poet, podcaster, radio host, troublemaker
Good morning! Here are three things I’ve been thinking about this morning:
1. Has the “thumbs up” gesture completely replaced the “OK” gesture?
OR 
2. Fats Domino turns 82 today. Huzzah!
3. The album Kassav’ au Zenith is, to my ear, one of the greatest live records ever made. If this album doesn’t dispel your blues, nothing will. But don’t take my word for it. Check it out for yourself:
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A small sampling of people for whom I’m thankful. Not complete and in no particular order, but worth writing. I may add to it, too.
Jennifer: 14+ years of putting up with me. I don’t know how she does it. Or, for that matter, why.
Bernie & John: It’s incredible to be unconditionally loved by your kids. Plus, they’re fun to wrestle with.
Mom, Dad and Gretchen: What haven’t we been through? Actually, skip that question, because I’m finding out that this year there are quite a few new and unpleasant answers. They’re always there, though, and that’s amazing.
Linda, Todd & Sarah, Tammy, Dick, Denise & John, Lynne & Mike & Jack & Grace, Jill, Jimmy & Karen: Couldn’t ask for a better family.
Carol, Amy & Michele, Sandy & Carol Jr. & Autumn, Dorothy & Ethan, Kit & Sue, et al: Couldn’t ask for a better second family.
Bernard & Dorothy Flanders: My debt to them can never be repaid.
Jeff & Leeann & Jake: They know how to be friends, which is a hell of a lot rarer than you might think. And one of these days, Jeff and I will have a very successful show together. Probably a strip-tease show.
Kevin & Jen & Momo: My oldest friend (and his wife, who would probably be disturbed to learn that she’s my second- or third-oldest friend). Uncompromisingly honest and loving people with a real cute kid.
Josh & Jen: Smart, funny and wonderful. Josh is always expanding my world, which is just about the highest compliment I can pay.
Team RocBike: You couldn’t ask for a better gang to ride with, blog with, and be positively influenced by.
The musicians, promoters and record labels who’ve made The Jazz Session possible: What can I say? “Beyond my wildest expectations”? Yeah, that about covers it.
Chuck & Bobby D: Never were two guys more accepting of my crazed need to wave at everybody. Plus, they pick good tunes.
Jo & James: Even kinder than they are talented. And they’re supremely talented.
Sue & Jenny & Katie-Kate & Elinor: Love ’em, love ’em, love ’em. (And miss ’em, too!)
Tom & Susan: Beautiful people who made Raymond Street just barely tolerable.
Satoru: Pops up when I least expect it, and is always welcome when he does. One of those people you know will be there when you need him.
Otto: He understands and inspires.
The members of the Rotary Club of Albany: Nice people doing nice things, as Harry Shearer would say. Except in this case, it’s true.
Leave a CommentYes, folks, these incredibly rare images depict me doing actual work on an actual vehicle. I am seen here hanging a tailpipe on the 1997 Ford Ranger my parents gave us. My assistant is clearly in violation of child labor laws.
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| Auto Repair 101 … or maybe just 1 |
“Perfection (in design) is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but rather when there is nothing more to take away.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Thanks to Bookninja for the link.
Leave a CommentNew Orleans
Fifty People, One Question: New Orleans from Benjamin Reece on Vimeo.
New York
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Fifty People, One Question: New York from Crush & Lovely on Vimeo.
Douglas Adams has always been one of my favorite authors. Coincidentally, he also shared a birthday with my younger son.
I like that Douglas always listed his bizarre collection of previous jobs on his book jackets. So here, for the record, and in approximate chronological order, are my previous jobs:
Grocery stock clerk, cashier, bank teller, waiter, professional musician, radio announcer, television/radio script writer, Web site editor, newspaper and wire-service copy editor, radio reporter, newspaper page designer, union organizer, nonprofit development director, radio station manager, talk show host, stay-at-home dad, union organizing director and union representative.
Some of these jobs happened more than once, but I just listed each title one time.
Yoikes!
Leave a CommentThe photo says it all:
“A respected image consultant once said that the average person who wears a bow tie is distrusted by all. What all bow tie wearers know is that an average person would never be wearing a bow tie in the first place.”
— Owen Edwards for Town and Country
One CommentSeveral years ago, I tried shaving with a shaving mug and brush, plus some Burt’s Bees shaving soap. I used a Gillette Sensor razor, and just didn’t see that big a difference.
For Christmas, Jen bought me some Nutragena Men’s Triple Protect Face Lotion. I decided to take out the mug and brush again. This time, I bought some shaving soap from Herban Cowboy. Even with the modern-day razor, I’ve been enjoying the new feel and the more relaxed, mindful shaving experience.
Then I discovered A Guide To The Gourmet Shaving Experience at the Leisure Guy site. I took his advice and bought a safety razor from ClassicShaving.com. The model I bought — a Merkur “Futur” from Germany — arrived today. I’m going to take my first-ever whack at shaving with a safety razor in the morning. I’m excited, which is a crazy thing to say about shaving.
My friend Mara Ahmed sent me this today:
Rally to support restoration of judiciary and civil liberties in Pakistan
Date: Sunday November 18, 2007
Time: 2.00pm – 3.30pm
Place: Twelve Corners in Brighton
SOLIDARITY
PLEASE JOIN THE PAKISTANI AMERICAN COMMUNITY IN UPSTATE NEW YORK IN A DEMONSTRATION OF SOLIDARITY WITH THE PEOPLE OF PAKISTAN IN THEIR STRUGGLE FOR THE RULE OF LAW.
WE WILL HOLD A DEMONSTRATION ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 18 FROM 2:00 PM TO 3:30 PM AT TWELVE CORNERS IN BRIGHTON.
THE PUROPOSE OF THE DEMONSTRTATION IS TO EXPRESS OUR DESIRE TO PRESERVE THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE JUDICIARY AND TO RESTORE THE RULE OF LAW AND THE CONSTITUTION OF PAKISTAN .
IF YOU CHERISH FREEDOM, LIBERTY , CIVIL RIGHTS AND DEMOCARACY JOIN US TO SHOW OUR RESOLVE TO THE WORLD THAT WE WILL NO LONGER ACCEPT TRAMPLING OVER CIVIL LIBERTIES AND OVER JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE IN OUR HOME COUNTRY.
AS A SIGN OF UNITY WITH THE LAWYERS WHO ARE SPEARHEADING THE STRUGGLE IN PAKISTAN PLEASE WEAR BLACK AND WHITE WHEN YOU COME.
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