In down times I do things like go for a long bike ride or run. The other thing I'm doing in that quiet time is just observing.

When my friends and I played cowboys and Indians, I was always the Chinese railroad worker.

Politics is so personal, vicious and immediate, how are you going to get anything done? Even the local politics where I live have gotten so ugly.

I stopped drinking when I had children because I wanted to be awake and aware. I did not want to be going, you know, daddy loves you and then drop my head on the table. I do not want to miss anything that they do or say. It is important to me.

Mr. Keating: Carpe Diem! Sieze the day!

I'm fascinated by the new iPhone. I bought it and kept trying to use it in France. "Siri, what is a good restaurant?" (In a robotic voice.) "I'm sorry, Robin. I can't give locations in France." "Why, Siri?" "I don't know." It's like she was upset with the French or something. "They seem to have an attitude I can't understand. Should I look for Germans, Robin?"

Whenever a big white man picks up a banjo, my cheeks tighten.