last week's issue of the New Yorker, or wait... maybe it's this weeks. I think I get them early because I have a subscriptions... so... um... okay. let's start over.

a recent issue the New Yorker had an essay by David Sedaris. I found the essay ammusing and well written but not nearly as funny as his old writing was. I remember reading Naked when it came out like ten years ago and literally lauging out loud, in public, by myself, while I was reading it. maybe his writing has changed a bit or maybe I've come to expect the humor and therefore, am not as surprised by it as I once was. my friend mike (aka in-shape guy) also has a subscription to the New Yorker and we were talking about the recent issue while running yesterday. I brought up the Sedaris piece and mike said he thought Sedaris was going for "touching" in addition to the humor and so maybe that's what's different.

so flash-forward to yesterday night while I was reading Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim. I read the essay called "the end of the affair." the article is both funny and touching and I thought it summed up love so well that I had to write about it here. it [the article] is about how Sedaris and his partner of 10-or-so years (Hugh) go to see a "romantic" movie (the end of the affair). after seeing the movie Hugh seems to become annoyed at the normal, boringness of their lives together (which is typical of most couples who have been together for a while). so Sedaris writes:

I encouraged him to look on the bright side. "Listen," I said. "we maybe don't live in wartime London, but in terms of the occassional bomb scare, Paris is a pretty close second. We both love bacon and country music, what more could you possibly want?"

What more could he want? It was an incredibly stupid question and when he failed to answer, I was reminded of just how lucky I truly am. Movie characters might chase each other through the fog or race down the stairs of burning buildings, but that's for beginners. Real love amounts to withholding the truth, even when you're offered the perfect opportunity to hurt someone's feelings. I wanted to say something to this effect, but my hand puppets were back home in their drawer. Instead, I pulled my chair a few inches closer, and we sat silently at our little table on the square, looking for all the world like two people in love.

see what I mean?