And now I know why I love Leonard Cohen. He too refers to writing as 'Carpentry.' (via
And a very happy slightly early birthday to you, Leonard.
(He turns 70 on Tuesday. David McCallum turns 71 tomorrow. I turn 33 on Wednesday, which somehow seems significant because it's the Hobbit Age of Majority, and the most interesting thing about me is that I share a birthday with Frodo and Bilbo Baggins. It's also, a Peter Mulvey notes, a good age for crucifixions and enlightenment. And on that same day, The Man from UNCLE turns 40.)
Ring the bell that still can ring.
Forget your perfect offering.
There is a crack, a crack in everything.
That's how the light gets in.
That's how the light gets in.
--Leonard Cohen, Anthem
Happy birthday, all. Here's to making it to eleventy-hundred, and still finishing the carpentry!