NY Land

I'm glad I was able to get to New York City during my visit with Bill and family in upstate New York.  It's a drive, but oh how exciting to go over the George Washington Bridge, down Broadway.  The Empire State Building.  Times Square blasting away.  One more time . . . it feels so good . . . thanks Bill.

He was hosting a Q and A after a screening of La La Land for the Producers Guild of America -- East Coast.  It was a theater full of producers.
They come from all media now:  Film, TV, Internet, Commercials, Documentaries.  They are young.

I hope they will keep the cavalcade of stories interesting, inventive, stirring, substantial.  Bill says that only 11% of us actually go to the movies more than 6 times a year.

The parade is moving on. . . as it always does.

Music Everywhere

Miro and Bill are jammin'.  Dad on the keyboard, son on the guitar.  Miro is a whiz at picking up a tune, just like the old man.  I showed him some Pete Seeger and Paul Simon songs which he immediately absorbed.

Bill plays flute in a volunteer pickup orchestra.  An hour of rehearsal immediately followed by the performance.  The man in charged is a legend.  A pied piper for every wannabe in NY and environs.

When Bill invited Michael and Annie, they came more out of loyalty than enthusiasm.  "We were blown away!  It was tremendous!," they cried.  Annie is so impressed that she is going to recommend the orchestra to one of her corporate clients who encourage CEO's to participate in innovative and unusual experiences.

Memo to CEO's:  Bill is the flute player on the right (and a film producer).  He is always looking for ways to finance a new idea.

Defeat

Most of my friends are in the pits because they watched the pendulum swing way beyond it's expected arc.  While the "madness" of a Trump Presidency was becoming real, my perspective was widened as I've been taking a class entitled "Why the South Still Matters."

The Union beat the Confederacy.  The United States was saved.  The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments were passed.  Slavery was abolished.

What I knew -- but needed to be reminded of -- is that Reconstruction only lasted until 1877.  Then, the Union army left the southern states, the plantation owners returned to power, the slaves were forced into sharecropping, and it would take almost 100 years before the north would dare intrude upon the south again.

And now?  We fret that the popular vote does not determine the winner.  I needed reminding that the electoral college was a byproduct of slavery.  It was designed to protect the less populated (by whites) southern states.

My quality of life depends on the times of FDR and Lyndon Johnson.  I need to remind myself that the pendulum keeps swinging.  Always swinging.

Parade Day

Today is Parade Day.  The event that wasn't in your date book a week ago.  You will work around your work.  You will change your plans for lunch or dinner.  Either to go -- or to stay away from the crush.

Why did we empty our bank accounts to score a ticket or even to occupy a bar stool near the park?
Why are we lined up outside pop up stores to grab the instant gear?
Why does the stadium wall become a chalk covered shrine?  We climb ladders to give those who are gone an inch of space.

We clutch at history.  Please stop.  Give me a solid place to stand.
And history keeps moving to tomorrow.  As memory of Parade Day will keep us anchored to today.