She used to work in a diner, never saw a woman look finer. I used to order just to watch her float across the floor...

Driving home tonight, my ipod played Neil Young's Unknown Legend. When I heard that first line, I made a little noise out loud. Like a ohhh, a sigh. Because that is a good line. What woman wouldn't want that said about her? (Well, I guess the "just to watch her float across the floor"  part not necessarily the working in the diner part. Listen & watch the somewhat strange video here:
Neil Young - Unknown Legend
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But this sighing at that line, reminded me of something.... or rather someone. My high school English teacher, Mr. Kasper. (I always thought he looked like Wilford Brimley in The Natural and in my mind's eye, that is how I picture him now.** )

He would do this thing when were reading a book and analyzing it in class. If it was a really good line or paragraph, he would read it over again, drawing out every word out loud so you could really mull it over. Then he would lower the book, sigh and say something like, "Guys, I wish I said that" in the most sincere way.  So for example, if he just  happened to be reading a copy of Neil Young's Unknown Legend lyrics, he would've said "I used to order...(pause, pause).. just to watch her... float...(pause, pause) across... the.. floor." Oh, I wish I said that.

Having this weird high school English class flashback made me realize that I do a version of that pause, sigh, mulling over thing. Whether it's something out of a song or movie, or a book or an article, I'm a sucker for a good line. Sometimes, I email ones I really like to myself. Here are my three most recent self-emailed quotes, all from The New York Times:

-"He was the designer wunderkind who went too far, too fast, his sequins falling to the floor like the feathers of Icarus."

-"All my life I have grafted fistfuls of dimly grasped concepts to a series of barely articulate goals."

-"Mr. DiCaprio, having grown perhaps overly fond of his accent from "The Departed", brings it along for the ride, and it spreads through the movie like a contagious disease."

Good stuff.

** I once told Mr. Kasper this, and he said, "Well, thanks."

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