Chutzpah

Tom Dombroski.

Hadn't thought about Tom in a while when the word "chutzpah" came up in a conversation.

I worked with Tom years ago. He loved describing chutzpah with this story:

On the corner near Tom's office in Baltimore, a elderly lady sold pretzels at a street stand. She charged $1.00 for a big, soft, salted pretzel.

Every day when he walked to lunch, he would pass the stand and pay her a dollar, but he wouldn't take a pretzel.

"I figured that if my grandmother was selling pretzels on the street, I'd appreciate someone making her day a little brighter." he would explain.

This almost daily routine went on day after day. Year after year. 

The two of them never spoke. 

One day as Tom passed the stand and left his dollar, the pretzel lady spoke to him for the first time in over 3 years: "They're a dollar-twenty-five now."

"Now that's chutzpah!" Tom would say as he slapped his hand on the nearest flat surface.

And he would laugh like he had just told the story for the first time.

And that laugh, along with his joy in telling the story, would make me laugh as if I had just heard the story for the first time, too.

Of course you can

I usually write our copy myself, so it’s hard to justify paying you to write it.

All copywriters have heard this at least once.

When I was starting out I would try to massage their ego by replying, "Of course you can write it yourself. But if I do it, you can focus on more profitable activities ... just like you can change the oil in your car but you pay someone else to do it."

Now that I've been around a while, I can recognized this statement as a red flag that my work and recommendations will be undervalued throughout the engagement. So, I say, "Thanks for your time. Good luck with the project," as I head for the nearest exit.

A Dumb Question and a Questionable Action

 

The Question`

At the airport, the desk agent checking me in asked, “Has anyone put anything in your baggage without your knowledge?”

You’ve probably been asked this, too.

But what answer are they looking for? If it was without my knowledge, how would I know?

More on this in a moment

The Action

When going through my baggage at the airport security checkpoint, the agent discovered a bottle of sunscreen in my bag. It was over the legal limit of ounces for carry on.

She very nicely said that she was sorry, but I couldn’t take it on the plane. Then she tossed it into a large plastic tub filled with other confiscated bottles, tubes, and jars.

My understanding is that these items are appropriated because they might be fuel for an explosive or incendiary device. 

So, the best place to put my potentially explosive 9 ounces is in a tub brimming with other potentially explosive materials? Potentially making a tiny bomb into a huge one?

I was going to ask this question. but my wife shot me the "shut up" look that she's perfected over the years.

I've grown accustomed to seeing and periodically obeying this glare. I shut up

 

Back to the Question

The last time I was asked, “Has anyone put anything in your baggage without your knowledge?” my wife wasn't with me. I responded, “If it was without my knowledge, how would I know?”

The agent smiled knowingly and nodded. “That's why we ask.”

I didn't need the "shut up" look.

I smiled back and headed to the nearest bar for a cocktail or three.

Aaron Sorkin on Writers' Block

 In 2016, TV and film screenwriter, playwright, and director Aaron Sorkin was interviewed by Stephen Galloway for The Hollywood Reporter.

GALLOWAY: You’ve said that writer’s block is your default position. How do you get over that? 

SORKIN: I take six or eight showers a day.

GALLOWAY: That’s a lot.  

SORKIN: Yeah, and I’m not a germophobe. It has nothing to do with that. I have a shower at home, I have a shower at the office. It’s a do over. It’s a reset. If it’s not going well, if I can’t think of anything, I get in the shower, I take a shower, I put on different clothes, and try again.  On a really bad day, I’ll be incredibly clean.

In 2021, he was interviewed by Sonya Alexander for Script.

ALEXANDER: What do you do to overcome writer's block?

SORKIN: Writer’s block is my default position! Peppered by ‘I have a thing now.’ I allow myself to be miserable for a bit. I like driving around, listening to music I listened to in high school. I talk out loud to myself. Start arguments with myself. When I was doing The West Wing, I received a delivery from Scott Sassa. It was a headset. He told me he was next to me at a light one time and I looked like a madman talking to myself.

ALEXANDER: Did you use the headset?

SORKIN: Yes, I did…!

In 2022, he told Focus on Film:

So which one is it, Aaron?

I suspect he uses these three and a few more depending on his state of mind at the time.

If I ever meet him, I'll ask him. 

But it really doesn't matter.

Cause he deals with it and the result is great writing.

_______

Aaron Sorkin is known for his sharp wit used in writing fast-paced dialogue and rousing monologues. His work includes A Few Good Men, the West Wing, The Social Network, Steve Jobs, Moneyball, and The Newsroom.

_______

Sources: 

The Hollywood Reporter: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/why-aaron-sorkin-wont-dish-leonardo-dicaprio-ben-affleck-his-real-life-gambling-drama-mollys-game-878142/

Script: https://scriptmag.com/interviews-features/overcoming-obstacles-an-interview-with-aaron-sorkin

Focus on Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4ezVssQlwk