Today I Learned

I learned that Barack Obama's favorite Dylan song is "Maggie's Farm."

Today I Learned

I learned Jewish heritage is determined by whether the mother is Jewish. Some people near me in Central Park were discussing this. Someone said they were half Jewish and someone answered, "You can't be! What's your mother?" The answer was inaudible, but the point emerged this way: Someone said, "You mean -- that's why?" "Yes -- you can tell who the mother is. But you can never tell for sure who the father is." Ahh, said the group.

"I mean, you used to know who the mother is! What with in vitro and other things," there was laughter. "But back in the day!"

I thought how weird that was, that from now on the mothering of someone will be as up in the air as the fathering, if I'm putting this right.

I hope my readers will be happy with this nugget, the first thing I've learned for a while.

The Other Day I Learned

I saw Dean Wareham (lead singer and songwriter of Luna) at the Film Forum where we were both seeing Vivre Sa Vie by Godard, and he was even more dazzlingly light-blue-eyed and handsome than his photos but he's shorter than you'd think after seeing him onstage.

I loved the movie; it feels weird, though, to run into famous people when you go downtown to catch an afternoon movie. It gives me a jolt that's not totally pleasurable. I want to be lost in other anonymous people; seeing famous people is like being in high school again, seeing someone who reminds you you aren't one of the really cool people.

Today I Learned

The Rolling Stones, when they were young, were really, really thin.

But who doesn't know that?

Besides, it's uninteresting.

You try to be interesting but the result is the opposite. It would be better if you didn't try so hard.

Other people are interesting without trying. You're false.

Your falsity causes you to struggle desperately hard to be genuine.

But the effort is transparent, and a failure.

Like other areas of your life.

Failure permeates your life like veins.

Etc.

Correction

That's $857, and that's before taxes and "surcharges" (just a way to pad your bill). It came out to about $957. Yuck.

But at least I'm flying Virgin, which means British people are in charge of me, which makes me feel good. The American temperament is too explosive and unstable -- far better to fly with people who prize common sense above all.

Today I Learned

Today I learned you can go to England for $817 if you book two months early.