This theme does not cater to my too-long-for-Twitter and not-a-substantial-post, post. Also, I am far too lazy to make cute thumbnails for the archives page. Will have to settle for something less aesthetically pleasing. Alas, this is just me sending complaints into the ether.

In other news, I stumbled upon this online only Proust Questionnaire by Christopher Hitchens. Of interest was a particular question that I had the pleasure of asking him personally while escorting him from point A to point B right before his talk for Burkle’s Daniel Pearl Memorial Lecture this past March: What is your favorite flower? Garlic.. His favorite fruit, by the way, is a tomato.

Despite needing to get at point B in about two minutes, he persuaded me (I use persuaded loosely because I was pretty much eager and willing) to get a coffee, so he could have a smoke. He ordered an ice coffee for me and an espresso for himself. Before my drink was over, an overzealous graduate student spotted us and engaged him in conversation about his thesis (this is what grad students do exclusively, as I can only assume and anticipate for myself) and I was undoubtedly in trouble for being the most irresponsible escort.

There’s another story about why I wasn’t immediately fired. Do then apologize & turn on the charm and improvise are the second lessons here as I’d like to think. The first is to ask seemingly inane questions to intellectually superior and exceptionally intimidating people. I mean, are you really curious as to his ardent distaste for Khomeini or Kissinger, or his view on theism? Okay, I guess I am too.