn't surprise me that he's having a hard time finding anyone else moving from California to Maine, because let's get real -- who does that? And who does that at the beginning of winter, for heaven's sake? Hee. (That's half a giggle, which is all I can muster.)

"What is it with you and stuff?" my freshman roommate Leigh asked last night, on the phone.

"I don't know," I said. I think the universe is calling me on my claim that I don't really care about material possessions.

“When you go looking for something specific, your chances of finding it are very bad…"

The entire quote: "When you go looking for something specific, your chances of finding it are very bad. Because of all the things in the world, you're only looking for one of them. When you go looking for anything at all, your chances of finding it are very good. Because of all the things in the world, you're sure to find some of them."
The Movie: Zero Effect, 1998 (Jake Kasdan, screenwriter and director)
Who says it: Bill Pullman as Daryl Zero, the world’s greatest detective
The context: Zero is describing his investigative techniques as we see him search a client’s office.
How to use it: As a life philosophy, it works for me.

I just looked at my Blogger profile and was surprised to see that I hadn't listed this movie among my favorites, because it's right up there. It's just wrong that more people haven't seen it; it's a modern retelling of the Sherlock Holmes story "A Scandal in Bohemia," and Bill Pullman has never been better. Plus, my friend Hugh has a small but pivotal role in it.

Maybe this will be the week that my car gets fixed, and my stuff arrives from California. I feel weirdly complacent about it, though... it's a bright sunny day, I'm getting my work done, and the world is a friendly place today. If I spend another week fighting with the air mattress, I'm still better off than most of the world.

Anna and Tarren are back from Africa, just for a few days before they're off again, this time to Washington. Anna called me last night and said, "Let's have dinner, what's your week like?" I said, "Let me check," and pulled up my calendar on Outlook.

"Gee," I said. "Monday I have... nothing. And Tuesday, I have... nothing. Let's check Wednesday... yep, nothing. And it looks like Thursday is clear too." "So Tuesday, then," Anna said.

Don't get me wrong: this was part of the point of moving to Maine, because I'm bad about overcommitting and overpromising and rushing around doing, rather than being. It's been great having so much open time, and it helps that I haven't had a television. I'm even wondering whether I want to hook mine up, once it finally arrives from California.

“Ad hoc, ad loc, and quid pro quo! So little time, so much to know!”

The Movie: Yellow Submarine, 1968 (Al Brodax, Jack Mendlesohn, Lee Minoff and Erich Segal, screenwriters; George Dunning, dir.)
Who says it: Dick Emery as the voice of Jeremy Hilary Boob, Ph.D., aka the Nowhere Man
The context: Jeremy is introducing himself to the Beatles, who have come to his land in a yellow submarine.
How to use it: When you’re cramming for a test or researching something new.

Happy birthday today to Leigh Peele, my freshman roommate and the person who first showed me that L.A. really could be a great place.

Maine has an amazingly good library system. The Gardiner Public Library is better than any public library in Los Angeles, except for the central one downtown. But even the smallest towns have well-tended libraries; the one in China had as good a selection of children's books as I've seen.

I just love the idea of libraries -- that you can take away a book, read it, bring it back and take out another one, and it doesn't cost anything. Except for late fees, which I wind up paying more often than I should.

“You’ll shoot your eye out!”

The Movie: A Christmas Story, 1983 (Jean Shepherd, Leigh Brown, and Bob Clark, from the novel by Jean Shepherd; Bob Clark, dir.)
Who says it: Melinda Dillon as Ralphie’s Mom, Tedde Moore as Miss Shields, and Jeff Gillen as Santa Claus
The context: All Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) wants for Christmas is an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle… but this is the response he gets.
How to use it: In response to someone else’s wish for something that probably won’t be good for them.

Santa Claus arrives in Gardiner this morning at the town's Christmas parade. My belief is Santa Claus is well-documented, and I'll doubtless return to this theme during the holiday season, but it does trouble me to see so many impostors running around. Of course, if Santa Claus were an author, he wouldn't make any appearances before Christmas, preferring to wait until Christmas Day to show up and accept praise and thanks from grateful children everywhere.

People have said to me several times, when I mentioned I was looking for one item or another, "Oh, you might have to go to the May-Maw," or, "Yeah, you'll probably find one at the May-Maw." It took me a while to realize that what they were saying was Maine Mall, which is this huge shopping mecca just outside of Portland. Not quite as big as Potomac Mills or Cabazon, bigger than Tysons Corner. I drove by there yesterday, took one look at the parking lots, and drove on.

“This was not just a matter of chance. These strange things happen all the time.”

The Movie: Magnolia, 1999 (P. T. Anderson, director and screenwriter)
Who says it: Ricky Jay as The Narrator
The context: The Narrator opens the movie by telling three stories of apparent coincidence, in which strangers came together to form life-altering patterns.
How to use it: To acknowledge synchonicity.

I don't believe in astrology -- we've discussed this -- but I'm willing to consider that it's more than coincidence that my friends and family's birthdays cluster around particular times of year -- mid-February, mid-April, the two weeks from May 30 to June 14, and from right now til mid-December.

Half a dozen people who are important to me share this birthday, including my sisters Peggy and Susan and my brother Ed. So happy birthday, everyone, and forgive me if cards and gifts arrive a little late this year. I've been distracted.

Last night I drove up to Waterville to see "Sideways" -- terrific -- and had dinner at the Senator Inn in Augusta. I even tried a little Indian pudding, which turns out to be meat-free (thank goodness), and something in the bread pudding/plum pudding family.

“If that don’t beat all. I never saw such a dog.”

The Movie: Old Yeller, 1957 (Fred Gipson and William Tunberg, from Gipson’s novel; Robert Stevenson, dir.)
Who says it: Dorothy McGuire as Katie Coates, a rancher’s wife on the 1860s frontier
The context: Old Yeller has just saved Katie’s son, Arliss, from a bear.
How to use it: To express respect for any great dog.

I'm sure I've seen this movie, but it's the book I remember reading -- in fourth grade, I think, when I read all the great dog books: Lad, A Dog; The Call of the Wild; Sounder; Lassie Come Home. I remember feeling frustrated that my mother's beagle-basset hound mix, Penny, wasn't more of an Adventure Dog, and thinking that when I grew up I'd have a big dog. And my own room.

So now I'm grown up, and I have a big dog and my own room.

But today's quotation honors Murray, my friend Ann Marie's dog, who passed on yesterday after a very long, very happy life. Murray was Dizzy's first dog friend and mentor; he was the one who introduced Dizzy to the joys of searching counters and knocking over trash cans for food.

Murray, a white Lab, would eat anything he could reach, and quite a lot he couldn't. His finest moment was cracking open a theoretically dogproof "food safe" and eating almost all of its contents before passing out with five pounds of kibble in his belly.

But Murray was also a great hiker, a sympathetic listener, and a world-class cuddler. He liked car rides and baths, and hated non-neutered dogs. He had as good a sense of humor as any dog I've known, and sometimes actually looked as if he were laughing.

So now, wherever he is, it's Thanksgiving every day, and he finally gets to eat as much as he wants. Good dog, Murray.

“Oh, my friends – I’m so pleased you’re not dead!”

The Movie: Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1981 (Lawrence Kasdan, screenwriter, from a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman; Steven Spielberg, dir.)
Who says it: John Rhys-Davies as Sallah, Indiana Jones’ archeological dig foreman
The context: Sallah greets Indiana (Harrison Ford) and Marian (Karen Allen) after their escape from Nazis
How to use it: To greet friends you haven’t seen in a while.

I'm posting late today and this is just a quotation I like, apropos of nothing in particular. It might come in handy over the holidays.

The air mattress situation is getting completely out of hand. I patched it again before going to bed last night, but it's still leaking... I woke up on the floor a little after 3:00 this morning, added more duct tape, reinflated the thing, and was fighting my way out of it again at 8:00 a.m.

So this morning I'm very, very, very tired. Very. Tired.

"DISAPPOINTED!"

The Movie: A Fish Called Wanda, 1988 (John Cleese, screenwriter; Charles Crichton, dir.)
Who says it: Kevin Kline as Otto, ex-CIA assassin and clueless would-be uebermensch (but don't call him stupid)
The context: Otto and his girlfriend, Wanda (Jamie Lee Curtis) have just broken into a safe to discover that the proceeds of their diamond robbery -- which they had planned to steal again -- are missing.
How to use it: To express frustration and -- uh -- disappointment.

My car won't be fixed until the middle of next week, at the very earliest. The deja vu was funny at first, but it's not any more.

So I'll be here for Thanksgiving. This morning I'm calling around to see whether anyone needs volunteers at the food bank or at Gardiner Area High School, where they're serving Thanksgiving dinner. At least this way I should meet some nice people.

Oh, and today's quotation is thanks to the ever-vigilant Susi Schulz, who suggested it last week. Several years ago I spent Thanksgiving with the Schulzes in London, and Sue and I had a traditional American Thanksgiving dinner at Simpsons on the Strand, which was mildly surreal. The British have a very different concept of cranberry sauce than we do... not bad, just different.

“All they do is give out awards. Greatest Fascist Dictator, Adolf Hitler.”

The Movie: Annie Hall, 1977 (Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman, screenwriters; Woody Allen, dir.)
Who says it: Woody Allen as Alvy Singer, a comedian and writer
The context: Alvy’s talking about the Los Angeles entertainment industry, as he’s losing his girlfriend Annie (Diane Keaton) to a music producer who’s about to get an award.
How to use it: It’s an accurate observation not only of Hollywood, but of several other subcultures as well.

Writers are great ones for giving awards to each other, and it annoys me. It's not as if most writers aren't self-obsessed, envious and miserable enough already -- and yes, I know plenty of exceptions, but these qualities are common enough (I include myself in the sample) to justify the stereotype.

But I thought about this recently as I was looking through a copy of The Best American Poetry 2004 -- it was reviewed in yesterday's New York Times, and I felt annoyed all over again. Poetry, of all things, is an area where prizes might matter, because no one gets rich writing poetry, except that woman who does all the greeting cards. Few Americans actually read modern poets, and those who do might well pick up this book -- as I did -- and then go looking for more work by some of the poets included.

If, that is, they liked the poems. This year's collection emphasizes "experimental" poetry, and quite a lot of it seems to be written for other poets to admire, not for someone like me to read.

It exasperates me beyond words. Too many poets whine about how no one reads poetry, and here's the one book all year that might bring people back to it, and it's not directed toward the casual reader at all.

Not to say that the poets in this book aren't deserving -- frankly, I don't know enough about poetry to be able to tell, and this book just reinforced that feeling.

It sent me right back to Yeats -- again -- and he's been dead for 65 years.

“Because I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.”

The Movie: Stuart Saves His Family, 1995 (Al Franken, screenwriter, from his book; Harold Ramis, dir.)
Who says it: Al Franken as Stuart Smalley, the twelve-steppingest man in America
The context: This is how Stuart ends all of his “Daily Affirmations.”
How to use it: To boost your self-esteem. Really.

I woke up this morning to discover that my air mattress had sprung a leak overnight. Dizzy and I were sunk deep into the middle of it, with the sides caging us in. I still haven't figured out where the leak is. I miss my own stuff; the movers say they'll be here sometime the first week of December.

Yesterday was a bright sunny day, and I met my friend Anna's parents, Mary and Jerry Maschino, for lunch at the A-1 Diner in Gardiner. The A-1 has a cook who's worked there for 50 years, for three different owners who ran the place under three different names. It's a traditional-looking place -- a converted railcar -- with an unconventional menu. For lunch yesterday, I had gorgonzola risotto cakes, and Mary had a mushroom-tofu fricassee. (They have normal diner food, too: Jerry had fish and chips.)

Today it's gray and rainy, and there was even a bit of snow on the ground this morning. Dizzy paid no attention to it, although he's never seen snow.

“I had reckoned on my prime lasting till I was at least 50.”

The Movie: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, 1969 (Jay Presson Allen, screenwriter, from the novel by Muriel Spark; Ronald Neame, dir.)
Who says it: Maggie Smith as Miss Jean Brodie, a maverick schoolteacher and Fascist sympathizer
The context: Miss Brodie confronts the consequences of her life decisions, which have led to the destruction of everything she loves.
How to use it: To acknowledge that it might be time to change your ways.

It's my birthday. I have no profound insights to share on the occasion, except to say thanks, Mom and Dad, and happy birthday to Kathy -- four minutes older, now and forever, but of course you are still in your prime.

“Wait till they get a load of me.”

The Movie: Batman, 1989 (Sam Hamm and Warren Skaaren, screenwriters, from characters by Bob Kane; Tim Burton, dir.)
Who says it: Jack Nicholson as The Joker
The context: The Joker is reading a newspaper account of Batman’s exploits.
How to use it: When you’re getting ready to show off.

Look at me, I have a cable modem! Hurray. I also theoretically have cable TV now, but since I don't have a television yet, I don't know that for sure.

Technology increases everyone's expectations of each other, and freelancing means making oneself available to clients at almost any time of day. Sometimes I think I have less control over my time as a freelancer than I did when I was a salaried employee.

The cable modem gives me yet another e-mail address, and I already had to set up another new e-mail address last week, to join a list-serve for one of my clients. Now I have four e-mail addresses that I know about, and if I let myself, I'd do nothing all day but check them to see whether anyone was trying to get in touch with me. Good grief.

“I’m an excellent driver.”

The Movie: Rain Man, 1988 (Ronald Bass and Barry Morrow, screenwriters; Barry Levinson, dir.)
Who says it: Dustin Hoffman as Raymond Babbitt, an autistic man
The context: Raymond wants his brother Charlie (Tom Cruise) to let him drive their father’s car.
How to use it: Ironically, to acknowledge that you’re not really a very good driver.

I'm not a terrible driver, although my friend Randy White would probably disagree with that -- don't ask, it's a painful memory.

It's a little worrying, though, that it was so easy for me to get a Maine driver's license. No written test, no road test, just an eye test, my old license, and 40 bucks. And it was even more worrying that all my information was already in the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles' computer, apparently from the car accident earlier this month. Yikes.

But now I'm official. The car's not registered in Maine yet, because the car is still in the shop -- and likely to be so until at least the middle of next week, which complicates my Thanksgiving plans. Did we already talk about deja vu?

“I brought you some hard-boiled eggs, and some nuts.”

The Movie: County Hospital, 1932 (H. M. Walker, screenwriter; James Parrott, dir.)
Who says it: Stan Laurel as Mr. Laurel, a hospital visitor
The context: Mr. Laurel is visiting Mr. Hardy, whose broken leg is in traction; Mr. Hardy doesn’t care for either hard-boiled eggs or nuts.
How to use it: To put the best possible spin on a totally inadequate gift.

I sympathize with Ollie's disgust in this scene, because he'd rather have candy -- who wouldn't? -- and I'd rather eat a bug than a hard-boiled egg. But the humor is in Stan's pride and hope that his offering will be acceptable, although he knows just how lame it is.

This quote occurred to me this morning while I was sending my twin sister a birthday present. You'd think that I would know her better than I know anyone, and that therefore I'd know exactly what she likes, but I don't. So Kathy, if you don't like this, maybe you can exchange it.

This morning's news that Sears and K-Mart are merging alarms me slightly, but I couldn't explain why. In honor of the news, I'll probably go buy something at Reny's today.

"A dream is a wish your heart makes."

The Movie: Cinderella, 1950 (eight screenwriters – eight! – from a story by Charles Perrault; three directors)
Who says it: Ilene Woods as the voice of Cinderella
The context: Cinderella dreams of love and escape as she drudges away for her wicked stepmother and evil stepsisters.
How to use it: Even Bill Gates must get a little wistful sometimes.

Cinderella is a wicked movie not only because it gives little girls unrealistic expectations about Prince Charming, but also because it gives little girls unrealistic expectations about the possibility of one day finding a shoe that really fits.

I woke up in a cold sweat one night this summer, realizing that the move to Maine meant that I'd have to buy new shoes. I've spent most of my life avoiding shoes, and I always hated socks; one great advantage of Los Angeles was that I could and did wear sandals, or even flip-flops, year-round.

But there's no getting around it: Maine requires shoes. And socks. It says a lot about how quickly my perspectives have changed that I asked only for socks for this year's birthday -- and I was thrilled when my sister Peggy sent me a box of them, yesterday.

They say that middle age is a time of adjusting one's expectations, but to go from dreams of love to dreams of socks is humbling.

“It’s a one-way trip, and the last stop is the cemetery.”

The Movie: Double Indemnity, 1944 (Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler, screenwriters, from the novel by James M. Cain; Billy Wilder, director)
Who says it: Edward G. Robinson as Barton Keyes, a veteran insurance investigator
The context: Keyes knows that Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) conspired with someone to kill her husband, and that this alliance will lead to their destruction.
How to use it: To advise someone against a course of action, although this line is true of all of us at all times.

The Oak Grove Cemetery in Gardiner (est. 1844) is the best off-leash dog park in town; a neighbor told Dizzy and me about it the other morning. It's three blocks south of the town common, an easy half-mile's walk from my apartment. Our routine in the morning is to get up, go to the cemetery, then walk through the town common and down the hill to the post office. Across from the post office is A-1 to Go, a gourmet food shop that sells excellent coffee and muffins, and then it's another quick half-mile up the hill to the apartment.

When I told Gary about the cemetery/dog park last night, he said, "That's it. Another reason I'm getting cremated. I don't want dogs peeing all over me." It's one point of view, and I understand some might find it disrespectful -- although I wouldn't let Dizzy pee on a headstone. But I like the idea of live, happy people going to graveyards for some reason other than to mourn the dead. My own dead relatives are buried in cemeteries in suburban New York and Charleston, SC, and I never go visit them there. I'd like to think that someone occasionally walks by their headstones and wonders about their lives, as I do at Oak Grove.

This morning I'm getting kitchen furniture delivered, and this afternoon I might even get cable.

“Yeah yeah, sure sure.”

The Movie: The Hudsucker Proxy, 1994 (Ethan Coen, Joel Coen and Sam Raimi, screenwriters; Joel Coen, dir.)
Who says it: Paul Newman as Sidney J. Mussburger, second in command and heir apparent to the top job at Hudsucker Enterprises
The context: Mussburger says this frequently to interrupt colleagues and employees who are wasting his time.
How to use it: To move on to the next subject. My friend Anna says this a lot, actually, and I hope it's not just to me.

Late blog posting today -- it was a busy day. First and most important, happy birthday to the radiant and wise Carla Forbes-Kelly, although it is no longer her birthday in Singapore (where she lives).

Carla was one of my very first friends in college. I can no longer remember how we met, but it's an interesting case study of recovered-memory syndrome. For years I was sure we'd met in Father Schall's class on Elements of Political Theory; I could even remember where Carla sat, a couple of rows behind me, Eileen, and our friends Nancy and Chris.

A year or two, though, I mentioned this to Carla, and she said, "I didn't have Father Schall for Elements of Political Theory." "You didn't?" I asked, flabbergasted. "No," she said. I started to argue with her about it, then realized that was absurd; she'd know better than I what courses she took 20 years ago.

Still, my mind's eye sees her in that classroom. Weird.

“Be excellent to each other.”

The Movie: Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, 1989 (Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon, screenwriters; Stephen Herek, dir.)
Who says it: Alex Winter as Bill S. Preston, Esq., a San Dimas High School senior; George Carlin as Rufus, an Emissary from the Future
The context: Bill says this to the ruling cadre of the society of the future, thus forming the basis for a new world religion.
How to use it: Another perfect wedding toast, bafflingly under-used.

Happy anniversary to my sister Peggy and her husband Scott, and happy birthday to my uncle Gerry McLaughlin. It's getting to be birthday season in my family, but that will be the subject of another post.

This morning I may be slightly impaired by fumes... finished painting the bathroom last night, then put up a new shower curtain. If someone could manufacture a new shower curtain that didn't smell like a new shower curtain, they'd make a million dollars.

No snow last night, though it was bitterly cold. My air mattress was a little too close to the window, and I woke up around midnight because the back of my neck was so cold I was having muscle spasms.

But it could be worse. My friend Eileen was living in St. Petersburg in the early 1990s, researching her dissertation, and I went to visit toward the end of her stay. She had in-laws in Moscow, so we took the overnight train to see them. We splurged on a first-class sleeper compartment; at the absurd exchange rate of the time, I think it cost us about $12. Unfortunately, that sum didn't guarantee us any heat. I've never been so cold in my life. By the end of the night, Eileen and I were wearing every piece of clothing we had, and were curled into balls at the edge of the compartment, trying to catch the draft of warm air coming from the passageway.

I believe that was the night that ended my moral objections to fur.

“Shane! Come back!”

The Movie: Shane, 1953 (A. B. Guthrie, Jr., from the novel by Jack Schaefer; George Stevens, dir.)
Who says it: Brandon De Wilde as Joey Starrett, child of a homesteading family on the Wyoming frontier.
The context: The gunfighter Shane (Alan Ladd) had hoped to put his violent past behind him. But he can’t help who he is – all he can do is try to put his violent nature to the service of others, and stay away from peaceful people. This is the last line of the movie. Anyone who doesn’t cry at the end of Shane is someone I don’t want to know.
How to use it: To say goodbye to someone you're really going to miss.

It makes my mother crazy to think of me talking on the phone while I drive, but the only place I have a cell phone signal is inside about ten square miles within the Augusta city limits. I can and do sit in parking lots to use my phone, but I haven't been able to avoid driving and talking. Yesterday I was talking to my friend Matt when the signal disappeared, and this line immediately came to mind. "Is there anything you miss about L.A.?" Matt had asked, and I said, "Just you guys."

But the good news is that the land-based phone line should be hooked up this afternoon, and Dizzy and I are moving into the apartment for real in a couple of hours. I spent yesterday afternoon painting the bathroom and getting a few things set up in the kitchen, and I'll sleep on an air mattress until my furniture arrives (anyone's guess).

And the even better news is that my cousin Kathleen and her husband Mark welcomed Owen's baby sister into the world yesterday afternoon. Which is yet another line from yet another movie... Olivia de Havilland in Gone with the Wind, "The happiest days are the days when babies come!"

It would be nice to imagine that I'll stop thinking in movie lines when I get to the end of this blog. Since the blog exists because I think in movie lines, it's not going to happen.

“Come to think about it, most people like a good laugh more than I do, but that's beside the point!”

The Movie: …And Now for Something Completely Different, 1971 (Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin, screenwriters; Ian MacNaughton, dir.)
Who says it: Graham Chapman as The Sergeant-Major
The context: The Sergeant-Major is protesting the movie’s increasing silliness, and warning the film-makers to shape up.
How to use it: To defend yourself when you don’t think something is funny.

"You have no sense of humor" is the conversational equivalent of a tactical nuclear weapon. It's impossible to defend against, because everyone knows that the people who brag about their sense of humor are the ones who don't have any.

I once asked a friend who's a child psychiatrist how babies decide something is funny; how do they know enough to recognize the absurd? He said, "Babies laugh when something is surprising, but not scary." That sounds right to me, especially since it's still the basis of most of what I find funny. (Jack-in-the-boxes: scary, not funny. Clowns: scary, not funny. Why in the world do parents inflict these things on their children?)

But I'll admit that my sense of humor depends a lot on my overall mood, and even more on whether the humor's at someone else's expense. I don't think "Crank Yankers" is funny; these people didn't ask to be called by deranged puppets. I don't want to hear overaged frat boys' allegedly hilarious stories about the times they humiliated civilians. (Okay, I did laugh at Old School. Anyone who can't laugh at Will Ferrell is past saving.)

Today's rant has no real point, except that I wish I could have dredged up even a scrap of humor for any of the conversations I had yesterday morning: with the insurance adjuster who'd made no effort to call me in the six days since my car accident; with the phone company representative who still can't hook up my phone, having no disconnect order from the previous tenant; with the moving company that has most of my worldly possessions in an unhitched trailer somewhere in the California desert.

Three months from now, when Dizzy and I are comfortably installed in the Water Street apartment and enjoying all the wonders of technology, this will be funny. But that's another quotation for another day (Alan Alda in Crimes and Misdemeanors: "Comedy is tragedy, plus time. Tragedy, plus time.").

“Once again, things that could have been brought to my attention YESTERDAY!”

The Movie: The Wedding Singer, 1998 (Tim Herlihy, screenwriter; Frank Coraci, dir.)
Who says it: Adam Sandler as Robbie Hart, the wedding singer
The context: Robbie’s fiancée Linda (Angie Everhart) explains that she stood him up at the altar because she thinks he’s a loser.
How to use it: Whenever you’re surprised by information you really should have had.

My friend Tom Ehrenfeld thought I should have used this quotation after last week's election, but I knew it would soon come in handy for any number of other reasons.

The phone in my apartment isn't working yet, because the previous tenant hadn't called to disconnect his old phone number. The Verizon representative said, "Well, your landlord can call to ask us to disconnect the phone," but my landlords are in Cape Town, South Africa, at the moment, on their way to Lesotho.

Fortunately, I met two of my neighbors yesterday, and one of them knows how to get in touch with the previous tenant, so maybe this can all get taken care of today. If the phone's working, Dizzy and I will start staying at the new place tonight.

It's not quite 20 degrees outside, but Dizzy seems to like it, and it bothers me much less than I thought it would.

“There he goes, one of God’s own prototypes… too weird to live, and too rare to die.”

The Movie: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 1998 (Terry Gilliam, director and screenwriter, from the book by Hunter S. Thompson)
Who says it: Johnny Depp as Raoul Duke, a chemically-enhanced journalist
The context: Duke is describing Dr. Gonzo (Benicio Del Toro), his Samoan lawyer, drug connection, and partner in crime.
How to use it: If you don’t have at least one friend you can say this about, you need some new friends – unless all your friends say this about you.

This movie tested my vow that I would gladly watch Johnny Depp in anything. Friends of mine love it, and it does have its moments, but I watched it on a day when I just wasn't in the mood for non-linear narrative. It's a great quotation, though.

This morning I'm tired. I wish I could wave a magic wand and bring the moving truck here immediately, because I want my stuff, and I want to set my apartment up, and I want to get back into some kind of routine.

My phone hadn't been hooked up yet by the time I left my apartment yesterday, but maybe it will be when I go back there this afternoon. Dizzy and I will start camping out there this weekend, whether my stuff is here by then or not.

“If you build it, he will come.”

The Movie: Field of Dreams, 1989 (Phil Alden Robinson, director and screenwriter, from the novel by W. P. Kinsella)
Who says it: Lee Garlington as The Voice
The context: This disembodied message from an Iowa cornfield convinces farmer Ray Kinsella to plow down his crop and make a baseball diamond.
How to use it: To justify a completely irrational decision.

As I begin the process of settling in, I realize what a crazy thing I've done -- and the effect of this is not to make me regret it, but to make me happier about it, because I think it's going to turn out better than I could have imagined. Something about this place soothes me to the bottom of my soul. I had no idea, living in Los Angeles, how much I missed the rain and the dark green of pine trees.

This quotation occurred to me yesterday when I was reading an article about a big new bridge across the Kennebec River, which just happens to be opening on my birthday (the end of next week). The bridge will take heavy traffic out of downtown Augusta, which is good, but will drop it right onto Route 3, the two-lane road where I had the car accident last Thursday. This article quoted the Mayor of Augusta saying that he expected lots of new housing and businesses in the area just northeast of Augusta, although I hadn't noticed a housing shortage up here -- the reverse, if anything.

It would be too bad if civilization came too far out this way, though. Anna and Tarren live on an unpaved fire road on the southern side of China Lake. China Village, which this area theoretically belongs to, is a two-road hamlet seven miles up the road.

As small as China Village is, it has a beautiful library. I went there yesterday afternoon to hear a lecture by Doug Preston about the 1,000-mile journey he made on horseback, tracing Coronado's search for the Seven Cities of Cibola. Doug writes terrific thrillers and mystery novels, and is a good friend of a good friend, so it was an unexpected pleasure to see the lecture advertised at the local sandwich shop.

“Good morning! And in case I don't see you, good afternoon, good evening, and good night.”

The Movie: The Truman Show, 1998 (Andrew Niccol, screenwriter; Peter Weir, dir.)
Who says it: Jim Carrey as Truman Burbank, a man who has unwittingly lived his entire life within the elaborate set of a television show.
The context: This is Truman’s standard greeting to his neighbors, but also the last line of the movie, as Truman leaves the stage.
How to use it: When you want to be polite to a friend or family member, but don’t really want to have a conversation.

Lots to do today, and I'm already running late if I want to get to 8:00 Mass in Gardiner. Gardiner's about a half-hour drive from China, but I'm a little nervous now about driving at my usual speed -- which, in my own defense, is nothing compared with certain friends of mine I'd rather not incriminate.

But I did pick up a rental car yesterday, and started the process of stocking the new apartment -- snow shovel, clock radio, new telephone, paint chips, much of which I got at Reny's, even though I missed the Early Bird Sale.

“We have a piper down. I repeat, the piper is down.”

The Movie: So I Married an Axe Murderer, 1993 (Robbie Fox, screenwriter; Thomas Schlamme, dir.)
Who says it: Mike Myers as Stuart Mackenzie, Scottish nationalist and father to Charlie Mackenzie (Mike Myers)
The context: Stuart’s insistence that a wedding bagpiper play Rod Stewart songs has led to the piper’s collapse.
How to use it: To announce a minor crisis, with a Scottish accent. My brothers and sisters and I use this line a lot around the holidays.

I'll rent a car later this morning, but in the meantime my lack of transportation means that I'm missing the Early Bird Sale at Reny's, a discount store in downtown Gardiner. Reny's is hard to describe; it's like K-Mart, but more crowded, and with a much more eclectic inventory. It's a little like Honest Ed's in Toronto, but not as big or gaudy.

Several people have said to me, "If Reny's doesn't have it, you don't need it," and it might be true: they have everything from rugs to toothpaste. I went in there the other day to look for a shower curtain, but left after twenty minutes, feeling overwhelmed. Reny's has its own peculiar layout, and it's crammed with merchandise; once you figure it out, Anna says, you know where things are, but it takes a while.

A display of canned and bottled Maine foods mesmerized me for at least ten minutes. It reminded me of another line from this movie: "I think most Scottish cuisine is based on a dare." Bottles of clam juice, just clam juice, sold as if it were lemon juice. Lobster pate. Haddock chowder. Soldier beans -- soldier beans? -- and, most alarming of all, something called Indian Pudding.

Relations with the Native American community must be pretty bad up here, if they're still making people into pudding.

“Have you ever had déjà vu?”

The Movie: Groundhog Day, 1993 (Danny Rubin and Harold Ramis, screenwriters; Harold Ramis, dir.)
Who says it: Andie McDowell as Rita, a TV news producer
The context: Rita says this to Phil Connors (Bill Murray), an egomanical TV weatherman who’s living the same day over, and over, and over, and over…
How to use it: When it’s obvious that you’ve been here before.

Faithful readers of this blog will know, just from that line, that this posting will be about -- wait for it -- my car.

But it's not the car's fault this time, and although I have had two conversations in the last 24 hours with representatives of Progressive Insurance, I can already tell that this experience will be different from the last one.

Yesterday afternoon I needed to run some errands in Portland and Gardiner -- buy dog food, pick up my mail, shop for paint for the new apartment. I'm still living out in China, at Anna & Tarren's, until the phone's hooked up at the new place on Monday and I've got a couple of basic pieces of furniture. (My belongings from California, including my bed, should arrive sometime the third week of November.)

Route 3, which runs northeast from Augusta, is two lanes over rolling hills. A schoolbus stopped suddenly at the bottom of a hill, just the far side of the city line; a procession of cars, including mine, stopped abruptly behind it. The car behind me, driven by a very young woman who was running late for work, didn't stop in time.

Thank God, no one was hurt, but I think the girl's car was totaled, and my own poor Blueberrymobile was badly damaged: a smashed headlight, one taillight completely gone, back bumper crumpled, front bumper cracked. I was able to drive it away, and I'll be able to drive it down to Augusta for repairs, but it's not pretty.

It's the first serious car accident I've ever been in. Paramedics came and checked us all out; except for a little whiplash, I'm fine, and so was everyone else. Both the police and the paramedics were there within ten minutes, maybe even within five.

And not to be simple-minded and Spongebob Squarepants-ish about it (Mom, that would be "Pollyanna," for your generation), but it's kind of a lovely introduction to Maine. Almost everyone involved in this accident -- the woman whose car mine hit, the police officer who took our statements, the paramedics, the neighbor who called 911, the local Progressive insurance representative -- was incredibly kind, even good-humored. If this had happened in Los Angeles, I shudder to think how ugly it might have been.

So the car repair process starts again... and for those of you who think that this is a sign my car really is jinxed, all I can say is that the car took good care of me yesterday, and I'm not getting rid of it.

“I had a farm in Africa…”

The Movie: Out of Africa, 1985 (Kurt Luedtke, screenwriter, from the book by Isak Dinesen; Sydney Pollack, dir.)
Who says it: Meryl Streep as Karen Blixen, aka the author Isak Dinesen
The context: This is the first line of both the movie and the book, as Dinesen starts to tell us the story of her time in Africa.
How to use it: To mock yourself when remembering past glories. To be really effective, you have to use the accent: “I haad a fahrm in Ahfrika…”

My friends/hosts/landlords, Anna and Tarren, leave today for three weeks in Africa, visiting friends who are currently posted to Lesotho. See, even Republicans are leaving the country! (Okay, cheap shot.) They're leaving just as we're about to get the first snow of the season. I can't wait to see what Dizzy thinks of it.

Today I have a serious pile of work to catch up on, because all I did yesterday was exchange e-mails and instant messages with friends, and obsess over political commentary -- Salon, the New York Times, Andrew Sullivan (not a good man, but a smart one), etc., etc. My friend Carla, in Singapore, pointed me to Nicholas Kristof's column in yesterday's Times. I completely agree with that piece, but then I also agree with Thomas's Friedman's column today.

I have a couple of last thoughts on this election -- not last thoughts, but the last ones I'm going to post. At least for today.

This is not the first time our country has been deeply divided over fundamental moral questions whose answers seemed obvious in retrospect -- the emancipation of slaves, fair treatment of immigrants, voting rights for women, and even whether we should enter the Second World War all had passionate opponents who were not evil but were dead wrong.

We got through those issues -- and we'll get through the current ones -- because the people who designed our system of government planned ahead for just these situations.

I talked, or e-mailed, with a couple of people yesterday who had some pretty wild fears about what a second Bush administration might bring. I sympathize with these fears, but everyone needs to take a deep breath and remember that our government is not a monolith. It's a deliberately complicated, inefficient network of checks and balances that is designed to prevent the tyranny of the majority.

The President alone has limited power; even a legislature dominated by his own party has the power to stop him, censure him, override him. The executive branch agencies theoretically implement the President's policies and the laws passed by Congress, but for better or worse, these agencies are actually run by long-entrenched civil servants reluctant to make any big changes. And the individual states retain a great deal of authority over the details of our daily lives -- things like marriage, reproductive rights, legal redress, consumer protection.

So my advice to my friends who are grieving over Tuesday's returns is just this: politics is local. You can change the system from within, and it starts at the neighborhood level. My friends in Los Angeles are some of the smartest people I've ever known, and guys, you should be running for office. This is all too important to be left to the people who ran the student council.

“We're not Watusi, we're not Spartans, we're Americans... That means that our forefathers were kicked out of every decent country in the world.”

The Movie: Stripes, 1981 (Len Blum & Daniel Goldberg and Harold Ramis, screenwriters; Ivan Reitman, dir.)
Who says it: Bill Murray as John Winger, who ends up in the Army more or less by accident.
The context: Winger rallies his misfit brothers-in-arms to make a daring raid behind the Iron Curtain.
How to use it: To express patriotism – well, if you’re a U.S. citizen.

I was voter #997 at the Gardiner Town Office yesterday afternoon, a little after 4:00 p.m. Gardiner's official population is only about 6,500 people, and the Town Office wasn't the only polling station, so turnout was high. For what might be the first time in my entire voting life, I voted with the local majority right down the line: Kerry for President, the incumbent (Tom Allen) for Congress, no on the tax cap, no on the bear-hunting ban.

Anna and Tarren had invited me down to the Maine Republican Party post-election celebration, in Portland, and I really did think about going... some of the nicest people I know are Republicans... but when I left the Town Office around 4:30, the sun had already set, and it was pouring rain. I couldn't see driving all the way to Portland and then all the way back, late at night, in the rain, after a beer or two. So I drove back to China and settled in for a long night of watching returns on the TV and the computer.

After 2000, what mattered most to me was that we have a definitive election result by the end of the night. By 11:30, it was clear that we wouldn't, so I went to bed.

And this morning things still don't look certain, although we seem to have re-elected the President. I say "we," because we're all part of the voting public, regardless of how we voted. In the days ahead, newscasters will point to the map of the United States, with its blue votes for Kerry and its red votes for Bush, and say that this means we're two countries.

That, excuse me -- I'm going to use a word I really hate here -- is bullshit. I've just spent sixteen days driving across the country, crossing the red states to get from one blue state to another, and it's just not true that people in Missouri are a different kind of Americans than people in California or people in Maine. Anyone who says so is a dangerous fool.

It's true that lifestyles and expectations are different in different parts of the country. It's true that the nature and quality of our school systems vary from one part of the country to another, and that we still have important regional differences (growing less distinct all the time).

But we're all Americans, and for better or worse that means we share these uniquely American qualities: an expectation of upward mobility; a trust in the legal system to correct any injustices done to us; a belief that every American, regardless of birth, should have the same access to opportunity; and a belief that hard work and good intentions make up for almost any shortcoming, even when they don't. We might disagree on how the system is supposed to work, but we do share these goals.

Over the auditorium in Georgetown University's Intercultural Center is a quotation from the Jesuit paleontologist, theologian and mystic Pierre Teilhard de Chardin: "The age of nations is past. It remains for us now to set aside our differences, and build the earth."

Teilhard was a little premature -- sometimes I think we're seeing a rebirth of the age of nations -- but it's a lovely thought. And maybe our last two Presidential elections suggest that the age of American political parties has passed, and it's time for us to figure out a better system.

"I see dead people."

The Movie: The Sixth Sense, 1999 (M. Night Shyamalan, screenwriter and director)
Who says it: Haley Joel Osment as Cole Sear, a troubled child
The context: Cole admits the root of his problem to his therapist, Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis)
How to use it: When you’ve lost the ability to take in any more new information. Or when you see dead people.

Ah, you knew this line was coming. What could be more appropriate for the Dia de los Muertos? Sometimes the obvious choice is the right one.

I've been reading a lot of ghost stories lately, as seems appropriate for this time of year. John Connolly's new collection, Nocturnes, is excellent, and includes one story that shook me so badly I couldn't even finish it. The book's not available in the US until next spring, but you can order it from Amazon.co.uk.

Those stories sent me back to M.R. James, whose work I hadn't read since high school. Maybe this isn't healthy reading on the edge of the Maine woods... or then again, maybe this is the best stuff to be reading on the edge of the Maine woods. As Victoria Williams says, what we fear the most meets us halfway.

Which may be why I just can't wait to vote today. Election Day's always been as good as Christmas for me. In Los Angeles, I used to work the polls, which was a fascinating way to see cross-sections of the city I never would have otherwise. (Also, it made me feel young, since I was at least 30 years younger than most of the other pollworkers.)

My gracious hosts are active members of that other political party, although our views aren't really so different. They've been telling me all week that Maine has a special voting schedule for Democrats, and that I don't need to worry about it until Thursday, when they will have a special booth set up just for me. In Boston. These tactics reflect a shocking lack of faith in their own candidate, if you ask me.

The two big issues on today's ballot are whether to impose a statutory cap on property taxes and whether it should be a crime to hunt bears with bait, traps or dogs. My new apartment stands on the edge of a forest; I think I know how I'm voting on the bear question.

“You stay alive, no matter what occurs! I will find you.”

The Movie: The Last of the Mohicans, 1992 (Michael Mann and Christopher Crowe, screenwriters, from the novel by James Fenimore Cooper; Michael Mann, dir.)
Who says it: Daniel Day-Lewis as Hawkeye, the deerslayer
The context: Hawkeye and the woman he loves, Cora Munro (Madeleine Stowe), are separated as British settlers come under attack during the French and Indian War.
How to use it: Actually, it could come in handy if you’re shopping with a friend at the Augusta Wal-Mart.

This movie popped into my head last week, when I stopped at the James Fenimore Cooper rest area on the New Jersey Turnpike. Christopher Buckley once compared Tom Clancy to James Fenimore Cooper, calling both the worst best-selling authors of their day. The short biography at the rest stop makes Cooper sound like an insufferable prig. That puzzled me, because you'd think they'd show him in a better light if they went to the trouble of naming a service plaza after him.

I'd never read Last of the Mohicans until a couple of years ago, when my friend Sue Lin read it and passed her copy along to me. The movie is better, and not just because Daniel Day-Lewis is shirtless for a good deal of it.

We built a bonfire in the Bragdons' fire pit last night, down by the edge of the lake. It rained most of the day Saturday, into yesterday morning, but the wood still burned pretty well, and the sparks rose high into the pine branches above. Dizzy had never seen an open fire before, and didn't know quite what to make of it. I gave him a big bone -- in honor of Halloween, and to help him get in touch with the dominant primordial beast within -- and he took it well away from us, and ate the entire thing.

Today I get the keys to my new place, and the long process of settling in begins.

“Don’t let them bury me… I’m not dead!”

The Movie: The Serpent and the Rainbow, 1988 (Richard Maxwell and Adam Rodman, screenwriters, based on the book by Wade Davis; Wes Craven, dir.)
Who says it: Bill Pullman as Dennis Alan, an anthropologist researching zombies in Haiti
The context: Dr. Alan finds himself under the effects of the drug he’d gone to Haiti to research.
How to use it: When you’re afraid of being ignored – or buried alive.

My favorite band of the 1990s, Too Much Joy, used a couple of different versions of this line in songs on their debut album, Green Eggs and Crack. Also, Dr. Doug Lyle explains how to make your own zombie powder in his book, Murder & Mayhem... not that this is something I endorse. Really. But if it works for you, send me some.

The Literacy Volunteers of Greater Augusta and the Gaslight Theater of Hallowell held a Spooktacular Read-a-Thon last night at Higher Grounds, a Hallowell coffeehouse. Anna was one of the coordinators -- I was supposed to be part of the planning group, too, but didn't get here in time. Anna & I were going to read "The Yellow Wallpaper," but there were so many other readers that we skipped it.

It was a great evening, though, and I love that there's more live music within three miles of my new apartment than there was within three miles of my place in Hollywood.

My other big excursion yesterday was to the Wal-Mart in Augusta. Talk about overwhelming... you could drop all of downtown Gardiner into it, and still have room for a chunk of Hallowell.

Happy Halloween, y'all.

"GET OUT!"

The Movie: The Amityville Horror, 1979 (Sandor Stern, screenwriter, from the book by Jay Anson; Stuart Rosenberg, dir.)
Who says it: The house – or whatever’s inside it
The context: George and Kathy Lutz (James Brolin and Margot Kidder) have just moved into their dream home, which happens to have been the site of a brutal mass murder.
How to use it: Jokingly, to imply that a place is haunted, or to say it’s time to leave.

This book was avidly (and in some cases, secretly) passed all around my fifth-grade class, and it scared us silly. The movie's pretty dumb, although it has a couple of good moments. But the quotation seemed appropriate for Halloween weekend.

This morning Dizzy and I took my coffee down to Anna and Tarren's dock. The fog was so thick on the lake that I couldn't see the water at all; the dock seemed to disappear into a cloud bank, as if you could step off it into some other world. Dizzy didn't like it, and I was surprised that he noticed. He's a scent hound, and I've never really been sure how well he sees.

Yesterday was only slightly more productive than the day before, but I did get the two most important things done: I registered to vote, and I got a library card. I'd have gotten a dog license, too, but December is the renewal season, so the young woman at the Gardiner Town Office advised me to wait a month.

Oh, and I met the Gardiner postmaster, who has been putting mail in P.O. Box 921 for me for the last three months, and was beginning to wonder whether I actually existed. His name is Jerry.