da liberry......

I have been catching up on a lot of reading these past few weeks. When Borders as closing down the stores near me were having a ton of sales- One store had all books a dollar each, another did a buy 20 books for 10 dollars deal. Needles to say I took advantage of these deals.

I've also been doing a lot of kindling as well, probably about 60/40  hard copy to kindle. I was on the road for a week and I will admit that the kindle did come in handy- I usually would bring about 4 or 5 books along on a trip, now just my lil' e-pal.

I heard an interview with photographer Annie Liebowitz the other day, she's promoting a new book of photos, and she was saying that all the photos in the book were taken digitally.She made the point that she didn't have a romantic notion that film is superior to digital- Content was the most important thing, not how you created it.

Good point.......I guess.

Here's two things that keep me connected (romantically) to books;

I'm just about finished reading a book about the history of Jewish Delis- a very enjoyable look at food and culture and history and pastrami- As I read it I have about a dozen people that I would like to share the book with, as in walk up to them and say "You have to check this out" and then hand them the book. "Oh! check out the story about kasha varnishka on page 128."

I'm sure that e reader sharing is on the horizon (if not already here) , but I'll admit it I am attached to the object.

As far as I am concerned , since the dawn of time there are two perfect , elegant inventions- books and bicycles. Some day , I'll go into greater detail about that thesis.

Here's another romantic book notion;

As a  fund raiser for a theater group I work with, A friend of mine has started selling used books, what started out as a shelf or two of volumes has turned into a very impressive collection. She sells them during the intermission, you can get a coffee, a snicker candy bar, and a Tom Clancy novel.

Every once in a while she'll bring me a book that someone has donated and say that it's a book that I have to have. The other day she gave me a paperback copy of The Merry Adventures Of Robin Hood. It's a pocket sized book in immaculate condition, it was published in 1949 by the Board of Education of the City of New York and given to students as a gift.

A Beautiful book with illustrations by a student, complete with that "old book" smell. Heaven.

There is a wonderful introduction written by Regina Burke, associate superintendent of elementary schools. Here's a bit of it,

"Are you fortunate enough to have a library of enjoyable books in your home? It isn't necessary to possess hundreds of books to set up "a library" Abraham Lincoln and Benjamin Franklin began theirs with just one book. This book is all yours. I hope you will add it to your home library, or use The Merry Adventures Of Robin Hood to begin one"

Thanks Miss Burke

you talkin' to me?..........

I've had a few nights off this week, so I've been catching up on some movies that I had Tivo"d over the past few weeks. Some old favorites- Roseland, a Merchant Ivory film from the late 70's, set in the legendary dance Hall. Brian DePalmas Dressed to Kill - eeeeek. I also watched the big two part Woody Allen Documentary by Robert Weide that they played on PBS this week. Incredibly (mercifully) they were not begging for donations,so you could enjoy it from start top finish without interruption- 3 1/2 hours of bliss. It makes you want to lock the door and watch all 40 or so of his movies non stop.

If you are a fan you will love it, and the best part of the whole thing is the absolute last line, which Woody delivers himself and then laughs out loud. perfection

One of the movies i watched is Stolen Kisses, by Francois Truffaut. During his career he made 5 (I think) films which featured the character of Antoine Doniel. He began with the classic 400 Blows which saw Doniel as a schoolboy and then he would revisit the character every five years or so to see what he's up to.

The character became a bit of a dual autobiography of Truffaut and the actor who played him,Jean Pierre Leaud

At the start of Stolen Kisses, Doniel is thrown out of the army and spends the rest of the movie moving from job to job, trying to figure out what he should be doing with his life. At the same time he is trying to figure out ........women.

Who am I? What is love? Why am I here? .......... all your classic young man questions.

About three quarters of the way thru the movie he finds himself idolizing his bosses wife, while still pining for his sometime girlfriend, while continuing his quest to figure out who the hell he is.

This leads to this extraordinary scene= Antoine in front of the mirror, speaking the names of both women and his own. A single shot, 90 seconds- it becomes an aria as he builds to a wee bit of rapture searching for an answer. An incantation.

Watching it out of context you get a feel for what it's all about, but when you see it in the movie it nearly takes your breath away.

let's make a pact; we'll all promise to see one of our favorite movies this week. Something you haven't seen in a while, an old pal.

the rockwell in question....

“Saying Grace,” Norman Rockwell. 1951. Ken and Katherine Stuart Collection. ©1951 SEPS: Curtis Publishing, Indianapolis, IN | Norman Rockwell Museum

a fifth freedom.......

I stopped into a local restaurant tonight for dinner. The girl up front tells me I can sit anywhere. I head towards a table in the back. I notice a woman with two "tween age" children,  their food is on the table, their heads are bowed.

Wow, it's like that Norman Rockwell picture of the family saying grace in a coffee shop surrounded by.....

Never mind, they were, all three, texting. Illustrate that Norm.


ps  Hey! put down the phone, you're dinners getting cold

was ist das?.......

Earlier this week I took a trip up to Fairfield University to see John Malkovich perform a theater piece that he's been touring around the world the last year or so.

John Malkovich, Two Sopranos, and a 30 piece Baroque orchestra.

It's called The Infernal Comedy;Confessions of a serial killer, and it's based on a true story of an Austrian Serial Killer, who had been imprisoned for murder and then 15 years later made a convincing case that he had been rehabilitated, redeemed.

After he was released he became a novelist and a playwright and theater director and a journalist, all quite successfully. He was charming. He was a celebrity.

As a journalist he wrote a series of articles about a killer who was targeting prostitutes in Vienna. He came to Los Angeles and wrote an article about the sex trade in California.

Six prostitutes were killed in Vienna and three sex workers were killed in Los Angeles.

............... can you guess who committed these crimes?

correct. (I won't insult you by confirming your suspicion )

The Orchestra enters and tunes up and then plays a bit of an overture, the singers are introduced and then Jack Unterweger (Malkovich) enters and welcomes us. He is going to give a reading of his new book, his memoir. He is charming and seductive and funny as hell. There is also a bit of tension between him and the other people on stage, but no matter, he has work to do.

I saw a clip of this on youtube (the previous post) and knew that I would have to keep an eye out for it. I love   theater that defies a category- It's not a one man show, it's not a musical, It's funny but hardly a comedy. In a recent interview with Charlie Rose, Malkovich refers to it as an opera.

There is always that great unexpected feline grace and silkiness in the way he moves- There is a wonderful sensuality in the way he wears clothes, you really get the feeling that he chooses his outfits not just for the way they look but more importantly for the way they feel.

About halfway thru the show it came to me- he reminded me of the famous photo of Truman Capote on the cover of his book "Other Voices, Other Rooms" (give that a google)

He has a great awareness about the way he moves-much is made during the show about how he walks off stage- sometimes he slithers ,other times he all but stomps off. At one point he wanders into the orchestra and lays down among the cellos.

At the end of the evening there are no great insights into the criminal mind, no grand conclusions to be drawn, but it was a fun way to spend an evening

Sometimes I enjoy walking away from a show wondering "what was that?"

a coming attraction.........

hey rube......

" Oh No, It's that cop we set on fire."

That's a line from "The Rum Diary"  the movie based on a novel by Hunter Thompson. If such a thing is possible, the movie is  a long distance love letter to the good Doctor.

The theme of the movie is basically a writer looking for his "voice". The Thompson character ,Paul Kemp, talks about that search a number of times throughout.,  All the elements of his eventual style are on display, drinks, drugs, general excess, FEAR, . A Sancho Panza like sidekick. A healthy disrespect for authority , the bastards, Nixon.

There is also a romantic angle , a love interest for the love of God, something that seldom if ever appears in his later writing . Off hand I can't think of (m)any females in his writing, his was a boys club of debauchery. According to his biographies there was an abundance of female companions, but seldom did they make it to his work.

Of course , years later, when he finds his "Voice" it is one of the most recognizable of the 20th century. After the first paragraph you know whose hand is on the Selectric.

I discovered Thompson like many with Ffear and loathing in Las Vegas".  I'm reading, I'm thinking- Who the hell is this guy? Is this for real? Could any of this possibly happen? Can any human possibly tolerate this much abuse?
.
After a bit , it starts to sink in, it might not all be factual, but it's all true. On first blush it seems that he is the center of all his reporting, (and many blushes later as well) but as you continue you see that he's telling the bigger story, The tales of Fear and Loathing. Betrayal, Lost Hope, Lost innocence.

For all his savagery he often comes across as wounded by greed and deception. Kurt Vonnegut wrote about Thompson and said he was a canary in a coal mine, the first one to register distress. sounds about right.

I was a huge fan, but I had no delusions, I knew that if I ever met him , I would last maybe five minutes.

Here's a bit of evidence to prove my case: Bill Murray played Thompson in the Movie "Where the Buffalo Roam"  They met poolside at some hotel before the movie , Thompson tied Murray to a lounge chair (securely) everyone is laughing,he then pushes Murray into the pool.Nearly drowning the star of his movie.

Exhibit 2: He's going to meet Johnny Depp at the Woody Creek Tavern (his hometown bar) Depp is in the back, Hunter makes his way through the crowd with a cattle prod and taser.

Back in 76 he came to speak at Fredonia, where I went to school. This was right around the time his fame began to become Myth. He was feuding with John Denver (of all people) and Garry Trudeau had introduced the character Duke into Doonesbury. In attitude and appearance Duke was Thompson. Hunter was not amused, what did he think of Trudeaus tribute? "I'll tear his lungs out" Hyperbole? Maybe.

In the two weeks before he reached us Thompson was making national news, he was on a college speaking tour and most nights , if he showed up, were turning into drunken rampages as he would attack the audiences for mentioning Doonesbury.

I couldn't wait. Finally the day arrived, it was part of a weekend long journalism conference, only a select group of about 200 were allowed in, the air was electric. Oh did I mention, it was 10 am. He was coming directly from the Buffalo airport, was he a morning person.

At 10 am on the dot , he entered the room- in full regalia, Hawaiian shirt, sunglasses (which stayed on), chuck Taylors. He was introduced by the moderator , my journalism professor, I can't remember his name, but he was a bow tie, tweed jacket, tortoise frame, kinda guy.They were perfect, the two of them sitting behind that table in the lecture room.

From his airline bag Thompson took out a bottle of whiskey and a six pack. Next came a small cocktail pitcher and a bag of ice. Ice in the pitcher followed by the whiskey. Popped open a beer, light a cigarette and told us that he didn't have any prepared remarks , but he would be happy to answer questions. And for the next 90 minutes he did.

He had the rumble- mumble of a voice even then. He was funny and charming and loved to talk about papers and politics, I think he might have even answered a Doonesbury question. During those 90 minutes he finished the six pack and put a major dent in the whiskey and remained "sober" throughout.

It was a thrill. I'm glad i got close, but that was close enough.

I was heartbroken years later when he died. In failing health he shot himself- no surprise I guess , surrounded by guns and drink and drugs  that might qualify as natural causes.

Even in death he was one of a kind- google his memorial service overseen by Depp. .

i saved you a google.........

funeral plans for the good doctor

.....that guy

(another installment of the blog within a blog.)

I will be as delicate as I can.

I was using the restroom today. A public restroom. A very clean, well tended restroom.

I realize that as you read the above statement some of you have already recoiled in horror. Many people have trouble with public toilets. Not me.A nice clean facility, I have no problem.

I'm in the stall  (more cringing)  and I hear someone entering the restroom, speaking  in a very loud voice.He is on the phone. He continues to talk. He enters the stall next to me. Still talking. He............ still talking.

Please,  I beg you, don't be that guy.

ps this was in a bookstore. There were about 8 people working the sales floor in various capacities. 6 of them were short , chubby, redheads. I don't say this disparagingly- they were actually quite attractive, but 6 girls who all kinda look alike? Do you think the person doing the hiring is a short, chubby, redhead or someone who definitely knows what they like?

here's your hat, what's your hurry?.......

ah, politics.

During a Republican debate for the 2008 election, this was an early one- so there were a whole bunch of people up there, a question was asked. I don't remember the exact wording, but basically it was- If you don't believe the theory of evolution,raise your hand, A couple of the candidates, including Mike Huckabee raised hands.

At that point, the moderator should have thanked them for coming, asked them to leave the stage and continued with the remaining debaters. It would have been okay to give then a lovely parting gift, but- leave.

I was reminded of this when I read an interview with Bachmann the other day and she was asserting that she was running because God told her that it was her time. oh and she's against Cain's 9-9-9  taxation plan because if you flip the numbers- the sign o' the beast.

Here's your coat Mrs. Bachmann, your car is waiting outside.

There was a spectacular image from a few debates ago- the candidates were reciting the Pledge Of Allegiance and the camera was moving down the line showing Newt Gingrich and then Ron Paul standing with hands over their hearts, looking like the older gentleman they are. Next we came to Rick Perry who was standing as if he were posing for a Wheaties Box or the cover of the next Superman Comic Book. chest out, head held high, gleam in the eye. You just knew that he had practiced that pose in front of the mirror, once or a thousand times.

It's going to be a long year

don't judge........

i have always loved this song- one of the highlights of the burt bachrach , hal david songbook. i was tubing the other evening and came across the aretha franklin arrangement-spectacular.

along the side they had a few different Aretha iterations of the song as well as the dionne warwick recording and then there was this one. From Glee. I've never seen the show, much to the chagrin of all the High school kids I work with. I would love it they tell me. Hmm I have a feeling it's just not my cup of tea,besides it would prevent e from obsessing over American Chopper.

If I have watched this clip once, I've watched it a dozen times. I have no Idea what is happening here dramatically , but-

The arrangement is perfect, basically the Aretha version but faster,

The girls are all dancing great, but the tall blonde is dancing in character, like I say, I know nothing about the show , but I can quess a lot about who that girl is.

the dance "phrase" from 57 seconds to 1:o3 is stunning I've watched those six seconds about 20 times

and finally- why is this clip "flipped"? the other versions posted have the letters on the uniforms facing in the right direction, not this one. odd

animal house.........

A few weeks back my sister and brother in law went on vacation for a week.

Usually when they go away they board their dog (a 120 pound English Sheep Dog), Riley.

This time there was some confusion with the kennel (long, boring story). She gave me a call and asked if I would watch him for the week. Of course.

Would I also watch the bunny (who has one ear up and one ear down) Flopsie. Certainly.

Me, the dog, the bunny, and the cat.....for a week.

The bunny arrived first, on saturday afternoon. The poor guy was a nervous wreck- a half an hour in the car and then set up in a strange house, complete with a cat who spent the rest of the day, stalking the bunny. I will be clear, the bunny stayed in his cage, but the cat hovered around the entire day. At times standing on his hind legs with his nose pressed up against the cage , staring at the bunny.

On Sunday, the dog arrived. My sister dropped him off and then I drove her and my brother in law to the airport. Then I went home.

I was greeted by, the bunny on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and the cat who was a wreck because the dog had invaded his domain, and the dog who was in a full on depression because his "mommy" had left him.

I had become the care taker at the St. Francis home for neurotic animals.

After a day or two things began to settle down- The bunny was now right at home, the cat discovered that the dog doesn't climb stairs so he had the upstairs to himself, and the dog was slowly deciding that life goes on.

The highlight of my week was on weds morning when I woke up. I had taken to sleeping on the couch so that I could keep an ear open for any shenanigans. I'm on the couch, the cat is sleeping on the arm of the couch, the dog is sleeping on the floor in front of the couch, and the bunny is sprawled out in his cage.

There's all sorts of snoring and grunting going on. I feel like I'm part of the fraternity I never pledged in college.

The college experience was cemented when all the animals decided they weren't going to eat their regular healthy food, every body was going to live all week on snacks. I felt terrible that the dog wasn't eating his dry food- so  I went and got him a can of Alpo. He devoured it. That night he added farting to the snoring and grunting.

In solidarity the cat would only eat his snacks, no regular food. The bunny would also only eat his snacks, but since his snacks are  parsley and basil and assorted greens, he was the healthiest of the bunch.

Our week ended, everyone survived, it did take the cat a day or two to convince himself that the dog was really gone and that he could come downstairs. He was a bit perturbed with me for allowing those beasts into his house. To show his disapproval he kept to himself for a few days , barely giving me the time of day. Then the thunder and lightning came and he soon swallowed his pride and climbed in to my lap.

I am the leader of the pack.

another b t express......

words to live by........ well, in the '70's any way

b t express.........

For the past few weeks I have been computerless- I would like to be able to report that life went on without a hitch whilst "unplugged". Sadly, this is not the case- I have become one of "those people".

My laptop ceased to be, it became a rather large paperweight. I took it to a local repair lad and he rolled his eyes and snickered.it seems my Dell was a dinosaur, an antique, a relic........

I began to look for a new computer.Hmmmmm so many choices and when the salesman starts selling my eyes begin to glaze. I'll figure this out....soon.  I think that I have decided to go with a full desk top set up. I rarely if ever took the laptop out for a walk, I basically sat at the table and did all my webbing. Excellent! the choice is made! Although, I will admit that the I Pad is an enticing little vixen. ......stay strong! stay focused.

During the interim my computing has depended on the kindness of strangers (I'm writing this on a borrowed notebook computer) or strong arming my way onto a library computer. (which I don't mind really, because it forces me to be all business at the keyboard- it also gives me a chance to make goo goo eyes at the reference librarian, she of the horn rim glasses and the Louise Brooks bob)

But enough about me........... let me tell you what I did this weekend........

I had a delightful lunch in a Chinese restaurant, I rarely have dessert, but they had Bubble Tea. I had heard about this for a few years but never crossed it's path before. There it was! I had to try it.

The one I had was a lilac color- unlike any food stuff I had ever seen, it was more like a color you would find on "My Little Pony" . At the bottom of the glass was about a half an inch of navy blue tapioca pearls. I'll let you reflect on that image for a second.

The glass of bubble tea is served with a wide straw, big enough for the pearls of tapioca to flow through. As you begin to sip the liquid (a subtle fruity blend of ...well it's not really tea and it's not really juice...) the tapioca pearls begin to flow through the straw as well.

It's a sensation that takes a few moments to adjust to. I expected that the tapioca would be a bit mushy , but it was oddly chewy.

All in all, a silly way to end a meal. In a good way.

My favorite part of this whole episode was this evening when I was describing this experience to a friend , she dubbed it a "Snacktivity".   Perhaps the greatest new word of this young millennium.


ps I will also be shocked if some food company does not market Bubble Tea  to the children of the world , soon

an ounce of prevention...........

I was securing the yard for the approaching Hurricane (Irene)  Putting away lawn furniture, and grill and plants and bird feeders and wind chimes (lots of stuff outside)  Hmmmm I have one more thing to deal with- the Gazebo- thing, whatever you want to call it.  I'm all by myself and it was insanely humid and I had been going for about an hour and if I take the thing down, I'm going to have to clear out a spot in the to put it garage. I'm also going to have to get the ladder out of the shed.

I look across the street, My neighbor , Rich, has one of those Gazebo things in his yard. His is still up. He's a very responsible homeowner. He must know what he's doing.  Hmmmm I'll take the canvas cover off my thingy and just leave the frame up. This way the tropical storm winds will just blow harmlessly through the frame and not use the canvas as a sail. I take off the canvas.

post hurricane- I check the yard some branches and a tree limb are down, but overall not too bad. In the back yard there is the Gazebo thingy, all in one piece. I look across the street at my neighbors house- his gazebo thingy is destroyed! It's in shreds! All over his yard, in fact it was picked up and catapulted over his fence and half in his next door neighbors yard. Ooops. I will admit that a part of me wonders if he looked over into my yard and figured that if I left it up he could too.........Nah.

My favorite thing about the Hurricane is that for the whole day before and day of  the cat never left my side. If I walked into another room he was right next to me,  when I sat down, he sat curled up beside me. I'm sure he knew something was up and he wanted to make sure that he was at the center of the action.

Here are two observations about the cat- he has a corner of the den where he puts all his stuff. All his toys go in the corner. He takes something out, bats it around for a bit and then puts it back when he's finished. If I take something out and try to get him to play, he'll shoot me a look and then pick it up and put it back with the others.

Upstairs I have a room with all my books and the computer- I'll be fancy and call it the library. When I sit in there and work the cat joins me and sits in the middle of the floor, with a pencil between his paws. Only in that room. He keeps the pencil on the floor by a shelf and when we settle in he goes and gets the pencil and sits. Sometimes he'll try to  pick it up between his front paws, but mostly he just sits there, with the pencil in front of him.

I have a feeling he would enjoy jotting down a few ideas, but the lack of  thumbs and a blank sheet of paper prevent him

the road goes on forever.......

About 5 years ago I found my self up in the north country, visiting up near Plattsburgh, waaaaaaay up North.
On the way home I stopped in Saratoga to spend the night. One of my favorite places to visit- A great used record store, a legendary guitar store, a few good book stores (alas the Borders there bit the dust, it wasn't the best book store in town , but it had a great central location "meet me at Borders" and a clean rest room) lot's of great restaurants and a lot of live music at night. What's not to love?

After dinner, I'm wandering around and I see a poster for a band called "Sirsy" , Playing tonight right around the corner. A two person band- a guitar player and a drummer/ singer/ flute player. Oh, this I have to see.

So , I did.

And from that night on I became a fan. Rich Libutti and Melanie Kramer- Sirsy. That night they played a mix of interesting covers and a ton of originals. The crowd was filled with fans who sang along with every song. With just guitar and a small drum set (which Melanie plays standing up) they filled the room with a ton of sound.

Great between song banter, funny and smart. Wonderful command of the crowd. A good collection of original songs, but most important, That Voice! Melanie has the ability to purr and roar from one verse to the next- a bunch of times I had chills (.. they were multiplying)

They had a few Cd's for sale, I bought 'em'. They were playing locally for the next two nights, I went. And each night they just got better.

Since then I have seen then A half dozen times- mostly upstate (they are based in Albany) but they do get down to NYC a few times a year.

I keep waiting for them to break big.

Their songs have been used on TV shows, in a movie or two, they play over 200 live gigs a year, for about six years running they have been voted Albany's Best Band (something like that) They were recently signed to a national label. They are now playing down South , out in the Midwest, all over.

But, I saw them the other night in a little bar in Lake George (Christies on the Lake) about 20 people were there. But, A few days later they were playing at the race track- big crowds at the race track.

It's a tough life, that rock and roll life.

proof of heaven.........

I got in the truck and headed North this week- I'll write a bit about my travels during the next few days.

I had only the skimpiest of plans, there is a band I am quite enamored of, Sirsy, and I saw that they were playing in Lake George, a destination I am equally enamored of. Together, irresistible.

I arrived in Lake George and looked for a place to stay for the next few nights. I love motels- In particular I love motels where you park right in front of your door. I drove thru the village headed a bit north an there it was - The Blue Moon Motel, neon sign and everything! Be still my beating heart.

I went into the office to check in and for the next five minutes I was totally charmed , nay, I was beguiled. Sitting there at the desk was a dark haired young lady who greeted me with a big smile and a near musical "Hello!"

What a rarity! At times I feel that we live in the Age of the Sullen. Everyone if far too hip or too engaged in something social networky to actually engage with a fellow human being. But not this girl, she was totally engaged the second I walked in the door.

Delightful Smile. Eye Contact. And, and, and, and...... an accent.......a Polish accent! I will  state here and now  ,before God and country and all those who dip their toes in my blog that I find Polish, Ukraine, Eastern European women to be  the cat's meow.  There is something in the lilt of that accent that I adore.

(full disclosure, I also have a soft spot for women with slight speech impediments. I'm sure there is a support group for that. If I ever met a polish girl with a lisp, I would propose on the spot)

She was absolutely charming- isn't that a lost gift, charm?  She filled out the registration form all the while telling me about all the amenities the motel provided, including free coffee and tea , and on the weekends-- free donuts! And she was so sincere about the donuts, I immediately agreed out loud how wonderful that was. I could even get a large towel if I wanted to use the pool , that was open from 8 am until 9 am.

She was exacting and precise in every step of the registration process , telling me exactly what she was doing while she did it.  No Irony, no snark, just sincere. .

Registration all done, she walked me to my room, opened the door and asked me if it was acceptable. It was. She gave me the key and began to walk to the office.

I had noticed that to use the Wi- Fi service you had to have a code word.  I called after her "excuse me, What is the code for the Wi Fi?"

" It's easy to remember" she said " It's No Wacancy"

That's not a typo- It's how she pronounced No Vacancy.

charming.

And No, I never got her name.

let's take a walk......

The other night whilst surfing the channels, I came across the show "A walk through Central Park" This was part of a great PBS series that had David Hartman (TV personality) and Barry Lewis ( delightfully nebbishy historian) wandering around New York neighborhood and giving an informal, chatty history . Low tech, no special effects, just great anecdotes and some maps and photographs. This is my idea of an hour well spent with the telly.

As I watched I was reminded of a walk I took in the park a few years back.

It was a perfect spring day, bright sunshine, 60 degrees or so. A Sunday. The spring of 2002. Needless to say the city was still discovering what life in the city was going to be like post 9/11.

The park was filled with people. I had no plans that day,I just went in to wander the park. Grab a bite to eat. I had a pad and pencils- i figured I might do some drawing. (not good, but i enjoy it) I always have a mild hesitation to draw in public, invariably someone will wander by and ask to see what you're drawing. It always happens. To me; my stuff is genius. To the outside public; my stuff is two steps up from stick figures.

The first hour or so the park was quiet, people almost talking in whispers- but as the day went on the park and the people began to "bloom"

And then within 45 minutes I experienced...... (this will sound, sappy)... pure joy.

As I walked each experience built on the one that came before it.

Guys sailing their model boats in the pond.

Up on the hill, a guy staging turtle races, keeping up an enthusiastic patter the whole time.

That eccentric guy ( I forget his name, but there was a documentary about him that won an Oscar a few years back) With a Mohawk and a loin cloth, who plays the violin and performs operas of his own devising.

The group of conga players , who have gathered in the park every Sunday for decades, and play for hours.

A bridal Party taking photos on a big rock- A Latina bride and a Japanese groom and their friends and families, laughing and posing and trying to translate what was being said back and forth which led to more laughing.

and then.........

You know that part of the park where the Roller skaters gather? Well there they were, about 200 of them. Young, old, real old, black, white, brown, some in street clothes, and some in full blown regalia- all skating and dancing and singing to Stevie Wonder's "Do I DO".

The energy was extraordinary - if the whole crowd had levitated six feet off the ground and continued dancing I wouldn't have blinked an eye.

pure joy


Go ahead, play the song.

summer (the second time).......

found it!

That Youtube is a scary place- every memory you have is there. I've been looking for this album for years (had a copy in college) just so I could hear this recording again. I Tunes doesn't have it, but You Tube do!

Bobby Goldsboro - Summer The First Time

Such a strange song. I love the rather ominous bass line that starts the song and repeats throughout. And that descending piano line at the very end of the song during the fade out- haunting.

Just as haunting is Bobbys hair. (I kid, I kid)

I had an instrumental cover of this song (by Gene Harris) that created the same emotional mood without the lyric. Hmmmmm I bet that's on the Tube of You , as well.

plastic exploding inevitable.......

A week or so back I took a group of young actors , about 60- ranging in age from 6 to 14, to see a production of Hairspray. 60 kids and about 6 adults! Thespis bless them ,they  were a wonderful, respectful , and enthusiastic audience.

So enthusiastic, that they were mentioned in the Newsday review of the show. They received a rave. He also gave the show an excellent review.

The next morning, I met with the kids and we talked about the show and the performances. I will say that the kids perception of the show was positive, but they were far more critical in their estimation of the performances than the writer. ( He raved about the girl who played Tracy, the kids were a bit more "reserved"")

Bravo, young uns!

WE talked about performances and costumes and lighting and the set , etc.  Lots of great honest reactions. This lead to a discussion of the idea of acceptance that is the heart of the show. Race and gender and size. and the shallowness of conformity. As we spoke , I shared some stories of traveling with my family down in the deep south back in the 60's.  It is amazing to think that it my lifetime I witnessed ,plain as day, the remnants of the systematic racism and intolerance that were part of America for so long.

There is a wonderful article by Calvin Trillin in last weeks New Yorker magazine, about his tenure as a writer for Time magazine covering, among other subjects, The Freedom Rides of the early 60's. So much has changed in those 50 years.

As we continued , one of the kids brought up the fact that same sex marriage had been adopted in New York State. All the kids burst into applause and cheered. All of them, Here's something that their grandparents couldn't even have imagined, that a few short years ago had no chance of being adopted and these kids accept it as common sense.

The final song in Hairspray is a wonderful song called , "You Can't Stop The Beat" It's a joyous tribute to early 60's soul music that brings the house down.

And as one of the kids pointed out- It also proves that you can't stand in the way of change, of progress. You Can't stop The Beat.

smart kid (s)

billy do

I fall in love too easily. (When  Emilie says the word 'character', I swoon)

sand in my shoes...........

I am an evening beach going kinda guy- usually about 6 o'clock or so. The crowds are gone or on the way out. The sun is in a far more civilized position in the sky, much more discrete.  I have taken to wearing a big hat, I used to be a baseball hat guy, but they can get too hot, so now I am a big straw hat wearing guy.

There is nothing cool and /or hip about this hat. We're not talking a chic little fedora or a timeless Panama. It's not even a 'So out it's in" Straw Boater ( although I would kill to find one that fits my massive Irish head. My brother Rob gifted me one of those about 25 years ago- a thing of beauty!) No, this is just a big old straw hat, not a Cowboy hat (thank God) and not an Amish Hat (i used to have one of those as well) just a basic utilitarian hat.

A bit goofy looking, but it keeps the sun out of my eyes and since it's straw, it certainly breathes.  I mean God knows, I'm not dressing to impress at the beach, but I basically am one step closer to being that guy with the metal detector. Hmmmmm I wonder how much he makes in a week.

I am open minded in my choice of beaches, north shore, south shore, ocean, bay- I'll , mix it up during the week and go to a few different beaches.
Sunken meadow- Lots of walking on the boardwalk, some stroll, others run- I stroll

Smiths Point- always a party- most nights live music and dancing- always a crowd, on some nights that's a good thing, other nights I want no part of it.

Robert Moses- lots of families

I haven't been to my  favorite beach of all time this year- Sailors Haven on Fire Island, nice beach, great walk thru the Sunken Forest, smaller crowds. A wee bit o' heaven

I have brought the Kindle to the beach to do some reading and I have to say the little dickens works very nicely outside in the sun, thank you very much. I am starting to come around to the Kindle- I have been reading a ton since I got it, I'm still reading more actual books than e books, but I am developing a fondness for the little guy.

Recently I read two memoirs- the world has gone memoir crazy, everybody is convinced that their life deserves to be immortalized.

Some are wonderful , well written and insightful- You feel that as they share some of the details of their life they are giving you a new way to look at your own Life.

Most are mildly entertaining and if you're lucky you'll get a piece or two of something ' scandalous', which is usually the only reason the book got written in the first place.

The first was, ' Blood , Bones, and Butter' by Gabrielle Hamilton, which i read on the kindle. It's the story of how she became a professional chef/ restaurateur. I had read some short pieces she had written and saw her interviewed by Mike Colameco on his PBS show and found her to be funny and provocative, always a good combination.

The other was, ' Street Player" by Danny Seraphine, the original drummer with the band Chicago, which I read in actual book form. It's basically the story of a tough street kid who finds salvation in music and then at the height of his fame finds himself fired from the band he helped create. Chicago was "my" band when I was a kid. My first concert at Madison square garden, we bought about 30 tickets and rented a bus, but that's another story for another time. The opening act was Bruce Springsteen and he was , booooed! Not Bruuuuced, booed. But that also is another story for another time.

Both books were good, not great, and I came away from the Hamilton book really disliking her. There is one thing that both books shared as far as I was concerned- there are real moments of conflict in both books- Danny is fired and Gabrielle has a real 'challenging relationship' with her husband.

They tell the stories as they see them and for the first time I can remember I would love to hear the other opinions as to what happened. I want to know why the band threw him out and what her husbands take on their relationship is.

Not that I doubt the facts of what they are writing, it's just that in both books there are other voices I would like to hear from.

Look for me at the beach, I'm the guy with the hat

if i could talk to the animals.........

A week or two back I was called for jury duty. I have been called a number of times , but sadly have never sat on a jury! I would love to sit on a jury- I take geat pride in all those civic duty things, voting, jury, 'see something ,say something,'  recycling, don't pee in the pool.........

I have been Voir Dired three times  but alas no jury. (I tried thinking of a Voir Dire, double entendre quip, but couldn't. If you can think of one please feel free) . You never really know why you are turned down, but you can guess.  Judging by the cases and the questions asked, I was turned down once because my Mother worked at the IRS, once because my brother is a police officer, and this last time because our family owned two cockapoos. (dogs, not birds)

The case was a dog bite lawsuit and the canine in question was a cockapoo. Obviously the plaintifs attorney did not believe that I could be objective, given my previous cockapoo experience. I am purposefully using the word cockapoo as many times as possible to give you an idea of what Jury selection was like.

I should also point out that it took three full days to seat the jury. That's right,three days - a civil case. A dog bite. Three days.  The people who supervise the jury room were shocked it was taking so long.

The questioning by the defense lawyer was quick and to the point- very direct.  The plaintiffs lawyer was all over the place- essentially he was trying the case then and there. I always had the  feeling he was saying too much. We were getting a lot of information about the case haphazardly and people being people most of the prospective jurors were already forming opinions.

As I sat there watching the one fella stumble, I felt like standing up and giving him some tips on preparation and public speaking. It was painful.

I realize it's hard to see what's happening sometime in the heat of battle, but I hope he noticed how prepared the defense guy was. The little things can be so important- the defense guy always addressed the people he was questioning by name , "Mrs. so and so". The best the other attorney could do was address everyone he spoke to as , "you'.   A small point, but everybody likes to feel important and respected........three days!!!!!

Now that I think of it, when I was excused they were still looking for an alternate, so for all I know, they're still going.

---topic change ahead

So. I was at the Central Park Zoo this week. The last time I was there was a loooooooooong time ago. There is something thrilling about the idea that right there, smack dab in the middle of Manhattan are sea lions and penguins and a polar bear.

This is an old skool Zoo, so even though the place is well designed and tended, the animals are basically in cages. I am shocked that animal rights people don't protest outside the gates everyday. It would be easy to make the case that wild animals do not belong in cages in the middle of a city..........but- it's penguins! right there! on the other side of the glass! I see him and he sees me! "Hi Mr. Penguin!!!!!!

And did you see the sea lions? The jump up on the rocks and interact with the crowd. 100 yards over there is 5th avenue and right here are sea lions! real ones!

I know, I get it , it's not right, but it is extraordinary to see them so close and to see the reaction of the kids. Of course it is a bit heartbreaking  to see the polar bear neurotically swim back and forth in the same pattern all day long, but..............

--topic change (kinda)

Later that same day as we walked around mid town Manhattan we passed Gallaghers steak house, a restaurant that famously has steaks hanging in the window as they dry age. Often there is a crowd of people gathered at the window gazing at the steaks lovingly.

In general, I'm not a big meat eater, I couldn't tell you the last time I had a steak, - but there is something about those steaks hanging in the window that make me want to become whatever is more extreme than Vegan. I want to become an Aquan, I'll just drink water from now on and maybe a few Saltine crackers.

werner goes spelunk........

summer.........in the city

To celebrate my nieces recent high school graduation , we took a trip into the City (Pittsburgh,... no, New York) the other day.

A lovely summer day, Central Park Zoo (yay! Penguins!) The Met Museum (yay! Art!) dinner, (yay! Cuban food!)  and the revival of Anything Goes (yay! .... uh ...well...uh... Yay! Sutton Foster! that girl certainly commands the stage)

It was Hot and Humid. And if you have visited the Isle of Manhattan in the heat of summer ,you are familiar with that certain  ' funky stank' that permeates the air. Especially in the mid town area.

During the course of the day I saw at least a dozen 'hipsters' walking around wearing those goofy wool caps.Don't fashion slaves respect seasons?  I was mopping my brow all day like Pavarotti in a sauna and these nit wits were marching in lock step wearing the hottest hat known to man.

My nephew and I were watching some indie - hipster band on the telly the other night and the singer had a massive case of bed head. Now, I would respect that if he had actually just rolled out of bed to play the gig, but this guy had obviously spent an hour or so with a stylist to get his hair "just right"

Hey, hipster ! I will now bestow on you the most important  lesson I have learned:

Cool is the enemy.

(the attitude, not the temperature)

Oh ,one more thing- To all of those folks out there in big bad world who propose that the study of art(s) is silly and frivolous- let's go to the Met, I'll treat.

See how important art was to the Egyptians? The Greeks? The Romans?

Thousands of years before Christ, the world was filled with art(s).  Every moment of life , from birth to death, was celebrated by the artist.

sculpture, painting, jewelry, pottery. architecture.

When we come out of the museum, we can sit on the steps and talk about what we just saw. I'll tell you my favorite and you can tell me yours- I'll even treat you to a pretzel.

Then maybe we can go see the movie ' Cave of Forgotten Dreams" a documentary by Werner Herzog, about the earliest cave paintings ever discovered. Extraordinary! There is one particular painting of horses that might just be the single most beautiful art work I have ever seen.

If we go to the movies, we'll have to go dutch, I'm a little low on cash.

Just promise me you won't wear your wool cap

rock on......

I went to see my nephews band (the Detours) play a gig last night. Tremendous- great sound and a good solid set- all originals!

Amazing to see a young band up on stage with total confidence. No Covers, all new. All Thriller, no filler.

As I watch my mind starts to make connections- His dad is a drummer in a band, his cousins play instruments, his uncles have all played in bands, his grandfather was a guitar player, great grandfather played for years in an Irish band, accordion and penny whistle.

And now there he is up on stage.

I was reminded of a photo I have of him when he was about two years old. He had a big head of curly blond hair- in the photo he looks exactly like my fathers mother, a woman who had passed away a few years before he was born.

Today I was doing some cleaning, some re arranging, some pulling and hauling and I came across some boxes of photos. Old, old, photos- so of course I had to take a break and look thru the pictures. I came across a seventy five year old photo that I had never seen before. It was a picture of my mothers sister, who died as a child, not long after the photo would have been taken. She was the absolute image of my niece. the only difference was the hair color. Otherwise they are identical.

Interesting thing this life

time...... marches on

Here is an observation from my road tip last week.

To catch up all you latecomers, I took a drive upstate New York, last week. I visited a bunch of towns/cities, lots of places that have some sentimental value. Some of these places , I've been visiting on and off for nearly 40 years!!!!! incredible.

There is a timeline, a story, a narative (isn't that word overused these days? everything is part of 'the narative') here it is;

In the late 60's / early 70's,the down town part of the city is in decline. What used to be grocery stores and hardware stores, and shoe stores are now empty. Those stores are all moving to the 'shopping center' at the edge of town.

Late 70's, early 80's, someone gets a great idea-" Lets turn Main St. into a pedestrian mall!"  So the main drag is closed to traffic and some trees are planted and some benches are set up.

Now the Main St. is filled with little specialty shops ( candles and such) and restaurants (Hooligans; an eatery) The Movie theater now has two screens. On friday nights  in the summer,the community orchestra plays.

Late eighties- The shopping center out at the edge of town is half empty because the new mall has opened up out by the thruway. The Movie theater is closed. Every other boutique on the Main St is closed. No more Ochestra nights.

You can see where this goes- The mall is vacant ., Wal Mart, Costco.  have arrived . The shopping center is deserted,. Forget Main St.

We all know that change is inevitable and the good old days never really were, but it still seems to me that we are very short sighted in our planning. No one sees more than 10 years into the future. Maybe thats for the best.

All I know is that for about two years in the 80's I lived in central New York and there was a spectacular supermarket (Tops) within walking distance of my house.  When I was there the other day, I saw that to go food shopping I would have to get in the car, get on the highway and drive.

feh!

thanks big brother

In my last post I mentioned anxiety- today as I logged on to my computer , all the ads were for some anti- anxiety or depression medication.

It's nice to know my friends on the interweb care so deeply.

lust, wander

I don't believe in drugs.

Okay, let me start over, I know that drugs exist.

I'm just not a fan. For the sake of clarity, the drugs i am referring to here are of the prescribed pharmacological variety.

I'm not a fan of the recreational variety either. Never used them, never understood the attraction. The other day I discovered that a friend of mine, a bright intelligent young man, had a hernia operation. To make a long story short- the hernia was caused by drug abuse, oxy contin.  A drug he had been abusing (at 50 dollars a pill!)

I suffer from a familiar laundry list of maladies-  Middle aged, lapsed Catholic,depression, overweight, nearsighted, peter pan syndrome, bad knees, etc..........

On occasion I have been known to have the random panic attack (in a book store about 10 years ago! that was a doozy).

I won't bore you with details, but recently I was becoming the poster boy for general anxiety. It had gotten to the point where everynight for a week I was having full blown nightmares. I never have bad dreams, My dreams are usually  of the puppies and kitties and  rainbows variety ( and occasionally , hot dogs chasing donuts thru the Lincoln tunnel)

What to do?  Years ago, I had a  guy who helped me thru some rough times, but he has long since gone to that big 45 minute hour/ august vacation practice in the sky.

As stated earlier- no interest in "better living through chemistry"

Hmmmmm. So I got in the truck and went on a road trip. a short hop, 4 days. I hadn't been able to do that for years and now I had that opportunity.

I feel incredible. Better than I have in a looooong time. Behind the wheel, I would turn off the radio and just drive. Upstate. No traffic. Open road. 65 mph. And the weight lifted. And balance took it's place.

Oh, I still have all the same problems, but now I have perspective, now I have..........grace.

Driving. Moving. Is it a Man thing? Is it an American thing? I do know that ever since I was a little kid I have loved getting in the car and going. My Dad worked in schools so every summer we would get in the car and go. Still love it.

I have been having some very agreeable  dreams since I have returned, thank you very much.


(I'm sure some of you will have paused at my use of the term grace in the above- I have been meditating on that word for the past few years.  Lots of time dedicated to the idea.  Then on my road trip I saw the movie 'Tree of Life' and the idea of 'grace'looms large. A must see)

theory of relativity ( revised)

Indulge me, please.

Everyone has stories about their family or friends or pets. We enjoy telling these stories. 

Many of us enjoy hearing these stories. I will say that overall our enjoyment hinges on how close we are to the weaver of the tale and the subject of same.

If I know your kids, I'll smile and hang on every word.  If not.............

Again, indulge me.

You don't know the cat who shares my house.

In general he is an even tempered fellow, he will sit by the screen door or an open window and watch the world go by. Sometimes another cat will wander by, or a squirrel, even the neighborhood bunny- no reaction. But , when something flies by, a bird , or a bug, or even a plane- he is not happy. The chase is on. I think in general he feels that flying is ostentatious, needlessly showing off. I can't say for certain , he hasn't confided in me, it's just a feeling I get from him.

The other day, a big round bumble bee got in the house. He was so large he could only fly about three feet off the ground. And if i had to describe his speed of flight , I would say he was "strolling"

I feared the worst, surely when the cat walked in , the bee's time was up.

I was in for a surprise, the cat was totally captivated by the bee. He followed him around all morning, just walking behind . When the bee would land and rest, the cat stopped and watched.

After an hour or so the bee discovered an open window (screened) He flew against the screen, the cat sat next to him- finally I walked over and opened the screen. The Bee was on his way. The cat watched him leave and then went back to his regular schedule.

Thank you for your kind attention

I return. ( i will take a baby step back by posting a video) I just discovered this singer, Ingrid Michaelson. Where have I been? eveyone else knows her. An incredible songwiter with the voice of an angel, drop dead beautiful, and a delightful sense of humor. I am in awe of her ability to (quietly) hold the audience in the palm of he hand. shhhhh listen.......

weirdly, it works........

I love that the drawing of the dress ends up where it started. I also enjoy how inclusive he is with the staff

bloom into color.......

I know he can be a bit of a polarizing figure and he's not for everyone, but i am a big fan of Isaac Mizrahi.

I was flipping thru the channels without rhyme or reason last night and came upon Mizrahi on QVC . I figured I would watch a minute or two and ended up watching nearly an hour.  No, i didn't buy, anything.

He has such passion and enthusiasm for his work- often he is the biggest fan of his designs. It's as if he's seeing them for the first time.. He keeps the staff on their toes as he asks for them to run and get a bag to match the shoes or a skirt to go with the cardigan sweater he's showing. (also , I know this is a little thing, but he knows all the staff and the models by name and address them all the time. a nice touch)

I will leave it to the more fashionably aware among you to judge the actual clothes, I am engaged by his salesmanship and showmanship.

There was a documentary made about Him putting together a new collection back in '99. It starts as he finishes one collection and begins the next. I have watched this thing a dozen times (at least) It is a wonderful behind the scenes look at the creative process. Inspiration is one thing, talent is important ,but of course hard work is the most important.

What ever field of endeavor you are involved in , I think there are a ton of insights to be found watching the movie.

Is he a bit much? Maybe. But he works it.

ps the documentary is called "Unzipped"

all movies should be silent and b&w...

genius

two , two, two mints in one......

two separate thoughts

A) Had a lovely evening with my brother, sister and brother in law this evening. Saw Colin Hay, (he of Men at Work) in a solo acoustic show at the Boulton Center (Bay shore NY- a great venue, perfect for this kind of show)

Lot's of wonderful music, a mix of Men at Work Classics and his solo work I was really taken by what a wonderfully sophisticated song writer he is. It was great to hear the old stuff re imagined.(or maybe more accurately as originally imagined.) Who Can It Be Now, became a really dark and brooding song about a loon. Rather than a poppy, high spirited song about a loon.

God love him, he played a long time, a bit over two hours! Solo. To my mind could have been about 20 minutes shorter, but why quibble. As an extra added attraction he's a consummate storyteller with a stand up comedians timing.

one oddity , for the final three or for songs he brings out his wife, an attractive brunette who sings and...uh ...ur..... does some kind of odd interpretive dance during the songs. Hmmmmmmmm

But all in all a terrific show.

I had one of those "e tickets", you know, the ones you print out at home? Not a big fan. I like a TICKET! I remember the first time I used one of those about 5 years back,  seeing The WHO at the coliseum, I kept thinking, "No way, they're going to let us in with these...dittos" But they did.


------------
2) The continuing saga of the bodies the police are finding along Ocean Parkway. the road was closed again today.

The total body count is up around 11 or so now. eek!  Now here comes the kicker, the theory is that they are not all related! Right now, there might be three separate killers!

To make it even odder and creepier, they believe a few of the bodies might be victims of Long Islands previous serial killer, Joel Rifkin (he of Seinfeld fame)

So Ocean Parkway might very well be the serial killers body dump of choice. Damn.

Makes sense, cause if you have ever driven that road at night you know that is can be rather desolate and... spooky. I'm man enough to admit it, sometimes on that road I have scared my little self.

This also means that if those poor bodies have been there for years, than  over time ,tens of thousands of people have driven right by them. ewwww.

There is some talk of a few "persons of interest" Let's hope so.

got 'em, got 'em, need 'em..........

There are a myriad of ways on the old interweb to while away and hour or two or three. I was introduced to another one the other day. Oh this is a bad one, an hour will fly by before you even look up from the screen. it's a little bit of web opium known as icheckmovies.com. And that's exactly what it is , a site that presents a wide variety of movie lists and you check the ones you have seen. That's it- many lists, you check off titles you have viewed. Go there, try it, I dare you.......I warn you. Nah, it's harmless fun.......hahahahahahahahahahaha (evil satanic laughter) You can also mark off which are your personal all time favorites. I have only marked a few- but the first I marked was Buster Keatons , 1927 masterwork The General. As far as I am concerned it is the greatest of all the silent pictures. They showed it the other night on TCM and I had planned on watching just a few minutes and of course I watched til the end. It is extraordinary- I will go as far to say it is one of the most beautiful pictures ever made. You really feel as if you are watching something that was made during the civil war. Every frame feels authentic. After the initial set up the movie basically becomes a chase. A train chase. On tracks. you can only go one way. You have to follow the tracks. It is exciting and funny and breathlessly entertaining. There are no "special effects" the trains only do what they physically CAN do, right before your eyes without camera trickery. He does a long extended bit of business on the front end of the locomotive, right there on the cowcatcher. A single long shot, with a number of very tricky bits of physical comedy. Had he fallen he would have been crushed by the train. But there he is. out front. At one point a full size locomotive tries to cross a burning bridge and goes crashing into the river below. One locomotive, one bridge, one chance to get it right. But surrounded by hundreds of extras and horses and battles and trains and explosions there is a love story. Sweet and simple and at times riotously funny- There is a moment so shocking and so funny that i laugh just thinking about it. It starts when......... no I won't tell you, I don't want to spoil it for those of you who haven't seen it yet. It is a moment during the chase in the locomotive with the engineer (Keaton) and his lady fair. In one fleeting moment it tells you all you ever need to know about love. Orson Welles once said that Keaton was the most beautiful man ever to appear in movies. When you first hear that you giggle, he must be kidding, but then as you watch him in his great silent films you begin to see what Welles meant. It is also very interesting to see how few "title cards" Keaton uses during the film. The story is told through the images not through the words. The best silent films used words very sparingly. That was a problem I had with Mel Brooks "Silent Movie" the physical comedy was wonderful , but he couldn't resist adding , words, lot's of them. Many times they would break the rythym of the great visual jokes he had created. Ah well- I'll be back in a few hours, I have to go check off some more movies.

..so help me god.........

I like to have a few books going at once- There's the "primary" book, the one I read at home when I get a few minutes. (Right now The Tina Fey memoir, "Bossypants". Laugh out loud funny)

There's the "mobile" book, kept in the car, to be taken with me when I suspect some waiting is imminent. (currently "Pops", the recent biography of Louis Armstrong, what a life!)

Then there is the .... how do I put this delicately? The "commode" book. Yes, I'm one of those people who read in the "reading room"  In my defense I will say, Irish/catholic family, five kids, the bathroom was the only place to find a few moments of relative peace.

It helps if that book is divided into short chapters, or stories, don't want to get too involved. Right now I am reading "Altman: the oral biography"  Perfect. As a young film fanatic coming of age in the '70's Altman was a hero of mine. MASH, Brewster McCloud, Three Women, The Long Goodbye, and on and on. Nobody Made movies like Altman, before or since.

I went to the New York Premiere of "A Wedding" many moons ago. Lincoln Center, lots; of celebs, lots of hub bub. Stood next to Pam Dawber (who was in the film) be still my heart. And saw live and in person  five feet away from me ,Madeline Kahn, swoon!Enough Name dropping.

Well one more drop, I also saw Altman in his last public appearance, he was interviewed by Peter Travers at the John Drew theater in East Hampton as part of the film festival there. He was charming and Funny and cranky and didn't have one good thing to say about Warren Beatty. (they were at loggerheads during the filming of McCabe and Mrs. Miller)

The book is very insightful and enjoyable lots of friends and colleauges, telling the story of his life, as they remember it. I think that's my favorite part of the book, the fact that people describing the same event , an event they were both present for, will remember it totally different.  At times in the book  someone will actually comment about that, "That's they way they remember it? Hmmm that's funny"

I love a good biography , but come on ,so often it's just memories- hazy and opinionated. Quick right now, tell me about a memorable day at work 25 years ago. What did you say? What did he say? where were you? ......Who knows? I'll tell you the story and I'll gurantee it will be true, but I won't gurantee it's factual.

I'm always amazed at some of the old show biz bios, these guys remebered everything! Who the stage manager was, how much they got paid, the name of the place they bought their cigars. And it's all true! Factual? hmmm

Here's a great story from a George Burns memoir, he was working (pre Gracie) Telling Jokes while roller skating (this was an act) He was booked into a resort in Lake Ronkonkoma (all the Long Islanders are going, Ohhhhh!) After the first show, the manager pulled him aside and said, "I hired a dog act! Not some half assed comedian " Burns replies " Oh, my agent didn't tell me- I have a dog act too, as a matter of fact , my dog is back at the hotel" 

Burns gets a ride down to the dog pound, picks out a dog and heads back to the resort. He does the same act- skates, jokes, but now he holds the dog in his arms while he skates. He was fired. True? Absolutely! Factual? hmmmmm maybe.

Does it really matter, though?

I'm thinking about this tonight because I read an article about somebody who is out to debunk the John Steinbeck book "Travels with Charley" One of the last things he wrote- a story about him and his dog Charley who get into a pick up truck camper deal and drive across America. Along the way he stops and talks to the regular folks he meets.

His trip starts in Sag Harbor (Long Islanders- "Ohhhhhh")

A favorite book of mine, as a matter of fact my plan is when I get to be an old coot (soon) I'll pack up the truck and head out after Steinbeck. And to add to the fun I would stop at public libraries along the way and read a chapter or two of the book, right off the shelf. I might have to hurry, since libraries are doomed, like everything else.

The trip took place in the early '60's and many of the stories he tells are snapshots of all the tension and pain the country found it self in. A great read.

So now, someone is coming after the book as a work of fiction! Steinbeck didn't sleep in the camper as much as he say s in the book- many nights he stayed in a motel!!! They even went so far as to look at weather charts from 50 years ago and proved that on days he said it was sunny----It was Raining!!!!!!!! And on and on.

Petty nonsense, he wasn't testifying in court, he was telling a story. He travelled across the country, was it sunny, did it rain, was he in a Holiday Inn? 

I don't care. I care that it is a truthful story, beautifully told.

I am a fan of the truth. And the people who tell the truth.

testify, Rev. Al..........

A bit too spot on- in regards to the previous post. but c'mon, it's Al Green!

take me to the river........

I'm not a big believer in omens..........

But,

The other day, the slop sink, which the washing machine drains into, got clogged. It over flowed flooding the utility room.

Same day, the toilet over flowed (clean water, thank god for small miracles) flooding the upstairs bathroom. At which point the water, needing a place to escape, came through the ceiling into the.... you guessed it... utility room.

Same day!!!! The oil delivery man had a malfunction while filling the tank, causing an oil spill on the side yard. Right outside the.......(let's all say it together) Utility room.

I decided against taking a shower that day.

put out a BOLO.......

I'm driving to rehearsal today on the parkway. They have those fancy light up message signs on the parkway. You know the ones, they tell you about what to expect up ahead traffic wise.

Today the message was, Ocean Parkway westbound is closed. For those of you who are not Long Island NY locales, this is a lovely road that runs right along the Atlantic Ocean. You are surrounded by water, the ocean on the south and a series of bays on the north. A beautiful drive.

That got me thinking about the many, many times I have been on that road, heading to see concerts and shows at the amphitheater- Oh..... a wonderfully romantic night watching the sunrise,...or going to Jones Beach with the family and........

Ah! Now I remember why the road is closed, they are looking for bodies in the dunes near Jones Beach. They found a few in December and just the other day three more. All woman, those who have been identified where working as prostitutes. Obviously, the police suspect a serial killer, but they are being very careful with the facts and accusations.

Horrifying.

I remember years ago, I was doing a show in New York City and I was commuting back and forth by train. A young woman had been murdered and her body had been put in a dumpster next to the train station. A quarter mile from my house- eek! One day as I was waiting for the train a Detective approached me and asked if he could show me a photo and ask a few questions. Sure. He showed me the picture, it wasn't pretty, you just saw her face, her body was covered with a sheet, but still not a pleasant sight. He asked me some routine questions, "did I see anyone suspicious?" . After a moment I started to ask him questions about the investigation. At times I can be a bit "tone deaf" and it took me a second to realize that he didn't appreciate my interest and he asked me a few more questions. A bit more pointed this time, basically I think just to shut me up.As far as I know they never solved this murder

The investigation into these murders of the girls found by the beach, has already been going on for months and I'm sure it will continue much longer. Half of the women haven't even been identified yet.

As I walked into the house tonight the Tv was on and an episode of Criminal Minds was playing. I used to watch that show, I was going to say I used to "enjoy" that show , but that's not a program you "enjoy" After I while I just got disgusted by the unending misery, I can't watch anymore.

 I had to shake my head and laugh (ruefully) On TV it only takes an hour to track down and arrest a serial killer. How come the local police aren't checking phone records, or finding out where that "burner" phone was bought or who , within a 50 mile radius, sells those tires that made that very unique tire print at the crime scene? Call the resident zany eccentric computer nerd, they should be able to narrow the list down to known offenders in minutes. Come on people! Basic Police work!

supererogatory.......

I am directing a production of the Sound Of Music (continue to pray for me) and I have a wonderful cast both young and old. I am having fun working with some of our more experienced actors as we talk about scenes and go a bit deeper into what might be happening right under the surface. This is why I love rehearsal. The fellow playing Max is an absolute delight and in his research he said that he discovered that the man the character is based on was gay. I laughed because as I was reading the script I said to myself Max is obviously gay and most likely  Jewish. So without making too big a deal of it, don't want to scare the subscribers ,we have planted this idea in the show. It makes for a fun little tingle in a short scene that Max has with Rolf the 17 year old Nazi boy. Nothing big, but if you are watching you might think---"Oh, of course"

Tonight we rehearsed the scene where it is revealed that Max has been receiving calls from Berlin, and he makes the point that in case something happens (an Austrian Invasion) he wants to make sure he has some high placed German friends. This gay, Jewish, impresario wants to be pals with the Nazis.

We sat and had a conversation about that. Of course now, looking back, the very thought is horrifying. No way! Nazi bastards! well, okay, but  maybe in the thick of it, it wasn't so obvious, maybe he felt that he had to deal with the devil. I would never do that of course, my moral compass is set on a fixed point, no wrong, only right.

During the opening scene of the Woody Allen movie, Manhattan, Allens character is leading a dinner conversation , at Elaine's,about heroism," Someone is drowning, do you jump in the river and save them?" Of course. Remember a few years back, a guy fell on the subway tracks with a train approaching? Another guy on the platform jumped down and covered him while the train passed over head, with inches to spare.  You would have done that, right?

Happens everyday, people do astounding things, put themselves at risk for people they don't even know. If something like that happened right in front of us, we would do the same thing, right?

I was reading an  article in the paper today about the 50 or so Japanese workers who are at the nuclear power plant trying to stave off disaster. A spokesman for the workers said they refused to let themselves be called heroes- that they were simply workers at the plant who were doing there job. When I was a kid I worked at a fast food joint and beside the fact that I smelled like french fries for a year, I would do everything in my power not to be around when it was time to drain and clean the deep fryer, so odds are I wouldn't be heading into the steaming nuclear reactor, wading thru the radioactive water in my jumpsuit.

I enjoy when random thoughts float thru my head." Everything that rises must converge"

that guy.....uh,,,those people.......them

(alert the media- another appearance, long time no see, of the blog within a blog-that guy..)

One of my brothers and his wife are police officers. Well my sister in law just retired, congrats. She had become Chief! My brother, still "on the job" for a few more years. The talk is they want to make him assistant chief. Congrats.

Over their years on the force they have seen many things- horrible, terrible, tragic things. Things that once you see them, you can't unsee them. God bless them- cause I couldn't do it. no way.

Along the way there are some odd, funny, entertaining things as well.

Here's one:  My sister in law gets a call from the local K-Mart, a disturbance, It's about 2am, this is a giant K Mart that's open 24 hours a day. She arrives. The Disturbance? A couple are fornicating in one of the aisles. They had been shopping, the cart is right there next to them. They just decided... I have no idea what or how or why they decided that, this aisle in K Mart at 2am  was the place for..... love, but they did, Maybe the in store stereo system was playing some Barry White. Arrest were made.

My favorite part of the story is that this was not a one time only experience- other couples had made "the beast with two backs" in that very K Mart!! who knew? K Mart should use that bit if info in their TV commercials.Talk about your Blue Light specials

please don't be that guy.....uh...those people....them

get a room

a theater near you......

I read an article today , the author was predicting that movie theaters might be on the endangered species list.

.......

oops, sorry, I think I fainted there for a minute. People have been making this statement for years-  since TV invaded living rooms. But nw with high ticket prices and large screen TV's and on demand video, who knows? Maybe this time it really happens.

.........

There used to be a theater in most every town. During the 80's and 90's a lot of those theaters became Blockbuster stores. The mid 80's brought the invasion of the multi plexes, 10. 12, 16 , screens. (or more) Now a lot of them have disappeared.

This ain't good.  I used to be a 3 or 4 movie a week guy, I would see everything. Excessive I know, but as far as I'm concerned that's the way to see a movie , big screen in a theater. I was never a big popcorn and snacks guy- I was there to see the movie.

I make my living, such as it is, in live theater, but I will now speak heresy- I have always been more of a movie guy than a theater guy. Given a choice , most often I would pick a movie.

One of the most amazing, life affirming nights of my life was way back in 80 (?, I'll check) When I saw , Abel Gance's Napoleon at  Radio City Music Hall. Silent Movie, Live Orchestra, 4 hours! Incredible.

I started writing this off the cuff, without really thinking about it too much- But I am a bit heartened by the fact that there are people looking at ways to keep theaters alive. Overall it seems to be a movement towards the old idea of Movie Palaces and making a night at the movies an event. I'm all for it.

One of these days, my situation in life will change and I'll be back in the theater (about halfway back on the center left aisle) Hopefully they'll be a theater and something good playing. Nothing in 3-D thanks.

oh, here's a bit of ominous news- in the past ten years, 80% of the record stores in the US have closed. yikes.

(hopefully this post will not appear as one big block)

apology...

For some reason, the past two blogs, have printed in a huge block making it difficult to read. Believe or not , I do take some time when writing this to make the paragraphs short and pithy. (there should be a space between the last thought and the next) I will investigate

gimme that ol' time religion......

So, the end of the world arrives May 21, 2011 at around 6 pm (eastern, central or pacific?) I think I wrote about this in the past- Family Radio stalwart, Brother Harold Camping, after years of exhaustive Bible study is confident that this is the date. He had written a book about 20 years ago, claiming that the end was coming in '93 or ' 94. oops. At the time he claimed that the fault lay with the fact that his study at the time had not been exhaustive enough. As I listen to him make this claim , time and again, on the radio , I always wondered "what was he going to say on May 22? The other day he began to set the foundation for that possibility- once again, not enough study. C'mon Harold, pull an all nighter or two if you're going to make such brash proclamations. Nonsense, but in small doses it can be entertaining and enlightening.As we go through the day, it's easy to believe that most everybody thinks like we do- our friends tend to share similar beliefs , that's why they're our friends. That's part of the reason, I try to read and explore some ideas, social, political, religious, etc- that I don't agree with, to see what's out there. Some of it is entertaining, some of it makes you roll your eyes and then some of it will make you.......... ( you can fill in whatever- variation of disgust, you prefer) Oh, Look! Here's one! That Pastor in Florida, who had threatened to burn 200 Korans last year (he eventually backed off) held a trial in his church the other day. He put the Koran on Trial- it must have been fun! There was a prosecutor and a defender and 12 members of the congregation were Jurors! When I was a kid we used to play "Store" in my friends garage down the street (the same guy who cut off his finger with a hatchet) It was great fun! Some of us were the clerks and some of us were the customers and we "bought" and "sold" things we took from our moms kitchens. (sometimes they knew, sometimes...not) After a while we grew up and stopped playing "Store" These grown ups still play! Yay! Hmmmmm I wonder if the Koran was found "guilty"? It Was! 5 crimes against Humanity. The Koran was sentenced- it was burned. A couple of days later the news made it to Afghanistan- A crowd attacked a group from the UN and killed 12 of them. The people in Florida church are shocked- The Pastor is demanding that action be Taken! Retribution! Oh, here he is talking: "It's not that we burn the Koran with some type of vindictive motive.We do not even burn it with great pleasure or any pleasure at all. We burn it because we feel a deep obligation to stay with the court system of America. The court system does not allow convicted criminals to go free. And that is why we feel obligated to do this" Oh, here's an assistant from the church speaking: "We have a huge stack of death threats. We take precautions. I have a hand gun. A lot of us have concealed weapons permits" The assistant is a woman. The french film director, Francois Truffaut, said in an interview once that ,the world would probably end in the year 2,000, because we were all so freaked out by the possibility that we would inadvertently make it happen. Maybe Brother Camping is correct

the march of time

I am working on a production of Sound Of Music right now (pray for me) and during a rehearsal with the kids we were talking about the fact that pre 1950's the whole concept of teenager, let alone tween, didn't exist. You were a child and then you were an adult, no stops in between. Kids couldn't wait to grow up. Ah , how things have changed. Since the 60's many adults cling to thoughts of youth, Peter Pan rules the world. Chubby middle aged guys still parade around in jeans and T- shirts! Imagine that. The Monkees , that pre fab teen sensation of the late 60's were obviously created in a lab somewhere in Southern California just for me. I was 12, 13 years old head over heels in love with the Rock and Roll and here was a lovable band of musical knuckleheads delivered to my living room every week. (mondays at 7 if I remember correctly) Right from the start I was a fan of Mike Nesmith, I was enamored at first I think by his sideburns, something of a hippie Mutton chop. My parents had a salad serving set and the spoon from that set when placed against the cheek gave a satisfying simulation of said side burn. Loved the songs he sang, loved them even more when I discovered he wrote some of them. My admiration only grew years later when he introduced his video show Elephant Parts, a collection of sketches and songs, that rang in the era of Music Video. Late he also became a novelist and all round nice guy entrepreneur. The other day I cam across this clip of him accepting an award. At first I was taken back by how old he had gotten , but listening to his remarks I was reminded of what a talented ,forward thinking, charming guy he is. And you know what? It's more than okay that he looks like an old guy- he was 68 when that was filmed! I'm still dressed in jeans and a T shirt (Beatles Abbey Road album cover) but maybe some day I'll dress like a grown up

paddy and paddy and paddy......

I recently directed a production of the musical Brigadoon, a wildly romantic tale of love and devotion set in Scotland. During the second act there is a funeral and the musical director hired a bagpiper to play the dirge. Between the story of a young man who dies for love, the beautiful dance that my friend Maria, choreographed and the sound of the pipes there were many tears shed each night.

In my family we are rife with musicians- guitars, and drums, and banjos and trombones and flutes and on and on. Lots of singers and all styles of music.

My dad played the ukulele and the guitar, his dad was an accordion and penny whistle master. My Uncle Joey Flynn (who looked exactly like the actor Joe Flynn -from McHales Navy-) was a fiddler and band leader. Lot's of time when I was little was spent in the back of a bar listening to his band.

My Aunt was a traditional Irish dance teacher, and her kids Michael and Chrissie would dance every year on Wonderama around Saint Patricks Day.

Oh and My niece became a step dancer as well.

So I was always surrounded by Irish Music, but never really jumped head first into the music. Although I will say I can deliver a rousing version of Black Velvet Band and/or the Wild Colonial Boy when called upon.

That said , there must be something in the Irish DNA that when I here the sound of the pipes or the fiddle- ,especially a melancholy plaintive air- I get a physical reaction. It's as if something way down deep is stirring, odd and fascinating.

So Listen to Paddy and Paddy , I'll be out back diggin' some peat.


ps I love spell check- for the word Wonderama, he wondered whether I was looking to spell underarm

once more, once.....

Hey! Here's the Basie Band from around the time I was writing about the other day. Thats Butch Miles on the drums, fully recovered.

I love the opening introduction on this clip!

behold..

As of today this blog has been visited 1,000 times.

What the.....?

I figured I would be the only one to ever look at it.

But there it is, in the stats section, 1,000 views. And perhaps more incredible it has been viewed by folks in the U.S. , Canada, Iran , Russia, denmark, Singapore, and Belarus.

I dated a Danish girl once, but that's a story for another time

the count, the legend and a fish.....

The Dave Brubeck Quartet! Without question one of the greatest Jazz groups, large or small, of all time. This past weekend the drummer, Joe Morello , passed away. The album < Time Out, which featured this tune as well as the classic , Take Five, Is one of those records that I have owned , in one format or other for nearly forty years. Incredible.

This weekend as part of their fund drive, PBS, showed a film called The Rat Pack Live. It's a 1965 performance By Frank , Dean and Sammy, - a fund raiser in St. Louis. It's the only known complete show by the fellas. Taking the place of Joey Bishop is a decidedly ill at ease Johnny Carson- he never really gets into the groove, of course he has little help from the others , who barely pay attention to him. Tough gig for Johnny, especially if you have ever read any tales of the Pack, where you discover that Bishop was the one who kept the whole thing moving. He would act as director and or editor/writer as they performed. He would keep a low profile , but wander around and make suggestions for jokes and bits. Poor Johnny.

But what blew me away was the set that Sinatra did with the Basie Band. Incredible. At the time Quincy Jones was arranging and conducting the Basie Band. In my opinion that band was the greatest of all the Big Bands.

I became a Jazz fan in the 70's and lucky me, most of the great bands were still touring. Over the years I saw Basie and Ellington and Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, and Buddy Rich among others. Alot of the bands were star vehicles. like Woody Hermans Thundering Herd, which was Herman surrounded by young guys right out of college. Great stuff, but young "cats"

The Basie Band had a lot of ol' timers still playing, guys who had been with the band for 20 years or more. Nobody could swing like that band! And they just didn't play oldies, they always had new arrangements in their books.

And do you need a lesson in "Less is More"? Listen to Count Basie play a solo, not many notes, no showing off, just swingin'.

Here's a story- Back in '75, I, along with the rest of The Wind Machine -our high school big band, are at a Jazz Festival. We played earlier in the day and now we are in the front row to watch The headliner, The Count Basie Orchestra. As the band is about to go on an announcement is made , The drummer Butch Miles has been rushed to the Hospital and will not be performing this evening (don't ever eat the fish at the Holiday Inn)

As a treat they bring up a drummer from a college band to play two songs. He does a good job and after two songs he looks exhausted. Polite applause , a few cheers from his bandmates and then he's gone. Now the first trumpet player moves over to the drums and all the trumpets move over one book. The set continues, the trumpet player does okay, he's keeping time, but something is becoming quite apparent ,to really swing you need a monster drummer to kick that band.

Ah well, what can you do? After another song or two someone walks over to Basie and gives him some information. Basie talks to a few guys in the band. Something is up. Another announcement is made, The band is going to take a 20 minute break. Hmmmm What's up?

I was a bold creature when I was young, so I and a few of my chums fell in with the band as they left the stage. Back stage we discover that Joe Morello is in the audience! and that he has volunteered to sit in with the band! His Drums are in the car out back (a Pinto) We quickly volunteer to bring the drums in- and like that we are roadies for The Basie Band.

20 minutes go by , we're back stage rubbing elbows with legends and then it's time for them to go back and play the second set. we take our spots down front, right at Basie's feet. The announcement is made and the crowd roars its approval. And for the next hour or so we are treated to a once in a lifetime experience, Joe Morello and the Count Basie Band.

A memorable night, lots of lessons learned, how important a drummer is to swing. how to make the most of a solo, and the fact that you can be an innovator, one of the legends of Jazz. You played on the first Million selling Jazz single (take Five), a genius! But this is Jazz, so you drive a Pinto.

I too am a magnificent amberson.......

A random thought

I remember when The Virgin Megastore opened in Times Square. An Oasis, a great place to while away an hour between a show and the train.

A massive record store, Video store, book store, movie theater and travel agency-all in one place, under one roof. It was as if someone had invaded my dreams and built my retail nirvana.

I think over the years, the travel agency was the only place I didn't do business with.

I love that kind of shopping- wandering around and exploring. A song. leads to a cd, which leads to a movie which leads to a book and back again.

The brave new world of computers and the Interweb has more or less put all of those types of establishments on the brink. Bye bye record stores, Adios video, see ya book stores. No more cinemas, and travel agents? say hello to Priceline.

And the Virginmega store relegated to the dustbin of memory.

Yeah, I know I'm an old coot- a luddite. "You can search the web right from your computer, the whole world is at your fingertips" t'aint the same.

Of course I used to moan about cds- shopping for vinyl was much more enjoyable, the way an album cover would fit right on your forearm.

ah well, I'm gonna check and see if there's room next to Andy Rooney on that park bench.

kindling.....

A few posts back I bloggeled that I had been gifted with a Kindle, the miracle text reading device of the age. I have now read a couple, two three books on the Kin (my affectionate nick name for said device) and now I feel ready to pontificate.

The Kindle I was given was a wi-fi only device, some of them also have a 3g capability. Wow, looking at that previous sentence you would almost think I knew what the hell I was talking about. So I had to go and get a wi-fi router device, I know! I didn't already have one, imagine my shame. Go on, imagine.

Got it, installed it, downloaded two books. Okay , first things first, I picked the book I wanted (that girl with the tattoo thing) pushed the "buy" button and at that very same second, the book was downloaded. Incredible.

I go and get a glass of chocolate milk and a cookie , sit down and start to read. The Kindle itself is light and fits quite comfortably in my hand. The page turn buttons are in a good ergonomic spot, I will say that after a while the keyboard along the bottom of the device gets in the way, but that's a petty complaint from a petty guy.

The reading screen is amazing, the text pops off the screen and since it's not back lit , it's easy on the eyes. Not like staring at this damnable computer screen! For this old coot, the best thing is that with a touch of a button you can adjust the type size. Very handy for these old eyes.

The turning of pages is very smooth as well, just a simple push of a button. My sister Meg has a cool reader, I think it's a Sony, where you turn the page by sliding your finger across the screen. neat.

another nice feature is that when you turn it off and come back later it brings you right to the page where you left off.

Among all the books they sell you on the Amazon, there are also a bunch of free books. yay, free! Right Now, I'm reading The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington. A great book by an almost forgotten author. (also the source for one of the all time great Movies, called..... The Magnificent Ambersons)

I take great Ironic pride reading this on my newfangled reading thingy because one of the themes is how new technology and ideas replace the old- in particular how the Auto replaces the Horse. How silly are those who stand in the way of progress.

Find it! Read It! Great Book! (hint- it's free at the kindle store)

I was also thrilled to find in the free section a large selection of books by Stephen Leacock. I can hear you all saying "WHO?" He was a great Canadian Writer, mostly of humor pieces. I discovered him as a kid and fell head over heels in love with his stuff. Beautifully written, laugh out loud funny and although some of them are 90 years old, they read totally modern. To me he deserves a spot among the best ,Robert Benchley, Dorothy Parker (that's for you Diana) and the greatest of them all S J Perelman. (don't say "WHO?" just go find his stuff and read it)

To get a good idea about Leacock read one of these two short pieces , My Financial Career or The Great Detective.

Oh, dear god, what's wrong with me? James Thurber! How can I forget him? His book, My Life and Hard Times is my favorite book of short stories and,The Day The Dam Broke, might very well be the funniest story of all time. (my, that's a bold contention)

Okay, so the Kindle is very enjoyable........

That said, it ain't a book. Oh and I do adore books. Since setting up the kindle I have been to three different bookstores and walked out with an armful of books each time. There is nothing like getting lost in a good bookstore for an hour or two (Book Revue, I'm talking to you) The size the shape. The artwork, the smell....... heaven,

I'm one of those guys who when I read I know exactly where on the page a line is, so that when I think of a passage later, I can "see" it. I'm also that giy who goes back a few pages every once in a while to remember who did what to who. (which you can do on the kindle, but not as easily)

I could go on and on, but I will leave it at this- I can happily live in a world where books and the Kindle can co exist. Since bookstores are closing left and right ,My happiness my be short lived , but we'll see.

A final thought (as always I exaggerate, slightly, for effect,) the two most beautiful and elegant devices ever made by man are....... The Book and The Bicycle


you know what, NO exaggeration at all----- The Book and The Bike!