1.Close the Blinds Closing the blinds and curtains on south-facing windows will help keep your home at a consistent temperature. South-facing window are major source of heat gain during day—especially those that receive direct sunlight, as they tend to let more light in than other orientations do . Simply closing these shades when it’s sunny […]
On Paying Attention
A picture displays John Updike. In it, he’s wearing this watch and these shorts. Why in the world would Updike have saved the cheap watch in this image? And those shorts? Was it vanity? Not likely. Historical relevance? Also doubtful. This is far from the Gone With the Wind iconic dress I recently saw displayed […]
Trash and Bumfodder
The mixed up and inconsequent appearance of things sometimes play a role in yielding us a gift. In my early years, as a boy, I felt the impression of being surrounded by unclear generosity, of – a barefaced reminiscence I wrote at one point – a silent, however relentless goodness that substances at rest appear […]
The Duality Of Man
Yikes! An indelicate passage By JU gets a bad review from his wife? “Im willing to show good taste, if I can, in somebody elses living room, but our reading life is too short for a writer to be in any way polite. Since his words enter into anothers brain in silence and […]
Crystal Balls
Updike was frequently criticized for writing very well about nothing much as we see here in this interview in the Paris Review with Gore Vidal. Updike did the beautiful cover art for this issue of the Harvard Lampoon in 1954 and what is contained inside demonstrates an astonishing awareness of his literary mission and […]
Exchequer
“I have measured out my life with coffee spoons”-T.S. Eliot The passage of my life is measured out in shirts-Brian Eno Life is measured out in moments-Woodbridge wine commercial The passage of my life is measured out in checks
First Comes Love, Then Comes Marriage
The only thing Pope Francis could do better is to be Jewishlike Jesus-Erica Jong
In Every Dream Home A Heartache
Page 6 You think this is the end of the letter? You think Updike gets off that easy? No more talk about his other lovers? The PS is a killer!
Both Ends Burning
Page 5
Bittersweet
Page 4 Updikes lover had too many martinis and let him know that she knows that a mutual friend of theirs is/was also his lover. But its ok..really.