“I have learned the value of investing time and emotion in things I cannot control, and of belonging to a community whose aspirations I share completely and uncritically.” – Nick Hornby, via Phillies Nation.

Let it be known that I’m not willing to invest time and emotion in all ridiculous systems, frameworks, and polities. But I am, gladly, a believer in baseball.

Go Phils.

Conan O’Brien’s Golden Rule

13 Apr 201013 Apr 2010 ~ Chris Cocca ~ 2 Comments

Congratulations on the TBS deal, Conan O’Brien and staff!

My related new Huffington Post post, here.

I Love You, William Faulkner

3 Apr 2010 ~ Chris Cocca ~ 1 Comment

“A snake crawled out from under the house. Jason said he wasn’t afraid of snakes and Caddy said he was but she wasn’t and Versh said they both were and Caddy said to be quiet, like Father said.” – The Sound and The Fury

Kumin, Plumly, Hirsch, Muldoon, Pinksy at The New School

1 Apr 20101 Apr 2010 ~ Chris Cocca ~ Leave a comment

Maxine Kumin, Stanley Plumly, Edward Hirsch, Paul Muldoon, and Robert Pinsky read together at The New School last night in celebration of long-time New School poetry teacher Pearl London. It was fantastic. These poets and many others appear in a new anthology, Poetry in Person: Twenty-five Years of Conversation with America’s Poets, which includes transcriptions of their visits to London’s legendary class. You should get it.

Where are our Jetpacks? Where are our Flying Cars?

30 Mar 201030 Mar 2010 ~ Chris Cocca ~ 1 Comment

I probably say this a few times a year, but don’t you ever wonder why the technological future people predicted when the space age started hasn’t happened yet? I know, I know…we have computers and plastic and all of that. But where are my hour-long flights to the Moon? It’s 2010.

It’s like that whole generation of scientists who were kids when Hanna-Barbera was in first runs and Stan Lee was inventing the cosmos weren’t even paying attention. But lots of things from Star Trek have made their way into reality. Well, some things. Yes, I’ve been watching Johnny Quest and reading Junot Diaz.