Today’s Hebrew calendar date is the 9th of Av (Tisha b’Av). Tisha b’Av is a day of mourning. It commemorates the destruction of the 1st and 2nd Temples in Jerusalem. It commemorates other tragedies in Jewish history. There are many reasons given for the destruction of the 2nd Temple. There are military reasons, economic […]
Archives for July 2017
Another thing Daniel Silva said
At the same book talk that I referenced in a previous post, Daniel Silva also discussed the mechanics of his writing. It’s amazing to hear the ripple of disbelief from the audience when he says that he still writes his books on legal pads and with a pencil. He explained that there’s a spaciousness […]
We’ve gotta keep the world big.
During the opening “rant” of Episode 830 of his bi-weekly WTF Podcast, Marc Maron said something that resonated with me. He said, “We’ve gotta keep the world big.” I like that. I like it because, for at least a little while, it seems like lots of people have been trying to make the world […]
Abandoned or Taken Away
Last night I heard the great novelist, Daniel Silva, give a book talk at the MJCCA. He’s a very interesting writer and speaker and I enjoyed hearing him reflect not only on his new book, but on writing and the creative process more generally. When asked if he reads his books once they’re finished he […]
Death (Day 3)
Everyone else in the hotel has their plans for the day and we have ours. People look at you a little funny and with a tinge of pity when they see you dressed in funerary garb. The limo arrives at the house. We check to see if it has lathes for car seats. We head […]
Death (Day 2)
All of a sudden it’s a new day. I guess it’s obvious but you only have one date of death. Quickly time starts to accumulate. Today my daughter got a napkin and wiped tears from my wife’s eyes. Then she sat in my father in law’s oversized arm chair and said it felt like he […]