Jon Winokur

Nonfiction book that looks at irony. There is a little bit of explanation, but mostly quotations as examples.

I still don’t understand. By definition, it still sounds like sarcasm to me. Examples didn’t help. In addition, there are about 50,000 different types of irony, apparently. (OK, slight exaggeration.) A few examples were amusing (Billy Joel’s 11-year old daughter asking him not to sing – is this ironic?), but still didn’t help me understand. It started with explanations of the different types of irony, then a history of irony (all with examples). There were various examples of authors using irony, irony in pop culture (Alanis Morissette’s song, of course, mentioned more than once that those things aren’t ironic; The Simpsons, and other examples). At least it was fast to read. I liked that there were a number of Canadian examples. But I still don’t “get” it. Honestly, with all the various different types of irony, I’m probably more confused than ever.… (mer)

Like the actor himself, this autobiography is charming and smooth, self-effacing and witty. Like most of his film roles, there is not a whole lot of depth involved. He does touch on some emotional points, step-mother was evil on almost a fairytale level and his father a feckless alcoholic, but they are not dwelled upon. For the most part we are left with his love for almost everyone he worked with—even when they had problems he managed a positive spin. For example, Garner got the better of fellow race car driver Steve McQueen who for a long time held a grudge. Garner doesn’t fault him for it. Just waited for years for him to come around and he finally did. Impressive is that prowess as a driver—shown off doing most of his own driving in the movie GRAND PRIX and on his ground-breaking TV show ROCKFORD FILES. Despite being a long time fan, I didn’t know about his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement joining in on the 1963 MARCH ON WASHINGTON or about his potentially personally costly lawsuit battling “creative accounting” in Hollywood. Self-effacing on both subjects but I would certainly have liked to know more. Overall a pleasant ramble through an ultimately charmed life. (one extra * for being a fan)… (mer)

'There ain't no answer. There ain't going to be any answer. There never has been an answer. That's the answer.'-Gertrude Stein

'The only Zen you find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there.'-Robert Pirsig

'You cannot think your way to right action, you have to act your way to right thingking.'-Devid Milch

Zen to Go serves up bite-sized bits of wisdom from the East and from the West, from the Buddha to Yogi Berra. These spiritually delectable sayings and quotations convey the essence of zen, to light up the mind and nourish the soul.

Jon Winokur is the author of nmerous books, including The Portable Curmudgeon, Encyclopedia Neurotica, and Ennui to Go.

Contents

Introduction
Zen abuse
Zen-Zen; Action; Art
Illlusion-Illusion; Attachment; Self; Time; Kife; Death; Reality
Enlightenment-Nature; The way; No-knowledge; Meditation; Satori
Mind-Beginner's mind; Ordinary mind; No-mind
Not-two-Nothingness; Oneness
Select bibliography
Index… (mer)