“Daddy,” says Maya out of the blue, “I know what’s your favorite word.” “Let’s hear it,” I say. “Bullshit,” she ventures with delight. “Bullshit,” I respond in kind. God only knows how she came upon this jewel.

Addendum I (April 1, 2003)

Ever a scientist at heart, today I checked my Residua for the incidence of the word “bullshit” in my writing. It appears in only twelve out of close to six-thousand pieces written over close to thirty years. Hardly a favorite word, this. However, six of these pieces were written since 2001. So, Maya has a point.

Addendum II (June 21, 2019)

Still a scientist in spite of my advancing age, I checked my magnum opus one more time for the incidence of the same word in my writing. By now, the word “bullshit” appears in one-hundred and one piece out of nearly eighteen-thousand ones written over more than four decades. Although it appears in no less than fifteen titles, nearly all of them can be found in the “no-bullshit” expression. In short, my favorite word comes in the negative, as it were. Which is something I would never have figured out without Maya’s astute help. Many thanks, my dear daughter!