Five for the 5th

Here are five things for the 5th:

1.
I stumbled upon an Octavio Paz quote that rings in my head. It's something that I truly came to realize only a few years ago, and the reality of it still makes me pause. He said, "Solitude is the profoundest fact of the human condition. Man is the only being who knows he's alone."

2.
An excerpt from an Economist article a while back:
"Our future history will be more determined by our position on the Pacific facing China than by our position on the Atlantic facing Europe," said the American president as he contemplated the extraordinary commercial opportunities that were opening up in Asia.
Guess who said this? The article continues...
"More than a hundred years after Theodore Roosevelt made this prediction, American leaders are again looking across the Pacific to determine their own country's future, and that of the rest of the world. Rather later than Roosevelt expected, China has become an inescapable part of it."

3.
David Lebovitz
Living the sweet life in Paris.
This is a great blog.
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/

4.
Here's the BBC News profile on Aung San Suu Kyi.
She deserved the Noble Peace Prize. She also deserves freedom.
http://bit.ly/6LMHQS

5.
Found this on TED. I am a fan of Pilobolus and really enjoyed this. It is symbiosis...

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency

I am reading the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith. I came late to the discovery of these books, which has turned out to my advantage in one sense. Over the past two weeks, I have been reading these books in succession, having retrieved all of them from the library and stacked them neatly on the desk.

I am just now beginning the third to the last book, and I can already feel that I’m going to miss Mma Ramotswe, Mma Makutsi, and Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni. Not to mention the apprentices. The books take place in Botswana – Gaborone to be exact, with many references to Lobatse, the Kalahari, and places over the border. I know a slight bit about Botswana due to meeting two men in a computer training class years ago who were from that African nation. They shared the same pride that is evident in these books, and it was enough to cause me to look further at Botswana, this landlocked nation that is dry and hot.

There is a real sense of pride about Botswana in the books, of the people, of the land, of the old morality, and particularly of the leadership of the country – Sir Seretse Khama to be exact, the man who led the country after it became a free nation and whose legacy continues to guide the nation and its people. And there’s a great deal about cattle.

As with most good books, I find myself scribbling notes or underlying things. As these books are from the library, I’ve been jotting away. The books are filled with many truths. Here’s one: “A life without stories would be no life at all.”

These truths are observations. Observations about people, things, the world around us. The main character, Mma Ramotswe, the founder of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, is a keen observer. Having no experience in detection, other than having read her trusty manual titled The Principles of Private Detection, she brings her ability to distill the truths that she sees in people and their behavior to the art of solving problems. Problems more than crimes. Ones to which we can all relate or understand in some fashion.

These are easy, breezy books to read – about 200 pages each – and they are a real delight. I find myself laughing a great deal, but I also have had to stop a tear or two at times when something has touched me just so. I have vivid images of the characters. I hear their voices. And I can see the Kalahari.

One of the joys of reading is that it can transport you to another place. These books certainly have done that. But it’s more than place. These books have transported me to Botswana, to understand the people and their traditions and their land. And the most exciting thing is that when I resurface here on my land, half a world away, the lessons and truths that I have found in these books are relevant to the place where my two feet are planted.

Ending the Year with April 1st

On the last day of 2009, here’s a recap of what’s been happening in the April 1^st Project over the past few weeks:

I’ve come across a lot of book lists and recommendations.

The Bolter by Frances Osborne

Dreaming in Hindi by Katherine Russell Rich

On November 30^th, the WSJ headline indicated “Obama Sets Plan for Afghanistan.”

On December 10^th, Obama accepted the Nobel Peace Prize.

Oprah’s list of 10 books to watch for 2010:

Star: How Warren Beatty Seduced America

Unfinished Desires

The Happiness Project

Day Out of Days

Talking About Detective Fiction

Nanny Returns

U is for Undertow

Stones Into Schools

Footnotes in Gaza

Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat, and Obsession

Oprah and I don’t always share the same taste for books, but she’s got some good ones here. I have added The Happiness Project to my library list and also believe that I’ll venture into the last three on the list.

The Guardian in the UK created a list of ‘the decade’s best unread novels,’ which I found interesting and repeat here:

The Spare Room by Helen Garner

The Secrets of the Chess Machine

Don Quixote – Translated by John Rutherford

Mutiny by Lindsey Collen

Barefoot Soldier

War Reporting for Cowards

Born Yesterday by Gordon Burn

Black Juice by Margo Lanagan

Journal by Helene Berr

Boy A by Jonathan Trigell

The Three of Us

The Girl Who Stopped Swimming

I discovered www.filmsite.org as a great resource for film quotes and other movie-abilia.

“The excellence of a gift lies in its appropriateness rather than its value.” – Charles Dudley Warner

Had a delicious feast with friends on Christmas. Our menu was:

Porcini Mushroom Soup

Beet Salad with Dijon-Honey Dressing

Baked Snapper with Potatoes, Oregano, and White Wine

Roasted Carrots

Brussels Sprouts Sauteed in Butter

Braised Fennel with Lemon

Berry Clafouti

“In order that people may be happy in their work, these three things are needed: They must be fit for it. They must not do too much of it. And they must have a sense of success in it.” – John Ruskin

Discovered www.vook.com and www.myebook.com.  And some great stationery sites: Kate’s Paperie, Jenni Bick Bookbinding, and Vickerey.

I was disturbed this morning by an article in the WSJ about Iran titled “Regime Wages a Quiet War on ‘Star Students’ of Iran” – An excerpt: “In most places, being a star means ranking top of the class, but in Iran it means your name appears on a list of students considered a threat by the intelligence ministry. It also means a partial or complete ban from education.”

I find all the news out of Iran disturbing, but the continued clashes, arrests and violence against people seeking truth, freedom, and democracy is outrageous. They are brave in a way that most of us will never have to be.

On a lighter note, Dan Pink – of whom I’m a fan – has a new book titled “Drive.” In it, he sets out to outline what it is that motivates us. According to Pink (from an interview in the WSJ), he says there are three things that motivate us:
autonomy, the desire to direct our own lives
mastery, the desire to continually improve at something that matters
purpose, the desire to do things in service of something larger than ourselves

Whatever motivates you, I hope you find an abundance of it in 2010. I hope that your dreams come true, your goals are realized, and that you remain in good health. Happy New Year.

Reflect and Renew

As the year comes to a close, it’s time to reflect and to renew.

I find that the best way to look back is to do so with gratitude, being mindful of and thankful for all of the goodness that I have enjoyed. I am blessed with an abundance of deep and lasting friendships, and it is through those that many of my joys have been experienced. I am blessed that my professional life has yielded success in many ways, but the most valuable have been the relationships and bonds that have transformed a business connection into a personal friendship. I give thanks for all the love and support that I receive, for the heart that has been connected to mine for so many years, and for the ability to give and share joy, a warm smile, and a good laugh.

Simple things are great when viewed through the lense of gladness. The turtles laying their eggs earlier in the year, the eagles over the pond, the frog symphony outside the back of the house. The fun cooking class with neighbors, time perusing Food & Wine, Gourmet, and Bon Appetit, and dirtying my hands, the kitchen, and a lot of plates. I’m thankful for time to read (presently am enjoying the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith), time to write, good music (love that iPod), and moments of silence. This year, I particularly enjoyed the Houston Grand Opera’s Cavalleria Rusticana and  Rigoletto, the Alley’s Eurydice and Gruesome Playground Injuries, the Menil’s exihibit of Joaquin Torres-Garcia (not too late to see this great work, ends January 3), and countless other visual arts and performances. I have enjoyed my involvement with the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, enjoy my friendship with Alecia, and continue to be absolutely thrilled when I see them perform. I enjoyed my weeks of Looking at Art with a girlfriend as it gave us time to have a bite and catch up each week for a period – a true gift in the midst of busy lives and coordinated schedules. And there is so much more; these are but a sampling of my blessings.

In November, we kept a basket shaped as a cornucopia on the kitchen counter, a Post-It pad and a pen alongside. From the first until Thanksgiving, we became more attentive to those things for which we were/are grateful, and we wrote them down as they came to us, folded our notes, and deposited them into the basket. On Thanksgiving Day, we unfolded and read each one. From the big ideas to the small things, our gratitude overflowed.

I watched a podcast some months back that featured Oprah interviewing Sarah Ban Breathnach, the author of Simple Abundance, a book that I have not read or picked up – yet. I enjoyed the dialogue between these two women, and the focus was on gratitude. Sarah urged the keeping of a gratitude journal and the practice of writing in it daily. I did not adopt the journal then, but I have now. And I begin 2010 with a lovely journal that will spill over with kindness, goodwill, modest pleasures, and some extravagances. Life is so rich. My life is so very rich. For that I am tremendously grateful.

And it is because of this that I also take time now to renew – renew the commitments that I’ve made to myself, renew my aspirations, renew the strategy that I have for my life and my work. I make renewed commitments instead of resolutions because the word “resolution” seems to have finality to it. A beginning and an end, a resolved issue, a goal attained. Life is an ongoing process, a journey that will take you down a number of paths, each contributing to who you are and how you see the world. I renew, make adjustments as I feel are needed, and continue into the new year with boldness and an open and glad heart.

Wishing you daily moments of joy and the time to reflect. And I hope that 2010 renews your spirit and fills your heart. Happy New Year!

Road Trip

I have two good reasons for not having posted in a while -- writing and a road trip.

I've had two writing projects knocking around in my head, so I took some time to finish the first draft of a play (quite good if I may say) and dumping out a story that could become a novella (still working on this and hoping to finish it for NaNoWriMo). I enjoyed clearing my calendar and focusing on getting the words out. It was one of those times when characters just do and say what they want.

Then came the road trip. I was headed to see my dear friend Hilary who was visiting San Antonio for a conference. I had set the deadline for the draft of my play as the night before I would depart. As a reward for finishing (read: creatively making an excuse to head down the highway), Tom and I decided to enjoy a week of windshield time. So off we went. San Antonio - Santa Fe - Durango - Taos - Home.

Our timing was perfect. It had snowed just before we had set out, so there was a light dusting left on ground and blankets in the mountains. Santa Fe is a favorite destination for food, art, and nature. We enjoyed two nights there, ate really great meals at Amavi and Ristra, and fell in love with a painting by Nikolai Timkov.

From there, we headed to Durango. The drive was spectacular. After a while, you just can't say anything other than "Wow!" And I gave up trying to take pictures - you just can't capture it.

In Durango, we stayed at the Strater Hotel, dined at Cosmopolitan (nice meal), and found a great gallery, Ellis Contemporary, and met Monica, the owner. She carries wonderful glass and jewelry along with other arts.

The next day, we headed back down into New Mexico to Taos. Stayed in a private condo, time share, thing. Nice and quiet. Taos was quiet. Actually, every place was quiet and without much traffic. I guess everyone was gearing up for the holiday week. And it was time for us to head back.

The next morning, we boogied home.

Here are some shots out of the April 1st Project:

Beginning November with April 1st

The April 1st Project continues, and I've really been enjoying cataloging the things that enter my life. While it's not a perfect snapshot, I am able to jot down quotes, lists of things to explore, URLs, etc. And while I try to add a post as frequently as possible, I find that I can get behind. Here's a catch up:

A quote by Jorge Luis Borges, from The Threatened One
"Being with you and not being with you is the only way I have to measure time."

Joaquin Torres Garcia - No longer living, but very relevant. The Menil has an impressive sampling of his work. More here. While I always enjoy discovering new artists, I wish I would have found him earlier.

Georgeanne Brennan puts on 'Provence in California' culinary weekends all year round.

From watching an Oprah podcast with Sarah Ban Breathnach - I must be the only person to have not read Simple Abundance - I jotted down three things worth remembering, although I suspect there are more gems with further study:

1. Gratitude is grace
2. The authentic self is the soul made visible
3. Regret is the only wound from which we don't recover

A few books to consider:

• I Love Your Voice by Selim Nassib
• Blue Window by Craig Lucas
• An Anatomy of Drama by Martin Esslin

And if you love theatre and/or opera, then I suggest you see the Alley's production of Gruesome Playground Injuries and HGO's Elixir of Love and Lohengrin. Time is running out and all three are worth it.

Below are a few of the journal pages:

The Elegance of the Hedgehog or How a Good Book Warms the Soul

I finished reading Muriel Barbery’s The Elegance of the Hedgehog a few days ago, actually it has almost been a week. I wanted to write something about it but haven’t been able to put anything into words, at least appropriate words.

It was one of those rare books that gladdens the heart and makes you weep at the same time. I couldn’t read it fast enough, couldn’t put it down, couldn’t wait to get back to it. With a little more than 50 pages left, I settled into my spot on the back patio and dove headlong into this beautiful text.

This book is about big ideas and small things. The tiny pleasures of life fully enjoyed. Small observations leading to great understanding. Opposite stories gracefully intertwined.

As always, I jotted down sentences and noted things to further explore. But two quotes from the book really stood out:

“…but we all know perfectly well that, in essence, dreams and waking hours do not have the same texture…”

Think about the truth in those words.

And then:

“You might note that the most noble concepts often emerge from the most coarse and commonplace things.”

To compose common language into sentences that move the soul is a true art, and it is one to which I aspire. To do so requires living life and broadening experience, and one of the many ways to do so is to read. My father used to say, “learn another language, live another life.” I think the same is true about reading.

Giving yourself totally to another world, one made up of people and places and situations that you may never encounter, is more than a great way to spend a few hours. It’s a way to explore who you are, what you believe, and what the world means to you. At least it is so for me.

This book moved me in a way that I haven’t experienced in quite some time, and the sadness of ending such a masterpiece is in determining what comes next. What could I possibly follow this with? When will I shake the characters, or will I? Do I even want to?

My friend Teresa Southwell directed me to this book. Truly a gift, and one that I share with you now. Give it a go and see if it warms your soul.