Dan Lipka Web Log

Since I have been relegated to the vast emptiness of suburban New England, I rarely get to see my old friends and a good portion of my family. Many of my friends have only seen Molly once and some never at all, which is a travesty. Molly, like me, isn’t perfect, but she is amazing and I feel proud of my (and Lindy’s parenting) and I wish I could show everyone her multitude of cutenesses. Molly is a really little person; she talks in sentences, can count to ten (not just memorizing the numbers, but can actually count things), her vocabulary is beyond counting, she knows colors and songs and books and has begun to use her imaginations. She orchestrates vast pretend tea-parties and keep her tiny pretend turtle (named Maple) in her hands to pet and kiss. She knows the song “Fibber Island” is funny and can pick out the song “Middle of the Street” after two notes. She runs around and explores, although she is not a climber like her cousin Matthew and does seem to want to look in

Even though my favorite author, Kurt Vonnegut, died today, I am not sad, although I do feel very empty. I have read dozens of his books and essays and even went to see him speak as part of a panel at the 92 nd Street Y. I am a writer, and Kurt Vonnegut influenced me more than any other author I have encountered. Before Vonnegut I thought the writing had rigid rules that defined all things you could possible write about and if not for Vonnegut I never would have realized how limiting that could be. I will never forget reading one of his books and it was all building towards the plots climax, which would take place at a piano bar. I was excited to see what would happen and so was Vonnegut. In fact he was so excited that simple writing was happened wasn’t good enough, he actually wrote himself into the scene, not to be involved, but just so he could be that much closer to the characters. Vonnegut expressed himself through prose and comedy and let his mind flow free onto