How wrong Emily Dickinson was. Hope is not the thing with feathers. The thing with feathers turned out to be my nephew. We must take him to a specialist in Zurich. -- Woody Allen

Seriousness is stupidity sent to college. -- P. J. O’Rourke (b. 1947), U.S. journalist

GOSSIP
It topples governments, wrecks marriages,
Ruins careers, sullies reputation,
Causes heartaches, nightmares, indigestion -
Spawns suspicion, generates grief.
Makes innocent people cry into their pillows.
Even its name hisses.
It's called gossip. Office gossip.
Shop gossip. Party gossip.
It makes headlines and headaches.
Before you repeat a story, ask yourself,
Is it true? Is it fair?
Is it necessary?
If not - SHUT UP.

-- Unknown

Sonja wrote until blood formed on her brow and she fell from exhaustion at 11:49 PM

What is joy?
It is a bird
That we all want to catch
It is the same bird
That we all love to see flying
-- Sri Chinmoy

When the glamour [of one's marriage] wears off, or merely works a bit thin, they think they have made a mistake, and that the real soul-mate is still to find. The real soul-mate too often proves to be the next sexually attractive person that comes along. Someone whom they might indeed very profitably have married, if only - . Hence divorce, to provide the 'if only'. And of course they are as a rule quite right: they did make a mistake. Only a very wise man at the end of his life could make a sound judgement concerning whom, amongst the total possible chances, he ought most profitably to have married! Nearly all marriages, even happy ones, are mistakes: in the sense that almost certainly (in a more perfect world, or even with a little more care in this very imperfect one) both partners might have found more suitable mates. But the 'real soul-mate' is the one you are actually married to. You really do very little choosing: life and circumstances do most of it (though if there is a God these must be His instruments, or His appearances). It is notorious that in fact happy marriages are more common where the 'choosing' by the young persons is even more limited, by parental or family authority, as long as there is a social ethic of plain unromantic responsibility and conjugal fidelity. But even in countries where the romantic tradition has so far affected social arrangements as to make people believe that the choosing of a mate is solely the concern of the young, only the rarest good fortune brings together the man and woman who are really as it were 'destined' for one another, and capable of a very great and splendid love. The idea still dazzles us, catches us by the throat: poems and stories in multitudes have been written on the theme, more, probably, than the total of such loves in real life (yet the greatest of these tales do not tell of the happy marriage of such great lovers, but of their tragic separation; as if even in this sphere the truly great and splendid in this fallen world is more nearly achieved by 'failure' and suffering). In such great inevitable love, often love at first sight, we catch a vision, I suppose, of marriage as it should have been in an unfallen world. In this fallen world we have as our only guides, prudence, wisdom (rare in youth, too late in age), a clean heart, and fidelity of will..... -- J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter #43
Sonja wrote until blood formed on her brow and she fell from exhaustion at 11:48 PM

Zach Blocker's Quote Page
Then the dean understood what had puzzled him in Roark's manner.
"You know," he said, "you would sound much more convincing if you spoke as if you cared whether I agreed with you or not."
"That's true," said Roark. "I don't care whether you agree with me or not." He said it so simply that it did not sound offensive, it sounded like the statement of a fact which he noticed, puzzled, for the first time.
"You don't care what others think - which might be understandable. But you don't care even to make them think as you do?"
"No."
"But that's... that's monstrous."
"Is it? Probably, I couldn't say."
-- Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead

This sounds a little familiar, ne?
Sonja wrote until blood formed on her brow and she fell from exhaustion at 11:36 PM