1-17-87 . . . I finished my first outline today: H. L. A. Hart’s collection of essays entitled Punishment and Responsibility. Talk about boring work! Reading the essays is one thing, but outlining them is quite another. I hate it. But it must be done. Now I’ve got a nine-page summary of a 277-page book. When I get close to prelims [i.e., preliminary examinations], I’ll forget about the books and concentrate on my outlines. If I continue at this pace, I’ll have over two hundred pages of outlines to review for the exams, but it’s better than 6000 pages! Now it’s on to something else, either [Robert] Nozick or some of the articles that I’ve got on my list. It feels good to finish a book.

The Arizona Wildcats won a big game this afternoon. I was overjoyed. The Wildcats beat the Washington Huskies, 73-72, in Seattle, to regain a tie for the Pac-10 lead. A few days ago the Wildcats lost a heartbreaker to the UCLA Bruins on a last-second shot. Today they did the same thing to the Huskies. Trailing, 72-71, with fifteen seconds to play, the Wildcats moved upcourt for a final shot that would win or lose the game for them. The plan fell apart, so Tom Tolbert took a shot from the top of the key. It hit the rim and bounded outward. Anthony Cook caught the ball in midair with one second left on the clock and in the same motion lofted it toward the basket. It went in. The Huskie players and fans were stunned, but I was delighted. See how excited I get about a silly basketball game? Had the Wildcats lost, I would have been morose all day. As it is, I was in a good mood. I love my Wildcats. [Still do. They’re ranked 11th in the country in the Associated Press poll as I type this.]

This evening David Cortner and I saw a movie, The Mosquito Coast. [I now have this movie on DVD.] I saw it in Saginaw a couple of weeks ago with Gary and Scott [Pero], but it was so good that I wanted to see it again. I drove to David’s house, drank a cup of coffee, and headed for the Campbell Plaza. The other day I lent a book, Barry Lopez’s Winter Count, to David, and today he thanked me profusely. [Barry Holstun Lopez, Winter Count (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1981); I finished reading this book on 28 February 1982.] It’s the first book by Lopez that he’s read, and he loved it. David is a big fan of Loren Eiseley [1907-1977] and Edward Abbey [1927-1989], so I knew that he’d like Lopez. I also know that David enjoys scenery, geography, history, and travel. Since Lopez is a master of bringing these subjects together, it’s natural for David to find him interesting. Now I want David to read Of Wolves and Men [Barry Holstun Lopez, Of Wolves and Men (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1978); I finished reading this book on 28 December 1980], one of the most influential books that I’ve ever read. It changed the way that I view human beings and the world. What a nice treat, to turn someone on to a good writer. [On 3 July 2000, David presented me with an autographed, hardbound copy of Of Wolves and Men. He inscribed it as follows: “As a token of my gratitude for your having given me Lopez in general, please accept this Lopez in particular.  Best, DC.”] 

The high temperature in Tucson was forty degrees [Fahrenheit]. I prefer it about twice as hot.