Q: What is the most surprising discovery you’ve made while working on this biography of William F. Buckley Jr.?
A: There were two. First, he would rather talk about almost anything other than politics — literature, music, sailing. He once told me, “I only talk about politics when someone pays me to do it.” Second, I never heard him make a personally disparaging remark about anyone, even adversaries like Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. and Gore Vidal. He might describe something they did or the style in which they did it, but never in an insulting or even critical way. He had a large sense of the human comedy.
Q&A on William F. Buckley
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
For those who don’t know, Caroline Wozniacki is the world’s current number one woman tennis player. Her tennis results since becoming number one, however, have been so miserable that the only things she is known for among fans are losing and, one time down in Australia, telling the gathered world press that she had been attacked and mauled by a feral kangaroo. Turns out she had scratched her leg on an exercise machine, not on a kangaroo at all. That’s Caroline Wozniacki.
Feral Kangaroos And Women
For those who don’t know, Yale is a college on the east coast famous for appearing in the title of a William Buckley book and for having frat boys who recently stood outside some women’s dorms chanting, “No means yes! Yes means anal!” That’s Yale.
The Society Pages: Yale Frat Pledges Chant “No Means Yes, Yes Means Anal”
The two come together this week at the New Haven tennis tournament.
Next week the final Grand Slam tennis tournament of the year starts in New York. Most players are resting up this week. But for players desperate to get their game together or just desperate for prize money there are a couple of little tournaments going on and one of these little tournaments with almost no players is in New Haven, Connecticut, on the Yale campus.
Yesterday in an off-the-cuff comment—or extemporaneously for any Buckley fans who might be looking in—I used the word ‘assignation’ in a sentence. Someone laughed and said, “I don’t think anyone uses that word any more.” I said, “Well, they should. It’s about ass and it’s got ‘ass’ right in it. It’s a good word.”
I don’t have a lot of experience myself with Ivy League schools. I do have one experience that’s kind of blog-able.
I once had a very interesting talk with a biologist who taught at Harvard. (Why Catching A Cold Makes Some People Cuter) After we talked, I said, “You know, as chance would have it, I’ve met a lot of people from Harvard. Without exception, they all have been pleasant people, smart people, interesting people to talk to.”
“That’s Harvard!” the biology professor said. “We pride ourselves on being pleasant, smart and interesting.”
“Yes,” I said. “But then there’s that whole Kennedy School of Government thing.”
The biology professor took a moment to choose his words. “Yes,” he said. “But then we try not to talk about that.”
So this week Caroline Wozniacki will be hanging out at Yale.
I’m guessing some assignations may take place. And if any conversations occur, I bet the topic of the Kennedy School of Government over at Harvard will not be among the things that come up.
It all works out.
The modern world is a smoothly functioning machine.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hmmm. Sometimes I’m more
proud of myself than others.
I was very happy to note that I’ve posted
about exotic snows twice. It’s a cool topic.
Pluto In Magic And Alchemy
Dragon Storm: Ammonia Snow
Now, I note that along with today’s post,
I’ve got two posts that mention anal sex.
Anal Sex And Death In Los Angeles
Yeah, ummm, expect to see more posts
about exotic snows in the future.
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