The Deleted Scenes - Life Is A Joke
In high school, I had to read Antigone, the famous play by the ancient Greek playwright Sophocles. I didn’t like it—I think you could more accurately say I didn’t appreciate it—but I did sort of enjoy reading it. I tried reimagining it as a Marx Brothers screenplay. King Creon was Groucho, the blind seer became the mute Harpo, and Antigone’s sister became the Margaret Dumont character, with whom Creon/Groucho continually flirted. I didn’t actually write this, but I did write one line that I still think is pretty good. “I am aware, of course, that no ruler can expect complete loyalty from his subjects until he has been tested in office,” Creon/Groucho declares at one point. To which I added, after an imagined pause: “After that, I don’t expect any.” I start with this because I realized recently that one of the things I do to stay creative and take annoying situations lightly—two different things there, so a double use—is to sort of pretend I’m a character in a sitcom, and each annoying thing that happens is a little vignette. I had to pick up my visa from the Chinese embassy recently, and they give you this little handwritten pink receipt to pay upon pickup. It happened that I was also supposed to pick up dry cleaning that week, and our dry cleaners also gives you a little pink receipt. I triple-checked that I had the right one when I went to the embassy, but I imagined seeing the pink receipt inside my wallet, going to the embassy, handing it over, and having the guy at the counter raise his eyebrows at me and say, “A suit, a shirt, and two dresses, sir?” In other words, I had sort of prepared myself to see the comedy in the situation, in the event that somehow I really did bring the wrong receipt. And I think that would have made the schlep back from D.C. and then back in a little more bearable... Subscribe to The Deleted Scenes to unlock the rest.Become a paying subscriber of The Deleted Scenes to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content. A subscription gets you:
|
Older messages
New and Old #168
Friday, June 28, 2024
Friday roundup and commentary ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Fare Share
Thursday, June 27, 2024
Pay for your transit ride, and act like you love the city ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
From Everywhere To Last
Wednesday, June 26, 2024
What Do You Think You're Looking At? #168 ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Car-Free Cities Don't Feel "Radical"
Tuesday, June 25, 2024
Could you even tell it wasn't always like this? ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
What I Mean By "The Car"
Monday, June 24, 2024
A clarification, and an apparent contradiction that's really a complement ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
You Might Also Like
Podcast app setup
Tuesday, July 2, 2024
Open this on your phone and click the button below: Add to podcast app
Dakota Johnson Co-Signed The Must-Have Pants Of The Season
Tuesday, July 2, 2024
Easy and breezy. The Zoe Report Daily The Zoe Report 7.1.2024 "I'm one to gravitate toward playful, quirky pieces, and this summer, the slogan tee has captured my undivided attention. From
TONIGHT: Poetry & the Creative Mind Encore
Monday, July 1, 2024
one more chance to watch View this email in your browser The encore broadcast of Poetry & the Creative Mind is tonight! Monday, July 1, 2024 8:00/5:00 pm EDT/PDT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
MIDDI Rewind: How Grand
Monday, July 1, 2024
Three luxurious ways to spoil yourself whenever you wish. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
100+ STEAM Activities For Kids
Monday, July 1, 2024
special offer from our friends at Popular Mechanics special offer from our friends at Popular Mechanics Encourage Them To Be a Maker and a Doer! View in Browser 100+ Steam Activities Kids Won't
Your Zodiac Sign Will Have A Playful & Flirty July
Monday, July 1, 2024
Plus, Bella Hadid's sheer white dress, how to confront roommates about money problems, & more. Jul. 1, 2024 Bustle Daily A collage with money, cardboard boxes, toilet paper, and a megaphone,
How the NDA Became the Defining Legal Document of Our Time
Monday, July 1, 2024
What's new today on the Cut — covering style, self, culture, and power, plus interviews, profiles, columns, and commentary from our editors. Brand Logo MONDAY, JULY 1 love and war Hush-Hush Affair
Which crab dip recipe is worth the splurge?
Monday, July 1, 2024
Din Tai Fung announces opening date for NYC location
Dems Must Confront the MAGA Supreme Court
Monday, July 1, 2024
The ruling in the immunity case raises the stakes in the election. Democrats must respond in kind. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Urbanism And Kids (Not The Way You Think)
Monday, July 1, 2024
The pro-natalist anti-urbanists may have it backwards ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏