Food Food and more Food

One big thing I've been noticing is how easy it is becoming for me to avoid the fatty, unhealthy dishes I used to consume so greatly in the past. Yesterday I went to The Sentinel, which is Dennis Leary's sandwich place on New Montgomery St., got a corned beef reuben for a co worker and i got a shrimp salad that was excellent! It was easy to avoid the cookies and cakes and other things that you can get along with the excellent sandwiches. I just got a great salad and enjoyed it for my lunch.
Today, might be a bit more difficult, lunch meeting and then art/architecture event this evening, so often hors d'ourves are so bad....we'll see.
Everything is headed in the right direction, so far so good.

Peace,

Guitar Hero, Iphones and computers

My oldest son recently gifted his xbox 360 to me for use by his younger brother and sister. When attempting to use this device as well as a new iphone I received from my office, my technological deficiencies and the ease with which my kids move in this world was really brought home.
When I received my iphone my 11 year old daughter set it up for me, connected pictures to numbers and in general whizzed around the phone while dad moved slowly. She uses the camera with ease, I tend to shake when taking pics, and in general really knows how to use it. Now she's 11 and while there many things I'm much more skilled at, the thing I really noticed is the ease with which she moves thru these computer like interfaces and how she can assimilate the principles much easier than those of us who grew up before the technological revolution hit.
It's pretty fascinating. She shows me things I can do with my phone and when we use the xbox, she's a pretty facile user quickly. My son Elliott is the same way.
To me at least, it's fascinating to see these things and how the younger generation is so much farther along in using these devices to a productive end.

Peace,

Hockey Season begins soon....

I saw that training camps opened today and all veterans were to report for NHL season 2009-2010. As a Sharks fan, I hope this season goes better than last. An early exit from the playoffs has haunted all the players and fans for 6 months.
Since I've been writing primarily about food on this blog, I thought I might say a few things about the food at the HP Pavilion/Shark Tank. It's probably the worst of all the venues in the Bay Area. AT and T park is the best by far, with the Oakland Coliseum/Arena being a distant 2nd and HP Pavilion bringing up the rear. I'm not sure how the concessions contract works down at the Pavilion, as I'm not sure who "owns" the Arena. I think the Sharks Manage it, but I don't know how the money is split and what rules have to followed in terms of letting contracts. Whoever handles the concessions out to hope for a quick contract expiration and an opportunity to get a new food vendor/make up. The one they have, no matter who it is, stinks.
When I take my kids to games as I did last year, we often dine away from the tank, which supports local businesses.
Here's wishing you a great week ahead!
Peace,

One Month and going strong

Well today is one month on the diet and things are still good. Since it's not an extreme diet, it does not leave me wanting.
Some realizations:
1. I can live without baked goods and sweets. Things I loved and desired almost daily, I am finding I can do without. Makes things easier.
2. I can live without pasta too! Often a choice when being lazy about cooking, if I do have it in the future, I'll make it myself, so much more silky and flavorful to do that.
3. I can live without steak. This hasn't been so hard either.
4. Desire for hamburgers is still a problem.
5. Appreciation for natural flavors in various produce has been heightened.
6. I feel so much better physically and emotionally.
7. In doing more label reading, did you know that most of your so called healthy bars or energy bars have more sugar in them than a Hershey Bar? I was looking yesterday and surprised to see this. Most of the bars have between 20 and 30g of sugar. A Hershey Bar had 19g. Think before you eat.
8. Time to celebrate tonight and I think the Open Table check I have is going to be history.

Peace,

Awesome Korean Food and another week in the books

I had some awesome street food yesterday, Namu Korean Food. They make toasted seaweed tacos that have kalbi, kimchee and other yummy things inside, very creative. They also make an Okonomiyaki, which is a crepe like item with kimchee and chili sauce incorporated into the batter, some veggies on top and a fried egg. It's killer!!! I know it's not on my diet, but it was good.
Starting to get towards the end of the season for fruits. Peaches are still good and oranges, but lots of the berries are starting to disappear.
Celebrating a month on the diet and things are going well. Getting comments from people that I've obviously lost weight, which is a good thing to hear, positive comments never hurt.
My oldest son gave his xbox360 to me for his little brother and sister to use. So now I'm getting exposed to the gaming world, which I'm not sure I want to be. The quality of the technology is pretty amazing. At least to a luddite like me. He gave the kids his games too, which was nice, so we'll see what adventures await.

Peace,

Food Politics

If you haven't read Omnivore's Dilemma or In Defense of Food, you might not have heard of Michael Pollan. He's a journalism professor over at UC Berkeley and his passionate and detailed writing on the food industry are highly recommended.
Today he's written and Op-Ed in the NY Times about the relationship between health care reform and food reform. Maybe there's hope yet.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/10/opinion/10pollan.html?_r=1

Highly recommended reading,
Peace,

Back at it and i phone apps

Back at work and most folks seem to be in the same condition. Vacations are done, trips are taken and now it's back to reality.
Diet wise things are going fine and I think I'm going to continue doing this as I really like how I feel and it's not that big of a hassle. Yes my kids don't eat it and sometimes I have to exercise more will power on myself, but I have much more energy and I sure feel better in all phases physically. I certainly have much more mental energy and I don't feel so "draggy" as you can when you are consuming so many starchy carbs. It's also given me a new appreciation of vegetables and fruits that I didn't have before. The flavor possibilities are endless and that leads to come interesting dishes and combinations.
The other thing I've been exposed to in doing this is the seeming desire to want to make something with raw foods that it is not, i.e. lasagna or some other kind of faux dish. I don't really subscribe to this as it never meets expectations and is always, at least to me, a pale comparison. I prefer to do things true to the ingredient, so the flavors shine and the preparations can remain fairly simple. I don't want to be dehydrating foods and soaking nuts for hours and blending 5 different things separately before I can begin a dish. Just doesn't make sense to me.
IPHONE APPS
With updates to my phone software recently, I've been looking around for apps that do various things. I heard there are some 18,000 applications for the iphone. In poking around I found a few that I really think are very interesting.

1. Bloom - by Brian Eno - If you are familiar with Eno, then you know he's been doing what he calls Generative Music for some time now. For me it started with Music For Airports in 1978, but that was before everything went digital and computers became the dominant force. Eno has continued on this path and Bloom is an application for the iphone that creates very pleasing repetitive patterns and then continues to generate variations off of the original. There are multiple settings and you can adjust delay times, volume etc. You can even just shake the iphone to clear out what you did and start over, just like the old etch a sketch. I really like this app because you don't have to be a musician to use it and appreciate it. Anyone can use it and have lots of pleasant fun with it, and hopefully explore some sonic areas that might not have existed for them before. I think the app is $3.99

2. Bebot - This app is pretty amazing and I'm just getting started on using it, but it's got some endless possibilities. It's a 4 voice synthesizer that has lots of adjustable parameters. The main feature is that you can slide your finger around the screen or just touch the screen in various areas to generate sounds. It's pretty amazing so far and I can't wait to get better on it. This app is $1.99

3. Wivi Band - This one will blow your friends away, literally! It's a sound modeled collection of wind instruments, very real sounding, that you control thru a two step process. With your hands you activate keys that define pitch i.e. a piano on your screen while you are blowing over your phone mic to activate the sound. This turns your phone into a wind instrument and the results are mind blowing. Big fun, not easy to use, takes some practice, but amazing results!!
This app is bigger and deeper and cost $4.99, but still, I mean come on, this is cheap for what you are getting!!

Highly recommended!!

Peace,

Labor Day Weekend

What a nice weekend! My daughter was dancing at the Scottish Games on Saturday so for the first time in 24 years I went to the games. We had a great time. Ellissa danced well and we got to find out some things about the Thompson name we didn't know before. There was a large living history/re-enactment area, which Elliott loved and seemed to be very popular with the attendees. There were all the athletic events, the totally unhealthy food, lots of men with long hair and beards wearing kilts. Yes there was a Renaissance Faire air about certain things and there was also a "Lord of the Rings" feeling with much of the living history area, adults playing dress up and feeding their unmet drama needs. We still enjoyed the day and I didn't do too bad on my diet. The only thing I ate that I shouldn't have was a softee ice cream cone. So I consider that a victory.
Since I've been a dealing with a bout of some kind of stomach flu, it has been a bit easier to stay on course. My initial goal was to do this for one month, and now that I'm close to acheiving that, I think we'll go a bit farther along and see what happens. All in all I feel good and like how the diet helps me health wise.
As we move into the fall, there is much uncertainty in the employment markets and hence in many people's lives. We take things one step at a time, do what we can and move forward in the best way possible. Helping those we can on the way. Having the friends I do, and loved ones who have shown me how much they care and how much they do "give an damn", has been a revelation to me. I'm grateful to them and hope that as we bring this year of uncertainty to a close, we'll enter 2010, with some momentum to be doing great things in our communities and in our lives.

Peace.

Walking and Eating and Walking Some More

I ended up taking a walk yesterday down to the Ferry Building, iphone plugged in, music blasting in my ears. The walk is approximately a mile each way from my office. Yesterday was such a warm day, that it seemed like everyone was out of the office. Tourists on vacation, people going out to lunch, or, like me just out for a lunchtime stroll. Ended up stopping at the Ferry Seafood place I like to go to. Had a crab tower of all things. Something I'm NOT supposed to eat because crab is no. 1 on my list of things that can activate gout in my foot. Fortunately, being in much better shape, and having a much better diet, the small amount I had didn't impact me. The tower was a layer of avacado, grapefruit and crab. Very refreshing and very tasty and a small portion, almost appetizer like, if I were having dinner. That's fine with me.
I stolled by Il Cane Rosso, the new venture from Daniel Patterson of Coi. It looks to be simple, frersh cooking, not cheap, but they were doing a brisk business. I'll have to give it a try.
I also picked up some living foods items on my way home last night. Living meaning that they arere prepared without cooking, sometimes using a dehydrator, but it's all been prepared without exposing the ingredients to a temperature of over 118 degrees. It's alright, not particularly flavorful, but I wanted to see what it tasted like. I've also purchased some living foods crackers made with flaxseed, sunflower seeds and tomato and basil, and they were much more flavorful, but still funky.
Upon arriving home, a nice fresh avocado, yummy!!!
Today is my last day in SF as I'm taking a work from home day tomorrow due to the closure of the Bay Bridge.
Here's hoping you have an awesome day,
Make sure to smile and let your love out!

Peace,

The Best of Times and the Worst of Times

In one day I experienced sublime joy and bitter disappointment. For lunch I walked up to Turtle Tower and had some of their famous Pho. It was absolutely delicious and the best Pho I have ever had. You didn't need to add anything to it! It was flavorful, delicate and yummy!
Walking back to my office I was so happy, a great meal consumed and ready for a nice afternoon. Then I stopped for dinner at a local vegan place on my way home, in oakland, that is the sister place of a favorite lunch stop here in SF. My dinner was a major disappontment, flavorless and just not very good, boring!! One dish was ok, the spicy curry chicken, but that was it. The 'chicken' is mock chicken made from tofu, but it can still work in many cases, but the dishes I ordered were lame at best.
Today is a new day and now in a new month, summer is over, kids are back in school and Indian Summer should be starting here, so buckle up!!
Going to the Scottish Games this weekend. My daughter is dancing in a Highland Folk Dancing thing, on Saturday and Sunday, so I'll be out there to see her dance and have some fun exploring my family heritage.
Today, I'm not sure what i'll do in regards to lunch, but it'll be something tasty.
Peace,

Thoughts on Eat Real

Well, I went to Eat Real yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed myself.  Out of all the foods I tried, there were only two disappointments, and coincidentally, they were the two things I was most excited about trying.  So much for unrealistic expectations.

The crowds were great and very into what was being presented, which was wonderful to see.  So many times, when an event is held in Oakland, there's something "off" about it, but that curse was suspended for this event.

First dishes tried and I must say most disappointing were the Seoul On Wheels Korean Tacos.  The overwhelming flavor was the corn tortilla, which told me that the ingredients were bland!!!  Not something you'd want to have in Korean cooking.  There was a big line most of the day at the Seoul on Wheels truck so perhaps I just got a bad batch or something.  I wanted to really like it!

Next dishes we tried were Lobster Rolls and Clam Chowder from Sam's Chowder Truck.  Both were excellent.  My daughter particularly liked the Chowder.  We then tried barbeque from Shuga Catering Company.  The ribs were fall off the bone tasty and the potato salad and collard greens were tasty too!!!  We then tried the Creme Brulee Cart which my daughter liked more than I did.  I thought the brulee was too light and the crust too thin.  We also had pork from the Chop Shop which was juicy and tasty, served with two sauces!!  We then went to Joe's Street Eats and had two winning dishes, their BLAT roll which was very good and their corn on the cob which is slatered with lime aioli, chili flakes and parmesano reggiano.  The combination works great and was a real winning dish for the Thompson's.  The last dish we tried were the home made S'mores which were just ok, cold and the cookies tasted store bought.  This was the other dish I was so excited to have and was disappointing.

There was so much food that we didn't try, one because we were full but also because I was blowing out my diet and I had to be careful to not go too crazy.

In the new Market Hall, there were alot of interesting food purveyors, making pickles, and other unique products.  

All in all it was a fabulous day and fabulous experience.  Kudos to the organizers of the event.

Peace,

Sunday and it's time for Real Food

After spending a quiet day, consuming more and more fruits and vegetables, and spending an even quieter evening at home, today I'm off the Real Food Festival at Jack London Square in Oakland.  Will report back on what I saw, ate and thought.  I fully expect to blow off my diet today as it would be about impossible to eat anything and stay on it given the choices.  

Wish me luck!!

Peace,

Quiet and the Giants

Well another quiet night at home. Watching the Giants and rooting for a victory over the Rockies. Tim Lincecum is pitching tonight, so chances are as good as could be for the Giants.
Great way to start the weekend, peaceful, quiet and baseball!!
Peace,

Another Great Day

Spent most of the day down on the Peninsula yesterday doing marketing and meeting with architects/real estate people. Ended up having lunch at a pretty good Thai place in north sunnyvale that did a good vegan dish for me.
With all the great fruits available right now, i've been making smoothies in the morning with fresh melons and other fruits, very tasty.
Not sure what awaits this weekend, lots of free time, but whatever happens it'll be wonderful and magical nonetheless. I'm going to take a walk down to the Ferry Building for lunch today. Haven't been able to do that for a while.
Here's hoping you have a great weekend.
Peace,

Howard Roberts

Well I didn't do so great on my diet today, I need a mulligan. I had a meeting today and the client chose a hamburger place to go to. I had small things but still none of it was really on my diet allowance, well ok, the bun wasn't and the meat wasn't....hahaha....but the tomato and onion was ok. So I'm going to take a break about talking about food for a bit and write about my other passion which is music.
When I was 20 I got it in my mind that I could be pretty good playing the guitar. I'd started a few years earlier, inspired by none other than Peter Frampton and then countless trips to Winterland with a high school friend, Bill Coutts, to see various rock acts of the day. I started taking lessons when I was 18 with a great guitarist named Robert Graves. Robert turned me on to Joe Pass and other jazz and fusion players and that was it, I was hooked. In 1978 I heard about this new school called the Guitar Institute of Technology. It had been started by this well known studio guitarist Howard Roberts and had some other well known jazz guys teaching theree. I applied, was accepted and went to GIT to study in September of 1979 embarking on one of the greatest experiences of my life.
Howard Roberts was not at the school every day, in fact he had moved to Seattle, Washington, but periodically he was down and when he was he would give a seminar and chat with students. I got to see what an amazing teacher this guy was and how accomplished he was on the guitar. His heydey was when i was a little kid in terms of albums and awareness amongst my age group. So being exposed to him as I was thru his columns in Guitar Player and at school were a revelation to me. Howard had theories about the psychology of learning and subscribed to Psycho-Cybernetics. He also believed that everyone had alot of music in them, they just had to get it out.
In this new digital world, most of his albums from the late 50's and 60's are available on cd and you can hear what an amazing player this guy was. Even the albums he put out later, The Real Howard Roberts, being the first one I had heard, like Equinox Express Elevator and Antelope Freeway, are now get-able via digital format. While the overall sounds are often dated due to the instrumentation used at the time, the guitar playing is still stellar and creative and chance taking.
I highly recommend you check Howard out. He left us in1992 a victim of prostate cancer, but his legacy lives on and it's a hell of a legacy.
The small school of 40 students that I attended in 1979 has now grown to a larger school that teaches most music disciplines and has a student body in the hundreds. Each year more people are exposed to Howard's theories and passions and even 17 years after his passing, the influence of his work still resonates and impacts many people.

Peace,

Forgiveness and Diet

In the second week of the diet and things are going well. Clothes are fitting better, feeling lighter and having more energy. This diet is really helping me to move forward in life in the best possible way. As I've alluded before, the last year has been pretty rough for me, both emotionally and health wise. All of that seems to be past me now and the road ahead, whatever it is, seems clear of the energy that was in my life. I made a lot of mistakes, both in judgement and in action in how I lived my life, who I was with, and how I treated not only others but also myself. I've been able to make amends with most people and I'll have to accept the fact that I can't make amends to everyone. What I will be able to do is to go forward in life with a clear conscience. Each day is a new day to make a big difference and it sure makes each day wonderful. I remember how bad I used to feel each day and it was all about my outlook and what I then invited into my life, the people, the situations, the relationship. Angry people don't have a place in my life, thank god. They are all around but they're also easy to spot.

I've found out that I have many friends who truly care about me and want to help and support me in the best possible ways. This revelation has been a godsend and has helped me to progress through the difficulties presented.

Which brings me to forgiveness. I could be really bitter and hold a grudge for some of the things that happened to me over the last year but I don't. I can and do forgive. I'm not going to live my life bitter and angry and holding grudges against those who I perceive to have done me wrong. My life has brought me to where I am today and it's been the result of many forces, one major one is my decisions. There were also acts of randomness, impacts of others and plain serendipity. In the last 7 years especially, there has been joy, pain and frustration never known before to me. I'm still thankful for what happened and as was told to me, numerous times. "you are going to be better for the next person". Well I don't know if I am better or not, but I'm doing my best to make good decisions each day and to be good to everyone I encounter.

Each day I deal with amazing people at the highest levels in life and I get to be a part of that. These people seem to find me through recommendations/referrals and that says alot to me. It keeps me going through these hard times. Secondly, my kids have been there through this period loving me without condition and helping me at all times. From my daughter Ellissa being my little "nurse" when i was recovering from surgery, to Elliott and Miles helping me out in other ways, it's been great to know that they are there for me. There are times when you can feel so alone in life and thankfully, those times were minized through the actions of loved ones.

You see, most people are good and deserve forgiveness. No hard feelings, no bitter reprisals......life is too short. We're all getting older and as we age, our time here becomes even more precious as the 'finite' nature of it, becomes more pronounced. No good reason to be bitter and angry to the point of serious impact to your daily life. If you're holding a grudge, try on a little forgiveness and see how you feel. Hope it fits you well.

Peace,

Great time for fruits and Locavore

Tuning into the quality of fruits available at this time of year can be such a revelation. Finding wonderful organic peaches that taste so clean and fresh and sweet!! Beautiful squash of all kinds, again, so flavorful and beautiful. Lettuce mix with edible flowers, not only tastes good but looks great on the plate!!
Have you ever checked out an iphone app called Locavore? It's pretty interesting in that it keeps you posted on what is fresh in your area and what is being grown and harvested. Helps you to be prepared when you go to the Farmer's Market.
Today I'm enjoying some small, almost wine like, Thompson Seedless Grapes, some avocado's, banana, yummy!!

Peace,

into week 2 now. Today I cheated a bit, not much but had some carbs, tasted so good.
Otherwise things have been going ok. I think some other big things are coming to an end for me and hopefully in a good way. The last year has been rough in many ways, both emotionally and health wise. Now entering this new year, and having just celebrated a birthday, things seem to be turning, the bad things seem to be in the rear view mirror and life ahead is good but a challenge. You always wish the best and without hard feelings. I know others are never going to feel that way, but I choose to work ahead without hard feelings towards others.
Peace,

Day Eight

Well I'm back from a great day of rafting down the American River with my family, what a blast. We rafted from American River Raft to a park about 4 hours south. Leisurely, at times exciting as went through some very minor rapids, we had a great time. The kids trailed along in the river and in and out of the raft while I did much of steering and enjoyed the ride. Sure it was hot but being on the water made it very tolerable. Lots of great fun!!! Can't wait to do it.
Diet wise I did very well. Keeping hydrated was of major importance so lots of water was consumed and when we got to the end of our trip, got back to our car and were famished, we ended up at a pizza parlor in Folsom. The kids had pizza, I had salad and everybody was happy. What a great day!!!
Farmer's Market today, loading up on Fruits and Vegetables.
Hope your day is awesome,
Peace,

Day Seven

Well i've made it a week and feel very good. The day was a bit unique in that i had to be 'creative' in my eating choices again and it's starting to become easier to do that. For those of you who have known me, and to see me ignore a luscious bakery and it's fresh offerings, would be very surprising. I did ignore them and even looked at them while i was refraining, just to test myself. I ended up having a nice vegetarian dish of fresh black beans, fresh vegetables, some guacamole and salsa at a nice taqueria across the office from my dentist. They do everything fresh and were able to accomodate my needs.
Today it's off to Sacramento to visit my son and his fiance. Hot and hotter is the forecast.
Hope you have a great weekend,
Peace,

Day Six

So the cravings for carbs/meat/sweets were pretty strong yesterday. On top of it I had to go to a function in the east bay with hors d'ouvres, none of which were on my diet plan! Oh well.
So I was bad and had some meat but no carbs or dairy. So we'll see how much penalty i receive and what my body does in reaction. Today it's been back to the diet, some apples for breakfast and soy beans, fresh, as a snack mid day.
The weekend should be a challenge as I'm going to visit my son up in Sacramento, not the most vegetarian friendly place!! Wish me luck!
Peace,

Day Five of Diet

Some interesting observations as i get closer to the end of my first week. I remember reading in the great book by Michael Pollan - In Defense of Food, that we should eat less, pay more for it and be healthier. Well I can already attest to the truth of all three of those items. First of all, from a standpoint of weight, you do each much less. Secondly, you do spend more. I spent $45 at the store and I've consumed 80 percent of those items in 4 days. Today I'll need to go shopping again to get fresh produce of all kinds. You end up being healthier just by the fact that you are not polluting your body with carb loaded foods and animal fats. While I have a long way to go, I'm feeling better each day and that's a good thing in my book. Now if my wallet can stand it.........

Peace,

Day Four of the Diet

Well so far so good. Although yesterday afternoon I was having major cravings. I've been told that for the first week your body will crave the fats, carbs and sugars you used to eat. My first real experience with that was yesterday. Around 2pm the cravings for something substantial, like a sandwich or pizza started. I had a peach and this seemed to deal with things ok and then after leaving SF for one of my twice weekly physical therapy appointments to work on my previously broken hand, i continued to get the pangs again. I found that just getting some water helped alot. Bottled water is also a good help, at least for me. I definitely feel better and have more energy and sleep better also. The weight loss/metabolism change hasn't been as obvious yet, but i would imagine that there is plenty to work off so to speak from my previous carb/meat diet. 220 here i come.

Peace,

Day Three of the Diet

Yesterday was an interesting day as it was my first at work. I found I was literally eating something for most of the morning. I had some watermelon, some hummus i made, carrots and a banana. My energy level certainly is higher and I can feel the difference in how much of that internal 'load' you carry from eating carbs and fats. I later had some sauteed vegetables and ginger at the local vegan chinese restaurant near my office.
Upon arriving home last night i tried some other things, with mixed results. I had almond butter which is on my list of 'acceptable nuts' with some sliced banana. I felt bloated after eating this so I think i'm going to refrain from almond butter at least for a bit. I also made a vegan tapioca pudding without sugar, using maple syrup instead. This is something i've been working on for a while trying to find the correct consistency. I found the consistency needed, and now can make a dessert that is dairy free, sugar free and minimally containing fat in the form of light coconut milk. The fat content in the entire dish is 3.5g so if you divide the batch up into four servings it's less that 1 g of fat. Problem is I again felt bloated after eating it. So that is going on the shelf too.
My next project was a strawberry yogurt made from tofu and fresh strawberries. This was not bad, a bit sour, but it's supposed to be yogurt, so that seems logical.
Today I'm having some of the yogurt with some sliced banana. Hopefully the bloating feeling will subside and i can move ahead feeling lighter and more alive than i have in years.
In reading books on Raw Cuisine, Low Fat and Vegan diets, one thing that is stressed is that you will be best off by eating throughout the day, snacking so to speak. Like Dean Ornish said in his seminal book, Eat More Weigh Less!
Received great news today that my oldest son's epilepsy seems to have subsided and he no longer needs to take medication. He's gone 5 years without a seizure so we're all happy.
Not sure what dinner surprise awaits tonight, but i'll report back.
Peace,

The Hand Continues to Get Better and More

Well here we are one week later and my left hand is continuing to get back to normal. I've gone from having minimal feeling in my left pinky finger to now having minimal numbness, a big improvement. Still can't play a steel string guitar yet, as my pinky cannot really push down on the strings yet. I can play nylon string, without pain, but as i'll be surrendering my nylon string soon, i'll be left with steel string options after that.
Started a cleansing diet today, no dairy, no sugar, which will be very hard for me. Sugar has been my bugaboo for a long time and going cold turkey in the sugar department won't be easy. If it isn't naturally in the food, i.e. fruits, I can't have it. Should get me to my weight goal of 220, which is what I weighed in May of 2002. I've been told that my metabolism will speed up, i'll need less sleep and my energy level will be much better. So here goes.
I'll be checking in on progress and keep you posted as to how i'm doing.
Peace,

Finally Back At It

Well my finger is now finally at a point where i can actually start using it. For any of you who have been in an accident or mishap that caused you to have to get major surgery on your finger, you now have my heartfelt sympathies. Today is 3 mos. since my injury and while I'm far from 100 percent, i can actually use my finger a bit which starts to make my left hand somewhat useful again. Thank god it's coming back to life. The feeling still isn't so great and numbness unfortunately is still a daily reminder, but the stiffness is starting to go away and soon I suspect I'll be at least at 90 percent. Hand therapy is helping tremendously.
Since I turn 51 tomorrow, having some use of my hand is a good thing and another positive in what was otherwise a pretty crappy year for my health. As I move into year 51, i trust things will be better. Some unpleasant experiences will be behind me and moving ahead in life will be the priority. No looking back, no hard feelings, no grudges, no reprisals. Move ahead in the best way possible.

surgery

well i had surgery on my left hand to repair multiple breaks in my hand. my heart rate plummeted during the procedure and i am still not 100% 2 days later. hope to be normal by monday.

Books

In recuperating from my broken finger i've had time to read, as playing music was difficult. I've read a couple of great books. The first was Things Your Grandparents Should Know by Mark Oliver Everett. Everett is the founder of the Eels and is known to most music fans as just "E". He's produced a substantial body of work over the last 17 years, but that's only what part of the book is about. Most of it is about his family and his experience of it. The book is fascinating, at times depressing, at other times uplifting. This guy has had alot of bad things happen in his life. He has no immediate family left and at age 46, I don't think he has any children of his own yet. His dad was a famous quantum mechanics physicist who came up with the theory of parallel universes. Even though they lived in the same house, communication was a challenge. His story is fascinating and reading this book is HIGHLY recommended.
The second book is a classic, Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates. This book hits pretty close to home, not only because it accurately and ruthlessly describes the late 50's/early 60's time period, but also because of the point on descriptions of a relationship gone bad where the participants don't want to admit it, at least not yet. Others have said this book is as close to a perfect contemporary novel as you can get. I don't know about that, but it's pretty amazing. There was alot in this novel that was familiar to me. Two people who felt like they loved each other but weren't very nice to each other. Much too often they were unfaithful and sometimes cruel (in the forms of words and in the way they held each other in utter contempt), in their behavior towards each other. The husband, Frank definitely wanted things to work, but didn't know how to make that happen, and the wife, April, wanted a dream instead of reality, (to her credit Frank didn't have the balls to make the dream come true no matter how pie in the sky it was). There are examples of caring and of love but the overarching theme is one of people working at something that is false. They've brought all kinds of dreams, anger, issues, fears to bear on each other and the result is an unseemly mess that is pretty toxic. I highly recommend reading this book. It brings up so many good points and some very uncomfortable ones, that you can't come away from reading it without being impacted. The one thing we have that the main characters don't after reading this book is a second chance at making things in our life work and by not making the mistakes we made in the past. That we can take each new day and make it the best day we can, that we can be a good parent to our children, a good friend and that each day we can be thankful we've got that second chance to learn and be our best. It's a tremendous amount of work to hold a grudge against someone, especially a loved one. Doesn't make much sense in the long run, really. Use your limited energy to impact others in a good way and enjoy each day as best you can.

Peace,

back off the disabled list

Well I am able to type again reasonably well, so I can once again post. Hope everyone is doing well and enjoyed their Memorial Day weekend and extra time off, assuming you got monday as a holiday.
Well not much has changed in the last three weeks. The State of California is still facing a massive economic crisis created by it's own citizens and then parroted by it's elected representatives. Thru the initiative process, we Californians have mandated so much spending as to create this crisis and then we refuse to pay for it. Go figure. Wanting something for nothing is the american way, not hard work!!!
Check out the NY Times for a good article on how we in the golden state our messing things up in a gigantic way.

Peace.

i am down with a broken hand...back in a week or so when the cast is removed.

Torture part......

Interesting little posting in the Washington Post today in their On Faith section about a disturbing poll just completed by the Pew Research folks. It shows that the more you go to church, the more you support Torture. Seems at odds doesn't it? Here's a link so you can check it out. There's a link to the actual poll in the article.

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/panelists/susan_brooks_thistlethwaite/2009/05/why_the_faithful_approve_of_torture.html?hpid=talkbox1

Peace,

Torture Team

I was given a great book last year for my birthday called "Torture Team" by Phillipe Sands. It's a fascinating look at a systemized government torture policy, chilling in it's detail and in the matter of fact nature of the people involved. Reminded me of reading about the Nazi's, amazing. There's an interview with Phillipe Sands on Fresh Air. Check it out!

www.npr.org/

Go to programs and check out Fresh Air. The program aired on Wednesday April 29 so look it up and listen to the interviews.

Peace,

Compositioins

I wrote some pieces in the last year, some pretty, thoughtful, heart wrenching pieces of music that I plan to record soon. These pieces speak of good and tough times, beauty and ugliness and hope that in the end, things can be good no matter what's happened in the past. There's always hope. Writing these pieces has helped me to access things deep inside that needed to be reconciled. I can't say I liked everything that came out or that some of what I accessed was better left buried, but I did it nonetheless and I'm glad I did because in the end it's important to move forward and to reconcile things as best you can. At least for me that seems best at this time. I'm letting the beauty and the heartache come out in a way of expression that I can understand. I hope that in the end, those that listen to what I've written will feel the same or at least be able to see and hear some of what went into work and enjoy it on it's terms.

Peace,

Sharks down!! Sharks down!!!

Well my beloved Sharks went out in 6 games in the first round. A world class choke job. Yes Detroit did the same thing three years ago and then came back to win back to back Stanley Cups but I don't see this bunch doing that. Drew Remenda said that too many guys on the team don't know how to step it up for the playoffs and that's something I agree with. It's not that they can't it's that they don't know, and someone usually the leaders have to show them. Joe Thornton did his best but Patrick Marleau was virtually invisible. Yes he scored two goals but one was a stuff job and one was a tip in, otherwise he was invisible. Tonight he had one shot in the most important game of the season. Enough said. Wait till next year, again!

Peace,

Torture Olbermann and Hannity et al

Here's a clip from last weeks Countdown where Keith Olbermann throws down the gauntlet to Sean Hannity regarding torture and waterboarding. But that's not the great part. Watch the entire segment because Keith has Lawrence O'Donnell on and Lawrence gives the best description of why conservatives support such draconian tactics. It's very smart and very good.

http://www.truthdig.com/avbooth/item/20090424_olbermann_offers_hannity_1k_minute_to_be_waterboarded/

Peace,

This is just wrong but funny!

This is so wrong but funny!! at least to me!

Enjoy: http://www.lulu.com/content/4956212

Peace,

Krugman on the money again

Great column by Nobel Prize winning Economist Paul Krugman in today's NY Times. He's calling on the politicians to have some backbone to deal with greedy bankers and finance people. He's been right on every subject of this downturn and there's no reason to not listen to him on this subject.

www.nytimes.com

Peace,

A Great Weekend for Cheap

Had a great weekend doing some fun things that didn't cost much money at all. One of the best was a nice bike ride on the Iron Horse Trail from Walnut Creek to Danville. It's a nice ride for someone who is in the "beginner" stage on his road bike. Having crashed last year, it's been hard for me to get back on and get out there. I did so today and this is a nice flat bike trail/road path that goes thru South Walnut Creek into Alamo and then in Danville, about 16 miles total and when I got back, I was not super winded or anything. It was a real enjoyable ride. Highly recommended for older bike riders.
The Sharks won their do or die Game No. 5 against Anaheim last night, which means that they live to fight another day in Game No. 6 at Anaheim. Game 7, if necessary is in San Jose on Wed. Here's hoping the team hangs in.

Once again, here's a recommendation for www.firedoglake.com a great website for politics and current events, especially legal issues. Highly recommended.

Peace,

Learning to cook

I finally took my first cooking class yesterday, a class on French Sauces at a great place called Kitchen on Fire in Berkeley. This is something I've been wanting to do for years and for various reasons, was not able to make it happen. Well I got to go to a class last night and what a fantastic time I had. I learned so much, most of it hands on. The chef, Chef Olive from Cesar restaurant was interesting, super knowledgeable, fun and helpful. After explaining basics to us about the interaction of fats, starch, oils, proteins and acids, we got into making our own sauces. Some of the people I was working with, while earnest, had no idea what to do nor were they good at following directions, so chef had to come over and take care of some of the sauces they were creating and make them "edible". I'm proud to say that they things I was involved in all came out really good and I can't wait to make them at home. The class gave me a whole new take on how to cook food and enhance flavor. I hope my kids and family will enjoy the added flavors and skills I will bring to my meals I prepare.
Highly recommended you check these guys out, it's very reasonable and lots of fun.

Peace,

Banks and Breaking Them Up

Excellent interview with Simon Johnson for head Economist for the International Monetary Fund. Check it out!!

http://www.salon.com/tech/htww/feature/2009/04/23/simon_johnson/

Peace,

Torture and Keeping Informed

There's alot of new information coming out now about what was doing what in the whole "torture" thing that was engaged in by the Bush Administration after 9/11. These two websites are particularly good at diseminating not only the basic information but providing legal analysis of what things mean and who's behind various positions:

www.firedoglake.com

www.salon.com

Please check them out and keep yourself informed. The desire in our country and with about 1/3 of the population to be completely accepting of fascist style tactics and of "the end justifying the means" is a frightening prospect. These people will do whatever it takes and if the rest of us aren't paying attention, then we risk ceding control to these fanatics. Stay informed!!!

Peace,

Jane Harman and FISA part 2

This Jane Harman story is starting to have some legs. She's denying peripheral things but she's not denying the basic crux of the story. Something tells me because she can't. If she did indeed sell her party down the river and collude with the AIPAC people and the Bush Administration for personal career gain, it'll be interesting to see what she tries to do to salvage her rep. My guess is that she'll quietly retire and not run for office in 2010. She's older and it's plausible that she could retire without retribution, collect her pension and go off and work for a big corporation as a lobbyist or consultant and make some big bucks. We'll see what happens. It'd be nice to see her tell the truth.

Peace,

Intelligence, FISA and Corruption

Here's an excellent post by Glenn Greenwald on Salon.com about Congresswoman Jane Harman and her sleazy ways dealing with the largest Israeli Political Action Committee AIPAC and also AG Gonzales and his doing the bidding of the President to cover their collective behinds. All pretty stomach churning stuff: http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/04/20/harman/

The Economy

Paul Krugman writes on Monday's and Friday's in the NY Times and he's been incredibly accurate about the financial crisis we have been experiencing over the last year or so and also about what to do about it. He gives a concrete example of what can happen if we continue to do the bidding of the big bankers and financial services people. We'll end up in the pickle that Ireland is in right now. Not a good place to be. Read here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/opinion/20krugman.html?_r=1

Peace,

Great Day with the Kids

Went up to Sacramento to visit my oldest son Miles. He plays in an adult baseball league so we went to watch him play and then have lunch together. It's a great time for us to spend family time together as Elliott and Ellissa get to spend time with big brother. After game, in which Miles sprained his ankle, he took us to Ford's Burgers. Great place to go. Delicious burgers and great family fun.
When we got back I took a bike ride on the bay trail in Albany and Richmond and out to Point Richmond. What a great time to take a ride, the bay was flat calm and it was about 80 degrees out. Nice time all the way around today. Let's just hope the Sharks win tonight!!!!

Peace,

Mission Street Food

In reading about some sort of underground restaurants, Icame across an article in the SF Chronicle some weeks ago talking about Mission Street Food and how on Thursdays and Saturdays they take of this small Chinese Restaurant in the Mission and have different chefs come in, plan and cook a meal and the profits go to a charity i.e. SF Food Bank. It's a pretty cool thing and I want to check it out. It's exciting, unusual, out of the ordinary and it's for a good cause too.
Check it out on the net! Mission Street Food.
Peace,

Great Trips

This being a time of recession and of economic uncertainty, often things like trips and weekend getaways are postponed. I was thinking back fondly to some amazing trips I had to New York City, Santa Fe/Taos and Monterey Bay/Point Lobos. These places in their ways provided wonderful memories for me to hold onto when times are tough and money is tight. Holding onto those wonderful memories and experiences helps you to always know that in spite of the troubles and problems and other things that happen in life, amazing times are possible and to be treasured. Can you ever forget that busy Manhattan Street or being in Soho or Midtown and walking, walking, walking......or the beauty of the mountains in Taos at sunset....or the crashing waves at Point Lobos and fresh clear air in Monterey and Carmel.

Peace,

Smaller Restaurants

There's been quite a bit of discussion about the living wage mandate and health care mandate that is law in the County of San Francisco. With the economics being what they are in the restaurant business, there are unintended consequences and creative solutions happening at the same time. You hear a lot about wait staff making larger salaries while the kitchen staff toil away at salaries close to 1/3 what a good wait person is making. This is definitely an unintended consequence of the law. I don't know how many places are pooling their tips or having the wait staff tip the kitchen staff to make compensation more equitable, but that seems like a fairly democratic solution. Wait Staff and Kitchen Staff are all members of one team and proceeds should be fairly distributed. In the never underestimate people's creativity in trying to get around a mandate department, you have restaurants popping up all over the place that employ very few people thus allowing the business to avoid having to provide health care and incurring the accompanying expenses. There is good and bad in this. The good is that it is fostering more personal, creative and intimate dining experiences and also encouraging a more personal interaction between chef and customer. The bad is that you again have people working very hard without health care benefits.
How does one deal with this as a customer and as someone who wants to do the right thing and patronize establishments who are also trying to be good 'business citizens' in the community? It's certainly an individual choice, but I think it's also important to think about where your restaurant/entertainment dollar goes. In reading my previous post, one knows my antipathy towards Chains, but I would not be surprised if, at some level, Chains provide at least access to heath care. It might not be affordable, but they are providing access to it. We aren't even considering other aspects of care, i.e. dental and vision plans.
My absolute favorite restaurant in the city is one of these small establishments. It's successful and doing well even in these tough economic times. and I hear repeatedly about other small places opening up in various areas of San Francisco and Oakland. In the end, I think I can state my position as this: Health Care, Dental and Vision Care are essential to every citizen in the country and they are a local, state and national problem that needs to be solved at the most fundamental level. Until the playing field is leveled, no amount of mandating by certain cities or counties is doing to change the marketplace. The constituencies at play in this problem are far more powerful than the Restaurant Owners. You are talking about Doctors, Hospitals and Insurance Companies as well as Medical Suppliers, the folks who make the medicines and materials used in the industry. All these interests are powerful, rich and intent on protecting their financial interests. How to navigate this is being worked out by some very smart people. I do not think that short of a mandate from the Federal Government, anything meaningful will happen. What will remain constant during this time is that people will find ways to produce the product they want and at a price that they can sell it for and make a profit. We as customers will continue to find and patronize these creative people and support their work. That's the best we can do.

___________________________________________________________________

I'll be knee deep in the NHL playoffs in the next few weeks as my beloved Sharks are a no. 1 seed in the Western Conference. With any luck I'll be engaged for the next 8 weeks which means they'll be in the Stanley Cup Finals.

I want to wish you all a great weekend. I'll be immersed in baseball this weekend as my son Elliott has a big game tomorrow and my son Miles has a big game in his adult league on Sunday.

Peace,

Food and Recommendations part II

As of this writing Oakland and Berkeley seem to be quite the hotbed of new restaurants to be opened by chefs with exciting backgrounds and talents. As these restaurants open it makes it much easier for those in the suburbs to experience decent food by talented chefs. This is a welcome development, yes driven by economics, but still welcome as it spreads out the geographic area that good food is available outside of San Francisco. Let's face it, unless you are in SF or Napa Valley, pickings are pretty slim. Yes there is Chez Panisse and a few others in Berkeley but that's about it. You have the occasional gem like Manresa or Cyrus in Los Gatos or Healdsburg respectively, but mediocrity tends to reign.
Those who know me know that one of my gigantic pet peeves is the subject of Chain Restaurants. They stand for everything that a discerning diner should abhor. Often quantity wins out over quality and you receive large plates or poorly prepared or even worse, reheated pre-prepared food from a box. Bad service, impersonal environments and just generally bad form all the way and for whatever reason, Americans eat it up!!! I'm not against Chain Restaurants because they are Chains, I'm against them for the PRODUCT they deliver. Everything about them is lowest common denominator. If you think about it, there is also an economic reason to not support Chains. Chains are operated out of a corporate office somewhere outside of San Francisco. They don't use local purveyors so product purchases are not made locally and wages paid are very low. All money received by the business goes into a corporation account, not a local one and hence you have virtually all the money save for sales tax and meager wages leaving the area. The money doesn't get distributed throughout the economy, local purveyors don't sell food to the restaurant, the corporate office is outside of the area so those employees don't spend money in the area and the staff who work for the restaurant don't have any reason to work within the community of restaurant owners and workers because their company has no interest in participating. It's all about short term gain and long term destruction. San Francisco has the right attitude by fighting Chains in many cases but even then, there are still many of them around. Once you get out of SF, oh my god, they're everywhere.
So what to do? Pretty easy, DON'T PATRONIZE THEM!!! If you don't patronize them, they go away. Try eating local and see what happens. There are a lot of good options and you are supporting your local economy in doing this also. Maybe you don't get quite as much crappy food on your plate for the price, but what you will get is decent locally produced food and your restaurant dollar will stay in the area and help the economy.
Something to think about.
Peace,

Food and Recommendations

I was listening to a broadcast of Forum on KQED last week and the discussion was about restaurants and the best places to eat in the Bay Area. It got me to thinking about what makes a good meal, what makes for a disappointing meal and what cuisines are the most disappointing and why and what could be done to change them for the better.

1. Great Ingredients
2. Skill in the kitchen
3. Great flavors
4. Good service in all phases
5. Creating a memorable and satisfactory meal from beginning to end.

I often find that many places use great ingredients, or at least say they do. I find that skill in the kitchen is usually pretty good, sometimes sloppy, but usually pretty good unless it is intentionally poor i.e. with chain places that put a premium on mediocrity for the sake of profitability. Perhaps the most disappointing cuisine to me, almost uniformly is Chinese. I rarely have great meals in a Chinese restaurant. On occasion I have had a great dish, but never a uniformly good meal. Part of it, I'll admit, is that some aspects of the cuisine just do not appeal to me much at all. But much of it is because ingredients are not fresh and food is prepared sloppily and the experience is often marred by bad service. It's such a disappointment because the cuisine holds a lot of promise that is so unfulfilled at least here in San Francisco. I trust that some people will start to create dishes that are fresh, flavorful and full of the excitement and surprise that I think can be there in a meal from beginning to end. Part of the problem is economic, the cuisine can be had for next to nothing and competing is hard in that kind of environment. But I hold out hope that someone will succeed.
My favorite restaurants in SF are still Canteen, Masa's, Zuni Cafe, Bar Jules, Coco500, Fringale, Piperade and Chez Papa Resto. I look forward to adding to the list soon.

The World Really is Flat, at Least Economically

Some time ago, I read Thomas Friedmans' book the World is Flat. It was an eye opening experience and a good thing I read it. I'm now involved in a project being constructed in Egypt where much of the drafting of plans is being done in Bangalore India and the manufacturing of the custom doors and millwork that we are providing is being done here in the USA. Master Carpenters from the USA will then travel to Egypt and train the workers on how to install the doors. The residence is 40,000sf and as you might imagine, there's alot of doors. All my work has been done via computer and at this point I don't know if or when I'll go to Cairo to check things out or if it'll even be necessary.

What creates these situations? Opportunity, relationships, economic necessity, profits, curiosity, the desire for things not available at the project location, there's numerous examples. The big thing to me is the ability to share information and move seamlessly around the world to get things done. While you certainly run smack into the wall called poverty wages vs what we make here in the industrialized world, there's still the skills that we possess that most if not all in the 3rd world don't, and while we have the window, we can use those skills to acheive market share, experience and knowledge we would not otherwise have and get into a market that was previously unavailable or undesireable.

I'm experiencing the same situations in China and other parts of the world. It's very interesting.

Things seem to be looking up here domestically too. I've nailed my first few jobs and despite the economy, we're growing and doing well. I hope this condition spreads to most industries over the next year so we can get out of this terrible recession we're in and start moving ahead and get back to where we were in terms of economic power soon. It'd sure be nice to see people looking ahead and seeing options to enjoy life instead of fearing for their economic lives as many are today.

Peace,

The genius of Larry Coryell

My friends, family and musical acquaintances know what a huge influence Larry Coryell has been on my work and in my development as a guitarist. I have had the good fortune of being able to spend some time over the years speaking with Mr. Coryell and not only discussing some musical things with him but also to thank him for his work and to express to him my gratitude at his influence on my own playing. When I say influence, I mean that in the best sense of the word. I think that many guitarists confuse influence with emulate or copy and I do not think I fall into that category. Mr. Coryell is a genius and can do things that I could only dream about on the instrument. His recordings hold a substantial place in my collection and his books are also prominent on my shelves, well worn from many viewings and of course of this voluminous output, I have my favorites, things I come back to again and again. While a student at GIT I transcribed some of Mr. Coryells work on the album European Impressions, particularly Toronto Under the Sign of Capricorn. Parts of this piece were also done by David Pritchard and included in Mr. Coryell's book first published in 1979. The qualities that endear me to Mr. Coryell's work are not only his techinical prowess which is beyond words, but his daring. Mr. Coryell tries things that most people wouldn't dare. He's done solo versions of major works by Stravinsky, Copland, Gershwin and others. In his improvisations, I often had the feeling that I was riding a train and we were careening into a corner and whether we would stay on the tracks was definitely in question. Sometimes, we didn't, most of the time we did and the experience was incredible.

Starting with the Lion and the Ram and proceeding thru the album Bolero, Mr. Coryell produced a body of work that to me, is nothing short of incredble and should be studied by any aspiring guitarist regardless of style. The passion, creativity and artistic abandon that is present on these recordings stands the test of time and shows how much of today's work is "safe" and "takes the easy way out".

Coryell doesn't get the accolades of John McLaughlin or some of the other more well known players, but when you see Bill Frisell or Al DiMeola or other younger guitarists talking about who influenced them, who was exciting to them, Coryell always comes up.

I encourage you to check out this genius' work. Here are some cd's I know are still available and you should check them out, all are excellent:

1. Tributaries - with the late Joe Beck and John Scofield (this has the studio cuts from European Impressions on it also)
2. Standing Ovation - A great great record, not a clunker in the set.
3. Bolero - If you are new to Mr. Coryell I suggest this album. It is varied, substantial and a personal favorite.

I'm still anxious to get Lion and the Ram which is not available, nor is European Impressions in it's entriety. If you have a turntable, get the lp on ebay or something and check it out.

Peace,

Back in the Saddle again!

Well I'm finally back amongst the living and function people of the Bay Area. My kidney stone procedures were less than easy or fun and put me out of action of days at a time. Complications caused further necessity of additional procedures and well, you know where that heads, and it's never a good place.
Alot has happened since I last posted and I can't help but think, "we've seen this before". The financial bailout of the financial services industry is continuing unabated and the major players on both the government and private sides are dismissing serious questions about where the money is going, who is getting it and why. Recently, we found out that much of the AIG money went directly to Goldman Sachs at 100 cents on the dollar to cover Credit Default Swaps purchased thru AIG. Seems like Goldman gets a seat at the table, where others don't. Contrast this with what is happening with the auto companies. The government is really playing hardball with them yet they seem to be softballing the financial services folks. There's some bluster talk from the administration but nothing of substance seems to happen. The whole thing seems fishy to me and I suspect that the same folks who got us into this mess are the same ones with their snouts deeply in public trough right now, siphoning money away to make up for their collossal blunders! We're the Suckers! I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think I am.
I'm hearing rumbings that we'll soon see the Office of Professional Responsibility Report on the Bush Office of Legal Cousel investigation. Me thinks Mr. Yoo, Judge Bybee and the former Defense Department Legal cousel all should be lawyered up and getting ready to protect their cosy positions they have now with UC, Fed Appeals Court and Chevron respectively. Stay tuned.

End of Another Week

Feeling much better after a week of recuperation from my kidney procedure. I was feeling every bit of my age the last week, but I'm finally getting back to normal. Looking forward to a nice weekend with my kids.
There's been alot going on, on a number of fronts. Karl Rove and Harriett Meiers have agreed tot testify about the US Attorney firings that occurred in 2004/2005 and also the prosecution of former Alabama Governor Don Seigelman. While they'll be testifying in a closed hearing, they will be testifying under oath and also will have the transcript issued upon completion of the testimony of all witnesses in that matter. So they'll avoid the spectacle of a public airing of the laundry with them sitting at a table with a phalanx of microphones and cameras shooting away while they read their statements. Everyone and his uncle is still going to report on this and they'll still have to weather the storm. I hope the issues at hand get dealt with fairly so we can move ahead and avoid this type of Nixonian practice in the future. It's no coincidence that all the people who caused trouble the last 8 years in the Bush Administration were Nixon people from the 70's. Rumsfeld, Cheney, Rove and then they trained a whole new generation of criminals, what a way to go.
The economy is still in the toilet. Seems like its' spiraling out of control and most people are standing on the sidelines while the rest of the stock market and other legalized sources of gambling going right into the abyss.
In ecourage you to read Paul Krugman in the NY Times as well as Glenn Greenwald at Salon.com both are smart, shrewd and passionate about the topics they cover. Krugman is one of the few economists who was right about the housing bubble and what was going to happen after and Greenwald has been all over the Iraq, Guantanimo and US Attorney firing issues.

Well I'm gonna call it night. Enjoy your weekend, whatever you do, and stay informed!!!
Peace,

Down for the Count

I've been down for the count the past few days. Had to get a procedure done, non invasive, but it's made me feel pretty lousy for the last few days. Getting back into the swing slowly, but still not feeling 100 percent. Feeling so lousy, I haven't been doing much, and I've had a bit too much time to think. Some of the thinking was useful much of it just chatter. One thing I thought was useful was the most important recordings in my development or life as a musician and lover of music. Without any further ado, these are the albums. They transcend genre and are all from a fairly short time span in the 70's, but not necessarily when they were recorded, just when I discovered them. The thing that they all have in common is that I NEVER tire of listening to them. I've listened for years, always come back to them and enjoy them still. They are in no particular order.
1. Peter Frampton - Something's Happening
2. Pat Martino - Joyous Lake
3. Shakti w/John McLaughlin - Natural Elements
4. Eberhard Weber and Colours - Silent Feet
5. Ralph Towner - Solo Concert
6. Joe Diorio - Peaceful Journey
7. Lenny Breau - Mo Breau
8. Ted Greene - Solo Guitar
9. Joe Pass - Live at Montreux Jazz Festival 1975
10. John Coltrane - Sunship
11. Jan Garbarek - Photo with.....
12. Larry Coryell - European Impressions

These albums represent the list of recordings that are "great" to me. All are of immense quality and creativity, but all have struck me in some way that makes me want to listen to them to learn them and to enjoy them over and over again.
All of these albums except for Peaceful Journey are available in some for on cd. Peaceful Journey is supposed to be released this year on Art of Life Records which is doing a great job releasing all of Joe's old Spitball Records releases from the 70's.
Peace,

The Oscars The Economy and Life

Watched the Oscars Sunday night with the occasional wince, the ocassional loud laugh and sometimes a bit of a tear in my eye. Overblown? yes, Self Important? Yes, but it still is something many of us, millions are interested in every year. Movies give us a look at how other people live, how they experience things, as much as the medium can do that, and how intense, amazing, funny, sad and complicated life can be. Time gets compressed, inferences are made and sometimes, many times, major details are manipulated to make the story more acceptable or appealing to movie goers. Given that the average age of movie goers is 14, that explains alot. When the more adult films come out, and look what got nominated, they tend to gross substantially less than the movies aimed at the 14 year old boy and girl. You have the business movie and the craft movie. Pixar is best at having merged the two genres, Wall-e is an excellent example of a kids movie that is asking some big questions.
I was happy to see Kate Winslet win for The Reader. I thought the film was excellent and she in particular was just stunning. What a range to encompass in an film and to play such a complicated yet simple character. I was also happy to see Penelope Cruz win for Vicky Cristina Barcelona. The movie was woefully underappreciated and one of my fond movie memories of 2008.
How is the economic crisis going to impact movies this year? I don't know yet. I suspect some of the big budget films will continue to be made and that some of the smaller more adult films might get shelved. I would like to see a breaking up of the conglomerates that control the system now so that more smaller companies are involved and we see a return to more independent theatres etc. I doubt it'll happen but one can wish!
One last thing that struck me about the Oscars was the references by winners from the movie Milk, in particular Dustin Lance Black and Sean Penn about Proposition 8 here in California. Going thru some personal experiences with hatred directed at me by others, gives me a certain degree of empathy to the whole issue around Proposition 8. So much of the pro prop 8 stance comes from hatred and fear of the different. Why do we let ourselves be drawn to and consumed by hatred of others. Hatred is such a toxic emotion and nothing good ever comes out of it. It destroys not only those the hatred is directed at but also those doing the hating, it destroys them from within. That Black and Penn had the courage to get up and speak to this issue is a testament to the use of the bully pulpit when you have the chance. In the movie The Reader, what underlies the story is a whole society that didn't speak up, didn't use the bully pulpit and became a nation filled with hatred and evil intentions. Normal everyday people who walk the street, breathe the air, just like you and me and they created and executed millions of people only because their religion was different.
It'll be nice to see if we can, in this time of economic peril, transcend this type of behavior and move forward to include and not exclude those among us who are our fellow human beings.

Peace,

Random Thoughts and Comments 2/20/09

Been down with a kidney stone again. Getting to go for a ride on the lithotriptor next week to get things cleaned up and have me back to 100%. Apologies for delays in posting.

LET THE SLIMEBAGS CLIMB UNDER A ROCK
The revisionist history is beginning in earnest. An article by Dana Milbank in the Washington Post today talks about a conference that was attended by NeoCon and Iraq Strategy Guru Richard Perle in which he not only denied that there is a neoconservative movement, especially in foreigh policy but he also accused those who say there is, (everyone), that they are anti semitic since many of the people espousing neo con theory are Jewish. Talk about stretching things! Does Perle realize that Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and others are all Christians? Ok enough said on this. I recommend reading the article at www.washingtonpost.com

STIMULUS SCHMIMULUS
The initial fight over the Stimulus package is over now. My guess, based on what I have been reading by people who have been right about this thing all along is that this package is not enough and we'll be back at the counter needing more money in a few months. Why people think business tax cuts are going to matter at this point is beyond me. This stimulus package has to be a bottom up affair. So much of what we are going thru right now is psychological and if people start spending money, some of that psychology is going to shift. Business is going to invest and banks and going to invest when they see a situation that is advantageous for them, not when they get a tax cut. I urge you to contact your elected representative and let them know to eliminate tax cuts for business and the wealthy as we move thru this mess. They are the ones who created this disaster and they need to pony up and take responsibility. So far I'm not seeing that happen.

OSCARS
I've seen some of the nominated films, not all of them. Here's my opinions based on what I've seen:
1. Benjamin Button - cute but in a corporate way, very soulless. A pretty boring guy who had the body of a young man after living a life. Something many of us have wished for at one time or another, to have a young body and the life experience in our mind. I thought the movie really missed an opportunity to say something fairly profound about life.
2. The Reader - Kate Winslet is excellent in this movie as is David Kross as the young man and Ralph Fiennes as the older version of the same man. This movie asks some difficult questions, not only about having a broken heart and love and it's nature, but also about going along to get along, about not standing up about accepting fascism/totalitarianism. A powerful film, Winslet is great as the Damaged Hanna.
3. Slumdog Millionaire - Cute, shallow, well crafted story, but in the end perfect for most american movie audiences. It really doesn't ask anything and it feeds into the American Dream of escaping your poverty by using your wits and becoming rich and getting the girl you love! It's a nice movie but by no means to the best. It'll probably win because it's a feel good movie and it stars minority actors. The Academy loves to reward/make political statements when it's as easy as this.

Enjoy the telecast of the Oscars on Sunday.

Why Are Senators Reducing the Stimulus?

There's reasons that no one in the major corporate media is talking about, that Senators are reducing the President's Stimulus Package as it moves though the legislative process. What could be the motivation of this small group of Senators and Congressman who are fighting to reduce the package? I suspect it has to do with some requests from either the Financial Services Industry or some other Corporate Interest Group. These Senators don't do the bidding of the people, they do the bidding of the large corporations and big monied individuals they've served for their entire time in Congress. Sure they occasionally don't do things and hence they are deemed "moderate", but that only means that they aren't 100 percent in the tank for Corporations.
Let your Senator or Congressman know what you feel about the Stimulus Package. Pro or Con, let your feelings be known. It's their job to serve their constituents not just the wealthy and powerful.

Peace,

Stimulus and Cowardice

So the stimulus is going to pass and there's been a trimming of the package to 790B with some other "conditions" to wait and see on about 10 to 20 percent of the money. It's amazing to me how absolutely tone deaf both parties have been on this issue for different reasons. The Republican Party has been the party of "no" on this issue and has offered tired old solutions that have been discredited by the current crisis we are in. The Democrats, some of whom in the Senate, are acting like they are in the race of their lives with a strong Republican candidate, are being gun shy. Republicans understand power, and they use it. Fascists are that way. For some reason, more liberal folks have a problem. My theory is that many of these so called centrist Democrats and Republicans are really Corporatists at heart and they want to help the Corporation and not the People.
When Paul Krugman and Joseph Stiglitz are both saying that this Stimulus Package is not anywhere near enough money, you know something is up. When the "discredited" economists and politicians are saying it's too much money, you know Krugman and Stiglitz are right! I sure hope to god the approval of this package has an immediate "psychological" impact on the markets so credit will be freed up. My gut tells me no.
I sure hope that the Dems push Harry Reid out the door. He's too timid, too corporatist and too afraid to make some big steps. He's a procedure guy, which can be good sometimes, but he can't see the forest for the trees sometimes and frankly, I've never felt he was a powerful leader. That is what is needed right now. President Obama is forceful in his presentation and implementation of his programs and he needs a real go getter in the Senate to push his programs thru. Harry Reid is not that man. Maybe he'll surprise me, but again, my gut tells me no.
Here's wishing you a wonderful Saturday.
Peace,

Friday and it's the Economy Stupid!

Paul Krugman once again sets things right and sounds the warnings to the know nothings who want to resist acting to fix the mess they've created. In opposing the Stimulus Plan proposed by the new President, the Republicans and some conservative Democrats (Ben Nelson), remind me of the kids who came over to their friends house, ate all the food, took the piggy bank, trashed the residence and now, seeing that everything needs to be cleaned up and accounted for, deny ever being there. Amazing to me how we as human beings continue to do this.
Here's a link to Krugman's column today. Get Involved!! Write to your Senator about the Stimulus, it makes a difference!!
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/opinion/06krugman.html?_r=1

Peace,

Thomas Frank

Thomas Frank has a regular op ed column in the Wall Street Journal and his most recent is excellent reading. Here's a link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123371071061546079.html?mod=rss_The_Tilting_Yard

Peace,

Another Easy Way to Keep Up with the Economy

Paul Krugman BLogs at the NY Times and he's been right about this whole thing from day one. He, along with Joseph Stiglitz and a small number of other Economists were voices in the wilderness compared to the hordes of economists who were going along with the prevailing conservative wisdom, primarily championed by Milton Friedman, that the Market always knew best. Krugman's blog is a great way to keep up with things and he covers other topics that aren't necessarily discussed in detail in his twice weekly columns. The man is a genius and what he says should be taken very seriously: http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/

Peace,

Tom Daschle - So Long We Hardly Knew You

So Tom Daschle leaves before he starts as Obama's Secretary for Health and Human Services. Seems like not only the unpaid taxes from his free use of a buddy's limo/car service, but also some major conflicts of interest were surfacing. Seems like all these folks who have "experience" in Washington D.C. also happen to have conflicts of interest. Is it that the way of doing business is one big conflict of interest? Might be, as Mr. Daschle's wife could probably attest. Linda Hall Daschle is a registered lobbyist with the Washington firm of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz in D.C. While nothing is wrong in and of itself with someone choosing their profession and doing it legally, there seems to be problems with many of these power couple marriages. We are seeing more and more of the "oops I forgot to pay the taxes for my immigrant housekeeper or nanny" issue crop up. I think it points to a level of elitism and privilege that these folks become oblivious to and at some point take for granted. We as constituents have to decide what type of government we want. We can't afford to be lazy and let arrangements that serve the rich and powerful ONLY, be set up on our watch. Democracy is messy and takes effort. It's not enough to just vote once every two or four years. Taking and making the effort to stay informed, to write your elected representative at whatever level you need to and to stay educated on the issues is imperative for all of us. It's much too easy for us to end of with the type of fascist government we just suffered through for the last eight years. We must say "Never Again". Demanding more and better ethical behavior from our elected representatives is a good start.
The bigger task is much harder as it involves overturning a Supreme Court Decision and laws written by Congress. Specifically I am talking about declaring that a Corporation is Person. This is something that was done in the late 1800's if memory serves, and needs to be changed. Corporations and the money they throw around, not to mention the influence that they have in Washington is so out of proportion to what it should be in a representative democracy, that it HAS to change. Please take time to investigate this issue. Here's a good place to start: http://www.thomhartmann.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=196&Itemid=79

Thom Hartmann is a great resource. If you listen to his radio show, he provides alot of useful and necessary information. I'll have more places to look later.

Peace,

Beginnings

I've wanted to do this for a quite a while and have been working into it through blogging on my MySpace page to get some practice in and now I feel I'm ready to do this on a regular basis. I hope that the information I offer is thought provoking, timely and provides readers with something that enriches their life in some way.