by Update: I still hate, hate, hate self-promotion. But radio interviews are the one exception. Those are almost always fun, and the one I had yesterday with host Mike Cuthbert was especially great. One of the first things he said to me was, “My wife and I read your book and we can’t figure out how you’re still single!” Cuthbert was also once an associate conductor, so he knew what I was writing about intimately. (Must look up Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Unicorn, the Gorgon, and the Manticore, something he recommended.)
I was early for my interview though, so I went across the street to kill time in Central Park by the reservoir. And I saw a turtle! I have always loved turtles. Which reminds me, a very kind fellow author at Algonquin Books, Caroline Leavitt, gave me some self-promotion advice and one thing she suggested was write a piece for the New York Times Modern Love column. So I read the one she had written, titled, “My Touchstone and a Heart of Gold.”
It begins with, “I never intended to get a tortoise.” It is so charming and also so deep and moving I immediately choked. I can’t compete with that, I give up. (I’ll get over it.) But you should read her column. And who can resist a turtle? Except I don’t know the difference between a turtle and a tortoise or which one this is. But I fell in love with him.
No, no, don’t swim away little guy! Okay, goodbye. I will never forget you.
Hey, that looks like a Red-eared Slider! (Isn’t Wikipedia great?) According to Wikipedia, it’s probably a descendant of a released pet. He’s cute, especially his little outstretched arms, swimming hard to get away from the scary human!
Just saw World War Z (but we call it World War ZED up here!) and it just hit me that the new Dr. Who (who is in WWZ) is that formerly gawky, skinny guy from “Local Hero,” one of my fave movies.
Wait, which one is he in World War Z, I saw that! I have to look it up. I’ve been meaning to post about the new Doctor. I’m very prepared to adore him. Everyone else seems so happy about him, so that’s promising!
And poor little Red-eared Slider! Except I wasn’t very near to him so he wasn’t swimming to get away from me. Except maybe he could feel my love and didn’t need another stalker.
Peter Capaldi plays one of the guys st the WHO (coincidence??) lab in Cardiff, Wales.
Oooops. “at”, not “st”.
About 30 years ago I was walking across the Great Lawn, near Belvedere Castle, right after a huge rain storm. I came upon a group of kids crowded around a HUGE snapping turtle that had been washed up from the pond. His shell was about 2 or 3 inches longer than your benign little friend’s. The kids were with their teacher, and they got a box and some how got the snapper in, and I guess deposited him back in the pond.
(End of anecdote. 🙂 )
Let’s hope so!
Nora, I’ll have to watch it again, I don’t remember that character.