your moment of zen

My world history teacher in high school happened to also be the boys basketball coach and later, the college counselor. A tall goofy guy, he was my first encounter with midwestern humour. The kind of teacher you realise later in university, you could sit back and share a spliff with. Oh yes, and he had ginger hair, which gave rise to him being named firecrotch by some of the more vulgar (but entertaining) elements of the class. Before starting each class, he would read a page from a book, the daily Tao or some such thing. I enjoyed that, not like those desk calendars you tear at each day: a word you'll never use because people will think you a poncy twat; a corny Bush-ism that doesn't merit the paper it's printed on; a prayer written in some script too laborious to read.

But somehow these daily notes are part and parcel of working life, an integral element of the office desk. Or now, a quote on the startup screen for Bloomberg Anywhere. So every morning, between 6:50 and 7:00 am, the quote of the day pops up (function SAID go). Most days I ignore it. Or perhaps simply forget it. But sometimes, they manage to elicit a smile, a chuckle, as if surreptitiously alluding to your personal life. Such days, and the expectation of such days, give rise to the industry of the desk calendar, the gift that keeps on giving.

Today? Hitchcock.

Drama is life with the dull bits cut out.