The word genius...

Is bandied about a great deal. In my opinion the word is over-used. It should be reserved for overwhelming instances that defy explanation. My best friend, Stephen, said to me a couple days ago, "What's your favourite food?" "Pizza," i replied without hesitation. "Do you remember," he said wistfully, "when you were a kid and pizza was a treat? Like, it was something that you only got every once in a while and that occasion was remarkable? That was a good time of my life." I have to agree with him. And I think the same feeling should apply to 'genius' as well. Now, there are many types of genius. There's your Napoleon's and your Einstein's; obvious choices. But, there's the more obscure variety as well. See, to me, a genius is a genius because they don't think or operate like other human beings, but they can provide useful tools, information or observations about the rest of us. And that's why I would include Douglas Adams in this category. I'm sure I'll offend some literary and math types. Well, they can screw off. Douglas Adams was a genius. He did not operate on the same level as the rest of us. He did not really belong in our world, so he stood at the edge of it and observed. And his observations are hysterical; fiction AND non-fiction. Read a book called, "Last Chance to See" if you ever get the chance. A biologist friend of his dragged him around the world to visit 4 or 5 of the worlds most endangered species and asked Douglas to notate the journey. Never has real life been so funny as when it's told through his eyes.

"Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so."

"In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."

"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by."

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have endedup where I intended to be."
- Douglas Adams


THIS man was a genius. If you've never read his stuff, do yourself a favour and go buy "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and laugh until you hurt.