James Joyce, Rock Star

Yesterday one of my employees, a fairly recent Cornell graduate with honors, asked me who James Joyce was. She thought he was a rock musician in England. At least she was close with the country. We were talking about Bloomsday. She thought it was a rock festival. She was serious. She never heard of him before yesterday.


Last night at dinner in a neighborhood restaurant a girl at the table next to me was trying to impress her date. It was her life long dream to go to John Hopkins and that she was going to apply. She repeated it loudly a few times so I was sure that I was hearing it correctly. I personally think your dreams should include knowing the proper name of the institution that you are longing for. I wonder what her date thought. I wonder if he even knew.

I have a constant ringing in my ears and my head may explode soon.