Stop smoking guys.

Do we know that it was caused by smoking?

I don't know that, and don't even know if she smoked, but it usually is caused by smoking, and as stated, it does sound horrible. The prospect would be enough to get me to stop.

I am just curious. As most of us including myself speculated drug use caused it when the story broke and were wrong. You would think smoking but you never know.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a quality book.

I see what you did here.

RIP Jonathan Demme

Jonathan Demme died. Made some great movies and some not so great ones, but they were always interesting.

RIP Jonathan Demme

My first viewing of The Silence of the Lambs was one of the most intense movie watching experiences I have ever had. A true masterpiece.

Man, **** cancer

Saddenz. Without Demme there would be no Melvin and Howard.

And TIL he directed Stop Making Sense, maybe the best concert film.

Christopher Hichens died of "cancer of the oesophagus", same as his father. Smoking is good. More should be taking it up. It punches the sanctimonious F***tards of the world in the eyeball. Besides, like Mark Twain said: "Giving up smoking is easy; I've done it thousands of times." The same could be said for drinking. Or sex.

I would read it if I needed to. But I don't.

Zeno, I can never tell if you're playing a role or you're actually an *******.

I remember the first time I read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, I really liked it.

The second time I thought it was meh.

I think a third time is due, for the split decision.

Thank You.

the ghost of Christopher Hitchens wonders why your analytic self didn't proofread the spelling of his name.

once again...i believe Lila is the better read, but YMMV.

RIP all the hopes and dreams of my youth.

Red Eyes, I never really got into Lila like I did with Zen.

my appreciation for Lila is most likely a result of my particular situation and experience while reading it, especially being of a particular age.

for some reason i relate to the characters of the first book, Phaedrus and his son, from the POV of the son. most likely it is a result of the period in time i perceive as the setting of the book in relation to my age (mid teens and still living at home) and my parent's age. i'm all aboard the discussions about quality, and i work in a profession for a company where quality is one of the most identified goals...and it is achieved in many ways.

but as i read Lila i connect to the story not through the eyes of a child living his life with the influence of his parents but through the eyes of a young adult that is moving out on his own and is the only one responsible for his decisions (and their quality, and the moral result of those decisions on your life). i can also relate to the Native American narrative as a result of growing up in Oklahoma from years 8 to 18 and seeing first hand the struggles of our First People.

i could write several additional paragraphs about Lila, but i refrain.

None of the great Stoics were ever warm and cuddly.

Heller would have been 94 today.


Still dead, imo.

damn, it always surprises me

Richard "Racehorse" Haynes, a prominent Texas criminal defense lawyer, died Friday, April 28, 2017, at age 90. He was famous for a number of cases including the T. Cullen Davis cases. I had the privilege of studying under him at a University of Houston post-grad course and getting to attend a few barbecues with him. He was a hypnotic and mesmerizing speaker and extremely charismatic.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/28/u...e=sectionfront

RIP Michael Parks...great actor