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the breakfast table: An e-mail conversation about the news of the day.

Goldberg and Tarloff

the breakfast table
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from: Lucianne Goldberg

"NURSE!!! CAN I HAVE MY CLOTHES, PLEASE?"

Posted Thursday, Aug. 27, 1998, at 7:23 PM ET

Dear Erik,

I, too, love all that "arc" stuff. It's fascinating and I thank you. I feel as though I have had a private tutorial but I kinda, rather, sorta think that those lovely folks at Slate think of us as political. I was trying to think of people who were already "arced."

Batman and James Bond are perfect examples. You are probably arced by now. Maybe not. I suppose I am ur-arced. There most be a point in one's life that they can feel that they have sufficiently arced. I tried to think of condensed arcs and the best I could come up with was once watching a woman executive greatly overserved at a party to celebrate her appointment as CEO of a company. She asked the band leader to play a song, pulled her dress down to her waist, grabbed the mike and sang all three verses of "Hey Big Spender." Now that was an example of watching a career arc slam right into a brick wall. She did not move into her new executive suite the next day and now lives in the South of France with a child she had somewhere on the way. Actually, I didn't like her very much and it was fun to watch.

I didn't think you were trying to instigate a drug-rant but you clearly have gotten the message that ranting for me is what humming is to most people. I spend my days ranting. It's a life style. That's why I am able to go from drugs, to baseball to foul mouthed children affected by our current daily news. Its a snap. Do it all the time.

Now, quickly, before I must go do the things I do when I'm not ranting. The financial thing is really fascinating at the moment. I fully expect to see those leather clad Russians who bought us all the vodka and grease pushing wheelbarrows full of cash to the bank ala the Wiemar Republic. I remember Robert Strauss saying not too long ago that if he were a young man today and could get his hands on a hundred grand he would go to Russia in a heart beat and make millions. I wonder how many yuppies went and are looking to borrow Borris' wheelbarrow.

The news just came on that Bruce Lindsay has been called to the Grand Jury tomorrow. I hear the tumbles rumbling. I must go watch. It's an obsession and it rings my bells even though I am fully arced.

Lucianne

P.S. Are you getting the feeling that you are in traction in a hospital with a lunatic in the next bed. Calm down. They are letting you out tomorrow.

the breakfast table
entries
123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930
from: Lucianne Goldberg

"NURSE!!! CAN I HAVE MY CLOTHES, PLEASE?"

Posted Thursday, Aug. 27, 1998, at 7:23 PM ET
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Lucianne Goldberg is a New York-based book agent. Erik Tarloff is a writer based in Berkeley, Calif. His novel, Face-Time, is forthcoming.
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