On the Road Again

The old schedule changed, and the new one is, as usual, non-committal.

Now through March 5: Arlington, VA
March 12ish - 19ish: Brooklyn & Manhattan, NY
March 19ish - 22ndish: Washington, DC/Arlington, VA
March 22nd - April 21: Orlando, FL
April 22nd - May 21: Santa Monica, CA
May 23rd - May 26: Richmond, VA
May 27 - June 19: Undecided, but thinking about Greece or Spain. Or CA again. Or Seattle or somewhere else, any ideas?
June 19 - 22: Virginia Beach, VA
after that is anyone's guess, and as it seems, all of it is anyone's guess.

SIGEP

I extended my trip in Europe an extra week -- for good reason. Delicious, in fact. I was invited to SIGEP, the Salone Internazionale Gelateria, Pasticceria e Panificazione Artigianali -- International Exhibition of Artisanal Gelato, Pastry, Confectionery and Bakery. Nearly one million square feet of show space (90,000 square meters). Over 95,000 attendees. Seriously? Si.

So much eye candy.

stop and smell the roses

I periodically go up to the rooftop of my building and take in the views. I'm especially sentimental now, since I'll be leaving this building soon.
My new travel schedule is:
Nov 30 - Dec 11 Santa Monica, CA
Dec 11 - Dec 18 Washington, DC
Dec 18 - Dec 27 Orlando, FL
Dec 27 - Dec 30 Washington DC
Dec 30 - Jan 10 Switzerland (Basel, Zurich, Lausanne, Geneva)
Jan 10 - Jan 23 Italy (Orvieto and Rome)
Jan 23 - Jan 27 Washington DC
Jan 27 - Feb 2 New York City
after that, I haven't decided.

Espos in DC!

I was actually in town when some family came through.

Ruth Gruber: Witness to History - 92Y Blog - 92nd Street Y - New York, NY

Ruth Gruber is a determined spirit, and I consider myself lucky to have seen her speak on Veteran's Day in Los Angeles. If you're in New York, see her at the 92Y.
Ruth Gruber: Witness to History - 92Y Blog - 92nd Street Y - New York, NY

Godzuki

Godzuki is one of the coolest cats ever.

Wii the People

My second grade cousin has a thing for all things related to money. For fun, he asks me if we can look up currencies on Wikipedia. "What kind of money do they use in Sweden?" he wondered. I made him type into the search bar, but he paused: "how do you spell it?"

I made him sound it out.
"Ssssuh..." I sounded
"S" he typed.
"...swuh..."
Sw.....
"sweeeee..."
Swii he typed.
"Uh, no, Ari, it's not wii. What else sounds like 'eeee'?"

In Rainbows

I'm listening on phones right now. Yes, it's late, really late, nearing my regular sleep time of 4 a.m., but this is a great midnight, or rather 2 a.m. treat. Thanks, Radiohead. Your fans love you.

Breakfast in NY, Canadian Style

Why these things happen to me, I'm not sure, but I wish I could bottle it up and hand it out. Check this out and here, too.

"Do you need a fourth chair?" I asked the gentleman arranging tables next to me.
"Not unless we have an unexpected guest." he answered.

I had just finished my breakfast and was drinking my pot of coffee from Le Pain Quotidien. He ordered his coffee and we chatted for a few minutes, then I turned back to my New Yorker.

A few minutes after his wife joined him, they leaned over to me and asked, "Do you know the difference between a caffe latte and a café au lait?" Other than one being Italian and the other being French, I gave them my best guess that a caffe latte was made from a shot of espresso with steamed milk and the café au lait was brewed (or pressed) french roast with hot milk. But in this day and age of part- skim- soy- decaf- macchiato- over-easy, who knew?

This was the start of a wonderful conversation. The Browns were from Toronto, and the night before had gone to see their son, a trombonist, perform in Brooklyn, away from his usual gigs with Michael Buble. Eventually, Josh joined his parents and our chat. Mr. Brown encouraged me to have an additional pot of coffee, which I did. They made me laugh, and I hope I did the same for them.

When it came time to leave, I asked for my check. The waiter nodded in the direction of Mr. Brown; "He already paid." I was told. I know people have been kind to me my entire life, but it still always amazes me how often and how much it happens, and each event is as sweet as the next. Thanks Mr. & Mrs. Brown!

Jump New England

My sister and I took a road trip to the Berkshires and Vermont for John and Erin's gorgeous wedding.

Happy Autumn!

The Mill in New York

Oh man, this place is magic.
Our friend David said "It's the sort of place you imagine a Katherine Hepburn movie would be filmed."

Happy Birthday, Dad

My dad turned 75 and the whole family, dozens of us, descended on the eating fest in Florida.

Virgin [welcome to] America

Please, please, DOT, grant them their government operating authority so we can fly.


On board, you can pick your own movies, videos, live TV; listen to music and make your own playlists (that will transfer to connecting flights); choose your food options in a picture-in-picture format while watching your show; play games; or talk to people in other seats, all on a 9" in-seat monitor.

And, first class seats are ridiculously cheap.

Jersey Boys on Broadway

I'm lucky enough to know Matthew Scott through his awesome aunt and uncle (who I am forever grateful to for too many things to list).

He's the swing on Broadway's Jersey Boys, and this particular day, he was performing as Frankie Valli -- to rave reviews and adoring fans. People couldn't get enough of him outside the stage door. Matt's so talented, he also performs the Bob Gaudio and Tommy Devito roles superbly (from what I hear on the streets).

If you get to see him perform, consider yourself lucky.



Clockwise from top left: Fans crowding Matt; Matt poses with anyone who asks; a fan raving to Matt's mom (who saw the show with us); and Mike jumping in front of the August Wilson Theater on Broadway.

Independence Day from Washington D.C.

Finally, a fourth of July spent in Washington D.C. We even had a view of the fireworks (with the tip of the Washington monument, the red light on the left) from our apartment window. The guy across the street was busy in his kitchen during the entire show.

Beach Yoga

My friend Aaron teaches yoga on the beach at Rose and the Pacific Ocean a few times each summer -- free to anyone who happens to be in Venice, California.

This kick off date for yoga in June was particularly special because it came complete with a kirtan at the end with Dave Stringer and friends performing.

When Organic Isn't Really Organic | TIME

When Organic Isn't Really Organic:
Albert Straus, owner of the Straus Family Creamery in the small northern California town of Marshall, decided to test the feed that he gives his 1,600 cows last year and was alarmed to find that nearly 6% of the organic corn feed he received from suppliers was "contaminated" by genetically modified (GM) organisms. Organic food is, by definition, supposed to be free of genetically modified material, and organic crops are required to be isolated from other crops. But as GM crops become more prevalent, there is little that an organic farmer can do to prevent a speck of GM pollen or a stray GM seed from being blown by the wind onto his land or farm equipment and, eventually, into his products. In 2006, GM crops accounted for 61% of all the corn planted in the U.S. and 89% of all the soybeans. "I feared that there weren't enough safeguards," Straus says.

excerpted from Time Magazine. Bold emphasis by me. I'm wondering if my grits are GMO.

Philip Johnson's Glass House.

I can't wait to see this.

New York Times article.

Tours are completely booked this year, and all weekend tours are sold out until next Spring already. Best chance is to go on a weekday, sometime in 2008!

Remember to eat here in NYC.

I have always loved meatloaf. And now, apparently, meatballs are the in food.

Jump Utah!

While in Utah, we jumped in the Coral Sand Dunes Park. Then off to the Grand Canyon the next day.

Road Trip

Roy's Motel & Cafe in Amboy, California is just a tiny ghost town. Erin and I stopped in search of food in the middle of the desert on our way to Kanab, Utah. Mission was not accomplished. Roy's isn't a functioning stop for anything other than bathrooms though the man sitting inside the diner with two dogs told us they'd be restoring the gas station and the diner one day. He also told us we were a hundred miles from the nearest eatery.

After shooting photos and a hundred miles later at some time past 3 p.m., Erin and I pulled into Searchlight, Nevada. Our choices were McDonalds or a casino. We opted for the casino -- which turned out to be surprisingly decent.

We poked around the Pink Coral Sand Dunes State park yesterday, and hiked on the north rim of the Grand Canyon today.
Photos soon.

A Call for Justice Against Poverty

I got this in my email today and read the whole speech by Bono. It is available as an online book called The ONE Campaign - on the move and for sale in tangible form (proceeds support the ONE Campaign).

Here's the text of the email:
Having worked in politics for a long time, I've heard thousands of speeches in my life, but none as moving as Bono's at the 2006 National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC. It was profound. It was a spiritual call to arms against injustices that we -- together as ONE -- can end. He elevated every person in the room to rise up and do something. See for yourself.

The speech is now available in a small, beautiful book called On the Move. Proceeds from On the Move support The ONE Campaign.

Here is one of my favorite passages:

"God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives. God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war. God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them."

You can read more through a new tool we're using called digital paper. It lets you literally flip through the pages of the book.

Go here for a virtual tour of On the Move and order your own copy.

This is an incredible time to be a ONE member. More than 100,000 members joined in less than a week and we've had a string of major back-to-back victories as we build our movement into a force unlike any other. We are growing. We are on the move. We will end extreme poverty. Bono's On the Move book reminds us of that. It guides, inspires and shines light for all to see. Please read it, and share it.

Thank you,

Susan McCue, ONE.org

Giro d'Italia live online

Dammit. Robert got me hooked. We hovered over his desktop this morning having coffee and watching Day 2 of the tour.

Watch the Giro d'Italia on RAI here, every day, live.

And since the RAI links are unreliable (at least on Mac), visit the official Giro website for updates (English and Italian), or the gazzetta for updates in Italian.

I guess once an American starts winning, we'll eventually get to see the Giro on U.S. TV. Back in 1996 I used to have to watch the Tour de France on ESPN2 at 2:30 a.m. for measly 30-minute highlights.