Maggie's Farm

Interesting piece. Tho I find Crichton rather insufferable at times, too clever by far, and lacking in the humility of the truly brilliant...Writes a ripping good yarn, tho, great escape trash fiction! That work will be his most lasting contribution, like movie stars who think the world cares about their views on the universe when all they really want is to ogle them onscreen...

Habu,you are such a charming devil. I may have been too waspish. Grumpily driving to look at replacement linoleum and countertop for 50s kitchen
Would rather walk several miles w dog, but hubby is unaccustomedly ready to open bear-trapped wallet, having tripped once too often on torn linoleum

m. glenister, sorry if I seemed smug to you. Hardly an assessment often made by those who know me better than you do, but perhaps the effort at restraining my opinion of Crichton made me appear so. The guy is a self-congratulatory a*****e and all the money and success in the world won't make him the genius he thinks he is.

Crichton is one of many, many smart and persuasive people, but not in any way exceoptional. He made extremely good points and quite deftly illustrated them. It was his self-satisfaction that put me off. The truly brilliant scientists, mathematicians, fine arts professors, historians, biographers, museum directors, plantation owners, Presidents, founders of multinational corporations, Boston pepper traders, and writers of the Declaration of Independence in my family have, without exception, been humble about their own ignorance before the mysteries and wonders of God's Creation. Have all spent lifetimes seeking to remedy that ignorance, and in the process enlightening countless others. But never proud or conceited about themselves. It's a WASP thing. And a Puritan thing--the awareness of oneself as a miserable sinner. Although everyone in my family has shared in an obnoxious trait, of being seldom wrong and never in doubt when opining about the ideas and theories of other people. It seems to afflict those of us descendants of this almost exhausted and now thoroughly exhausted lineage even more, as if to compensate for us lacking the talent or temperament of our forebears... Sorry to have miffed you. If it had been intentional, you would have been able to tell the difference.

Of course there are plenty of examples of genius allied to arrogance and loathsome personal habits (Picasso, Einstein, Frank Lloyd Wright come to mind). But there are more like Marie Curie, Hawking, Edwards, who pursue truth at great personal cost and who have brought light to the world without vainglory.

Not as repulsive as what you wrote about male anatomy in response to Dr B's piece on transexuals.

Drivel, yes. When you have many responsibilities it is sometimes fun to indulge ourselves writing nonsense and enjoying what others write. Not deserving of abuse. A harmless form of amusement. Life is Real, Life is Earnest everywhere else. Why don't you go clean up your room and take your meds and chill...

Phoenix,
Whence this hostility? I have read and enjoyed most of what you write. I agreed heartily with your comment about parent-bashing. You are extremely intelligent and very funny.

Nevertheless, as I read your latest diatribe I thought that the people who talk the toughest and crudest about body parts and processes are usually the ones who aren't getting any. Was it just a lonely Saturday night?

Fortunately for my husband, I look nothing like your ravings. Some day, if you ever make it thru a quarter century of the daily joys and sorrows of a committed marriage and of raising kids, you will understand. A husband is a great deal more than a penis. When you understand that, you may find one.

Finally, having enough money to pay somebody else to clean up their mess does not make somebody a lady.