I was amused to read a quote by Catherine Deneuve in today's San Francisco edition of the green website, The Ideal Bite.  Quoth Catherine:  "At a certain point, you have to choose between your face and your ass."  I guess since I've only recently started a skin-care regimen but have been working out for several years, my choice is clear.

The quote tickled me so much that I wrote it down in my little book of collected quotes.  In the process of writing, I realized that there's more to the quote than it originally seemed.  Sure, when one is discussing aging, the quote is a sassy bon mot about facing reality and the tradeoffs of managing Time.

But in light of yesterday's blog about the congressional resolution to officially declare the Armenian Genocide, it takes on a whole different meaning.  The quote pithily captures the dilemma facing our representatives.  Do they save their face (i.e., their reputation for acting with integrity, in accordance with their ideals) or do they save their ass?

Idealists save their face.  Pragmatists save their ass.  There are those infrequent instances where saving one's face and saving one's bacon (tired of the "a" word) coincide--where one is held accountable for acting with integrity.  But recently, especially in politics, these interests seem to be opposites rather than sidekicks.

So that's it for my salient observations for the day.  I'm looking forward to lunching with my Santa Clarita friend, Peggy; to working out (saving my a!); and to office work today.

Speaking of which, I've got a couple of new poems up on the poetry page.  They're works in progress, so read them with a kindly eye.  If you want to check just these new ones out, click on "Storyteller" and "Among Her Collection of Bowls."  I'm experimenting (like Donald Hall in Without) with writing my typical confessional poetry in a stepped-back, third person.

I'm re-reading Without, Hall's account in poetry of his wife's (poet Jane Kenyon) death.  It's heart-wrenching, particular and luminous.  If you're into poetry, check out the link below.  Who knows, maybe someday I'll have a link to one of my books down below the blog?

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