Who's Afraid of Michiko Kakutani? (Lots of people)

The New York Times book critic Michiko Kakutani has written a book review in the form of a parody of J.D. Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye" that is worth reading (linked to title). I think she took some pleasure in reading Benjamin Kunkel's new novel/memoir "Indecision" about a drugged out 28-year-old New York guy who goes on some kind of lost white dude adventure down to Ecuador. I don't know, I haven't read the book, although I did read the first chapter:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/22/books/chapters/0828-1st-kunkel.html

Not that this guy needs my publicity. I need my own publicity, frankly. Or somebody else's, ultimately. I realize nobody is reading this blog. You have to be some form of a celebrity to get eyes on your words these days. My celebrity status is very limited to basically my dogs. To them, I am the most famous man alive. They can't wait to see me every time I return home. It's quite touching, honestly. Poor sweet creatures... if they only knew. Did I mention that I've been working on a project with a main character remarkably similar to this guy Ben Kunkel's main character (as far as I can tell from the NYT review, anyway)? So that's a bummer. Maybe I'll make the main character a woman instead...

In other news, Pat Robertson is a disgrace to my native Virginia's soil, although that's nothing new. He is backtracking now on his comments that the U.S. should assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. He now claims that he didn't say "assassination" although, as the Associated Press reported, review of the tape reveals that Robertson's exact words were: ''You know, I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it. It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war, and I don't think any oil shipments will stop.''

Lastly, I am announcing here that I am quitting coffee and switching to green tea only. You heard it here first! This will save me a ton of money because I always buy expensive lattes at Peets Coffee and Peaberry's in Oakland. I have some great green tea straight from Japan via my soon-to-be-ex-mother-in-law, so that helps, although what will I do when that runs out? Damn, not back to coffee again I hope?!

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