A Sabrina

Some days you just need a Sabrina.

You know, an opportunity to fly off to Paris to escape your current life. A chance to write nonsense in a journal by a European river for three months.

Because when you come back from your Sabrina, your hair looks like this,

and you can crack an egg with one hand.

When you come back from your Sabrina, the male suitors are pursuing you:

driving you around in their cars,


or calling you on the phone,


or dancing with you at fancy dinner parties,

or taking you on boat rides for two.


When you come back from a Sabrina, you no longer think sad thoughts


like that one.

But...


Today, I needed a Sabrina.

My Sweet Baboo, Times Three

According to School House rock, three is the magic number. If something great happens, you give three cheers. And everyone knows the third time's the charm. Of course, three's also a crowd, three strikes and you're out, and be sure to let leaves of three be.

Today, three is good. For me. But bad for Charlie Brown.

Yesterday I found this great website that pays tribute to my favorite comic strip, Peanuts. It calls itself 3eanuts because the founder of the web page realized that Peanuts is very depressing if you only read the first three panels. Check it out.

There are many reasons why I love Peanuts, certainly more than three, but I think my favorite is Linus, the blanket-carrying child philosopher. I like his name, too. I would have no qualms about naming my children Linus and Lucy (except that Linus rhymes with sinus, and I love my unborn children more than that.) Even so, here are two more reasons to love the name Linus.

Sabrina. I've actually never seen the Audrey Hepburn version all the way through, but I think the 1995 version with Julia Ormond is classy and classic. Greg Kinnear always makes me laugh, I love Sabrina's hair and wardrobe--but what I love most is Harrison Ford as Linus Larrabee, also known as "the world's only living heart donor." They say in the movie that Linus Larrabee is lonely, but I can't imagine why. The man lives in a tux, went to Yale, and is quite the charmer.


Ocean's 11. There are three Ocean's movies, and there are three handsome reasons to watch them--George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon. But only Matt Damon is named Linus. Only Matt Damon has that slightly insecure new thief act going for him. Only Matt Damon can make getting your wallet stolen on the L train in Chicago seem like a fun activity. Only Matt Damon can wear a fake nose with dignity. Thievery never looked so good.


But Linus from Peanuts is still my favorite Linus. Do a little dance with your blanket. Three cheers for Linus, my sweet baboo.