Friday Grandbaby Blogging

I like to change Elmo's diaper but he doesn't like it because he likes to use the potty I see it on his DVD and on his website and he sings.

Bye bye I have to play now.

A Delicate Balance

L to R: Earl (of Old Town); U. Utah Phillips; Tom Dundee

Coffee Messiah asked me if I knew Tom Dundee. I heard Tom play a lot over my years in Chicago; an old friend of mine used to rent out his Condo on Juneway Terrace because he was on the road so much and so I met him, hung out with him a bit in the late '90s. He was a lovely guy, and a terrific singer/songwriter. I had no idea he'd died - motorcycle accident in April 2006. Two years before, his friend Fred Holstein died - another staple in the Chicago music scene. And before that, Mike Jordan, and before that Steve Goodman. It is all so fleeting.

"And its all such a delicate balance
Takes away just as much as it gives,
To live it is real,
to love it is to feel
You're a part of what everything is.

And its all such a delicate balance
As it turns through the circles of air,
To worry does nothing
but steals from the loving
And robs from the pleasure that's there."

A Delicate Balance, by Tom Dundee

The Western Wall

My cousin recently went to Israel for the first time. I call her my evil twin, which, oddly, is what she calls me. We constantly egg each other on to adorable levels of snarkiness and we laugh till we drool or have to run to the loo. She's hilarious.

During her trip, she got to go to the Western Wall in Jerusalem. The Wall was part of the Second Temple, and is a holy place for Jews. People go there to pray, and they put prayers on notes and stuff them into the cracks between the stones. She managed to get this amazing, spiritually loaded, photo:

"Yo, God? This is Phil. Can I have mustard on that Pastrami sammich? Hold the pickles, they give me gas."

You Don't Need a Weatherman to Know Which Way The Wind Blows

Hat tip to Dusty for getting this information out.

The SDS is waking up after a 40 year nap. Pat Korte, a sophmore at The New School in Greenwich Village, is a co-founder of the newly revived group. He feels that the new incarnation of SDS benefits from hindsight: the original SDS was highly factionalized and eventually fell apart because of that factionalization.

And while the new incarnation of SDS has not come up with anything as compelling as The Port Huron Statement of 1962, Mr. Korte does recognize that while revolutionary change is essential, "blowing up buildings is not going to get us anywhere. Nor is joining the Democratic Party.”

We lack a sense of urgency today which we had in the '60s. Perhaps this rebirth of student activism is lighting that essential sense of urgency. I hope so. We need social change. The original Port Huron Statement said "A new left must start controversy across the land, if national policies and national apathy are to be reversed." I do not advocate blowing up buildings, but I do advocate blowing up old ideas. Like Dusty, I was a member of SDS in the 60s. Perhaps it is time to rejoin.

My other blog!

Okay, I've done it. I now have a second blog, Luxury Adventures, strictly devoted to travel. That way I can keep politics and personal away from selling adventure travel, and this makes all the sense in the world to me.

So visit. I've JUST started it.

I Think It's Going To Rain Today

Let's tell Betsy Ross how good we feel

Not bad for a guy who used to be a postal worker in a Chicago suburb, eh? I love John Prine.

Friday Grandbaby Blogging

Okay so but I like to paint and it is more fun than watching the Iowa Caucus which is really starting to scare me because if someone who doesn't believe in science might be President then maybe they will make me have to be a Christian and I don't want to be a Christian I want to paint and eat cookies. Its a funny name, Huckabee. Didn't they make a movie called I Heart Huckabee? and it wasn't really very good, my Gamma didn't like it much, but she did like No Country for Old Men but I didn't see that movie because I'm only almost three. I like Finding Nemo. Okay, I have to go play now. Bye bye.

Election Coverage

Given The Wall Street Journal's incisive take on Dennis Kuchinich (with a very big hat-tip to Dusty), I thought I would provide the following election coverage:


Poll: Bullshit Is Most Important Issue For 2008 Voters

Imagining the Iowa Caucus

Reading about the escalating violence in Kenya, I can't help but envision this kind of tribal fighting wending its way toward our shores. What stops us from killing each other when our chosen candidates don't win? What stops us from burning down buildings, or upending automobiles?

Yesterday, as an alternative to football, some of us went to a movie. In the pre-movie onscreen noise, there was an infomercial for TruTV: "it's not reality, it's actuality." Huh?

I wonder, at the end of the day, what possible difference it's going to make who wins the Iowa Caucus. What difference does it make? I'm still going to face gasoline prices that are inching toward $4 per gallon. I'm still going to have drug copayments of $50 a refill. I'm still going to get up and go to work every day.

No answers, just more and more questions.

Happy New Year

May 2008 bring peace, joy, and the fulfilment of our wildest dreams. Thank you all for remaining readers while I got re-grouped. It was an odd year for me, with some painful losses. Ellie Bean is a joy, and I adore her. As for politics, I think I am going to endorse Donald Duck for President.

Peace, love and joy to all.

Fiber Retreat in New Zealand

Here's a thought: A creative retreat in New Zealand for knitters, or fiber artists of all kinds. Space is limited to ten, but they offer three dates. Cost is not bad, either, about $1600 USD for the five days plus airfare.

Day 1
Arrive, meet the staff and tour the factory
At the Mill House classroom with Jo Reeve learn secrets of carding, building a rainbow, and blending fibres
Home stay for dinner
Evening party.

Day 2
Mill House classroom with Cindy Begg learn wool classing, and novelty spinning
Home stay for dinner
Pedicure and massage pampering.

Day 3
Back Country Adventure
Arrive Inverary Station and watch musterers and shearers at work then board 4-wheel drive vehicles to go across country for lunch in a musterer’s hut
On the journey home view the agate jewellery and woodland garden at Rangiatea farm and the alpacas at Homestead farm.

Day 4
Mill House classroom with Priscilla Lowry learn about silk, creating luxurious yarns and dyeing techniques
Home stay for dinner
Illustrated talk on silk and the world of the Geisha.

Day 5
Mill House classroom with Rowena Hart using your beautiful yarns weave a fashion garment.

Take home new skills, new experiences, the warmth of new friendships and a fibre adventure you will never forget!

Friday Grandbaby Blogging

Brunei

Long House on the Temburong River

This is one of the reasons I love what I do: in a couple of months I am hosting a segment of a World Cruise. One of the ports of call is Bandar Seri Begawan, in the Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam. Brunei is on the northern coast of the island of Borneo: an oil-rich, peaceful enclave with one of the most diverse eco-systems in the world. Nearly 80% of Brunei is tropical rainforest. When you consider that the entire nation is just under 5800 sq km, that's a lot of forest. And most is easily accessed from Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital.

Honest to pete, this is not a place that sort of comes to mind quickly. I do not get a lot of calls from clients saying "Hey, I've got an idea! I want to go to Brunei Darussalam!" But because I am going to get there, I have to read up, learn all I can, and prepare for my new adventure. More to come.

Tips for Spiro!

Since Commandante Agi asked so nicely, I'm going to make some suggestions for Madrid, Barcelona, and Paris. Let's get the annoying stuff out of the way: Security at the airports in Europe is quite tough. So when you pack, if you're even remotely in doubt, don't carry it on the plane. ONLY ONE CARRY ON, not a carry on and a small personal bag, per person!

Madrid: Visit the Prado Museum which contains the world's best collection of Spanish painting, including works by El Greco; Velazquez; Goya; Ribera; Zubaran; Murillo. The Prado also contains works by Van der Weyden and Hieronymous Bosch; it houses the most complete collection of Titian's works as well as other painters from the Venice School; and also houses a collection of first class work from English, German, and French artists. And visit the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia National Museum, which has a collection of 20th Century painting and sculpture: works by Picasso, Juan Gris, Miro, Dali, Chillida and Tapies. Finish the visit with Picasso's Guernica - the most compelling visual reminder of the horrors of war I have ever seen.

I can arrange a day of private cooking lessons in an atelier in a private home, if you would like.

Visit the Malasana quarter, and witness how a middle class neighborhood is being "discovered" by Madrid's hip, younger generation. Taberna Lardosa supposedly has the best draft beer in Madrid! This quarter is loaded with off-scene theaters, modern shops, hip restaurants and cafes, intermingling with history: the Church of San Antonio de los Alemanes is an 18th Century Baroque building with lavish frescoes.

Or, you can do a day trip to Toledo, the city of three cultures. Christians, Arabs, and Jews lived here successfully and peacefully, for centuries during the Golden Age. Churches, Mosques, Synagogues make the Old Quarter a virtual museum of diversity of architectural styles (and a testement to how people can indeed live in peace with each other.) This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Barcelona: The heart of Modernism probably lies in Barcelona. The movement had its heyday in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, and embodies the most innovative creations in art, literature, theater, architecture, decoration, and furniture design. Gaudi, the master of Modernist Architecture, lived in Barcelona - his works are part of what makes this city breathe. Visit his masterpiece, the Sagrada Familia Church, and also Park Guell. And visit the Picasso Museum (also the one in Paris).

I can arrange a private excursion out the the Montserrat and Penedes Wine Regions, if this is of interest.

Paris: There is a line from a movie that says "Paris is always a good idea." I could not agree more. Paris is divided into 20 districts that spiral out like a snail shell from the first, centered round the Louvre. I always walk in Paris, although the Paris underground is quite easy to navigate (and it's clean, and compared to other cities, quiet.) I walk in Paris because it's how I discover things: places like the Place des Vosges, the oldest square in Paris and a virtual oasis of calm in this bustling city. Located in Le Marais, it has a history - it was the first example of "urban planning" and dates from 1612. You can visit Victor Hugo's house for free!

Once you're peaceful, go to Musee Carnavalet (23-29 rue de Sévigné 75003): this is Paris from the Roman times to 1900… If you see only one museum, see this one! It goes on and on and on and on and on and on! I quite love it. Dine somewhere in Le Marais. You can't miss. Actually, dine anywhere in Paris. You can't miss.

I can create private tour experiences in each city that will give you an insider's view in each city, or the surrounding areas. Feel free to email me with questions!

This is first, and foremost, a travel blog

My blog is about travel. That's what I originally intended it to be but somehow I got sidetracked into the despair of all things political. It isn't that I don't care, it's that I believe that the surest way I can help create peace is to help people travel.

I'm also talking about experiences, where you can rub elbows with locals and really get to know a place. When you break bread with someone, and conversation flows, your heart and mind opens. When you hold hands with a child in a local village, your heart and mind opens.

So this is where I am, and this will be my focus. Nothing more, nothing but travel.

Breaking News: Scientific Study!

Study Finds Working At Work Improves Productivity

Join me in fighting poverty

Subject: Join me in fighting poverty!

Hi,

I've just signed the ONE Declaration committing myself to help fight the emergency of global AIDS and extreme poverty.

I'm asking you to make that commitment, too, by adding your voice.

I think your name belongs on that declaration, too. You can put it there by visiting:

One

ONE is a new effort by Americans to rally Americans - one by one. So far, over two million have signed the declaration in support of a historic pact for compassion and justice to help the poorest people of the world.

Together as ONE we can make a difference!

Thanks!

Images from the California Fires

A California Department of Forestry firefighter attempts to extinguish hot spots burning near homes on Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2007, in Running Springs, Calif. (Photo: GETTY IMAGES/Justin Sullivan):



A firefighter fights the Poomacha fire early Thursday, Oct. 25, 2007, on the La Jolla Indian Reservation, Calif. (Photo: Getty Images/Eric Thayer):



Burned homes surround an unburned home after wildfires swept through the area in San Diego County near Rancho Bernardo, Calif., Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2007. (Photo: AP Photo/Chris Carlson):



A San Bernardino county firefighter hoses down the remains of a burned home in Lake Arrowhead, Calif., Monday, Oct. 22, 2007. (Photo: AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez):



Rubble is all that is left of a million dollar home as strong, gusting winds push a wildfire through Malibu, Calif., Monday, Oct. 22, 2007. (Photo: AP Photo/Gus Ruelas):

The unthinkable

I've not been around blogging much. Nor have I been visiting any blogs lately. But today, I got an email from Thorne about the unthinkable: her grandson died in his sleep last week, no reason, he just stopped breathing. Please visit her blog with condolences, and give her your love. She needs it.