Bob Edwards & I Were Separated At Birth!!

I came home last night and there was a stack of magazines on the front porch courtesy of Hazel, the woman who lives in an apartment next door.  I snatched up the August issue of Vanity Fair. Despite for my fondness for Dorothy Parker's lament about having to write for the rag, "No one at Vanity Fair has opinions and I have opinions.", I consider VF a guilty pleasure and indulge whenever I can get my hands on a free copy.

What joy to find "retiring" Morning Edition host Bob Edwards the focus of the monthly Proust Questionnaire.  Edwards was always my favorite NPR guy and I found it a wee bit suspicious that he was "stepping down" right around the time the McMoney came rolling down the sacred halls of NATIONAL public radio.  There is a big distinction between NPR and local public radio stations, okay? There's also a big difference between, say, Public Radio International and NPR but we'll save that for another time.

After reading just the one page, I've decided Bob and I were separated at birth. Never mind that we look nothing alike, are not the same age and he's a good 4 inches shorter than me.  I'm completely convinced. Here are just a few pieces of my evidence. The trait he most deplores in himself is the "inability of suffer fools." Ditto for me. The trait he most deplores in others is "Sycophancy." Again, ditto. The living person he most admires is Bill Moyers. How many times have I said this, or that of all the quote-un-quote celebrities I've met it was Moyers I was most thrilled about.  The qualities he most values in his friends are "Consistently strong character, intelligence and wit."  The thing he most dislikes is anti-labor laws.  Yaya!  Dare I mention a small incident of leading a student employee revolt a thousand years ago?

Now God bless the man for his honesty and sense of humor on this question....Where would you like to live? "Above my current means."  Amen.  I was wandering around aimlessly the other day and found myself in a rather upscale eyeglass store. I decided to try on some frames just for fun.  Sure enough the pair I selected as the ones I would purchase if I could afford new frames were $600.  I couldn't help but ask the salesman if they were the most expensive ones in the place and, sure enough, they were.  Being a writer, journalist, decent human being and justice fanatic with expensive tastes is one big drag. Hey, did I mention the phrase he says he most overuses is "Is there a smoking section here?"  Drag, indeed, I picked that habit back up recently.

Oh well, if you're not convinced that Bob Edwards and I are separated at birth by now there isn't really much else I can say nor am I going to bother with you.  I've got a flaw in my character I've decided I may just have to accept even though it's deplorable.  I just cannot seem to suffer fools. 



Oh, on an entirely different note except that it's related to journalism: 

The only thing I've heard that's half way interesting about the DNC is that Theresa Heinz told some media hounds to "SHOVE IT!" which I don't blame her for one bit. One could say it's just more proof of how spoiled and she is, etc., but if a zillion infotainment hounds were firing questions and aiming cameras at me, I'd probably say worse.