Donald Pittenger writes:

Dear Blowhards --

Joseph Epstein, for many years Northwestern University's pitcher of the wry, writes in the current Weekly Standard about the joys of not having done things.

In his case, he mentions

• Never having owned a station wagon.

• Never having earned a Ph.D. "Some of the most deeply stupid people in the country have Ph.D.'s."

• Never having played golf.
  

Not a bad list, that. I can claim two out of three. Unfortunately I let down my guard and got a Ph.D., and from one o' them fancy Ivy League schools, no less. I might never live that down.

Later,

Donald

And you have the nerve to show your face here?

Posted by: Charlton Griffin on March 10, 2008 1:16 PM

"Some of the most deeply stupid people in the country have Ph.D.'s." Nearly right. Better: some of the most annoyingly, obstinately obtuse people in the country have Ph.D.'s.

Posted by: dearieme on March 10, 2008 2:54 PM

And his golf point is daft. It means he's never bathed in the ocean of joy that is stopping playing golf.

Posted by: dearieme on March 10, 2008 2:55 PM

I've driven a station wagon to the golf course lots of times, but no Ph.D.

Posted by: kg on March 10, 2008 4:10 PM

A station wagon compared to what? If it's an SUV or an minivan, I'll take the wagon.

Posted by: Intellectual Pariah on March 10, 2008 8:07 PM

Can I get extra-credit for not having even owned a car for 30 years?

Posted by: Michael Blowhard on March 11, 2008 11:50 AM

Passing second-year university calculus, without learning Green's Theorem or Stokes' Theorem; that's my chief negative joy! (In the real world, I've never had to know either. Ha! Screw you, Prof. Henniger!)

Posted by: Will S. on March 11, 2008 11:22 PM

I'm 37 years old and have never seen an episode of Star Trek. I'm not sure how this came to pass. But I'm glad.

Posted by: Chip Smith on March 12, 2008 4:52 PM

Never saw "The Titanic" ! Owned a wagon...don't recommend it, gave up golf on the first try age 12, and proud of it. Came parilously close to a PhD and later almost married one; whew!

Never attended an encounter group or "did" est. That must count for something!

Posted by: Sam_S on March 13, 2008 10:12 PM






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