On Rereading Zinsser

I have been rereading William Zinsser's excellent book, On Writing Well: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction. It's been delightful. I have probably over, the last 25 years, gone back to read parts of it up to 40 or 50 times, yet I do have trouble putting into practice what he preaches.

But everytime I do go back--I know this is cliche--I mull over something I earlier missed. This happened recently when I read his material on E.B. White. Now, I know Mr. White is in the pantheon of great modern writers. But I just noticed that his writing has a depth that is easy to miss.

Part of that depth relates to the euphony of his writing. For years I studied the topic of sound in writing, and I must say that White is a master at it (though most people, when they read him, think he just writes in a "simple" manner).

Reader Zinsser (and White) always offers hidden pleasures.

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Impeachable Defenses

As the president of the United States soaks in hot water, he seems hell-bent on pouring scalding water on himself. As more facts come out to corroborate earlier facts, President Trump becomes more ill-at-ease. And I believe that uneasiness will only worsen.

The denouement is in the offing. No doubt it will be Must-See TV.

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Trivia Stuff

I do love trivia. Here is some from the book, Who Knew? Things You Didn't Know About Things You Know Well, by David Hoffman:

--"When the name Alan Smithee is credited as a film's director it means that the real director has disavowed the project and does not want his or her real name to be used." (p. 105)

--"The sight of oranges in all three Godfather films signals that death (or a close call) is about to happen." (p. 89)

--"Wedding cake was originally thrown  at the bride and groom, instead of eaten by them." (p. 42)

--"Most American currency contains microprinted messages to prevent counterfeiting: On the one-dollar bill, there is an owl in the upper left-hand corner of the '1' and a spider hidden at the upper right." (p. 54)

--"No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple." (p. 145)

--"The Rubik's Cube can be twisted and turned into over forty-three quintillion (43,252,003,274,489,856,000 to be exact) configurations in the attempt to line up one solid color on all six sides." (p. 186).

Interesting stuff.

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On President Trump

It appears President Trump's options are lessening. With impeachment proceedings getting into gear, he seems to be acting more and more desperate. With the president's personality traits, this is to be expected, and will likely get worse.

I must admit that I am surprised how well he has handled all the negative attention. But Trump is used to getting his way, primarily because he has always run his businesses. When this ends, he won't get his way.

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