Cold, Grey Sunday...Talk of Newspapers, Books, Kindles

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It was supposed to be about 50 and sunny today--it's still mid-30s.

I spent a good portion of the day on the big leather chair and ottoman, under a couple of wool throws with a warm kitty curled up between my legs, sipping hot coffee or ginger drink, reading the Statesman and the NY Times.

(It's a good thing I never moved to Detroit or Buffalo because I'd be the size of Kansas. I tend to avoid exercise in this kind of weather and sometimes eat heartier...oh well, winter's short here. I'm merely the size of Delaware.)

Funny how all the talk at parties and such lately has been about newspapers and their apparent demise and/or on-line vs. print and/or books vs. Kindles and/or free on-line content vs. pay... It reminds me of the late 1980s when you couldn't go to a cocktail party in this town without everyone talking about how pathetic real estate was and how vacant and boarded up everything was, etc.

Lately I've been thinking seriously about cancelling my Statesman subscription in order to save money and because their real content just keeps getting less and less as they continue to get fluffier and fluffier. Yet, two or three times a week, there's a story I'd want to know. And I don't want them to go broke and not be able to report real news--although most of their news is from the big papers or the AP. I'd miss the obits. (Reading obits on-line is totally stupid, unless you know the person you're looking for.)

Then there was the recent news item that the NY Times is going to start charging for on-line content over a certain number of free looks per month for non-subscribers. I think this is fair. I think all news"papers" should charge for say, more than two visits to their site per month--unless you're a subscriber to that paper, but I also think they should implement a system to share content/access. Thus, I could pay the Statesman and have access to all the web content of papers in their networks. Or there'd be a universal web-based news access fee, which you would pay per month, and it would be apportioned to papers based upon their readership(?), productivity (?) etc... I don't know, but it's obvious the papers as we know them are dwindling and that's not a good thing. At all. We need viable news reporting in all major cities and to a lesser extent, the smaller ones.

Then the conversations turn to reading papers on Kindles, which I'm not horribly opposed to, but I love the tactile feel of the paper on days like this (see above)...and the big ads and photos and such. And one thing lost in on-line versions that I don't know how it would work on Kindles, is the serendipity factor--the turning the page and reading an article that you would breeze past because something in the accompanying photo caught your attention or a quote jumped out at you, etc. Where on-line you're merely scrolling down a list of titles and maybe one accompanying summation sentence and if those don't grab you or it's not usually your area of interest, you don't click on something you might like and you become increasingly myopic in your news experience.

[Example: I rarely read the sports section. On-line, I never read the sports section, unless I'm looking for a particular score, which usually but not always involves the Longhorns. But today in the print version of the NY Times a stunningly simple beautiful picture of Serena Williams about to hit a back hand caught my eye. I couldn't help stare at the picture for awhile: her face never looked so beautiful and focused as confidently watched the yellow ball, her orange dress, the stillness of the motion. Because of that, I opened it and breezed through the sports section...]

THEN, the KINDLE conversation turns to reading books on Kindle. Ick. Amazon sold more electronic books (kindle) than traditional books this Christmas and Laredo Texas lost its last bookstore and becomes the largest US city without a bookstore. Yikes.

These are both very depressing things to me. Very.

Mainly because unless people start buying more traditional books, I'm afraid the e-books will win. And besides the loss of the tactile feel of a good book, that opens up all sorts of shitty problems: titles on one format, but not on another (beta v. VHS), buying something and the technology changing years down the road and you can't pick it up and look at it (how many of your old word documents from say 1992 are easily read on today's software? In 20 more years of software evolution?) My point? You know they're going to be continually upgrading the kindles or whatever and you'll have to continually upgrade to be able to buy new books and at some point your old "books" won't be able to be seen on your new reader--never mind the reptitive cost of technology that you've expended over the years!

You can go back to a book on a bookshelf decades later and read a chapter or a passage or the whole damn thing. You can look at the notes you made in the margin. Or you can loan it out. You can enjoy the tactile feeling. You can find postcards or whatever that you used for bookmarks--or your heirs can. You can scan the bookshelves of others and get a snapshot into what they like to read--notice and chuckle at say, One Hundred Years of Solitude being on the same shelf as Valley of the Dolls. You can pick up a book off another's bookshelf and ask to borrow it.

And on a Kindle, how will you ever really remember what you read? Don't believe me? Try to get rid of old books. Ouch. Sure, I go through and cull out some every so often--usually books of Toms that I'm not interested in or meant to read some snow day, but then I remember we don't have many snow days here and I have a my own section I've bought myself to read some day--which I may or may not ever get to. Everytime I shift books around, which I have to do regularly to make room on the shelf, I'm reminded of each book I pick up to move. The experience of that read comes back in one little snippet or a whole gushing river--depending upon the book and the mood I'm in.

Why have I bought multiple books in advance for someday reading? Because something struck me about the book as I perused a bookstore--usually BookPeople. Serendipity.

What will we be as a culture if we don't have bookstores? And people, they're dropping like flies. Sure, I've bought books from Amazon--usually only when they're not in stock here and it's as easy for me to order it as to have the bookstore order it and I have to drive back down there. But buying books on Amazon, pushes Austin or your town, closer to the status of Laredo.

And books on Kindle? Never!
Excuse me, I've got to go change the CD.

Cheers!
,m

with the right bling, you're never really naked
~~

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KELLY HOWE!

(Last night, as we celebrated, Kelly claimed more than once that she looked naked in all the pictures--she was verrry styling in a sassy shoulderless number...so I told her I was going to put a naked pic of her on Squirrels, but unfortunately this is the only one I had and as you know: you're never really naked in pearls!)

Ah....28. To a good year!

When I turned 28, Ronald Reagan was still in office, we were six weeks away from electing G. H. W. Bush to succeed him. I was about 10 days shy of quitting the only job I ever quit where I burned my bridges. Usually they'd offered me to come back--actually, I went back to an old job when I quit that one. But I was tired of being used so blatantly. And, Tom wanted me to join him in San Francisco, so I did--the day I took my keys in and quit, I caught a flight. Sometimes you just have to.

But...that was then...

Kelly turns 28 today, on a cold day in AusTex, with a President appearing to grow some guts and leadership skills over the last week, an even more partisan and bitter government, a few months shy of her Phd and Martin's MFA, and the great unknown of what comes next...tune into her space-log when she's my age and read it for yourselves!

We celebrated last night with a delicious, down-to-earth dinner at El Chile, then to Rio Rita, where a lot of UT Theatre and Dance folks showed up to celebrate and take pics of Kelly "naked"... I hope today was a continuation of the good time and she has a very very Happy Birthday!

Cheers!
,m

And then There are Nights like Last night To throw Off good Intentions:

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About 7:15, I'm in the kitchen, whippin' up a stir-fry and making it different than those of similar ingredients thus far this week....adding rosemary from my bush, adding a tomato, no tumeric, extra garlic, tofu, etc....just playing with it, keeping cancer-fighting fresh, and the phone rings. I'm at a critical point and can't take it, but I call them back soon.... It was Steven. He asks what I'm doing, then passes me to Eugene, who insists (practically demands) that I put it all away, they're taking me to dinner.

So I did.

We had a very relaxed night, talking about Eugene's big ADL event the night before, catching up, etc. We went to Fleming's, which is very unusual for us, for it's downtown and it's a steak house and for me at least, it's pricey. (Odd service issues going on, but they comped us some things to try to make up for it, which was nice, but then they didn't get better. Hmmm. But it was delicious!) Nice night. I was way glad I'd punted. A delicious medium-rare NY Strip with lots of peppercorns and asparagus was a fabulous change.

Came home and milled about and then suddenly I was on fire on Ponzi and wrote on it until late in the night (oh, well, I mean about 1am.; late for me this week with the new good intentions)...walked the boys and by the time I was in bed it was 2am....and today, I slipped back to about 9:20 getting up. I'm weak. But hey, it was comin' and I didn't want to not capture it. Damn. Oh well, who's setting these rules anyway? me.

Today: laundry, linens, took last night's stir-fry and made a delicious soup, tried to work, not coming, went to BookPeople and Waterloo, now I'm about to head to El Chile to celebrate Kelly Howe's bday. Maybe I'll be on-fire later? Watch out.

Have fun!
,m

Happy Birthday!

something-another crashed into a purple-trunked tree
or
somewhere out there, in the glow of the purple air, the two green men compared the similarity of the tatoos on their shoulders and knew the moment was destined
or
funhouse mirror
or
is it really 5:49 and I forgot to post today's birthdays?!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

~MARGARET KEYS~

~LARRY DON SHAW~

~JIM FRAZIER~

Have fun!
,m

colder....colder...warmer...colder

"March of the Peacocks"

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"March of the Peacocks" by Paul Krugman in the NY Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/29/opinion/29krugman.html


Bottom line: short term deficit reduction isn't the answer--it's the only thing creating jobs, fixing health care IS the answer for long-term deficit reductions, the state of the union is : the political system is broken

"Not a Fan"

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During lunch I wondered when the phrase not a fan became a negative, even mildly derogatory one.

Context: First, reading a piece in The New Yorker about Lady GaGa. Then, returning to the office I noticed a friend of mine from the early 80s had become a fan of Lady GaGa on FaceBook today. I said outloud, "I'm not a fan."

Then it struck me. I'm simply not a fan.

I don't belittle people who are. I don't dislike her. I don't hope she fails. I don't hope all her fans see the folly of their ways and move on to say, Bernadette Peters (of whom I must admit, I am a huge fan!) It was simply "I'm not a fan," which in my book still carries a neutral tone.

Fan: "an enthusiastic devotee, follower, or admirer of a sport, pastime, celebrity, etc."

Yet on FaceBook, the opposite phenomena often occurs: Some people become a fan of everything, everybody, every place, every business, every cause, every elected official, every cute movement, every snappy phrase du jour, etc. that catches their fancy when they see it pop up on someone else's list. These folks spread their fandom over such a wide net that it really doesn't seem to mean much. I personally am not a fan of going gaga over fanning.

(Sure on FB some things have slipped under my radar in a warm fuzzy moment and I have fanned them, but I have resisted becoming a fan of many things that I actually like.)

Hmmmm... when people fan things they only marginally care about, then the phrase "not a fan" for those people could easily and logically have a negative connotation--because for those people "fan" = "like."

Okay. Maybe I get it now. Or not.

Meanwhile, I guess we have to look to tone of said phrase, context of usage and FaceBook fanning habits to determine its intended meaning.

If I were in the same room as Bernadette Peters, it would be hard for me not to go gaga over her. Perhaps I should become a fan of her on FB.

Cheers!
,m

under pressure

Getting Up Earl[ier]...

...
just makes me groggy and I can't get any work done.
I'm about to go take a nap.
I'm hoping that will pass as I get more acclimated--
or wait,
could that be that incipid cedar fever knocking again?!
[or both?]

It's been a horrible year for cedar fever in Austin, a perfect storm for it: rainy cold fall and early winter and then BAM! sudden warmth in January and the trees explode with pollent.

After being hit pretty squarely with it a couple of weeks ago, I'd been keeping it at bay by re-introducting my (cheap as all get out) Costco generic Claritin equivalent, and using my nasal steroid inhaler that Dr. Meyerson prescribed when he told me to get off Afrin. I'd used it every day for two weeks, which is what the instructions say and then they tell you to stop and re-continue if you need it. I stopped one day (yesterday) and look at me today!? Yikes.

[And the ginger drink seems to help... slice into thin slices about an inch of ginger root, cover in water and boil in microwave (or just pour boiling water over it and let steep longer), let steep awhile, stir in a little agave nectar or honey, sip... gets better as you go...]

Or is it just the getting up earlier?
(I moved it up 30 minutes today.)
Or could it be that it was warmer last night and I took off my comforter and then got a bit chilly with the windows open?
Or that I dreamt I had a pet cow, that was trained and everyone loved it and I was famous for my pet cow that lived inside and walked with Benjamin, Fernando and me? (meaning: I slept very restlessly last night...)

I don't know.
Not sure how productive I'll be today.

Ugh.
,m

Waitin' on the Coffee to Brew...

...
Was thinking about last night's speech...and all the brou-ha-ha (pro and con) on FaceBook. I didn't stay on TV and watch the pundits spin and analyze. I haven't read it in the papers or on-line today, from the serious guys.

But this morning I was struck with some thoughts...

Why are the Republicans I know people I like and people I value their opinion and why don't their elected officials acted like them? Then I think we'd be in great hands, yet elected Rs tend to be up there sitting on their hands and not joining in trying to solve problems. That's what frustrated me last night. (see post below)

I LOVED it when President Obama called them out on that, and I paraphrase: There are people who think we should slow down, we should sit back and let the markets fix it, have less government, cut taxes... but that's what happened for eight years that got us into this mess.

AND that is my frustration with Rs right now. They don't acknowledge that. And the people seem to have forgotten that! The Rs spun health care reform into an issue that blinded many people to all the other issues. The Tea Parties, the rallies...that was my frustrations last night: the very short, myopic memories of so much of the American public right now. The total frenzy of me, fix it for me, but not for everybody else cause that will cost me money, but you better do what I need done.

I also loved it when he spoke directly to the Supreme Court. Giving corporations unlimited contribution power is very scary. I loved that he then said obliquely to the members of Congress to work to do what they can to fix that. We'll see. That would be very difficult to do, but I was glad he pointed it out.

That's all.

It was a speech to the Dems and the American people as much as to the Rs. It was a rah-rah for the Ds, urging them not to "run for the hills." I hope it worked. I hope he will have support to stay the course within the party. Like I said in the post below: it'll be whether he can get this done that determines how successful a speech it was. It's time for the President to realize that while he wants to work to become less partisan and he wants to stop the bickering, he tried that and the other side doesn't share his enthusiasm for that and they sent a VERY clear message of that last night. The Rs are there to obstruct progress. Thus it's up to him to bring his own party into the fold and up to the plate. We'll see how good he is at that in an election year. THEN we'll know if it was a great speech or a good one.

Coffee's Ready!
,m

State of the Union...

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Good speech until the last three or four minutes. President Obama, in my humble opinion, took aim at the problems, took responsibility for causing some of the problems and working to resolve all the problems, yet didn't let people forget how bad it was when he took office.

The last three or four minutes made it a great speech. President Obama personalized it and owned it and made us feel he believes in us and asked us to believe in him. He calmed. He challenged. He provoked. He consoled. He believed.
...
I don't remember exactly, but he mentioned making banks that received bailout funds pay back a fee and the Republicans sat on their hands. He mentioned this and the Republicans sat. He mentioned that and the Republicans sat.

Frankly, I've never seen a minority party as concerned about being obstructionist just to try to regain power as tonight's Rs. It was disgusting.

The big paradox is probably 70-80% of what the Rs sat on their hands for benefited only very wealthy citizens and corporations. And yet, so many people vote them in because the Rs have finally become the big tent party. Their big-tent includes: people who are anti-choice, people who feel minorities have been given too many breaks, people who feel government should stop taxing rich people (and themselves, but especially rich people--why, I don't know...), people who believe America is a Christian nation and should allow Christian prayers in school and office and such and won't vote for Ds because they believe Jews and Muslims and Atheists have rights too, people who are anti-gay rights, people who are anti-government, people who are business is always right, people who think anybody other than Rs are out to get their guns.

All these "Big-Tent People" vote these stodgy, conservative, obstructionist white guys in over and over again, which is ultimately against their own self-interests, except for their little niche interest. Then these people lose their health care or their job or a factory builds next to them or whatever and they demand government fix it for them.

But I digress...
my point was primarily that it was repulsive how much the Rs sat there, stone faced and essentially said: we want no part in solving the problems of America; we don't want to actually work or govern or mess with the hard stuff; all we care about is power, our own and our friends'.

Say what you want about Obama, but don't say it without noting the stodgy, obstructionist Republicans. I've never seen a clearer message from a minority party: we protect our own, the rest of you are fucked.

And thank God, the President laughed about it, called them out on it, and told them he expected them to work toward a resolution.
...

Now, Mr. President. Good job. But the proof is in the pudding. Lead. Twist arms. Push. Pull. Get these programs implemented. Get these bills passed. Go!

...
So hey, we'll all meet back here next year and see how he's done. And how the Rs have either heeded his call and pulled together for the good of the country or blocked everything that comes down the pike. And we'll know how the public feels about it--the midterm elections are in November. I hope, if the Rs win control back of one or both houses in November, they've earned it. I hope they win it for positive gains and implementations and ideas--not obstructionism and being nay-sayers and such.
...

Like I said... we'll see how it translates. That's what matters. Not the speech. But, that being said, I think the President did a very good job and may have pulled people (elected and non) into the process.

,m

Ponzi is a Rockin and a Rollin'

...
I've made a lot of progress on Ponzi in the last couple of days. Excited about keeping on that and getting to a complete full draft in a week or so. A part of what I wanted to originally capture is the idea that capitalism is a Ponzi scheme...as is much in life, of varying risks and such. It's not sustainable as long as growth and profit are the sole models. (see post below) I'm not saying communism is the answer either. Socialism wouldn't be a bad thing, but hey, we can try to deal with the paradoxes of capitalism and see if we can prop it up and keep going on that. I don't have the answers--except the obvious, population control. But how do you do that? Otherwise, I pose the questions.

And I may still hit all that in the play, but I've had to let go of themes and messages and just let it flow. Just deal with story and see what I can come back in and add--or not. I'd been stuck in a cul-de-sac, but I've made my way out without going in reverse (I hope!) You can say that about lots of things in my life lately!

Things are fine at The G, though. Cold nights, stunning days. Lots of open window time. But it's fixing to get cold again and that's cool. I mean, hey, it is January! The boys are fine.

Harvey Milk Memorial Last (or first) Tuesday Literary Society met tonight at Stephen Walls' house. I hadn't read the book, but still had a great time.

That's all from here. Off to bed. On the new schedules, remember?

Have fun!
,m

Tonight was

"Opposite of Bold"

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I had a big sinking feeling in my stomach when they started announcing President Obama's plans for the country this week. I have a fear that the State of the Union will be well orated vanilla pudding, as he lets fear push him to a squishy place we've been to over and over again.

"Hiring freeze." We hear that in good times and bad from cities and counties and states... at least we do here in the state capitol. That's so common and tried and tired. And from my days at the County, it costs as much as it saves--but it looks like you've acted, when you really haven't done much. In other words, it's easy, it's good politics, it lets the boys back in the districts talk like somethin's being done.

First of all, I hate that presidents leak their State of the Unions. I think these speeches (and all of them, except maybe in national emergencies or crisis) should be heard fresh, at the same time, by all people, except the president's immediate staff. I hate that the press already knows what he's going to say, that the congressmen have a copy in their hands they've already read--it reduces the whole thing to ceremony.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/27/opinion/27wed1.html?hp

I agree with this op-ed in the Times ("Opposite of Bold"): we need bold initiatives now, not cower and regurgitate--even if the regurgitation is done with flourish. Sure many of the things he's apparently going to propose are steps in the right direction, but these are difficult times. We need Leadership X: leadership extreme!

Frankly, capitalism has failed in many ways. But it can be propped up until it finds its base and its ethics and its grove and its inclusiveness. Yet so far we've propped up the wrong folks: big banks, investment firms, insurance companies, etc. NOW it's time to get back to the drawing board and prop up the little guy with a works program like the 1930s. DON'T leave it up to the state because fuck-up states like Texas, where there's a Republican primary between dumb and dumber, will opt out for fear of looking too close to Washington. It's time for the FEDS to take control and lead us out of this mess.

They like to talk about how great the Texas economy is. Well, I've been around. For some odd reason the Texas economy always seems to be out of sync with the rest of the country. It's up when the rest is down; then other places soar and Texas is bust. I'm afraid we're just behind the curve and Mr. Perry is going to have lots of explaining to do for all his rhetoric and posturing and deciding to opt out of stimulus packages.

We can't count on Business to create jobs. They're exporting them to China. They're scaling back. They're automating. They're in their own "hiring freeze". And yet, it's a paradox because Business can't not streamline or Wall Street will cut their ratings and huge numbers of Americans will lose again as their portfolios go down. America is living in a very fragile house of cards. So government is going to have to create jobs. Or, we'll all be on the dole--as they say in the UK, whose history we should be studying very carefully right now. (The upper classes haven't even seen taxes yet!)

Anyway...I'll wait and see the president's speech. See how it goes. And I'm sure he will wow me at the time with his presence and oratory skills and even some of his ideas, but I'm hoping he hits it out of the park and doesn't let the fear of midterms push him to the squishy middle. Or I fear America will land there for a very very long time.

,m

Midnight, Not a Sound from the Pavement...Has the Moon Lost Her Memory...?

...
And with that...
the weekend comes to a close.
DONG.
....
Last night I worked on Ponzi. Sr and Betty called around 10pm, which was late for them. We chatted about 45 minutes--mostly about Ed's funeral.
....
Today,
I met Lisa (Ellison) Smith at The Blue Theatre, which I'm happy to report will remain a theatre! yay! Under new management now that Refraction Arts let it go (the principals at Refraction Arts are the main folks of FuseBox Festival, which is taking on a life of its own!) The Blue's not the grandest place, but I've seen some great work there. Anyway, Lisa and I saw "Dying City" today by Christopher Shinn. I'd recommend it! Good, thought provoking show. I had some qualms with the script that keep me from raving about it, but it was an afternoon well spent at Frontera. Then we went to Rio Rita and caught up. It's been awhile. Fun, relaxing afternoon.

Came home, walked Benjamin, ate for I was suddenly famished, and then worked a little bit. Fell asleep (since I didn't have a nap and had a couple of beers this afternoon)... Robert called and woke me up, for which I was appreciative. Worked some more. Piddled on the internet. Etc. Walked the boys and about to go to bed.
...
We're moving up "wakey up time." By February, I'm going to be getting up at 8 every morning, which will soon preclude these late night postings, but hey...maybe they'll be mid-afternoon or such? In a perfect world, I'd go to bed when I want and get up when I want. I'd write all night, if that were the mood... and vice-versa... as you probably know, my clock tends late. But, it's everyone else. They eat earlier, do stuff earlier...and thus, I need to get up earlier so I don't chop up my work day by doing stuff with folks at night. And, since my exercise has evolved into outdoor cardio, this will allow more light to do that in. I can still walk after dark, but I dont' bike then....

So we'll see. I've made similar moves many times before and they don't stick. It's hard to fight your natural clock. But, I'm gonna try again!
...

That's all. You're boring me here. I'm yawning already. You people go to bed!

,m

all right, now keep your hips in place and your pit to the sky

The Dew on the Fallen, Brown Leaves

The Dew on the Fallen, Brown Leaves

Crisp night, shirt sleeves,
stars in every direction,
a walk,
a dog, a cat, a boy—
or was I a man?
It’s hard to remember now.

Time, linear and circular,
connects and subtracts.

The puppy—
no, I’m certain he was a dog—
knew, through years shared,
I was lost in the stars;
the walk that night
was for me.

A corner,
the dog, the kitten, the man,
the glare of a streetlight
washed away the stars,
but glimmered yet itself
in the dew on the fallen, brown leaves.

© 2010 Michael Mitchell

~~
[This is a poem I wrote in my head (mostly) on the 20th, when I came home from FronteraFest to a message on my answering machine that Ed Sheffield had died. Ed's wife, Rusty, is mom's best friend. Rusty and Ed have long been close friends of mom and dad's--actually, we all became family decades ago. Ed had suffered from Alzheimer's for awhile.

The poem is not about him, it's about me...and the walk that night. Actually, it's pretty much a description of the walk, with a little poetic license, reflecting on how it's all a blur when we look back, when we try to pinpoint memories, etc... and the cycle of time, life, etc... Of course, it was inspired by Ed's death and how inward and contemplative I became thinking about the news and letting it sink in as we walked. I composed it in my head for Rusty and the family.

The funeral is Saturday at 11am at St. Mary's Catholic church in Sherman. I considered going and in many ways hate that I'm not there, but I had commitments and truthfully, I'd rather go up when I can spend real time with Rusty...they'll be crazy busy with things and people and each other. Sending big hugs and love to you all... Michael]

it's the scale that's unknown

RIP Ficus Tree

...
Yes, it appears the Great Freeze of 2010 killed the ficus tree.

To everything...turn turn turn
There is a season...turn turn turn

I came home from work at Apartment Finders in 1985 and in the hallway, outside the door of Tom and my first apartment (in Timbercreek on S. First Street) was a nice ficus tree, about 4' tall, with a woven trunk. It was a gift from my cousin Marshall.

It more than doubled in size before we moved from that apartment in 1987. In the condo on Manchaca, it grew to where it had to be tied back, even though it had semi-annual trimmings. It topped out at about 20 feet tall. (We had 1980s tall ceilings in our unit.) In 97, when we moved to the house on Bradwood, we tried to give it away, but no one could use it. We snuck it on the movers at the last minute and told them not to worry if they hurt it. It was a little shocked and bent over and out of balance in our front yard, (but weren't we all?) as we figured what to do with it.

Finally, I told Tom I was going to just cut it to fit in the 8' ceiling of the sunroom. We did. It thrived. All that root structure pushed it to extreme thickness. It was great! Until it got aphids. And it stopped growing above the window line for lack of light. It was too heavy to take in and out--though Tom and I did one more time.

About a year after Tom died, it was more than one person could handle (as is much of homeownership--thus the renting these days...oh, and that dramaturgo pobre thing--see posting below on leftovers.) Stephen Walls, my neighbor at the time, helped me move it outside for the last time. We rolled it by the base of the pot all the way around to the back yard, which given the size of it's pot and the bulk of the tree wasn't necessarily an easy thing. (Yes, it was the 4th pot, we'd re-potted it into. Can you say food-court-at-the-mall size pot?)

Over there on B'wood, it survived ice storms and such because I'd tack a plastic tarp to the second story of the house, which I would drape over the window (which was beneficial both ways because that window at the top of the stairs leaked A LOT of air) and down over the ficus and the other sensitive outdoor types. (Including an ugly grapefruit tree that Tom grew from a seed, which appears to have survived the freeze of 2010. Go figure.)

When I moved to The G, I decided to not let it be a burden any more and do a light amount to take care of it during the winter. I wrapped as high as I could get with a tarp and a folding ladder and s-hooks. I put old-fashioned Christmas lights on it to help cut the chill. And for 3 winters that worked famously. Sure a little bit would freeze off--the part in the wind or that was taller than the eaves... But this year, in the sustained hard freeze that hit the low teens, it wasn't meant to be.

Oh well.

Twenty-five years was a nice run for the ficus. Thanks Marshall. Thanks ficus. Thanks Tom. Thanks Stephen.

turn, turn, turn.

A toast to the ficus: cheers!
,m

Occasionally I Impress Myself Even

...
Last night, I had dinner with the Christies and Eugene to celebrate Tana's birthday. We ate at Casa Chalapa in the NE corner of Anderson and Shoal Creek Blvd (behind John Wm Interiors)... We had a great time. Lily and Ivy are getting more and more fun by the day! Etc.

The restaurant makes your salsa and your guacamole at the table, so it's ultra fresh and fixed just like you want it. Deliciosa! My entre was fine. Pollo Mole Poblano. It would've been delicious if they'd served the chicken in one piece, but it was small pieces of chicken and the pieces were dry. Otherwise, it was good. Tana, on the other hand, ordered the Chile Colorado (I believe), which was chunks of delicious tenderloin in a chile and tomato sauce. (a variation of carne guisada) She offered for me to taste it and it was yum, yum, yummy! She couldn't finish it and asked if I wanted to have the rest boxed up. SURE! Soy un dramturgo pobre por eso...I never turn down what is offered. (well, maybe to be safe, I should say rarely!)

Well, today...

I decided to experiment. I tend to cook that way: just getting creative, using past cooking experience, and general food knowledge and recipes I've read as jumping off points. Most of the time it's pretty damn good, sometimes it's ick, and occasionally I impress myself even. Today was the latter.

I poured a little olive oil in a saute pan. Shredded a little red cabbagea and put it in the oil to wilt a bit, added about 1/3 of a red onion. Then pulled out a jar of pickled jalapeños and tossed a spoonful or two into said sauté-ing mix and poured some of juice into it too. Then decided that wasn't going to be enough pickly taste, so I added a generous amount of garlic infused vinegar. So now the mix was boiling as much as sauté-ing. After a minute or two (onions glazed) I spooned the chile on top, sauce and all, and mixed it up well. Probably a grand total of 7.25 minutes prep time. Let it sit on the stove a few more minutes and my oh my was it AMAZING! The cabbage still had a bit of crunch, yet was wilted. The onions had that pickled/marinated taste. The sauce was even better with the hint of vinegar and japs.

I only intended to eat half, but I ate the whole thing.

Sorry, or I would've invited you over for leftover leftovers.

Thanks Tana!

Cheers!
,m

flowers in january

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

...to the ever-effervescent, still stunning, charm champion...JANET MAYKUS!!!

...to long-time friend, membress emeritus of The Harvey Milk Memorial Last-Tuesday Literary Society, party planner, diva of details, and style staple extraordinare... ROB SCHNEIDER, who today is leading the progression of us Late Boomers (ie the early 1960s contingent) into the Halfway to Hundred club!

...to the cutest thing in Austin in 1983, 1984, 1985 when he moved just in time for Chris to move in... whew! They would've had to have leg wrestled--and it would've been pretty! My dear friend, who is now a name partner of a NYC Law Firm... And I knew him when... Oh my. My, my, my. Happy Birthday, DAVID LINDSEY! Austin has never been the same and we miss you! (But Chris is glad you moved.)

...to TAMARA CHAUNCY, one of those special people I see at parties at Jim's or Tana's, whom I'm instantly drawn to and enjoy long chats with. Just a ray of sunshine that Tamara is.

You are all flowers in January! Hope it's Great!

Cheers!
,m

Now is the Time for all Good Dems to Come to the Aid of Their Country!

...
Stop whining and do it!
(Pass the health care bill!)

Best choice: Declare it qualified for reconciliation and pass the house version in the senate with anything more than 50 votes.

Or: House, pass the Senate bill.

Just DO something about health care reform! Now!

Haiti...

...
What else is there to say about Haiti?

When the devastating earthquake first happened I gave to Doctors without Borders/Medicins sin fronteras... a very good org, among the many excellent orgs out there helping out in this crisis.

My dear friend Eugene, as most of you know, is an extraordinary organizer, creator of synergies that solve problems in different ways, and philanthropist. He was busy with some business that first day of the earthquake and didn't even realize how bad it was for almost 24 hours, but then he swung into action and within a few days pulled together $600,000 in matching funds to match donations to Haiti relief. He didn't stop there. The Entrepreneur's Foundation immediately sent $250k to orgs already on the ground and... well, I'll let you read the rest yourself, on their site:

http://www.givetoaustin.org/helphaiti/

If you're looking to help and want your money doubled and are looking for short-term relief and long-term solutions, I'd recommend donating here. If you'd rather send a check instead of donating on-line, you can click on their FAQs and get the mailing address.

Meanwhile, I'm sending lots of prayers and positive vibes and love to the people of Haiti--they're gonna need it all.

,m

State Fruit of Texas!

...
As many of you know, I love my Ruby Reds!
(Do the license plates give it away?)

Anyway...

Right now at Central Market they have a bunch of Ruby Red grapefruits from The Valley that are as dazzling (dear friend Kelly Howe's word, not mine) as this day! Ironically, these are the Ugly Betties of Ruby Reds, for they have stems and leaves and blemishes and are not all gussied up like those so prevalent in other stores. Yet, to cut into one of those UBRRs on a day like this is one step closer to Heaven--which I guess, technically, it would be anyway since everything is one step closer to Heaven than you were before you took it.

But I digress, let me just say it this way: if the gods lived in Texas, as some would surely argue they must on a day like today, Apollo would fly to the top of the Chinati Mountains and hand Aphrodite one of these UGRRs instead of a big ol' bowl of ambrosia! And she'd have it sliced and prepped and topped with a dab of sea salt and would forever more look favorably upon Apollo.

And all you have to do is go to CM.

Have fun!
,m

lucille was most proud of her acute sense of smell

Happy Birthday, Tana!

so many potential titles, depending upon how you look at it:
gas
people on a train
colorful canines
macy's parade, thanksgiving eve

And you can say the same about Tana Christie!
Seriously, next time you're together, move her to a different light, turn her around. She's different from every direction! Who else do you know who majored in both Drama and Ag? Met her husband on a horse? Looks so stunning in a cocktail gown? (And is a real woman!) Volunteers for the messy jobs? Cooks like Julia? Mischieviously chats about this and that? Always offers to help? Knows all the answers to dictionary games and Shakespere?
And is so loved and adored by so many people...?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TANA!
(hope it's a gas!)

kisskiss
,m

Cost of a Movie! Cost of FronteraFest!

...
Avatar 3D was $12 the other night. Who knew a movie was in the double digits!? I think I'd been a little surprised last time I went and it was $8 or 9...

Tonight's FronteraFest cost $12.
Hunh.
In my mind theatre always costs more than movies.
Not anymore...well, I guess it usually does--standard theatre ticket prices in town are $15 to 20, but many are pay what you like, with a sliding scale between $15 and 30, which works out well...
(Oh yeah, I'm not talking Long Center, UT PAC or Zach stuff... those can be great, but they do cost a lot more... interestingly enough, I don't see nearly as many of those as the Salvage Vanguard, Hyde Park Theatre, Rude Mechs, and to a lesser extent, but working on it Austin Playhouse, City Theatre, etc....)

Sure the Best of Frontera tix are $15...
and Long Fringe ranges from $6 to $15... and I noticed something was $20...
but, it's eye-opening that movies have gotten so expensive!

Now about FronteraFest.

Tonight was one of my favorite short fringe shows in a long time--and not because I won the drawing for the free pair of tickets before the show! (Yippee! I've been so many times and never won.) It was good because none of the five pieces had a groan factor. I thought the first one was going to, and for a moment it did, but the guy pulled it out and hit a place that (surprisingly) resonated with me. It was a rap duo act and his partner was injured in a car wreck and couldn't be there. It started loud and redundant, but when he got past the rap and into the more lyrical, the poetry for the last part of it, it was strong.

Then Tom Truss worked on his thesis piece and I adore Tom Truss's acting. He could play the bumper on a pick-up truck and find the places that resonated and have you totally entranced! Great news for Austin! He and his partner are planning to stay here when he finishes his MFA! Yay! I loved his monologue of a peep show worker--wow. I was there. He was her, no make up, no costume...just wearing his gym pants and a tight t-shirt, yet he was this woman behind the glass. He had some technical difficulties on the call in portion of the show: we were supposed to pull out our cell phones and call a number and push options while he danced on stage... these options led to instructions for some audience members to hum a song or something...other options would give you a monologue, he'd previously recorded, to listen to on your cell while he performed... The place he'd hired obviously was wrong and couldn't handle all those calls at the same time--some people got through, some didn't. I actually thought that was a part of the act and it didn't bother me. I stopped trying and watched him dance and the people hum...

Then a good piece about love and relationships... from a couple of folks I think I see around the theatre community. They were good. It could use a little editing, but I was with them, I was there. I liked the characters. It was real.

After intermission, a guy I'd seen before did a very funny satire of job hunting, the business world of today, computers and technology, etc. via a slide project presentation. He's funny in his simplicity of ideas and how he takes what he knows and turns it into a very good show. Very Dilbert-esque.

Then it ended with LaTasha Stephen's piece, I'm Not a Writer, but I got a Story to Tell. I hope I got that right. I have't read the program yet. I didn't remember to take any glasses! Jeez!
Wow! LaTasha knocked it out of the park with her characters and her portrayal of them. There wasn't much of a narrative, more of a slice of life in her Queens neighborhood and several great monologues.

...Why do I rave? Because usually there's one groaner. It's the nature of short fringe. Well, tonight, I enjoyed the whole show. Great work, folks!

There's still a couple of weeks of Short Fringe left...and the "Best of Week" nights on Saturdays (if you want to pretty much ensure against the groan!) and the Best of Fest week in February! Check it out!

~~

I'm shifting to Long Fringe for most of the rest of my shows--just because there are so many I want to see. But hey, Short fringe is just down the street. I walked tonight. I may skip down there again and check out a show or two before it's over!

Regardless, check out the schedule and go see something:
http://www.hydeparktheatre.org/site/index_right.html

Have fun!
Go to the theatre!
And the movies too, if you're so inclined...but now that they're about the same price...
No excuses!
,m

The Dawning of Aquarius!

...
I think today is the first day of Aquarius, that astrological sign, highly romanticized by the musical Hair and the subsequent hit by The Fifth Dimension of the same song from the same musical. Why is it that I have so many good friends who are Aquarians? Is it that Aquarians and Librans are both air signs? Maybe. I like air. Is it because this time period is about 9 months from MayDay--which is just so fresh and left of center, involving communists wrapping poles with gaily colored thingies? I don't know, Babs, but I do know this...your uvula is on the fritz. It would behoove ya to care for your uvula!

So, in the spirit of welcoming all the great birthdays in our very near future, Aquarians, here is your Freewill Astrology horoscope for the week beginning the 21st of January!

(Be warned it involves scary things like a Jonas Brother, unripe states, and abstinance until marriage!)

AQUARIUS:

One of the musical Jonas Brothers got married last month. Up until then, 22-year old Kevin Jonas was a virgin, having long ago pledged himself to abstinence until his wedding day. At Huffingtonpost.com, humorist Andy Borowitz reported that when Jonas and his bride returned from their honeymoon, he had some shocking news. "To be honest, sex was not worth the wait," Borowitz quoted Jonas as saying. "After we did it, I was kind of like, that's it?" I haven't been able to verify that Jonas actually said what Borowitz claims, but if it's true, I must protest. How could Jonas reach such a definitive conclusion based on so little experience? Wouldn't it be wise to consider the possibility that over time he might uncover secrets and plumb mysteries that are unknown to him in his unripe state? Learn from his apparent mistake, Aquarius. In the coming weeks, cultivate a humble, innocent, curious attitude not just about sex, but about everything.

Cue the Peggy Lee:

Is that all there is?
Is that all there is?
If that's all there is, my friend, then let's keep dancing.
Let's break out the booze and have a ball
If that's all
there is.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AQUARIANS!

cheers!
,m

(with sincere apologies to 1970s SNL for out of context usage of Bab's uvula line. Sue me.)

What Did He Mean by "Contemplating" ?

...
Ten years ago, during my last trip to New Orleans, my travel companion, Donna, was napping so I ventured out for a walk. It was mid to late afternoon, a pleasant day, and I was on one of the less-travelled streets of the Quarter when I said hello to a man about the age I am now, sitting somewhat propped up on his stoop. He looked at me and said in a raspy, weathered voice, "I'm contemplating a gin and tonic."

I mean, was he contemplating a certain one?
That one too many of the previous night that caused a slow day that day?
Was it an euphemism? An invitation?
Was, as I imagined at the time, he contemplating having one then? Thus more the idea of some mythical future gin and tonic and not a specific one....
All of the above?

For the record, I'm not contemplating a gin and tonic right now, I'm contemplating contemplating.

Cheers!
,m

borders, and lack thereof

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AWNI!

...
Today, the 20th, is my dear friend, Awni Nabulsi's birthday. Awni was a roommate during one year of college (you know, back the 80s, the first time I went!) And even in the other years, he was a running buddy and a friend. He lived on the floor in the Castillian our freshman year. And he lived in Austin for several years after we graduated, then in DC. Tom and I saw him there several times.

Awni is a Jordanian Palestinian and he probably taught me as much about challenging my ways of thinking as anybody--back in the day of this conservative, fairly prejudiced high school kid, coming from Sherman to Austin. We didn't always agree on everything, but he taught me that there are two sides to the story, perceptions, etc. And, that America is a wonderful country, but it does have propaganda and it does lie to its people sometimes and it does do bad things sometimes. Until that point, I remember having a pretty much USA! USA! mentality.

Thanks Awni, for all that. Very much!
And for just being an all-round nice guy, who is also a lot of fun and a great friend.

I had a great trip visiting him and his wife, Amira, (and his oldest son, Najati, and Awni's mother and sister, etc. and even his cousin, Omar, who also went to UT with us) back in 2002. I can't believe it's been 8 years since I went to Jordan! Wow. That was a magical trip. Something about Jordan got under my skin. Note to self: must go back someday soon!

Awni came here last year to do business in the States and to see my play and visit Austin. He says, the whole family may come to the States this year. Let's hope so!

Meanwhile, I hope you have a great Bday!

Cheers!
,m

Black, Grey, White

Yellow, Purple, Green

Benign Prostatic Hypaplasia!

...
No, not me. I'm fine. It's just the first 3 words of the latest spam I got, just before I started this post. Never got one to the blog until about two or three months ago and then BAM! I get them all the time--spam, not the BPH or whatever they are.
...
I've come here several times today to post a post, but all I could do is dream a dream, so I clicked a click and went somewhere else.
...
Beautiful day today. The front door and windows are still open! Nice night for a walk as well. Except we got to the corner of 44th just as a very vocal cat fight started. Fernando froze at the corner. The folks that live there came out of their upstairs master, which has a separate external staircase and came running down in robes, yelling "Teddy." (I hope it's the cat's name. Not an announcement of what she was wearing!) Well, of course they saw me and know Fernando follows me and probably assumed he was causing it. I'd moved past it by the time they came down. Fernando came around it and dutifully came home with Biggs and me, but I'm not sure they ever saw that. Don't know if we're being cussed at that end of the block or not.
...
Focus. Focu. Foc. Fo.... that's been Ponzi this week. Cutting down first act, getting to meat of it. Working on it. Pulling out things don't need. Tightening the focus of the story and such. Striking things. Including the whole idea of "ponzi"... sure it's inherent in it at this point--in the structure and many of the choices--but I'm not thinking about it anymore...at least not at this point. I'm just rolling with the story. The ride. The conciseness of it. The sting.
...
Sure, I was dissapointed in the Massachusetts election. The irony: Ted Kennedy works dilligently for his whole life trying to ensure health care for all, then dies right before the finish line and the voters of the one state that already has universal health care, vote to replace him with the vote that could kill it. Hmmmm? Go figure. Spit on his grave, why don't you, Massachusetts?

Yet, I can see lots of possible silver linings, so I'm going to breathe and chill and see what happens.

My first thought is the Senate needs to realize they won't get the 60 votes, so forget about that and have the guts to invoke the rule that says you only need 51 votes and adopt the house bill, which is stronger than their anything-to-avoid-a-fillibuster version. Hey, it's what Bush did when he felt it was critical to pass a tax cut for the wealthy--the same tax cut that when taken with his two wars he started, pretty much got the govt to this point in deficit!

Why can't Dems do it? Why can't Dems have guts to ram something through, like the Republicans always did? Why do Rs get to spin it like Ds are the bad guys? I'm more than a little sick of that--and I'm not blaming Republicans here (well, I am, but not totally...) Democrats are horrible at letting the Rs spin and spin and spin until Ds look bad.

And most of all, I'm sick of Democrats being Republican-Lite.

But, hey... I remain positive and optimistic that we'll get health care passed. That this new bump may force Dems to have to get more aggressive and come out with a better product. Unless of course, conservative Dems get scared because of today's election.

And it all just makes me question our founding fathers even more.

We're a country founded on squishy compromise and there we remain. The FFs were so short-sighted and created a government that gives much more power (relatively) to rural, sparsely populated states...which may have been a good compromise at the time, but given the system makes it damn near impossible to change today.

In my humble opinion, the most just US Government would be the same three branches and balance of power, but the Legislative branch should only have one house--the House of Representatives, which of course is based upon distribution of population. It is insane that South Dakota and Texas have the same power in the Senate, or Maine and New York, or Wyoming and Florida. (AND, the House should be elected for 4 year terms, with a two-term term limits.)

But, like I said before, that's not going to change in my lifetime, so I won't get worked up about it. And, I sit here, prepared to watch these next few weeks to see how they will act. I choose to remain optimistic.

And frankly, I'm more than a little sick of politics...sort of like, beyond caring. Sort of like, it is what it is and both sides are rife with arrogant lifers who only care about being re-elected and serving long enough to enjoy their Cadillac Health care and retirement and the benefits of having served (read: lobbying, cashing out on a book, etc.)

I'm tired of elections, and of elections coming up so often and feeling like they're the most critical thing and people asking for money and bombarding me with emails and mailers and phone calls trying to get me to volunteer and donate and such. I'm tired of it on FB and all that. We have elections so often in this country that no one can govern! Everyone is always running for office. Campaigns start way too early. And it's burning me out.

I have come around to the position that term limits are a good thing. (Sorry, Tom, but hey...)

I have come around to the position of much of the Gay and Lesbian Leadership that we need to stop giving money to Democrats for awhile (and of course Rs. Duh! It's pathetic that anyone ever did!) because they continue to come to us, looking for us to belly up to the bar and be included and do our part to get them elected--but then, our issues are just too sensitive to push the moderate and conservative D's to have to act upon. If the timing's not right when we have substantial majorities in both houses, when will it be?

My dear friend Jim Arth said to me way back in the early 90s that it will be the courts that grant us equal rights, they always do. They are the protectors of minorities and minority opinions in this country. And he appears to be correct. Elected officials are pretty spineless, from the State House to the White House.

But, we need to elect the people who appoint the judges who.... And elect the people who re-district the districts and... ¡Ay Dios Mio!

I don't know how long I'll remain of that sentiment. And hey, I don't have any money anyway... but if I did, I'd tell 'em! (And, it's important to note that that was the pattern that happened repeatedly with other minorities until they finally got angry and demanded their rights!)
...
And that was my Tuesday...and yours?
...
I had a great power walk, just past dark tonight up and down the Avenues. Lots of screen doors open, smells of things being cooked wafting out, music or TV coming through the screens. Etc.
...

See?! Just like I warned: Benign Prostatic Hypaplasia!....

I hope y'all have a wonderful Wednesday!
I know I will.
I'm going to FronteraFest! (And maybe a Fusebox kickoff night?)
Check out FronteraFest: http://www.hydeparktheatre.org/site/index_right.html
There's some great stuff happening this year!
(especially in the Long Fringe and maybe the BYOV!?)

Cheers!
,m

coming or going?

"Avatar" 3D

...
Okay. I liked it. Liked it a lot, but is it the year's best movie? I hope not.

Avatar. My dictionary, which I bought in 2001, doesn't have the most current "meaning" (usage?) of avatar. It has from mythology the embodiment of a god into something incarnate, and putting meaning or life onto something yada yada.... Not it's my picture on Facebook or my player on a video game or something that I become to operate in another world. Sure, I see the progression of the usage and I'd admit it's logical, so why do I go on about this? Because I didn't know any of these newer meanings or usages until, say, the last few months. (Actually, I probably had never HEARD the word until then...so there!)

So last night, Hector and I went into the Alamo on S. Lamar, and I wasn't even thinking about what the title meant. For all I knew, it might've been the hero's name or something. Avatar. AND, ironically, that is what made the film so terribly interesting to me. In my humble opinion, the story was complex, solely because of the avatar conceit. It intrigued me all the way through.

Great effects. Saw it in Real 3D, which is a trip! Always fun to see a movie at The Alamo (But excuse me, when they bill you for your drinks and food in a dark movie theatre it seems to reason, they'd write the total in LARGE numbers with a Sharpie or something so you'll know what it is! I even requested this. Hector ended up grabbing the bill and he left a 26cent tip because he couldn't read it... which , of course we later corrected when the lights came up....but c'mon folks, it doesn't take much to realize it's just good customer service to make it so we can see it and deal with it and get back to the movie.) And it's always great to watch a flick at the Alamo, where you write down on a piece of paper that you want another Rio Blanco Big Bark (or Bud light) and a person comes along and soon you have another beer! (While Hector was enjoying his burger.)

We went to the late show....started at 10:35, out at 1:30ish. My choice. Worked out well.

So.... Avatar 3D.
I really enjoyed it. And I'm not sure why. Was it the special effects? (Full disclosure: you're reading the blog of a guy who is not a movie-goer or a movie-renter or a movie-tv-watcher... As you know, I see tons of plays. I always intend to see movies, but I never do. I don't rent them because now they all seem to be formatted for the widescreen TV craze... and on my 99 Sony Trinitron, that looks like a stripe across the screen.) I haven't really watched a sci-fi movie since the first Star Wars, when it came out in 1977, which I saw at the SherDen Mall Cinemas (may they rest in peace--but ironically, the mall was built on the site of an old drive in theatre where we'd go for movies when I was a young kid! Now, it's like that Talking Heads song: this used to be real estate, now it's fields and trees.... where? where? where did it go? This was a parking lot; now it's a peaceful oasis...) I didn't see any of the SW sequels or Star Trek or Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings or anything. (Once, after I'd had chemo, I caught maybe 5/9 of a Lord of the Rings movie on some back channel of TV.)

But... I digress.

Except for that one item which I alluded to above and don't want to go into further to avoid dulling the conceit for others, the story is trite--full of clichés. It's the same story you've seen 500 thousand times at those kind of films--or at least, if you were going, I'd imagine that's what you'd have seen. Yet, I was involved and enjoyed it. I bought it.

And later I pondered it. Why? Because it's been so long? Because it was an old story done well? Because of the great special effects? Because it was 3D and I'd better freakin' buy it or I might get left on Pandora?

And, the themes... hmmmmm?

I've read a piece on FB about it being a typical white savior film. The natives can't save themselves, but the white guy can save them. Okay, I can see that, but.... I can also see that he could do it because he had access, knowledge of what was going to happen. (They have certain death rituals for the two white people, but not all the upteen natives that were killed, etc. ) Yet, conversely, it was a little much that the indiginous people seemed to have no flaws.

I'd also heard from a guy I met recently about him going to see it with his friend and his friend's ex (I'm assuming a gay marine, given the genders expressed in the conversation) erupted into a tirade about how it was an anti-Bush Doctrine propaganda piece.

I can see how the military wouldn't like it. I see it as anti-colonialism, anti-corporate greed, but the next guy might see it as bad-assed guy with no fear does what's right and saves a culture. Someone might see it as anti-American. The next guy could see it as very patriotic to our values of doing what's right and standing up for what you believe. (And you could insert any colonial power into that last thought: Britain, Israel, Belgium, France, Japan, China, Portugal, Spain...etc.) It's definitely about personal growth and choices and risk and loss. All the great themes of great narratives.

And maybe that's why it's so good... because it takes a simple, cliché-filled narrative and presents it in a way that you can walk away from it and look back at it with a whole slew of different interpretations--and it doesn't hurt that they laced it with a ton of great, 3D special effects.

I thought: if James Cameron wanted to make a movie to get teenagers and twenty-somethings to stop and think about blind patriotism and volunteering for bad causes, just because it's the American policy du jour, he couldn't have done a better job. He did it in their language. The language of video games and "avatars" and such. Yet, some other kid might rush out and volunteer because of it.

Hector and I chose not to see it at the "Sandra Bullock" Imax because he thought it might be too dizzying at that scale. He was probably right. [The second time he called it the Sandra, as opposed to Bob Bullock, I told him he'd gone beyond a slip and I was going to start calling it that from now on! He's going to hate me for posting that! Tee-Hee. Sorry, Honey-bunny! But it's only fitting, right? I mean, she owns lots of things in Austin, lives here part-time.... tee-hee.]

So that was my night last night. I was up until 3am because by the time we got out of the show and talked about it and he dropped me off and I walked the boys and gave them treats and such...and got ready for bed...it was 3am, when I turned off the light. That's okay. The night before I turned off the light at exactly the same time, but it was because I'd been working on Ponzi.

Cheers!
,m

24 Hours of Increasingly Colder Rain

...
It started out nice enough.

But days like this are hard with animals!

Indoor/outdoor cats drive you crazy needing to go out, but not wanting to. (There's no litter box except when I travel.) Dogs need walking and are very stoic in it all, but when they get home, they're so excited to be back home that they bark and run around and shake water everywhere.

(It's all kinda cute actually. Wet, dirty towels on the floor at both doors.)

But the 15th of each month is their flea and heartworm day. So Fernando has his stinky topical solution that he's been licking at all day and wants to rub up against you and rub it off. And he wants to get in my lap, but as the day got colder (and it did) and I put on my ultimate snuggler at the computer, he didn't want to anymore. He'd step on it and then pull back. It scares him. (It probably scares a lot of people.)

So hey, it can stop raining now.

,m

In the old days, the typical writer, blew off his/her nervous energy...

...
with a cigarette or two. I never smoked. So that's never been an issue.

I'm talking the energy of the pauses. The moments when you're rolling, but need to release, a momentary distraction. At the end of the day, the stereotypical writer of yore let off all their steam, falling off a bar stool or closing down a gin joint or something. When I get through, it's hard to find a gin joint that's open that's not too much trouble to get to, find parking, then get home... so that's not an issue.

But when I'm working, I have that same nervous tension build up. That same need for a quick release. I never got that on other jobs. In other jobs when it was crazy, the various interuptions and/or multi-tasking, etc. served to interupt and supplant one steam with another or release for you.

Sometimes, when I'm writing I release by grabbing a handful of Altoids and eating 6 or 8 at one time and walking around. Sometimes I click over to the internet, but that's my NY Resolution. I'm trying to avoid going to email and the internet, but a few times during the day. Sometimes I just do art. That's what happened today. So, in the interest of full disclosure, in the order created:


the haitian earthquake
~~~


for the most part, what happens in the turkey, stays in the turkey

s minus? what the hell do they know?

Cheers!
,m

And the Red Line Up the Middle of the Gulf is...

....
Perception!

...
Okay, so it could be time too, since time works that way...

(a couple of postings down...you'll see. just later thought it was a little cruel to go into all that detail and not tell you)

Have fun!
,m

800 Years Before I Was Born...

...huh?

Well, this is Squirrels Post #1160. Do the math.

Today:

Good work on Ponzi, before and after the sketch below.
Priscilla came over around 6:30, we hung out until Martha Lynn joined us around 7:30 or so.
(Martha Lynn may tell you she's as big as a house, but that's a lie. An igloo maybe, but not a house. Today's Jan 14th. One month until little "Valentine" is due!)
We went to House Pizzeria on Airport Blvd at 52nd. AMAZING! In my humble opinion, it's the best pizza in town...and yeah, I've been to the in places... this one's pretty "in" itself. Great ambiance. Great music. A lot of choice beers on draft. Yummy. "Hauntingly Good!"

That's all, really. Nice, easy rain. Not too cold. Fun to walk in.
Put out my trash for the first time in a month. I missed the last recycle day and now I normally only take out my trash every other week--love that too!
But we don't dwell on the mundane details on Squirrels, so on that note, we'll sign off.

Cheers!
,m

ps. I saw on FB that Perry tanked on the debate tonight. Kinda sad, if you ask me. I think White beats Perry easier than Hutchison. So, we'll see.

i printed it out and labeled all the lines on my copy, then realized there was one very important one missing.... so I added it.... in the spirit of keeping Squirrels readers in the know, I've added it to the posting.... (fyi: the new line is not time, but you should be able to decipher from the joined lines that time moves upward and to the right, if it were a line, it would be right on top of the new line, I guess... and, the question mark is the end of the play; the play "starts" at the point of the black line that crosses the gulf...)

another important thing I learned from my right brain exercise: how similar jerry and sheryl are....hence their colors... very intriguing!

my original post:

ponzi: jerry and sheryl, thirty-three years of marriage

13 Jan 10

...
Saw Dr. Meyerson for a follow-up appointment, for what, I'm not exactly sure, but I'm thinking it's blood pressure and/or the GP support of the cancer fight. He says I look great. BP was good. We talked supplements. (Did you know Red Yeast Rice is a statin? Same they prescribe for cholesterol, just a lot weaker. Hmmmm. I take it with policosanol. Reduced my cholesterol by 80 points, plus or minus, back in 06 or so, when I first started and has kept it down without drugs. The combo costs about $24 a month at HEB. Cent Market has less expensive mix and match versions, but getting tested so rarely, I'm not sure how to mess with it to experiment. Since this is working so well.)
...
Since I was already up north (Far West), I headed on up to Costco.
...
Swooped thru the BofA ATM to deposit some checks. I love how you don't use deposit slips anymore. You just stick the check in the ATM and it sucks it up and then the check appears on the screen and tell you the amount and asks you which account you want to deposit into. Cool.
...
Home. Nap. Walk.
...
New healthy way to get my cancer fighting fuels tonight. Cooked some organic Costco frozen Brocolli in the microwave... drizzled a wee bit of olive oil on it, then tumeric, black pepper, and red pepper flakes and sea salt. Stir while still hot. Cover with grated Irish Cheese. YUM!

(If you haven't tried the Irish Cheese yet at Costco, you're missing out. It's called "Dubliner." It's in the imported cheese bin, near the wines at my Costco. It's got a great price! It's delish! Store it in it's original package, carefully cutting the top and then folding it down and putting a rubber band around it. I used to store it in plastic wrap and it would go bad more quickly. I opened this package before Christmas and took it to Sherman and back. Still good. Almost gone. Got a new one today! You betcha!)
...
Internet. Ponzi play. Chat with Mom and Dad. More Ponzi. Coming along. Questions on where to break the acts. I may have to just keep going and experiment with that in a reading. Hmmm.
...
Light rain tonight. Chilly 'cause it's wet. Supposed to rain hard next few days: 100% chance.
...
Fernando is having a fight. Hmmm. Better go.
...
Cheers.
,m

Addendum: I threw off my Ultimate Snuggler and raced to the front porch just in time to stop the fight. I chased one of the cats from across the street home. They rarely come over here. Hmmmm? But all is well. We had a little mini-cup of Bluebell. And now I shall retire and sleep soundly... well, Fernando went back out after the ice cream. let's hope he behaves!

it goes the other way south of the equator

Huffington Post Lists Relief Orgs for Haiti

.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/12/haiti-earthquake-relief-h_n_421014.html

I did Doctors Without Borders...

http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/

(because they do good work and I already get solicitations from them via mail. Get it? If I'd gone to a new org, then I'd be on their mail solicitation list too. Doctors Without Borders at least sends nice maps. I feel guilty. They've been sending me maps for years. But mostly, I gave to them because they rate 4 stars on Charity list and were listed on Huffington post and they do great work of the kind that is immediately needed in Haiti.)

DON'T give thru the 700 Club!
(see below)

Here's sending prayers for the people of Haiti...

Peace,
Michael

Pat Robertson of The 700 Club is ...

...

What is a good word? Evil? Despicable? Satan? A joke? (A joke, maybe....if it weren't so scary that he still has a TV show and people still listen to him and believe him and pour money into it, if he didn't do so much harm!)

This is what he said on the air today about the Earthquake in Haiti:

Televangelist Pat Robertson said Wednesday that earthquake-ravaged Haiti has been "cursed" by a "pact to the devil."

"Something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it," he said on Christian Broadcasting Network's "The 700 Club." "They were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon III, or whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, we will serve you if you'll get us free from the French. True story. And so, the devil said, okay it's a deal."
Robertson said that "ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after the other" and he contrasted Haiti with its neighbor, the Dominican Republic.
"That island of Hispaniola is one island. It is cut down the middle; on the one side is Haiti on the other is the Dominican Republic," he said. "Dominican Republic is prosperous, healthy, full of resorts, etc. Haiti is in desperate poverty. Same island. They need to have and we need to pray for them a great turning to god and out of this tragedy I'm optimistic something good may come. But right now we are helping the suffering people and the suffering is unimaginable."

I watched the video. Google it.

He continues to be a very pathetic person.

,m

Ponzi is Sizzlin' .... And Leon's Getting Larger!

...
Great day of writing!
Screen door open.
Sun. Warm. Fresh air.

Got a lot of rich work done on Ponzi.
Which is a lot of fun.

Also, as you're well aware, read some great pieces on the internet and blogged about religion.

Oh yeah, I forgot to post that the morning after my original post on religion, the Statesman had a piece about members of the State Board of Education on a mission to ensure that Texas Social Studies teaches that the US is a Christian Nation and that Christianity is its history.

Case in point. It's out of control people. It's out of freakin' control!

Dinner tonight with Jason, Annie, Milinda and Jason's mother, my aunt, Jan--in from Chicago. We had a lucious dinner at the only remaining Texas French Bread on 29th. (When I was in college it was the Rome Inn. The windows were painted over. You walked in and ordered your 25cent beer and by the time you got back from the bar you were high from all the folks smoking pot in the room. As some great band crooned up front, by the then-painted glass windows.... Oh, the Austin of yore...)

Anyway, they feature all farm to plate foods. Local farm grown stuff. And it is YUMMY! And healthy! And great atmosphere. (You bring your own wine or beer and they cork it for you.) Tonight, the Tango Society was there dancing to the pianist of the old 8 1/2 Souvenirs (love them, I still listen to the CD! He was great!) So folks tangoed around us as we had this delicious dinner. A must try! (And if you breathe real deep you'll get high. I promise. They can never get it out of the bricks!)

Cheers!
,m

"The Conservative Case for Gay Marriage"

...
http://www.newsweek.com/id/229957

Click this link. Read it.
It's written by Ted Olson, who is a Republican, worked for Reagan and G. W. Bush, and is one of the two attorneys taking the case into the federal courts.

It is absolutely the BEST piece ever written on why NOW is the time for gay marriage and why he is taking the case. It is an absolute MUST read.

As faithful Squirrels readers know, perhaps surprisingly, I've been on the fence on this issue. Thinking maybe we should be okay fighting for full-benefit civil unions with the same legal protections and get the "title" of marriage later. Maybe it's because I'm not in a relationship right now or it's my age and I can easily remember a time when we (gays and lesbians) would've been ecstatic with the progress we've made and where we are today or it's internalized homophobia. Whatever. That's over. THIS article made me a convert! Read it!

What do we want? GAY MARRIAGE!
When do we want it? NOW!

Fight On, Garth!
,m

Hey! It's Sunny and 62 outside!!! What are we doing in here!?!?

Enjoy!
,m

Conundrum v. Enigma v. Contradiction

....

And thus lies the heart of my post a few down....

I guess I didn't realize a conundrum by definition, usually deals heavily with wordplay.
An enigma is (1) a puzzling or inexplicable occurence or thing or (2) a person with a puzzling or contradictory character....(why can't it be a thing like that?) or (3) a thing or saying with a hidden meaning: riddle.
And we all know what a contradiction is.

So let's just say that in my post the day before yesterday, several below, I'm going to stick with enigma. Sure, I guess that means I've anthropomorphized religion. (Which in itself is a bit odd because yes, religion is a thing, yet it's solely associated with humans and created by humans--with some help from a higher power)

But the enigma to me is that something so good and comforting to people, upon which so many people of the world put so much faith and care deeply about is also the root of much, if not most of the troubles in the world. (And has been for thousands and thousands of years!)

The answer appears to be because so many people are taught/believe that their religion is the only true religion, and thus it should be codified into the laws of their particular land and that their actions against those unfortunates of other religions might be unseemly, but will ultimately benefit those people or their heirs when they finally admit they were wrong and take on this one true religion. Whew! Thus people rationalize their actions until they genuinely believe they are doing right.

(And this can pertain to even very "small" things, like say, school prayer. How many people in Texas get all riled up when they think there can't be prayer in the school? A lot. I believe there can be prayer in the school or anywhere. I don't believe a coach should pull the team in a circle and lead a prayer or get one of the kids to do so before a game. A number of kids would be uncomfortable with this, but not feel empowered to not participate. Others would be offended if say, they are not of the dominant religion. Etc. And thus my comments about organized prayer, religion should not be allowed into school or government.)

Thus the base of the enigma of religion: as a means of survival, most religions teach they are the only path to God.

I don't believe this.

I believe in God, a higher power who is involved in our lives and world, but I believe there are many paths to God. Just because I was born into a Protestant Christian path doesn't make it the sole one--or, the correct one for me.

Churches, of course, teach their flocks that this is wrong, new-age thinking. Of course they do, they need people to believe, in order to generate donations, in order to pay for their amenities and leaders, to continue their power, etc. (A group of attractive kids cornered me one day on campus as I came out of the Ransom Center and tried to proselthyze to me. I explained my belief and they had been prepared for this and had many metaphors at their disposal to try to prove my thinking incorrect--but each one had a similar characteristic: for their metaphor to work, it had to be based upon their path to God being the sole, right path. Only they worded it in a way that made it seem like they were acknowledging my belief to the contrary.)

For the record, I believe most churches do a lot of good and are very important to many people, but I also believe, on many other levels, they do harm. The Catholics one way, the Baptists a different way, the Jewish community another, Muslims... you get the picture. They all have some blood on their hands, just different kinds.

Thus the enigma.

(AND, besides it being the prevelant news items in Sunday's NY Times, it is a core theme in The Ponzi Play...and that is why, it is bubbling up so much and forcing itself onto the pages of Squirrels!)


,m

Addendum: And then I picked up the paper and there was this op-ed piece from the NY Times that I hadn't gotten to yet: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/11/opinion/11douthat.html

Read it!

Ahhhhh...The Throes of Spring! Back.

...
Worked. Read Paper. Moved plants back outside. Watered plants. Uncovered outdoor plants. Lots and lots of damage. Oh well. (It appears even the plumerias froze. You just set them inside the store room all winter, no water, etc. But it was cold enough to do a serious freeze inside the store room.) Watered outdoor plants and beds of squishy frozen things.

Hope it killed the bugs too!

(There was nothing I wasn't willing to lose. Most of them may come back--so que sera sera.)

Biked to Walgreens for Rx. Back. Biked to Petco/HEB for catfood and treats and some things at grocery store. Back. Benjamin wanted to walk a bit early. Okay. So we went further--sans coat! (Sure, I still wore a sweat shirt to bike, but hey, when you're used to 20s and 30s, 56 and 57 seems like the throes of spring!) Back. Biked for cardio. Back. Chat with Johnny for his bday. He thinks his pool pump froze. Happy Bday. Push ups. Nap. Acorn Squash with Irish Cheese for dinner. Worked on Ponzi. Got distracted. Worked on Ponzi. Got on FaceBook. Busy day on FB, friends requests, requests of folks from dinner party last night, etc. Worked on Ponzi.

Ponzi is moving. Making more sense, but coming slow. That's okay.

Walked the boys. Chilly, but very nice out there at 40, clear, stars galore. Back. Treats.

Funny thing: My Snuggie Knock-off/Original/Whatever ("The Ultimate Snuggler") scares Fernando. Not like run away scares him, but he used to LOVE to cuddle in my lap in the office chair--well, he still does. He did today when I wasn't wearing the Ultimate Snuggler. But put on the Snuggler tonight and voila, he'll come up, but won't get in my lap. I pick him off the desk and put him in my lap and he jumps right out. Hmmmm? What should that tell me? I swear it looks like a PhD robe. It does. Tasteful Navy. Yin/Yang button on it. (Whatever, it feels DAMN GOOD at the desk! AND, actually, I get more work done without a cat in my lap. But he's so cuddly when he does it....)

Cheers!
,m

johnny johnny johnny johnny WHOOPS johnny johnny WHOOPS johnny johnny johnny

"miller time johnny"

"shut the f up, johnny johnny"

"nope nope, not for me"

"whiskey kitty take my mind"

etc

etc

I could go on forever....

all by or about John Sandridge--my roommate in college, friend from high school, dear friend these days, and all round good guy!

Happy Birthday, Johnny!

Cheers!

,m

Great Weekend, If Not a Wee Bit Chilly............ But hey, Who's Complaining?

...
Late Fri afternoon: Melissa called while I was walking Benjamin. So she, Drew and I had a spontaneous night together. Dinner at Sao Paulo on San Jacinto: yum. Cold night. Vino. Chit and chat. Silly laughs. Fun. Hugs. All that.

Sat: No human contact whatsoever. Loved it! No calls, no chats, no FaceBook back and forth, etc. Late last night I got on FB and posted on some things and sent some emails to folks. But it was all one-sided. My phone never rang. I never dialed out. My car never started. On our very late walk--and it was probably Sunday by then--Brock came out of his apartment at the Rio Hondo while we were passing by and waiting on Kitty to catch up. As he was getting into his van, he said hello and, "It's a cold one tonight." To which I replied, "Sure is."

I got some good work done.
I also got some exercise.
I did my laundry.
I read in some old feel-good type books that were given to Tom when he was in the hospital or during that last period. One is a book of daily meditations for men, which is ultimately used for 12-Step programs, but the two or three I read were nice to read and think about. Another was a precursor to Chicken Soup for the.... called "Kitchen Table Wisdom". I picked these up and read a section or two. Another is Don't sweat the small stuff.
It was funny (ironic, not ha-ha) the things I picked at random. Get rid of negative friends. Don't do more than one thing at a time. Think about the animals and plants in your life. You've got to take risks or you're dead. (Of course, I paraphrase a bit...)
I've never really looked at these books before. I almost gave them to charity when I moved and then again later when I thinned the bookshelves, but instead I stuck them under the bookshelf in the office. For some reason they caught my eye yesterday as I sat at my desk in my warm navy snuggy knock-off/original.
The book of this group that seems the most appealing to actually read is "You Can't Afford the Luxury of a Negative Thought", which is for people with serious disease or life-threatening stuff--"including life." It's also the biggest. But for some reason it caught my attention and I jumped around in it a lot. All of these books can be read in fits and starts and out of order. Cool.
I stir fried a healthy lunch.
I cooked one of my secret indulgences for dinner: Sweet Sue Chicken and Dumplings, with a can of Costco Chicken and a lot of spices, mostly cajun (KPaul?), added... it was my first and likely only time this winter... but hey... we all have our little processed fixes every now and then!

Sun: Read the Statesman and most of the NY Times. At one point got up and came in here and wrote on an index card:
"Three Things:
1. Everything is a conundrum.
2. Religion is at the root of most evils.
3. See number 1."

If you read the news thoroughly today (and the last few days, last few weeks, years, forever, history class, etc.) it's Christian v. Muslim in Egypt and Indonesia. It's Catholic v. Protestant about to boil over again in Northern Ireland, most recently incited by the affair of the Leader's wife with a young boy--and hunh, she was a highly moralistic legislator herself--funny how that always happens. It's Muslim jihad here, there, yonder, there and over there too. It's Jewish disregard for the rights of Palestineans and Israel's cocky continued settling in their areas with the knowing wink of the government. It's anti-choice, anti-gay, anti-progress. It's Uganda about to outlaw with the death penalty all homosexuality, primarily because of American Christians going there and preaching how much of a scourge gayness is. It's the Balkans and the Crusades and wars forever ago and yesterday and today and tomorrow. It's Sunni v. Shiite and Muslim v. Hindu in India and the Holocaust and the Inquisition and the Salem witch trials and religions as the justification for slavery and discrimination and abuse and such.

Before you think I'm an atheist or agnostic or whatever...I'm not. I believe deeply in God and am very spiritual, but I am sick and tired of reading about the basis of almost every conflict, problem in the world news is religion. I'm sick of it. Pretty much every religion, denomination has blood on its hands...which is very sad, if you ask me. You didn't, but hey, here you are. So I said it. I think it's sad that something as comforting and wonderful and potentially affirming and positive is used so negatively so often by so many people, countries, etc.

And... if you really look at it...it's often because people want their religion to be legislated into law--and not somebody else's.

All government should be secular!
And all religion should be private!
Worldwide. Period.
Stop the prayer breakfasts, the prayers before games, the religious programs at schools, the litmus tests, etc. It's time.
I refuse to give money to another politician who insists on telling me his religion or tries to prove that he/she's a "Christian" or whatever. I hate that. I may vote of them for lack of supporting the alternative, but I am over elected officials feeling the need to tell us about their religious choices and/or starting their events, work, whatever with a prayer.

(If an individual athlete or student or even government official wants to thank/acknowledge God in public, that's fine with me. That's his/her right. That's an individual thing. It's the organized, starting an event, governmental session, etc. with a prayer that bugs me. As far as political candidates, it's the trying to show they're a religious, like they have to pass certain litmus tests that bugs me. That's all.)

And conversely the issue of people questioning another candidate/elected official's worthiness because of his/her particular religion or perceived lack thereof. (See "Obama is a Muslim" fanatics!)

Again, repeat after me:
Government, school is secular. (Unless of course you choose to send your kids to a private school....then that's a choice and perfectly fine.)
Religion is private.

Enough!

~~
All rightie then.

I didn't intend to take this into a rant, but it went there. Sure there are other things that fuel the world's ills: nationality, the seduction of power, drug use and trade, money, etc. But if you really look at it, many of thsse are wrapped up in religion... and... Like I said, I love God and I pray daily--if not multiple times a day--which I shouldn't even tell you here because I believe religion is a private thing, but everyone reading this is going to think by my statements that I'm an atheist or something, so I include these points for context. Whatever.

Maybe I meant enigma more than conundrum?

I initially wrote my index card because it's an important thing to remember as I finish work on the Ponzi Play and other plays. (I've been working on Ponzi a lot lately.)

~~
Sunday was also without human contact until in the afternoon when I took a long bike ride. It was still chilly, but nice and sunny. I'd be lying if I didn't admit that my hands got cold at times. During my ride, I heard someone honking at me. It was Cameron, looking almost like a cute little character in a movie in his cute little Yaris, wearing some cute little driving beany.
I had earlier declined a dinner invite for tonight to which I knew he was going--mainly because I'd planned to work.
Cameron and I had a nice chat on the street, during which he insisted I come to dinner.
I didn't commit. Finished my ride, came home, walked Benjamin and took a nap.

As I was lying there, having woken up from my nap, in that very last glimpse of the flat light before total dark, the phone rang and it was Steven T. Cameron had called them and told them I might reconsider and be a maybe. Steven talked me into coming. I got up and had coffee and washed my face and changed and scooted over.
It was a very fun dinner!
Eugene cooked a delicious pasta with a sausage sauce and salad and some fabu ganosh-y thing for desert that didn't involve salmon.
Later fun jokes and such around their fire.
Steven's cousin Zach was there. He's moving here and plans to be a writer (fiction.) He's fun. Luke was there. And he's always fun. Cameron brought his good friend Chris, now from Colorado, who is in grad school studying Environmental Ethics. (Philosophy)
At 23, how can one be so focussed?

Came home and walked the boys and here I am.

That was my wonderful, slow, quiet, mostly solitudinal (?) weekend.
Loved it!
I hope yours was good.

Cheers!
,m