What a nice man Tim O'Brien is. I always liked the book Going After Caccachio, and even though I couldn't get through The House by the Lake or The Things They Carried, I remain convinced he is a good writer. So when I saw he was speaking I went to see him. And he was really smart and gracious. And I liked what he had to say about writing. He read from his new book July July which I liked, but I generally like his first book best. It's always a nice surprise when you admire someone and you meet them and they turn out to be nice.

It kind of got me thinking though, because after seeing a bunch of painters the day before I was thinking how a million people can draw well And they can, just like a lot of people can write well. But that doesn't mean that the good draughtsmen make good art, or the good writers make good storeis, because that is a whole different issue, one of talent.

Afterwards, I went and talked to Tim O'Brien about how he makes stuff up. Which is kind of sticking point for me, since I don't seem to be able to make anything up, even though I do lie like a rug. And he said his books just come to him, he doesn't work out anything in advance, he just kind of gets dictated to by his imagination. Which I find impressive. I wouldn't know that feeling, but that is a good way to write.

I just heard about the sad crash of the Staten Island Ferry. So sad, all those people getting squished like that. Those poor people, coming home from work. Poor New York.