Easter!

 Happy Easter! This photo was taken in 2014! 

Oasis

The food at the Oasis in Austin is mediocre but the views spectacular. 

 

UT College Visit

 

Opening Day!

Opening Day. No I’m not at the game today. This is a couple of years ago. I’m there in spirit. 

DISASTER!

My home county has declared a Disaster Declaration in anticipation of Eclipse Day on April 8th. 

Multitudes

 

Been listening to Multitudes by Feist a lot lately. Very powerful with layers of emotion and deep harmonic resonance. Highly recommend.

99

 

Recently my wife and I have been watching old episodes of Brooklyn 99 as a way to unwind from stressful days. We didn't watch it the first go around. It's pretty good stuff!

Kane

Yesterday was a rare day when I found that I had the house all to myself for a few hours in the morning. So I popped some popcorn and put Citizen Kane in the DVD player. It was as great as I remembered. It had probably been twenty years since I had seen it last. And now, it resonates with the surreal cult of personality that has surrounded Trump the past several years. A 1941 movie with eerie prescience for the 2020s. 

Totality

 Saw these at the Kaufman Walmart. Better get ready. 

The Eyes

 The Eyes and the Impossible is an all-ages book by Dave Eggers. This was a delightful read and I enjoyed the experience of reading it greatly. A tale told from the perspective of a wild dog who lives in a great urban park. Honestly, I'm not usually interested in these types of stories but I found this one evocative and emotionally wrenching at times. Eggers is a master of prose. The artwork was beautiful, the hard-bound book of great heft. I highly recommend this book.

Blue Planet

Did I mention I got tickets to Weezer for their September appearance in town? I’ve seen Weezer three times live and honestly did not expect to pony up to see them in concert again. But, in honor of the 30th anniversary of the Blue Album, they are performing the entire album from start to finish live along with other faves. I’ve never heard them perform some of these Blue classics including my favorite Weezer tune, Holiday. Plus, the Flaming Lips! I've always liked the Flaming Lips. Their album "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" is an all time classic. So yeah, couldn't resist and snagged tickets.

Got a New Hat

 

 

Last week we went to a thrift store near downtown, Dolly Pythons. I bought a new hat. A Charlestowne by Goorin Brothers for $30. They list new for $115 so I thought that was a pretty good deal. I've wanted an old fedora for some time. I've always liked hats and when I was a kid had a cheap fedora I wore as part of my Indiana Jones Halloween costume for three years in a row. 

But I was reluctant to get one in adulthood because I didn't want to look like a wannabe hipster. But now that I'm in my fifties I care less and less about what people think of my personal style. One thing I regret in life is that I sometimes I didn't feel free to be myself style-wise in fear of what others might say. With age, I worry about that less and less. If I want to wear a fedora...I'm going to wear a fedora.

Montmarte

Montmarte: Paris's Village of Art and Sin by John Baxter. I'll read anything by John Baxter. He's a fantastic storyteller and narrator of fascinating history. He's written books on a lot of subjects but his series of books on Paris are my favorite. I finished this in two days. His stories are that compelling. And true!

Find!

$3.99 for one of the all time classics of jazz. Unscratched and unblemished. Half Price Books didn't know what they had! This live album by Erroll Garner is considered one of the greatest live recordings in jazz history. An old man who was subbing at Highland Park High School when I was working there in 2004 told me about it and loaned me his CD copy. It blew my mind. I've always kept an eye out for an original vinyl version and twenty years later found it last week.

 

The Dispossessed

A towering achievement of speculative science fiction. Ruminations on anarchism, capitalism, socialism all told in clear prose of a personal story. Le Guin is a master storyteller and conveyor of ideas. I greatly enjoyed this work. 

Her Right Foot

One of my favorite authors, Dave Eggers, wrote an all-ages book about the meaning of the Statue of Liberty. They were selling copies of it on Liberty Island when I visited a few days ago. Just read it and it is fantastic.

Something all Americans should read. It is a book about the meaning of America.

The Warwick

While in New York we stayed at the Warwick. It was quiet, clean and in a great location. Kim enjoyed getting coffee across the street at The Blue Bottle every morning. We often ordered breakfast for pick up at a Fresh&Co a block away. There was a subway stop on the corner although we didn’t make use of it due to Ava’s injury. We were just a couple of blocks from Central Park, Carnegie Hall, Rockefeller Center and Times Square. 

The Warwick was built in 1926 by William Randolph Hearst to be a place to stay for his girlfriend who was performing in the Ziegfeld Follies a block away  Cary Grant lived here for 12 years and you can rent out his suite. Elvis stayed here many times and this is where The Beatles were staying when Bob Dylan came to visit them. Many celebrities and historic figures have frequented the place and it is still in top shape. If I return to NYC this is where I would like to stay again.

 

Little Italy!