from clara....

"what stops me from taking myself seriously, even though i'm essentially a serious person, is that i find myself extremely ridiculous-- not in the sense of the small-scale ridiculousness of slapstick comedy, but rather in the sense of a ridiculousness that seems intrinsic to human life and that manifests itself in the simplest actions and most ordinary gestures. for example, I can never shave without starting to laugh; it seems so idiotic." - alain de botton, the art of travel