Monthly Archives: January 2011

The Perfect Headline for the 2011 Men’s Singles Australian Open Final

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I think it goes without saying that I shouldn’t give up my day job for a career in graphic design.  Despite the terrible display of my Photoshop skills, I have the headline that’ll redeem me:

Scottish Fold

Explanation: Andy Murray is Scottish.  The cat is a Scottish Fold (notice its folded ears).  And like the feline, Mr. Murray folded on his third try at a Grand Slam final this past Sunday in Melbourne.  It’s a cliche to say that a single point decides a match, but in this case, it was true:

There was no point of greater importance than this one.  Murray was down 4 games to 5 in the first set, and down 15-30 on his serve.  If he wins this 39-shot rally, it’s 30-30 and I’d bet my last dollar it goes to a tie break.  But he loses, and it gives Djokovic double break point, which he quickly capitalizes on, and wins the first set, and subsequently, the match, in straight sets: 6-4, 6-2, 6-3.

Where to from here for Andy Murray?  He’s been to the finals for three Grand Slams, and he’s lost them all in straight sets.  On the bright side, Ivan Lendl lost his first four and still managed to win eight championships in his career.  And let’s not forget that Murray’s done way better than his U.K. compatriot, Tim Henman, who never got past the semifinals of any Grand Slam.

A Penny for My Thoughts

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1. If Tony Soprano is alive, and for better or worse we know his mortality will always be in question (I vote for “better” myself), he might have opened up Friday’s edition of the Ledger and read a story about a South Korean author.

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2. That’s me with my Troy Polamalu impression.  The photo was taken in Long Branch, by the piers, for a story with a rather long title:

South Korean man draws on his experience of immigrating to Jersey as basis for award-winning book and his coming to terms with his cultural differences

It’s strange to read about yourself on paper.  Mostly, what I feel is a sense of dissociation, that the person the reporter is talking about is not me.  Yet there I am, sharing the name and the visage with this character, and possessing a personal history not unlike my own.  Yes, this is my story, but in order to create the most compelling drama, stresses have been placed on certain facets of my life while other parts were minimized or not mentioned.

In addition, as a writer, what I feel is powerlessness.  I’m used to being the one in control of the written word, but in this case, I’m standing on the other side of the glass, looking in.

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3. It finally happened, as I knew it would at some point — you can now buy a copy of my book in hardcover for a penny from Amazon!  Of course shipping cost is about 400 times that amount, but hey, it’s nonetheless a genuine bargain.