Perspectives

DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Thank you, your honor. Members of the jury, you have heard the testimony and reviewed the evidence. You will shortly decide whether my client is guilty of three counts of over-accessorizing his bed by placing too many pillows on it.

Imagine you're stuck in traffic on the Mass Pike with no radio and your passenger is droning on about whether there should have been room for Jack on the floating door in "Titanic." That's how bored I want you to be.

After more than 80 years of nearly constant practice and exhaustive training, I am embarrassed to admit that my tongue still can't stay out of the way of my teeth. Just as disappointing is my starboard cheek, which gets slammed nearly as often as my tongue.

There's just something special about reading a good book outside during the summer in Maine! Whether seaside or by the lake, in a hammock or by flashlight in a tent, longer days and summer vacations often mean finally getting to the stack of books waiting on our bedside table, or enjoying a light beach read — all at a slightly more leisurely, summertime pace.