We are now edging across the boundary - always a porous one - between self-justification and fantasy. Matthews' story is by no means a complete fantasy: we can recognise every event. But the frame of reference is somehow shrinking, and momentous worl...
There's a certain language, a dying language, and I can't remember who speaks it or where in the world they are, but in that language the future is referred to as being behind us. It must be behind us, since we can see the past. We walk backwards, bl...
It is offensive that so many people feel that it is okay to publicly refer to transsexuals as being “pre-op” or “post-op” when it would so clearly be degrading and demeaning to regularly describe all boys and men as being either “circumcise...
I had a dream about you. You winked at me and said the meat’s fresh, and I didn’t know which meat you were referring to. So I zipped up my pants and left the Men’s room in a hurry. I’d rather buy my thinly sliced beef somewhere else.
I want to open a broken marriage repair shop. I’m not a counselor or psychologist, but I am a fan of the magical bonding that occurs between two people when duct tape binds them together for a long period of time in a dark basement. Refer a friend,...
Language can't describe reality. Literature has no stable reference, no real meaning. Each reader's interpretation is equally valid, more important than the author's intention. In fact, nothing in life has meaning. Reality is subjective. Values and t...
Lord Daner isn't my boyfriend," Eleret said, annoyed. She'd let it go by once, but after two mentions, she had to correct him. Karvonen would drive her crazy if he kept referring to Daner that way. "Huh." Karvonen pursed his lips skeptically. "I'll b...
If our children are unable to voice what they mean, no one will know how they feel. If they can’t imagine a different world, they are stumbling through a darkness made all the more sinister by its lack of reference points. For a young person growin...
Fantasy writing must be grounded in both truth and life experience if it is to work. It can be as inventive and creative as the writer can make it, a whirlwind of images and plot twists, but it cannot be built on a foundation of air. The world must b...
I go back and research, say, every reference to the Gorgons, and I find what the classical writers said about them and it's so much richer than you might get in an average Greek mythology text. I feel like an archaeologist - I'm dusting off these thi...
As far as I can tell, kids are called bossy when they behave in a dictatorial and domineering fashion. They’re called bossy when they try to order people around and refuse to listen to authority figures. Here’s a suggestion: instead of telling us...
Juno MacGuff: God, why is everyone always staring at me? Leah: Well, you are kind of... convex. Juno MacGuff: Wow, someone's been actually doing her geometry homework for once! Leah: I don't have a choice. Keith's been grading me really hard lately. ...
[Boarding Kleinfeld's boat] Frankie Taglialucci: What's with the extra guy? [referring to Carlito] David Kleinfeld: Carlito, this is one of Tony's son's, Frankie. Frankie Taglialucci: Nah, it's Frank. David Kleinfeld: Whatever... Frankie Taglialucci:...
Lord Robert: Monsignor Alvaro! Monsignor Alvaro! Monsignor Alvaro, tell me. As well as ambassador, are you not also a bishop? De la Quadra: I am, my lord. Lord Robert: [referring to himself and Elizabeth] Then you can marry us! De la Quadra: Marry *y...
Mr. Fox: [Mr. Fox, Ash, Kris, and Kylie are on a motorcycle, and Mr. Fox refers to a quadruped wolf at the edge of a snowy forest] I don't think he speaks English or Latin. Mr. Fox: [loudly, to the wolf] Pensez-vous que l'hiver sera rude? Mr. Fox: [a...
Raoul Duke: [referring to the knife Acosta is holding] Jesus God Almighty man, where'd you get that big fucker? Dr. Gonzo: Room Service sent it up, I needed something to cut the limes, man. Raoul Duke: Limes? What limes? Dr. Gonzo: They didnt have an...
Colonel Smithers: [Referring to the gold bar on the dining room table] Mr. Bond can make whatever use of it he deems necessary... provided he returns it, of course. It's worth five thousand pounds. [Bond reaches for the bar, but M stops him short] M:...
Mayor Webb Schubert: Bill... what's made you change your mind about Tibbs? Gillespie: Who says I have? Mayor Webb Schubert: [referring to Tibbs slapping Endicott] Last Chief we had... he'd have shot Tibbs one second after he slapped Endicott, claim s...
Ringo: [referring to half-dressed room service waiter hiding in the wardrobe] Any of you lot put a man in the cupboard? George: Nah! Paul: Don't be soft! Ringo: Well, someone did. George: [George gets up, walks over, looks in the cupboard, then sits ...
Hooper: Mr. Vaughn, what we are dealing with here is a perfect engine, an eating machine. It's really a miracle of evolution. All this machine does is swim and eat and make little sharks, and that's all. Now, why don't you take a long, close look at ...
[shortly after Mr. Frying Pan makes an obscure "Ike, Mike, and Mustard" reference] Mr. Frying Pan: You wanna know who we are? I'm the frying pan, see? And my boy over here, he's... Mr. Fire: Mustard. I'm Mustard, baby. Mr. Frying Pan: He's the fire. ...
