July 31, 2011

How long should a man's legs be? Long enough to touch the ground.
J. D. Salinger

Jerome Davide Salinger, author of "The Catcher in the Rye", did not
learn that his mother, Miriam (originally Marie), was not Jewish until
after his bar mitzvah.  He was kicked out of high school once and
dropped out of college twice.

July 30, 2011

"Many receive advice, only the wise profit from it." Harper Lee 

Nelle Harper Lee once received a gift of a year's wages from her
friends Michael and Joy Brown so that she could pursue her dream of
writing.  During this period, she wrote "To Kill A Mockingbird" which,
when published, became an instant bestseller.

July 29, 2011

Had a hard time picking just one quote, so here are three from Ernest
Hemingway


"Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to
keep your mouth shut."

"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with
his fools."

"As you get older it is harder to have heroes, but it is sort of
necessary."


Ernest Hemingway served as an ambulance driver for the red cross in
Italy during WWI, where he was badly injured by a mortar explosion. 
During his six month recovery, he met and fell in love with a red
cross nurse.  She later abandoned him before their wedding and married
an Italian soldier.  Supposedly, this incident caused Hemingway to
leave many of his future brides before they had a chance to leave him.

July 28, 2011

"A gentleman can live through anything." William Faulkner 

William Cuthbert Faulkner, a member of SAE fraternity at Ole Miss, was
greatly influenced by Caroline Barr, the African-American woman who
raised him from infancy.  It was the life-long relationship he had
with her that influenced his writing, directing its focus to the
politics of sexuality and race.

July 27, 2011

"Canada was built on dead beavers."  Margaret Atwood

Margaret Atwood, Canadian author of "The Handmaid's Tale", discovered
she had a passion for writing at the age of six, but did not attend
school full time until eighth grade.

July 26, 2011

"A faithful friend is a strong defense; And he that hath found him
hath found a treasure."  Louisa May Alcott

Louisa May Alcott shared a birthday with her father.  She was home
schooled by her father but also received lessons from close family
friends including Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel
Hawthorne, and Margaret Fuller.

July 25, 2011

"Confidence is contagious. So is lack of confidence."  Vince Lombardi.

Vince Lombardi, head coach of the Green Bay Packers, originally
studied to become a priest at Cathedral College of the Immaculate
Conception but dropped out after four years of the six year program.

July 24, 2011

"I've learned you can make a mistake and the whole world doesn't end.
I had to learn to allow myself to make a mistake without becoming
defensive and unforgiving." Lisa Kudrow

Lisa Kudrow, left-handed, Jewish, Friends co-star, received research
credit for aiding her Neurologist father in publishing a study on the
comparative likelihood of left-handed individuals developing cluster
headaches.

July 23, 2011

"I'm fiercely loyal to my friends, and I really cherish my
friendships." David Schwimmer

David Schwimmer, co-star of Friends, had his first acting experience
at the age of 10 when he played the role of the fairy godmother in a
Jewish version of Cinderella.

July 22, 2011

"I guess we'd be living in a boring, perfect world if everybody wished
everybody else well." Jennifer Aniston

Jennifer Aniston, co-star of Friends, (with the rest of her female
co-stars) became the highest paid tv actress by the 10th season of
Friends, receiving 1 million dollars per episode.  She received to
septoplasties to correct her deviated septum and is worth roughly $110
million.

July 21, 2011

"I find the earth to be a place of misery in which I am surrounded by
the conformity that kills society."  Matt LeBlanc

Matt LeBlanc, Friends co-star, is the only co-star of friends not to
have appeared on an episode of Saturday Night Live.

July 20, 2011

"A lot of my humor does come from anger. It's like, you're not gonna
pull one over on me - which is pretty much my motto anyways."
Courteney Cox

Courteney Bass Cox, co-star of Friends, studied architecture in
college until she dropped out to pursue a career in acting.  She was
the first person to use the word "period" in reference to menstruation
on television.  She also played Alex P. Keaton's girlfriend on Family
Ties.

July 19, 2011

"If there's a silence in a room I'll try to fill it as soon as humanly
possible."  Matthew Perry

Matthew Perry, co-star of FRIENDS, was raised by his mother, former
press secretary to the Canadian Prime Minister, in Ottowa until he
moved to the US in the 1980's to pursue a career in acting much like
his father who is now the Old Spice sailor.

July 18, 2011

"The days you work are the best days." Georgia O'Keeffe 

Georgia O'Keeffe, daughter of Francis Calyxtus O'Keeffe and Ida Totto
O'Keeffe, gave up painting as a career until she attended a summer
course in painting at UVA in 1912.