I'm pleased to announce I signed for another season with the NJ Devils.
The team says they're looking for someone physically tough to generate presence on the ice. My agent pointed to my play last Spring, asserting I'm "one hardy motherfu... who always come out swingin' and survives every battle." Terms were acceptable to both sides.
Bring it on.
When you reach my age you think about things you haven't done -- and consider doing them before it's too late. Especially when you've had a NDE (Near Death Experience) you realize time is short so get movin' now.
Propelled by these thoughts I just splurged on something I've always wanted and never had: a bold double-breasted suit. From the time I first started shopping for suits in my 20s I admired these sartorial splendors but felt they're too flashy for practicing law. That inhibition is gone now, however, as I just completed my final legal task last week. I decided to use the fee earned from that job to pursue my dream of a snazzy suit. I ordered the pinstriped suit and shoes shown below from my favorite clothier, Paul Frederick.
Obviously my goal is to become a boulevardier like my literary/sartorial idol, Tom Wolfe. Not only was Wolfe the best writer of the last century, he dressed with brio and aplomb. Those are qualities I'm reaching for with these clothes. Expect to see me in them at our next meeting. :)
I've taken up a new hobby -- tightrope walking. With fresh strength in my legs I walk on a wire 40 feet up in the air. The activity's a lot of fun. Perhaps not as ensorcelling as a fast motorcycle but close. My teacher Philippe Petit says you don't need a net but Robin worries so I use one. I don't want her to fret.
My next goal is to add juggling, first with balls and later batons. When I'm colossally confident we'll set the batons on fire. Won't that be exciting? :)
Food is essential to life. It can also be one of our finest pleasures. Savoring a favorite dish satisfies our primal needs and also elevate our emotions to a high level.
I discovered this painfully during the first three months of my recent hospital stay. Doctors surgically implanted a feeding tube into my intestines that bypassed my stomach and eliminated the need to eat food. Both nutrition and medicine were delivered through the tube; nothing was taken orally. The diversion was necessary because a medical condition impaired my throat muscles which are used to swallow.
Eating and drinking were forbidden until I could pass a "swallow test." That involved being X-rayed while swallowing to see if food was going down the esophagus or being dangerously aspirated into my lungs. I failed the first swallow test in March and didn't pass it until a second one in May. On May 5th, to be exact. I remember that date as a Red Letter Day in my personal history. For three intolerable months I couldn't eat, I couldn't taste food and I wasn't allowed to drink anything including water. I watched breakfast trays being carried to fellow patients with intense envy. I fantasied about food and made lists of favorites I hoped to consume in the future.
Now that I'm back to eating I don't take food for granted. I explore stuff unknown to most Americans. The world is a big place and there are cuisines that depend upon ingredients we never eat. Or even know about. Here are two that I've tried recently and enjoy.
In Japan most people eat something called miso which is a paste of fermented soybeans. Miso is nutritious and flavorful. Most Japanese eat it every day. Miso comes in a variety of types (red, white, black, etc.) which have different taste. You may have seen "Miso Soup" on menus at Chinese restaurants; miso soup is made with miso but also other ingredients like seaweed.
You can find miso in plastic containers at Asian food markets and some American stores. It's easy to prepare: you simply drop it into any dish at the end of cooking. Don't add it before then because heat destroys miso's valuable probiotic benefit. I use miso frequently to deepen a dish's flavor. Plus you can mix it with hot water to make an easy hot drink.
Teff. Teff is an edible seed prepared like grain. Teff is a staple in Ethiopia where it not only supplies most people's nutrition (75% of protein) but also supports their economy and culture. Few Americans have ever encountered teff but efforts to introduce it here have begun.
Teff can be prepared several ways. My favorite is to make porridge with it as a breakfast dish. You can customize the the porridge numerous ways, such as adding maple syrup and milk or butter. Teff has a nice nutty flavor and is incredibly healthy. It provides more nutrients than anything else you're eating.
Teff isn't widely available here but can be ordered from Amazon. The cost is low, about $7 per pound.
Have you ever tried miso or teff? Get cracking!
Life for those with money -- and I mean REAL money -- differs from the paltry gruel eaten by normal people. A customary dividing line between rich and poor has moved recently: it now resides at $10 Million Dollars. Own that much and you're a deca-millionaire ("Deca") Own less and you're merely "comfortable" at best: i.e., a member of the hoi polloi.
One current attribute of wealth is its invisibility. Hiding wealth's many advantages is strategic. One yacht-broker says if ordinary people learn how immensely better-off Decas are compared to the rest of humanity "pitchforks will come out."
Let me offer you one example. There are five Caribbean islands that now offer full citizenship -- with accompanying perks -- if you buy property on their islands (Grenada, St. Lucia, Dominica, Antigua & Barbuda, St. Kitts & Nevis). There are no residency requirements, just pay money for real estate. And you can keep your existing U.S. citizenship.
Passports from these countries entitle you to reciprocal, visa-free entry into all nations in the European Union and the United Kingdom. That means you flash your Grenada passport at hidden (and sublimely luxurious) lounges for private jet passengers in America airports and, without a care or wait, board your flight to anywhere in Europe. You don't even need to leave from your ostensible new "home". Secret airport lounges, pampering Decas and publicly-shy celebrities, don't have signs or doors open to the general public. "Hey! There's Madonna!"
Oh, did I mention your new citizenship entitles you to avoid paying taxes? There are no capital gains taxes on the islands so millions in U.S. taxes can be sidestepped quite easily and legally if you plan carefully. Plainly, there are two sets of rules in the world and Decas live by other ones.
One can inveigh against the unfairness of this situation but it exists and isn't going to change until a revolution occurs.
While visiting the studio of a local artist I encountered an engaging work -- a drawing-on-paper portraying ocean turbulence. The artist depicts seascapes in most of her work and here she captures motion in a remarkable way. You'd swear the picture is exploding in tumult. The drawing's magnitude facilitates this perception: eight feet wide and four feet tall the image appears life-size.
I took possession of the work today. I'm imagining how this dynamic drawing will transform sedate space when I display it with other art.
