Thank You...
Christopher Davis:  Author of Blue Sky.
Another book I found sitting on the $2 rack at the Center for Fiction (nee Mercantile Library) and back cover copy convinced me to give it a try.  Account of prison life (on Death Row no less) and though I have no way of knowing from experience or otherwise how accurate it is, it simply has such a ring of truth that I can't imagine that the real thing could be otherwise. With no novelistic tricks or devices and an acute ear and eye for the telling detail, this is strong stuff. Straight no chaser.




Thank You...
Eliane Elias, Marc Johnson, Victor Lewis: 
Caught up with the Paulistana Pianist from paradise last night, along with her Bass Master husband and drumming legend Mr. Lewis. A night of trio jazz magic, with all three in dazzling form.  There is simply no one else like her.  And she seems to get better all the time, and now she's composing more and a new one in particular (B is for Butterfly) had me sitting there at the bar close to tears. Realized for the first time that a trio setting may be the best way to appreciate her genius, though she's never had anything but the finest collaborators and I love that guitar player she's had on board in previous years.  BTW: She's at the Iridium through Saturday...



Thank You...
Anthony Bourdain: Food and Travel Adventurer. Yes, he's a bit full of himself and his anti-hipsterism can come off as more annoying than the thing he's mocking, but I gotta give him credit for his work ethic and generosity of spirit.  No Reservations (though unfortunately, not the new show The LayOver) rarely fails to make me feel hopeful about the world because Tony celebrates and appreciates all that is simple, basic and universal.  Love of friends and family, the rewards of honest work, gratitude for nature's bounty, the joy of creative play, and not least of all, respect for the value of words.  Even the episodes that don't quite satisfy on other levels, almost always contain moments of narration that strike a chord and reflect his serious effort to make his observations as memorable in prose as they are in image.  A rare thing to encounter on TV. Other than catching an old Seinfeld episode I never saw and those addicting costume dramas and mystery series that the Brits keep shipping to our shores, this is about the only other tube offering I find myself feeling little post show remorse over when the final credits roll.


And thank you... Rich Cohen, whose book, Israel is Real was an eye-opening and rich learning experience.  


And Thank You  Leroy and Bobby Ah Choy, John Zabatocky, Laird Hamilton, Dave Kalama, Brian Keaulana, Mel Pu, and Bruce De Soto for getting up on your boards with Outrigger Paddles in your hands and making it possible for old men like me to head out to sea for hours of fun without fear of never coming back.