John D. MacDonald

Been meaning to comment about this for a while but a month ago now The Trap of Pure Gold had a post / interview regarding writer John D. MacDonald (found via The Happy Curmudgeon). Like so many others I'm a fan of MacDonald's novels and wanted to be Travis McGee when I grew up.

I chuckled at a few places in the interview. The mention of 5 1/4 computer disks really dates the interview. Also the question "Is McGee's lifestyle attainable?" immediately made me think of Mr. Money Mustache (if Travis McGee was more of a pacifist and traveled by bicycle instead of boat).

MacDonald's response to where the US was heading culturally was pretty prescient. It also reminded me how author Carl Hiaasen credited MacDonald as being among the first to publicly lament the ecological damage being done to Florida's coastline and wetlands. In the interview MacDonald foresaw Florida becoming, "An uncontrolled influx of residents who will use up the air, the water and the earth itself, turning the state into condominiums, asphalt, shopping malls and rubbish." Pretty spot on really.

John D. MacDonald was an American treasure. And if truth be told - I still want to be Travis McGee.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Adam Jones now has 17 home runs on the season. The Seattle Mariners could really use a bat like that in their line-up... Instead of the vulgar MILF the correct linguistic term is matronolagnia. The power of words... Today is the 28th anniversary of George Brett's Pine Tar game... Pumpsie Green Day would be a good name for a cover band... Many people are pointing to Reed Johnson as a potential trade target for teams needing an outfielder but I'm not so sure if it's worth giving up good prospects for a 34-year old player who is currently hitting 45 points over his career batting average and 168 points over his career OPS. You have to think he will fall back to his historical numbers. Then again what do I know - he could be the exact missing piece that takes a team to a World Series... Today would have been the 95th birthday of John D. MacDonald, the creator of the Travis McGee novels and a favorite of mine. It is interesting to note that after MacDonald got out of his military service in 1945 he poured everything he had into his writing. Working 14-hour days writing short stories, losing 20-pounds over a four month period that netted him nothing but hundreds of rejection slips until he finally got a $40 sale that put him on the path of being a writer. I love these little tidbits of perseverance... Comfort Bacon would be a good name for a band... Happy 26th birthday to Patrice Bergeron of the Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins...