journal features

Another day, another d'ohnut

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-eight years and a million words

Tokyo, 2007.08.22

This morning I got the report on my novel from the writing coach I hired. The report was pricey, but certainly worth it. Having only read the report itself so far -- and not yet the line-by-line edit -- I expect I'll be rewriting extensive parts of it. If not the whole thing.

After my usual 10.5 hour day, I hit a pothole in the blacked-out tsukiji shijo (fish market) and spent 15 minutes soiling my hands and replacing a tube by the light of a parked truck. Fun times. Today was also audit day. Extra fun times.

But I got home, and found that my most recent online purchase had arrived. I -- of all people -- am the first to buy something for the baby. It was from whattheduck.net and looks like this:

rand()m quote

Naturally the common people don't want war: Neither in Russia, nor in England, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.

—Hermann Goering