Obit

I hate obituaries, the finality and the sadness of them. I pray not to read my own.

 

But I read the weekly obituary in the Economist. They are written with such grace and such compassion. They don't tell the story of the person who died; they tell the story of the person who lived.

 

This one, about the last French soldier, brought me to tears twice. The writer makes the person still seem alive. In a way, his thoughts and his humanity still are.

The young woman at the center of the resignation of New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer is not a monster. She has some culpability, yes. But from what I've read about her, right now, she needs a hug and someone to tell her she is loved. It seems like her mom (!) is trying to do that. Good. It's a mighty hole she finds herself in, but she needs support to get out of it. Hopefully, she'll receive it.

Apologies

I'm sorry for not posting much here lately. I've been pouring my energies here. Go on over; it's a good read.

La belle belgique

This is why I love Belgium so much: It's utterly quirky...

(And the beer and frites are great, too...)

Joy

Where a picture speaks louder than words….

 

Yum yum yum

 

Dude, I am, like, so there….

 

 

http://www.dinnerinthesky.com/index.php

Look beyond the cover

Take a look at the picture in the link. Is this man Superman? Doesn't look like he could be. But he was.

Bill Evans had Superman's power to move, but with a piano. His style was distinctive--introspective, but absolutely with emotions. His work with an orchestra was evocative and haunting (I'm listening to it play in my head, and I get goosebumps). And I defy you--no, I dare you--not to be moved as you listen to "Danny Boy." There is a gospel-like feel to that song. I listen to it, and I am almost back home in church on a Sunday morning. And "Blue in Green", from Kind of Blue, Miles Davis' seminal album--the goosebumps I get from that song are matched only by those you-know-whats.

Don't worry--he could swing as hard as anyone, like on "Israel" on Trio 65.

If you look at his catalog, the trio was his stock-in-trade. According to this NPR profile, he wanted to give the bass and drums enough room to talk, have a musical conversation with all the voices.

As someone in the program said of Evans, "The idea of insistently being a trio player is a fairly aggressive thing for a piano player. And I think that perhaps argues that beneath that mild-mannered, bespectacled Clark Kent exterior there was more of a self-aware Superman than we might have realized."

Adjust, adjust!

The New England Patriots are a smart organization. But they are about to make a huge mistake in not resigning Randy Moss. He took a big pay cut to play for the team, had a huge season, and expects to be rewarded. The Patriots don't operate like that, however, and risk watching Moss leave.

You keep Moss on your team, pure and simple. As he showed last year, he can still operate at a high level. Whatever you have to pay him, pay him. In other words, the Pats need to adjust. Like all organizations should.

Word of the day--2

Sesquipedalian.

 

Yes, it's a four-dollar word. But a cool four-dollar word. Probably spoken by a man who spoke those kinds of words with ease.

 

No, I rarely agreed with William F. Buckley. But the words he used with utter ease and that slight English/patrician accent was a joy to behold.

Oh by the way

Happy Leap Year Day

Them changes

Buddy Miles, drummer for Jimi Hendrix, died today. He was in Hendrix's Band of Gypsys in the late '60s, and had a hit of his own with 'Them Changes,' a great song. 

 

I saw him and his band in the late '90s at the now-closed Chicago Blues in Greenwich Village. I still remember how fantastic, groovy and bluesy his set was. How he powered through and pretty much set the place on fire. I stayed for both sets that night, and I'm glad I did.

 

He and Jimi are back together again, jamming and burning guitars.

Oops

Here’s a memo to pilots looking to buzz the airfield, a la Tom Cruise in “Top Gun”:

Make sure the chairman of the airline is NOT on board as you cruise that big Boeing 777 over the airfield.

Just a thought…

Hop aboard

Here’s a good history lesson and a good life lesson wrapped into a good story. I won’t describe who the Pullman porters were—I’ll let you read about it. What I loved about porters was the way they handle the racism they faced on the rails—with aplomb, nimbleness, and, if I may add, a little subversiveness. The dual role they played as both servants and psychologists was standard for the age. They wore many hats, besides the blue caps on their heads. And I love how they handled difficult passengers—they’d “nice ‘em to death.”

 

One more thing…Look at the picture of the three gentleman. To me, they are the epitome of dignity, grace, style and elegance. When I look in the mirror, I hope to see these things.

No barriers

What do barriers mean for a young man who is 17-9 this season as a wrestler? Who's blind, by the way? Not much. Not much at all.

Good for him.

Is Tiger Woods an underdog?

Sometimes we put ourselves into holes. We never mean to, but it happens. We become an underdog. Then what?

 

Then, we become Tiger Woods. And get out of the hole we dug for ourselves. Like he did at the Accenture Match Play Championship. Three down with five holes to play, he summoned his indomitable will to win.

 

We can get in it, and we can get out. Sometimes all it takes it sheer force of will.

What is age?

It ain't nuttin' but a number...

A little apple and cheese with your whine?

I’ve been known to shed a tear or two, but man, not the way the Apple universe whines. I own an iPhone, an iPod (my third--hardly used now), I’m on my second laptop (MacBook), and I had a Mac mini. I've given someone an iPod mini. I’ve drank mightily from Steve Jobs’ Kool-Aid bowl, and loved every damn sip.

But I’ve never seen a more soft, preening, pretentious bunch of pansies than Apple fans. It would be nice if life were just so. But it’s not, which makes life more interesting. So you have to pay $20 more to upgrade your iPod Touch? Fine. Give up five lattes. Boom! You have your upgrade, Steve Jobs has his Andy Jackson, and everybody is happy.

Stop living the fairy tale of the Princess and the Pea.

Question/answer

What makes a person (a man in most cases) reach the point where they need to reach for a gun to think they can solve their problems?

 

I don’t have an answer. I don’t know. I think, though, that we (the country) aren’t giving men the outlets they need to say, I need help. I need someone to talk to. Tangible outlets and intangible outlets.

 

What made the man in Illinois snap, get guns, walk into a classroom, and shoot people he doesn’t know? I fear I know this answer. And it saddens me.

A blast from the past

The art of simplicity (after a fashion):

Remember this incident with former Virginia Gov. George Allen, as he campaigned for the Senate?



Virginia’s primary reminded me of this, and the videographer. H.R. Sidarth had that invective hurled at him, and became well-known via You Tube. That video pretty much killed Allen’s chances.

Sidarth was a student at the University of Virginia, and in the next semester, he tried to get into Prof. Larry Sabato’s popular politics class. To gain entry, you have to write an essay. Most write long and involved pieces. Sidarth wrote three words:

I am macaca.

Of course he got in. Simple as that.

This is cool...

And this is why it's not too late...


At age 35, Harrison Ford was fitting a door for Francis Ford Coppola when a studio executive asked the handyman to take a break and read lines with actresses who were testing for a new film. The film was Star Wars.