Born On This Day- December 26th... The Lovely David Sedaris

"Shit is the tofu of cursing.”

I don’t recall what brought me to buy the hardback copy of Barrel Fever in 1995. I am not an NPR listener (I like my radio to play rock n’roll, please). I do remember that the Husband picked it up first & I heard him crying with laughter as he read straight through it, from the top our loft bedroom. I was afraid he would fall down the ladder when he descended with the book in hand. “Really, I believe this is the funniest thing I have ever read… it is called The SantaLand Diaries, & you have to read it right now”. We were off & away in Sedaris-land. I bought each of the next books, in hardcover, on the day they came out; I would dog-ear the pieces in the New Yorker, & would extend my love for David to his boyfriend-Hugh, & his insanely funny sister-Amy.

“Seven beers followed by two Scotches and a thimble of marijuana and it's funny how sleep comes all on it's own.”

Whether recalling his high school days in Raleigh, North Carolina, or wandering the world from Normandy to Japan with Hugh, he always seems to be able to find a unique voice to the absurdities of life. What is remarkable is his ability to find the humor in situations that are sad, bizzare & tragic. He is a wicked wit that speaks to me ways I never thought possible. A perfect day? A summer afternoon on Sauvie Island, naked on a blanket, a thermos of lemonade & vodka… & a brand new David Sedaris book.

“My hands tend to be full enough dealing with people who hate me for who I am. Concentrate too hard on the millions of people who hate you for what you are & you're likely to turn into one of those unkempt, sloppy dressers who sag beneath the weight of the two hundred political buttons they wear pinned to their coats & knapsacks.”