Three Days to Lad

There were little white flecks in my coffee. The grad student in the office peered into my cup in a myopic kind of way and said “That’s disgusting. I can’t believe you would actually put that in your mouth and swallow it.”

“Oh,” I said calmly, “I’ll swallow anything.”

Pause.

Big smile.

The song I’m singing is the Two Weeks Left song. Then I go to another job. Do you know of one? I need it.

In State and Main, there’s a heart-stopping car crash. Afterwards, one of the ubiquitous Baldwins crawls out of the car, stands looking around, then very calmly says “So that happened!” DING! Check that off my list. It is a brilliant line, something totally believable, and I wish I’d written it.

Something else I wish I’d written: Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. I hate the plug – who reads something on the strength of recommendation? – but here, I plug. *plug*patchett*plug*. Do it, Rockapella.