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.