Year: 2004

…but God bless the New York Yankees. Although the baseball overlords claim that “a segment of the fans” objected to Spider-Man II ads on the bases (which is true enough if by “segment” one means “all of them”) I’m sure it was the Yankees putting their foot down and saying, “Uh uh” that was the final nail in the coffin of this poorly thought out deal. It’s bad enough that every square inch of a stadium is filled with advertising. At least you can try to ignore it by focusing on the field. When it’s on the field itself…that ain’t right. And considering I’ve got a personal financial stake in the movie doing well (gotta love those book royalties), that’s saying something.

PAD

A lot of people seem to find Kerry’s manner of speaking to be tremendously amusing. The way he pauses before speaking a phrase in an almost Shatner-esque way. Al Gore did much the same thing.

After three years of Bush, it may be confusing, but…that’s how intelligent people talk. Carol Kalish spoke much the same way.

See, many people just say whatever’s running through their mind, and the phrases often don’t parse as sentences. Just ask anyone who’s ever had to transcribe an interview. In such case, more often than not, a sentence begins in one place but doesn’t end where it should because the speaker has gone off track.

Notice that when Kerry speaks, he usually does so in complete sentences. When he’s pausing, he’s mentally constructing what he’s going to say so that it will track from beginning to end. He considers his words and then uses them. By contrast, Bush just flails. He starts sentences without a clue where he’s going with them, and oftentimes trails off into confusion or dead ends. What saves Bush is that people have come to understand he’s inarticulate and it doesn’t bother them, because many of them aren’t much better, have only a vague grasp of the English language, don’t read much, and get annoyed or intimidated by people who are smarter than they.

Mark this period of time well, folks. Thirty years from now, future generations will look back at what went on in these days with a sense of revulsion and they will ask you, their parents and/or grandparents, how in the world the activities of George W. Bush and his Administration could have been allowed to happen. Bush supporters, be sure to save hardcopy of all your postings because, when you feel embarrassment thirty years hence, at least you can present some sort of explanation as to what the hëll was going through your mind.

PAD

Penguin-Putnam and I have come to terms on a third “Arthur” novel. Tentatively titled “Fall of Knight,” it will pick up where the previous volume, “One Knight Only” left off, and will continue the adventures of Arthur Penn, Gwen, Merlin, et al.

I won’t discuss details of the plot at this time, especially since world events wound up changing the plot of “One Knight Only” so monumentally. I have a basic storyline in mind, but we’ll see what’s happening in the world when I’m actually writing it.

Taking a guess, it will see print some time in 2006.

PAD