Drifter’s Remorse and an attempt to restore some modicum of entertainment value to what has become (in the estimation of one of my esteemed colleagues) Richard’s Bog.

Always thankful that I’m surrounded at work by talented, smart, and brutally honest collaborators who take both pride and pleasure in the passing of judgment on all things….um, yes, on all things.

Seems that I have much to learn about the secrets of good blogging. So I’m going to try and make up for some recent less than scintillating posts and follow the advice of my betters (the afore-cited critic is a blogger himself but has asked me not to advertise on his behalf—apparently his blog has become something of a private password required kind of site due to some past legal problems related to content ownership and non-disclosure issues.)

Another thing about being around such creative free spirit types --most of whom,like yours truly, are former artists, writers, musicians, poets, slackers, dreamers and bums (was going to add actors, but dreamers and bums covers that) who at some point in their life woke up one day to discover that they were either married, parents, or had signed their name on a mortgage-- is that they like to fill their downtime with talk and trivia related to their pathological preoccupation with all things artistic. (Do lawyers stand around listing their favorite precedents?) Thus do they while away many an hour citing and debating favorite movie lines, movie scenes, characters, songs, mistakes (as in continuity gaffs) and a host of other things that generally have me (having grown up essentially TV free and relatively sheltered from the influences of mainstream culture) standing on the sidelines and rooting them on like a baseball fan watching a Cricket game.

So I’m taking a cue from them and my blogging mentor and proposing an interactive challenge that may or may not stimulate my many readers to whom I owe at least the gallantry of an effort to earn their continued attention.

Premise: A list. A la Woody Allen in Manhattan, who in one of his more memorable screen moments endeavored to list his top reasons to live. To refresh your memory, or introduce newbies to the classic Allen soliloquy…it went like this:

Well, all right, why is life worth living?
That's a very good question.
Well, there are certain things, I guess,
that make it worthwhile.
Like what?
OK... for me...
Ooh, I would say Groucho Marx,
to name one thing.
And Willie Mays.
And... the second movement
of the Jupiter Symphony.
And... Louis Armstrong's
recording of Potato Head Blues.
Swedish movies, naturally.
Sentimental Education by Flaubert.
Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra.
Those incredible
apples and pears by Cezanne.
The crabs at Sam Wo's.
Tracy's face.


Am I dreaming? I could have sworn that he also mentioned Sidney Bechet…but Sinatra? Swedish Movies? Brando? Wonder if he’d like to update that list—would make a great question for an interviewer today. Anywho…if so inclined, provide your own (very short, short, medium, or seemingly endless) list of reasons to live. Meantime I’ll think of my own and post in the not too distant future. Ah, why wait...this is my list...so far


The Drifter's incomplete list of Reasons to Live.

Ellen (If she doesn’t top the list, I’m dead already)
Eli and Will and entire family, friends, dog etc.
(Long as I’m being careful, might as well be thorough)
Death too ill defined.
Sushi (I know my son Will agrees)
Playing music
Laughter.
New guitar strings
The 55 Bar
Tres Generaciones Tequila
The ocean
The Sunday Crossword
Learning Bach’s Air on G string (Parkening version)
Monday NY Times for answers to the Saturday crossword
War and Peace still unread
Shakespeare (not reading or watching but just the idea of him)
Stevie Wonder’s For once in my Life
Finding out if String Theory is right
Pujols as a Met
Grandchildren (adoptions acceptable)
Beating one of my sons in tennis (will require 2 set plus 4 game handicap)
Buying my Sunfish
Sailing my Sunfish
Sailing my Sunfish with grandchildren
Selling my Sunfish