Thursday, December 28, 2017
Some of the happiest moments I've had attending live music performances were at Roches shows. In a year which cost us Chuck Berry and Tom Petty among many others losing Maggie Roche felt the most personal.
Wednesday, December 27, 2017
Coco the dog spent Christmas at the kennel, enjoying friend time with
the Bernese Mountain Dog and others. The following day Emily asked if I
would pick her up, which I did gladly, and I brought her to Big Pink.
Coco always enters Big Pink in a state of high anticipation. Perhaps Emily will be there, but even if she is not Orng will be, and Coco is very excited by Orng. This time was no exception. As soon as she walked in she began to bark in the vicinity of the Christmas tree.
Coco always enters Big Pink in a state of high anticipation. Perhaps Emily will be there, but even if she is not Orng will be, and Coco is very excited by Orng. This time was no exception. As soon as she walked in she began to bark in the vicinity of the Christmas tree.
Here's a thing about Coco: if she tells you that there is a cat
somewhere you can take it to the bank. I did not see Orng, or any other
cat, but I believed Coco, so I started moving her, on a short leash,
towards the kitchen. Of course the path was littered with boxes and
packages and Christmas debris, so I was picking my way carefully when,
from behind me I heard the brush of branches and the tinkle of
ornaments. I turned, and saw the orange cat emerging from her napping
spot, and stalking towards the dog and me, making a growling sound that
made it clear that she meant business.
Like the tigers who are her cousins Orng moved forward. Her intent was clear, and I imagined I could hear her thinking. "First there was that gray cat that ate my food. Then there were the kittens, and now this... this thing. It ends now. These people are not to be trusted. What next? Elephants? Walruses? Coco the dog, I will see your head on a pike."
I got Coco out of there tout de suite, upstairs to the TV room where we could watch Lost in Space behind a barricaded door, but Orng followed, slowly, and we could hear her growling her primal growl for some minutes after, on the other side.
Truly she is a magnificent animal.
Like the tigers who are her cousins Orng moved forward. Her intent was clear, and I imagined I could hear her thinking. "First there was that gray cat that ate my food. Then there were the kittens, and now this... this thing. It ends now. These people are not to be trusted. What next? Elephants? Walruses? Coco the dog, I will see your head on a pike."
I got Coco out of there tout de suite, upstairs to the TV room where we could watch Lost in Space behind a barricaded door, but Orng followed, slowly, and we could hear her growling her primal growl for some minutes after, on the other side.
Truly she is a magnificent animal.
Friday, December 22, 2017
Wednesday, December 20, 2017
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Here's the thing with taxes: they are a method by which governments raise money, but that is really only part of it. On the most fundamental level taxes are a means of expressing policy. When something is favored-- home ownership, say, or health insurance-- a good tax code promotes that activity. When something is disfavored-- soft drinks or cigarettes or early withdrawals from retirement savings-- a good tax code operates to discourage that. Tax codes require adjustment because at some point they start to operate as less of a mechanism for policy expression and more of an end to themselves. From what I can see the Republican tax legislation that we are about to suffer has as its policy expression the idea that taxes are bad, and that the accumulation and retention of wealth by a small minority is good. This is, of course an outgrowth of the nihilistic belief that government is the ultimate bad, instead of the source of value in society.
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
One of the things I think we are beginning to learn is the pervasiveness of sexual harassment, and I must confess that even though Anita Hill's testimony shocked and sickened me all those years ago, and even though I thought I had a handle on how common it is, I was grossly underestimating just how pervasive this conduct is, and how pernicious. I come at the issue knowing that my daughter's grad school choices were colored by the "open secret" culture, but I still never gave it as much thought-- or outrage-- as I should have. So here's Dahlia Lithwick on Judge Alex Kozinski, whose jurisprudence, as learned as it may be, should not furnish him with any shield from what I hope is public shaming and impeachment.
Sunday, December 10, 2017
The Williamsburg Bridge should be re-named in honor of Sonny Rollins. Why hasn't this happened yet? One of the really cool things about cool cities is that they honor their cultural contributors. You can't wander far in New Orleans without seeing Louis Armstrong's likeness. There is a statue of Stevie Ray Vaughn in Austin... New York is actually pretty good about this sort of thing, but there are a lot of pedestals that are or should be in need of new persons to honor, and America's jazz musicians deserve the recognition. It is odd to me, to drive past Hamlet, North Carolina and not see a sign that says, "Birthplace of John Coltrane". C'mon, Hamlet, NC! Trane is it for you, your claim to historical relevance.
Tuesday, December 05, 2017
It would be interesting, I think, to read a study about how law firms operate. It's a strange sort of business, as unstable as a sand castle. The Celino & Barnes imbroglio has captured a lot of attention, and now it seems that Goldberg Segalla is experiencing some notable defections. This is more common than not, and I wonder why that is so.
Monday, December 04, 2017
To Bill Frisell at the Albright-Knox Art of Jazz series Saturday, the second time this season we saw Mr. Frisell, this time in a duo with Thomas Morgan on double bass. A fantastic set, to say the least. At some point towards the end he segued into "What the World Needs Now", and the audience burst into spontaneous applause. A packed house, quite different from the first time Frisell played the AKG, when the audience was, shall we say, less receptive. We've caught up to him it would seem.
