On the very same day that I ordered an iPad 2, I went shopping to buy myself a letter opener. I like to cover all my bases.

I suppose I do have one embarrassing passion- I want to know what it feels like to care about something passionately.

Dogs really are perfect soldiers. They are brave and smart; they can smell through walls, see in the dark, and eat Army rations without complaint.

Animals can seem more pure. Without complication, I mean, animals are selfless. What animals do for us, they do out of instinct.

I have long been one of those tedious people who rails against the coronation of 'student-athletes.' I have heard the argument that big-time athletics bring in loads of money to universities. I don't believe the money goes anywhere other than back into the sports teams, but that's another story.

One of my favorite activities as a teen-ager was to watch television over the phone with my best friend.

I am unusually Halloween-attentive, because, as it happens, I was born on Halloween, so for me it has always been an occasion of great moment.