"When you read it back, the dialogue should feel alive to you. But do keep in mind that actors, directors, and other craftsmen who work on the movie or show are going to elevate what you've done. Have faith in your work. You know when it's good, and also when it's not working."

- George Pelecanos

not a barometer

Interviewer: I ran across this quote of yours. I’ll read it to you: "I get out of bed, and I look around and say, 'Don’t you fuck with me today.' I tell the spirit, 'Today, I am in charge, and you are not going to screw with me.' And that’s how I start my day."

Elie Tahari: That’s right.

Interviewer: So who or what is this spirit that’s trying to fuck with you?

Elie Tahari: There was a show with Lena Horne—this must have been 25 years ago—and I watched her start the show like that, where she’s lying on the bed and she is waking up, and she says to the audience, "Good morning. I pray it’s going to be a nice day.” And then she stops and she looks at the audience and says, "This is how I get up out of the bed.” And she gets up out of the bed [Tahari stands up to demonstrate], and she walks over to the window, and she turns around, and she says, "Now you don’t fuck with me today!" But it stuck with me. . . . You can start your day saying, "I am not a barometer. A barometer goes up and down. I’m a thermostat. I’m going to set on 72 degrees, and I’m going to stay like that today. And nothing is going to take my mind off me and my center." I kind of have to deal with the spirit, and I think everybody has a ritual. It was, I think, Thoreau, or Browning, or Eric Butterworth who said, "I get up out of bed, and I get all the wrinkles out of my bed. And when I finish taking all of the wrinkles out of the bed, this is when I take all the wrinkles out of my day. And I’m set to be the master of my spirit, the captain of my soul."

-- from an interview with fashion designer Elie Tahari, 

Iranian-Israeli-Orphan-Refuge.