The London Olympics Opening Ceremony

I don't know how most of you feel about it but I thought the London Opening Ceremony paled in comparison to the Beijing Ceremony.  Now I admit that Beijing was a tough act to follow but can't help but think that London didn't even try very hard to match it.  Perhaps realizing that it was futile to top or equal the splendor of the Beijing ceremony they settled for a mish mash of everything British that was at times quite silly and downright boring.  I endured it for two hours and realizing that I wasn't going to miss anything too special or grand, turned it off and went to sleep, didn't even feel like taping it certain that I had gotten the gyst of it and didn't much care for it. Judging from the mixed comments I saw today, it doesn't look like I missed anything spectacular.

The Tragedy of Madness.

By now everyone must have heard the horrific massacre at the movie theater in Colorado.  Twelve dead in cold blood and more than fifty wounded but I suspect the dead toll will continue to rise.  And why?  Because a once brilliant, promising student plunged into the dark world of madness and nobody saw it coming.  We try to protect ourselves from overt terrorism at the airport with scanning machines and secret service agents but how do we protect ourselves from the madness within our shores?  How do we protect ourselves from a man bent on destruction and self destruction?  This man was an American citizen, by all accounts what we classify as a "winner" yet now he joins the ranks of the many monsters that preceded him.  If  his parents saw the signs of his mental deterioration, shame on them for not doing something about it before it was too late.  Now they'll have to live with the blood of the innocent, fun loving victims on their hands.  And as for us, just another horrific example of the madness all around us we have to live with.  Just another horrific example of the fragility of our lives.  A madman or a terrorist can invade our subways, our stores, our supermarkets, our gyms or anywhere were a lot of people gather and carry out his monstrous deed.  He has nothing more to lose because he's already lost his soul so his goal is to take as many people with him as possible.  I suspect that in the dark world Mr. Holmes has retreated to, he feels like a hero today.  The man who once tried to be a great healer had successfuly made the switch to a great destroyer.  I suspect this man always had megalomaniac tendencies and it was only a matter of time before madness overtook him.  What will happen to him now?  Unfortunately nothing much.  He'll probably spend the rest of his sorry days in a mental institution, drugged out of his mind and pacing with all the other lost souls of the world.  He will never confront the horror of his actions.  He'll never think of the people he ambushed and murdered in cold blood or the ones he wounded and perhaps blinded or paralized for life.  We have the torment, because every time a horrific thing like this happens, we lose a little bit of ourselves.

Goodbye Ernie

A great actor has died, and make no mistake about it because Ernest Borgnine was a great actor.  During his long, spectacular career, he gifted us with many outstanding performances.  He will be forever remembered for his breakthrough performance as the lonely, lovelorn butcher in Marty, of course, but this fiery actor proved himself with many great performances long before that.  Sure he was typecast as the heavy in most of those movies but his performances were great nonetheless.  He acted with such power, such magnetism, putting the different sides of his personality in each and every film, that when he came on the screen we were mesmerized.  He was a star and an actor, and we were lucky to have him doing what he loved to do for so long.  I honored him by watching some of  his movies when I got the news and that's where he'll live forever, on the screen, for the enjoyment of generation after generation.

Merci et Bon Voyage Nora Ephron

I was shocked by the news of gifted, witty, wonderful Nora Ephron's untimely death.  She had a unique voice and manner that was both romantic, hilarious and extremely perceptive.  Her accomplishments were many but to me her masterpiece will always be the marvelous, scintillating "When Sally Met Harry," and I honored her yesterday by watching that comedy which is still one of my favorites.  A writer always reveals her true self in her work and I saw in her a woman deeply aware of her mortality who was living her life with lots of joy, passion and humor, making each day count and urging us to embrace the moment and live as intensely as she did.  Who can forget the moment when Sally raises her pretty eyebrows and tells Harry, "Why, I'm glad to see that you're actually embracing life in this manner, Harry," when he divulges that he's getting married?  Who can forget the last scene in the movie when Harry realizes he's always loved Sally and runs to tell her?  Beneath that sharp, razor like wit hid an incurable romantic, a woman who viewed her life as the fantastic adventure that it really was.  She left a rich legacy of work because hers was a life well lived but unfortunately it was cut too short, and she fought a long, courageous battle at the end of her life.  Let's learn from her now and remember her with humor, gratitude and laughter.  Adieu Nora.

A Grim Anniversary

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Father's day and it's hard to believe that today is the somber anniversary of the Medford Killings that shocked New York, the country and the world.  A crime so heinous that we still can't get over it.  The fact that four innocent victims lost their lives in such a senseless manner will always haunt us on this day, and this date of joy and celebration will be forever marred by the tragedy in New York.  I can't speak for the other relatives, but I know the Fergusons personally and they have put the tragedy behind them.  Faced with the ultimate tragedy, they have chosen life over death.  They have chosen to honor the memory of their beloved son by going on with their lives, as he, with his generous spirit, would have wanted them to.  They have assimilated the loss with grace and dignity, gathering strength and fortitude from each other.  Raymond Ferguson would have expected nothing less from them.

Goodbye Mr. New Year's Eve

It's hard to believe Dick Clark is gone. He had many accomplishments in his illustrious career but to me he will always be Mr. New Year's Eve. For decades, he was a steady fixture welcoming the New Year in style at Times Square, and it gave us all a sense of continuity, almost of immortality that somehow some things never die. Dick Clark stood there year after year in all kinds of weather for us, and truly seemed to relish in his role as the perpetual "bon vivant" of New York. He was smooth, likable and a big part of our lives. Whether we watched him on television or braved the crowds to see him in person, he was an indelible image out there in the biggest party of the world. New Year's Eve will never be the same without him. He will be sorely missed and I can't imagine anyone else taking his place. So let's raise our Dom Perignon champagne glasses (because for him nothing else will do) in a great toast To Mr. New Year's Eve. May he have a great trip.

Thank You Readers

My sales just hit their first milestone. I sold 300 hundred copies in March and I'm very happy. I treasure and appreciate each and every sale because I know you've got a zillion choices out there, so the fact that you picked my books is very rewarding. For all bird lovers, I hope you like the sweet and tender true story of my unforgettable birds "Jill & Mickey."
For memoir lovers, I hope you like "Beyond the Snows of the Andes," and "A Different Journey." I'm currently working on a novel and I'm very excited, the fact that you're buying my books has given me wings. Once again, thank you, thank you, merci beacoup, gracias, grazie mille, etc.

http://www.amazon.com/Jill-Mickey-ebook/dp/B007I4Y674
http://www.amazon.com/A-Different-Journey-ebook/dp/B005J6JGOG
http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Snows-Andes-ebook/dp/B004MDLV0O