Thanks and Thanks Again

May 29, 2006

Well, I just read my last blog from March 25. I sound like the old cranky guy that I really am.  Still, I stand by what I said.  I was concentrating on putting my Roman Blog back together so that I can reshape it as a memoir, travel, coming of age book but it is going slowly so I am back to the intermittent blog.  Several of my faithful readers have told me that the Italian blog was long.  So it was.  I will try to simplify. 

It is Memorial day weekend and we put our flag up in Sonoma.  It is not hard to remember what this day is all about.  In Lima when I was a kid the parade on Memorial Day was bigger than the Fourth of July.  I suppose that was because World War II was just over and although we were united as a country then, we lost a lot of people in that war. The marchers in that parade fought in the Civil War, the Spanish American war, and World Wars I and II.   Even though it is 60 years since WWII ended it is not hard to remember the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Desert Storm, and now Iraq as well as the countless other actions that we have participated in.  We have much to protect and we haven’t always agreed on how to do the job.  But on this day we give thanks to the men and women who did it for us.  It is particularly affecting because it is beautiful, quiet, and peaceful in San Francisco today.  From my writing spot I can see the Bay Bridge and all of downtown in late afternoon brightness.  Thanks and thanks again.

On a lighter note, I am playing some ok but not great golf.  If I hit the ball well, I can’t putt and if I am putting I can’t hit the ball.  At least I am vertical and just returned to squash after several months of intensive rehab on a recalcitrant shoulder, the right one of course.  It felt good to be out on the court and when I play I sleep much better.  One of my golf buddies, Steve, played the front nine at our course in Sonoma one over par.  He is good but still it is fun to be with someone hitting the ball that well.  According to Steve, he had 103 the previous day at another course.  Can golf be that tough?  Way to go Steve who played the back nine in 41 for a fine 78. 

My favorite art school, the California College of the Arts, had a wonderful graduation.  Our biggest ever with over 450 degrees granted in lots of different graduate and under graduate programs.  It was a full week of festivities and a grand end to the school year.  At the same time, my interest has turned to being very active with the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art.  We call it SVMA.  A super little spot with a wonderful exhibition space and lots of primo volunteers.  I am chair of the exhibition committee this year and it is a great combination of work and fun.  We have about 1000 members and the community in Sonoma seems to embrace our shows and mission.

On a heavier note, I have gained weight since our return from Italy. 
Who would have guessed living here would be tougher on the body then the great pastas and pizzas of Italy.  I must now eat less and exercise more.  The exercise is not the problem.  

Stung to the Core

March 25, 2006

Back to the blog, I have missed it.  It was much easier to get to it when we were in Rome seeing so much that we had never seen before.  Still I keep thinking that I have lots still to say so when the muse strikes me, I will blog. 

Because I have never voted for a winning President since Jimmy Carter with the exception of Clinton’s first term I feel that I have been politically alienated for a long time.  I have resisted talking politics even of the most egregious events in Iraq or our lousy mano a mano energy policy, even Dick Chaney has kept my speechless.  But, I am stung to the core by this administrations ineptitude and I am afraid it affects so much of American life that I am now forced to vent my feelings.

How much destruction if the environment does it take to get a 21^st Century energy policy.  Can these guys read.  What is required of a superpower before it unilaterally goes to war in a place halfway around the world without a thought of the consequences? Is our statecraft in such disarray that we can not consult the United Nations.  Our our spies so inept that they can’t interpret the data or do we just use electronics to do what real spies used to do?  Did we learn anything from Vietnam about guerrilla warfare now called the Fedayeen ? How many hurricanes does it take to get Homeland Security and its stepchild FEMA to learn what they are supposed to do? How much of our childrens' money do we have to spend on Congress's pet projects before we understand that we are stealing our own patrimony?  How many rich guys have to get richer before we fix our tax laws.  How many illegal immigrants have to come in before we work toward a policy that is fair? Our President is immature and a terrible manager but his zeal and righteousness seem to make him invulnerable.  What will the Democrats do to squander this overwhelming  dislike that we are feeling about the Republicans?  They have shown themselves capable of throwing away their advantages in the past. 

Just a short list for today.  I am also unhappy with our Olympic team (not a team but a bunch of individuals who never got the team concept)  How about that guy who wouldn’t skate with his team or the kid showboating before the finish line in the snowboarding.  Or even our fascination with Bode Miller, an obvious non team player.  Or how about our inability to win the World Baseball Cup because our players never got together until 3 days before the event.  Some of the better players either chose or were not allowed to play for their country for fear of injury.  What is that about, that could never have happened in the America that I grew up in.  Call me old or call me unrealistic but I do understand what our flag flies for and what millions gave up to make this place the envy of people all over the world.  For some reason I thought we had pride and that it would overcome greed at some level.  I must be wrong.  As a nation, we need to rethink our priorities, jettison our hubris, get over ourselves and show the rest of the world that this formerly shinning democracy has some values that we will stand behind that don’t have to do with our oil supply or SUV’s. Spend the money that we use to enrich our already wealthy upper class and help our people who need us as well as people all over the world  in need to meet our obligations to ourselves, our country and the citizens of the world. I have more to say on these matters so I guess I will keep on blogging. 

On A Redo Kick

Monday, March 13, 2006

The weather here continues to stun me.  This weekend it snowed down to almost sea level.  The rain was an everyday constant and all then nights were down in the mid thirties.  We continue to struggle with some sort of allergies and colds that make the nights a long bout with Kleenex but at least I will go to Cabo San Lucas to play golf with friends on the 16^th for a long weekend.  As usual, my golf is not where I want it to be but so what, at least the weather will be warm.  At least I hope so.

The losing battle with my body goes on.  I played squash as a warm-up for a tournament that I was to play in this weekend and hurt my shoulder.  I will be forced to check this out as I had to withdraw due to injury.  My partner Hank, hurt his back as well.  He didn’t get to play either.

Last night we had some friends in for dinner and it was our first entertainment in the Sonoma house since returning from Italy.  It was nice to have people in the house again.  We are on a redo kick.  We had the floors redone and the walls painted.  The point is that we have been living in our Sonoma house for 10 years.  It doesn’t seem possible, time flies.  We have always enjoyed entertaining in this small and cozy home.  Our menu was pretty simple, Pork Roast, scalloped potatoes, green beans, salad, bread, some nice wine and Kim’s homemade apple crisp with ice cream.  It always help to have some nice people to share it with.  Hank (squash friend) and Lew (golf friend) and their wives were the guests and it wholesome and pleasant if not exciting.  For me, it is nice to be home where we know how to say “Pork Roast” in English, oh well, you get the point. 

Charlie and Dionne have a new baby.  This is cause for celebration.  The baby is healthy. Charlie and I have our issues but this is not one of them.  We are anxious to see his kids and hope they will join us for Stanford camp. We have yet to figure out a way for them to get to us as their parents feel they are not yet able to travel alone.  We are working on this now.

Life seems a little slow right now but I am busy starting to edit my Italian Blog with my editor Kim.  We are taking everything apart and hope to put it back together as a series of essays on everything from aging to Roman sights.  I am looking forward to the rewrite.  It will take a while for this project to germinate. 

Golf with the boys will be a blast, looking forward to Cabo.

Herzog and DeMurion

March 10, 2006

I must be in a hibernation period with my journal.  We have been home from Hawaii almost two weeks and I have not written anything since the plane.  It took several days to recover from the night plane ride and get back into my stride.  Then I got another cold that felt similar to the Roman infection that thankfully proved not as destructive to me but did give me several days of runny nose and eyes, ears that hurt and general stuffiness.  I am not quite well yet but at least most of my energy has returned.  Last night in preparation for a squash tournament at the University Club my shoulder basically gave up and today I am unable to put my arms above my head, I will have to see a doctor on this issue.  I cannot give up squash for too long.  I was forced to cancel my participation in a tournament and leave my pal and squash partner of 20 plus years in the lurch.

Yesterday, I received my first walk through in the utterly striking Fine Arts Museum’s new building, the De Young.  I think the building is beautifully conceived and rendered.  It is very large and crowned with a tower overlooking San Francisco in all directions.  The tower is separate building but attached to the main museum structure.  Herzog and DeMurion, two Swiss guys, designed the entire complex and architecture.  I met with Karin Breuer who is the curator of prints and drawing for the museum.  She is a good guide. Several years ago I met DeMurion after a lecture at the  California College of the Arts.  He is very sophisticated and well spoken in English and he and his partner had at that time just won the Pritzker Prize for Architecture which is equivalent to something like the Nobel prize only in this case for Architecture.  As Karen and I got deeper into our tour I thought how well done it was because this striking building did not subsume the art but enhanced it with the wonderful design and finishes that were used in the building.  We will go back to the Museum for a party next week and I will get another look.  Our friends, George and Dorthy Saxe have donated their staggering collection of glass and craft to the Museum and their gallery was outstanding.  Kiki Smith has done a fantastic sculptural piece that hangs from the ceiling.  It is all very impressive.