Lots of people ask me, 'What do you do?' Apparently, being a columnist, TV bird, all-round good egg, mother of three, and wife of one is not sufficient for them.
I majored in journalism at Arizona State University, where I began writing the columns I write now, but I cannot, in good conscience, refer to myself as a writer. I'm a columnist, maybe a journalist, I guess I'm an author, but writer... no. That's not up to me to call myself, that's rather lofty. It's for the reader to decide.
A little irreverence is always important to being a columnist. I try to do that.
It is the gossip columnist's business to write about what is none of his business.
As a columnist, I realize that whatever amount of corruption I expose, half my readers will block it out, although they may get a frisson of joy in the process.
I think that any reporter or columnist will be a little more careful when doing interviews with me.
A politician wouldn't dream of being allowed to call a columnist the things a columnist is allowed to call a politician.
I think the only op-ed columnist in 'The Times' - where I read all of his stuff - is Paul Krugman.
When a newspaper columnist wants to write about a novel, the rule is that you're supposed to have a 'hook,' an excuse, a timely reason to bring up the book in question.
All coffee shops now have WiFi. Why bring a book when you could be wittily attacking some idiot columnist on Twitter, or responding to your date requests, or posting a picture of your foot? All of that is more gripping and immediate and social than books.
