On The Didion-Dunnes as Generation-Specific Awful Parents
@deepomega I'm not saying Didion is beyond reproach, nor do I think Didion herself would argue that she is. Nevertheless, Flanagan's tone and approach rankle me, as they almost always do.
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On The Didion-Dunnes as Generation-Specific Awful Parents
Flanagan writes about Didion's parenting as though Didion herself doesn't see any problem with her parenting. In fact, her self-flagellation is the most intense and unsettling thing about Blue Nights, which for my money is a much more powerful piece of writing than The Year of Magical Thinking.
And the bit about the young Didion's anxious behavior at a dinner party and inappropriate wearing of a Chanel suit says far more about Flanagan and her own mother, it seems to me, than it does about Didion.
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On The No-Tears, No-Panic Thanksgiving Countdown Guide: Week 1
Best Thanksgiving advice ever: "lots of veggies in preparation for the avalanche of starches yet to come."
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On Local Twitter Slang, And All That Jawn
@semiserious (btw, thanks, bro!)
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On Local Twitter Slang, And All That Jawn
@semiserious Just like the Miami of my memories!
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On Local Twitter Slang, And All That Jawn
@Shona Sanzgiri@facebook That Carnegie Mellon finding about koo/coo was completely based on a statistical study that centered on users' purported location. It was the first major study of its kind, or at least the first I'm aware of (though as I said in the piece, I'm not a linguist and don't spend time in those kinds of trenches), so that's probably why we both ended up citing it. I do wonder about the reliability of those kinds of determinations. On the one hand, they're based on statistics and so are by definition indicative of trends. On the other hand, those statistics are completely divorced from any other information. As a New Yorker, I have to say, no one in my stream ever uses the phrase "deadass tired." But maybe that's a function of the people I follow? Anyway, now I'm rambling and just thinking out loud... Thanks for reading.
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On The Cordial Enmity Of Joan Didion And Pauline Kael
@barnhouse I revere Twain('s nonfiction) and agree that Kael's effortless, unpretentious, funny writing is kin to his.
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On The Cordial Enmity Of Joan Didion And Pauline Kael
@barnhouse I love them both equally. (And I think Joan Didion is funny sometimes! It's just very wry humor -- like Flannery O'Connor's, except actually not very much like Flannery O'Connor's, but I will leave the comparison here anyway and regret it later.)
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On The Didion-Dunnes as Generation-Specific Awful Parents
@C_Webb Agreed (http://bnreview.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Reviews-Essays/Blue-Nights/ba-p/6099)