By David Himmel

• I have come to dislike and disagree with the phrase, “A writer writes.” Because some people who write are just typists.

• Saw the Emmy Star Brown mural in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood that reads, “Imperfect is perfect.” Visually, it looks great but it’s not true. I understand the sentiment: “Being imperfect is perfectly acceptable.” I’m no linguist and I don’t think Brown is either but it’s pretty simple. The opposite of something cannot also mean its opposite. Imperfect is the antithesis to perfect. So, while I appreciate that sentiment, it’s important to remember that words mean things. Without meaning and an adherence to those meanings we’d live in a chaotic Babylon. Of course, maybe she made a mistake, which would be perfectly acceptable.

• The passing of time is never more impactful than when you watch your rock ‘n’ roll hero in their mid-fifties sing thirty-year-old songs about high school heartbreak.

• And that’s the thing about high school heartbreak songs… I get older, they stay the same age. (In feeling, anyway.)

• I feel like I’ve always walked the line of cool and clown. I’m not sure which I am.

• The problem with the P.C. Screamers today is not political correctness. It’s a lack of knowledge of history and understanding the importance of nuance in history as it exists presently.