A Banksy Christmas

PalFest is a Success!

I am really encouraged when I see things like this: a Palestinian Literature Festival in Ramallah. Violence and oppression raining around them, and there they are, those brave souls, reading poetry and stories and plays, keeping the dream of Palestine alive. Are these not Zamyatin's sailors in the mastheads?

Michael Palin was there. And Nathalie Handel, too. And many others. And the festival went forward as planned in spite of Israel's attempts to disrupt it. See news article here.

Art is a powerful tool, as we well know. It can transform the world. I hope the Palestinians pile word upon word upon word, subverting media misconceptions, undermining the wall, and transporting them to freedom.

90 Days til the Burn

Welcome, President Obama!

On Tuesday morning, I joined a few friends and colleagues at Flames, a restaurant near SJSU, to watch the inaugural address. We drank mimosas and toasted the arrival of our new president. I thought his address was well-crafted, despite commentary from Fox (which was the bar's choice for news coverage, not ours). My impressions were varied, but overall positive. It feels good to be an American again.


* * * * *


Text of President Barack Obama's inaugural address on Tuesday, as delivered.

OBAMA: My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sanh.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. Those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers ... our found fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all the other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort — even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence — the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent Mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet (it)."

America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.

The King's Highway

The more I teach, the more I learn. This was taken from an article in an SAT-type exam (I cannot site the source, because it is not listed):

"The Constitution forbids Congress from building roads, because the framers of the Constitution understood road building as the first step toward creating a tyrannical, centralizing national government, and while the Supreme Court had years earlier decided that the right to establish roads stands implicit in the Constitution, no amount of loose interpretation could get past the explicit prohibition on building. Congress might declare a highway or rural cart path a post road, then, but it could not build a road unless the road served essentially as a weapon." [italics mine]

The article went on to explain that the highway system was developed post-WWII as the Military and Interstate Highway System in response to Cold War tactical scenarios. Put a guided missile on a train and the tracks could be easily targeted and severed. Put a missile on a truck and keep it moving on a highway and no Soviet missile could target it. When paved surfaces are cratered by bombs, the holes left behind are easily filled by bulldozers. Even damage from A-bombs and H-bombs could be put right in a day or two (barring radiation poisoning).

Road grades and curvatures, overpass and underpass heights and widths, are all set at military standard (so something like, say, a *tank* can get through with ease).

Powerlines do not border most highways so that military aircraft may land safely.

And you thought all that work on the highways was for your sake? So that civilians could drive swiftly and safely? Silly you.

Gives a whole new perspective on the saying, "All roads lead to Rome," doesn't it?




17 Days til the Burn!

Think Critically and Act with Deliberation

"Cherish therefore the spirit of our people and keep alive their attention. Do not be severe upon their errors, but reclaim them by enlightening them. If once they become inattentive to public affairs, you and I and Congress and Assemblies, judges and governors, shall all become wolves."

~Thomas Jefferson

"The logic of democracy begins with public education, proceeds to informed citizenship, and comes to fruition in the securing of rights and liberties. We have been nominally democratic for so long that we presume it is our natural condition rather than the product of persistent effort and tenacious responsibility. [...]

"[Civic literacy] encompasses the competence to participate in democratic communities, the ability to think critically and act with deliberation in a pluralistic world, and the empathy to identify sufficiently with others to live with them despite conflicts of interest and differences in character."

~Benjamin R. Barber, America Skips School

Click here and here.

27 Days til the Burn!

Iron Man and the Hollywood Arab Stereotype

Okay, at the risk of incriminating myself, I went out to the movies last night... (Instead of working on my homework? Gasp!)

;-)

It was all in the name of *research*! Yeah, that's it!

;-)

Anyway, I saw "Iron Man."

A portion of the movie takes place in Afghanistan. I made it a point to pay attention to the images they presented of the Arab characters as this is something we have been examining in my comparative literature course this semester. This, of course, distracted me from the purely visceral pleasure of watching a comic book hero movie; I hope you appreciate my sacrifice. ;-)

So, with my graduate hat on ...

I noticed that the filmmakers attempted to be even-handed about it. The bad guys are not introduced as Afghanis but under the title of their resistance movement (The Nine Rings, or something of that nature). However, the first and most prominent image we see--and in larger numbers--is the stereotypical terrorist figures: Arab men with weapons fighting from desert caves and willing to do anything they must, including torture, to get what they want. We are presented with some images of the "innocent" Afghanis--the helpless refugees torn from their homes--but this is done by the bad guys, their own people. And it takes an "American" hero to come in and save them. If they had left it at these polar opposites, I would be more critical; however, they also included an "intellectual Arab", a doctor, an educated man, who helps our hero and even lays down his life for the cause. But even this could fall under some criticism, because, after helping our hero, there seems to be nothing left for him to do but die.

Robert Downey, Jr.'s character does have an interesting arc-- he starts out as a heartless weapons dealer but then has a sudden change of heart when he discovers that his own weapons are being sold to the "enemy." But his moments of reflection are neither loud enough nor pointed enough. And the ultimate "enemy" (caution: spoiler alert) turns out to be an American, but an American *businessman* NOT the government. I must applaud the filmmakers for attempting something of a mildly subversive theme, but ultimately this is an action movie and not too many people are going to be thinking that deeply about it.

What I found most disturbing is how the audience (mostly young people) laughed every time the Arab bad guys were killed.

For the comic book genre of films, this is one of the better ones, and you can just sit back and enjoy it. We do like our heroes: The American maverick with ingenuity out to save the world from evil and injustice. But I got to thinking... Wouldn't it be a refreshing change to see an Arab maverick with ingenuity save the world? That would be a different movie indeed.

The 21st Century in Words & Pictures [CENSORED]

I can't believe I share the same planet with some people. (In case it is not immediately apparent, I'm siding with the Germans on this one.) Thank god for Bloom County. Nothing like a little proportion and humor to keep things in perspective.

Author's nude drawings too hot for US publisher
By Tony Paterson in Berlin
Published: 13 July 2007

One of Germany's best-selling children's authors is embroiled in an extraordinary transatlantic row about nudity after a US publisher refused to accept one of her books because it contained naive sketches of an art gallery with works depicting naked bodies.

Rotraut Susanne Berner's illustrated Wimmel books about the everyday lives of adults and children have won international acclaim and are best-sellers in 13 countries from Japan to the Faroe Islands.

But the 59-year-old author said her American publisher had refused to accept her latest book for US distribution because it contained elements deemed potentially offensive, including drawings of people naked or smoking. Berner said her US publisher, Boyds Mills Press, had objected in particular to one of her illustrations which showed adults and children in an art gallery where the portrait of a naked woman was on show together with a seven millimetre high sculpture of a naked man exhibiting a barely discernible penis.

She said Boyds Mills Press had informed her that she could either agree to have the offending images removed or the book would be withdrawn. "This was a joke," the author said yesterday. "The man's penis is about half a millimetre in length and the naked woman is clearly part of a work of art and not a real person," she added.

The author said staff at Boyds Mills Press appeared to be acutely embarrassed about their objections but told her they feared being confronted by hundreds of offended parents, if they went ahead and published the book in its existing form.

Berner said she had refused to agree to any self-censorship and had insisted that Boyds Mills should black out the offending images in the US edition. "I thought, if there is going to be censorship, then at least it should be recognisable as such," she said.

With Boyds Mills sticking to its guns yesterday and refusing to accept Berner's conditions, it appears almost certain that the book will not be published in America.

Berner said no other country had raised similar objections. In Germany - a country where nude public bathing is normal - the author's spat with her US publisher met with blank incomprehension. "Micropenis excites US publishing house" wrote Der Spiegel magazine in its online edition.

The row follows the suspension of three 16-year-old pupils from a school outside New York in March this year after they uttered the word "vagina" during a book reading session. Last February, hundreds of US school libraries blacklisted an award-winning children's book entitled The Higher Power of Lucky because the word "scrotum" appeared in its opening pages.

3 Days til Lift-Off

Survival Among Savages

Why is the media so mindless, devoid of ideas, devoid of anything

that might get you to think? Because the ones that communicate

to the lowest common denominator are always the most successful,

they rake it in, right? So, the competition sees how successful they are

and decides to communicate on an even lower level, get a bigger share

of the market. They succeed. So, the other network goes even lower, and

they succeed, and so on and on, until here we are today, nearing the end

of the 21st Century and the media really, really stinks.

~Ruby: Adventures of a Galactic Gumshoe

I read the news today, oh boy.

So Michael Savage is quoted as saying on his radio show,"I would say let them fast till they starve to death ... because then we won't have a problem about giving them green cards because they're illegal aliens."

And it just makes me sick, my stomach twists up in knots. And I think, surely, surely there must be some sane voices out there to counter this. People aren't really going to be taken in by this kind of hatefulness. And then I scroll down to the comments and *more* people are writing things like, "Way to go, Mike!" and "That's what free speech is all about, and if you don't like it, just leave!"

Really? This is what free speech is all about? Is it truly free speech if you are using it to disenfranchise an entire segment of the population? Color me naive, but what ever happened to intelligent discourse? What ever happened to using our power of speech to resolve issues instead of to make inflammatory comments designed to shock and entertain?

4 Days til Lift-Off

Slouching Green

And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
~William Butler Yeats, "The Second Coming"

There's been such an emphasis on "going green" lately. Last Saturday, Al Gore et al promoted Live Earth concerts around the globe. Candidates for the next presidency are being prodded for their ideas on how to promote solutions to the energy crisis and protect the environment. Among the many candidates interviewed, Hilary Clinton used the term "green collar jobs." (Catchy phrase.) Meanwhile, a group of parents and teachers, appalled by the supposed statistic that children spend 44+ hours a week indoors staring at electronica, have banded together to promote The Green Hour-- one hour a day of enforced "outside" play.

Now I'm all for promoting positive change. Clean energy, alternative energy, environment preservation, and getting kids to unplug and poke their heads up and look around at the world outside are all important issues that deserve our attention. But I can't help but wonder if we're giving them the right kind of attention. I cannot seem to shake my distrust of the political arena. Anything that passes into it warps and changes and becomes something other than when it started.

I am reminded of a friend of mine who was threatened with jail time because he pulled his truck too far off the road in a national park, inadvertently crushing a "mouse's house." Amusing story to relate, but my friend assured me that the park ranger was quite serious. Has it come to this, then?

I believe that we can find ways to integrate with our environment. I have that hope, anyway. But I wonder, with no little trepidation, what destiny this green beast we are creating will have.

8 Days til Lift-Off

Love Thy Neighbor

Since moving into this apartment complex about three years ago, I haven't had much luck with upstairs neighbors. Actually, at first I thought I was very lucky. For the first three months, there was a very quiet single woman living there. She was never seen nor heard. It almost was like having no neighbor at all. Then she moved out.

And she was replaced by a family with young children. Not only did it sound as if the children made it a regular pastime to climb up on their dressers and leap to the floor (my ceiling), but the father was a drummer. A drummer who thought is was a swell idea to practice at 1:00 in the morning. Yeah. Oh, and he sucked, too. I'd say "keep practicing" but I really didn't want to hear it. Then they moved out.

And were replaced by another family. With young children. Three children under the age of six whose "pitter-patter" of small feet sounded like a herd of elephants galloping across my ceiling. All. Of. The. Time. Then they moved out.

Now there is a young woman living upstairs. But she entertains so frequently, I'm not entirely sure who lives there with her. I think she has a sister or a roommate or somebody with a baby, because I occasionally hear a baby. But that's not the problem. The problem is (or was; it is less so now) she regularly has large groups of visitors hanging out on her front porch, drinking and smoking. Now this wouldn't be so much of a bother except these "parties" don't seem to get started til about midnight. And they continue to 2:00 in the morning. And it doesn't seem to matter what day of the week it is.

So one morning, after an especially sleepless night, I went to the office and reported the noise problem. And they make it all official-- you have to fill out a form and all-- and they told me that after three complaints, she could be kicked out.

The noise continued to be a factor. I hadn't made things better; in fact, I felt an increase of tension, because (it seemed to me--maybe I was imagining things) now I had a posse of 20-something males glaring down at me every time I walked by. I thought about writing up another report, but I realized this really wasn't getting me what I wanted. I don't want her kicked out, I just want them to respect my space. It was time to take action.

So--channeling my best diplomatic heroes: Gandalf, Qui-Gon, and the good Doctor--I went upstairs and knocked on the door. And this petite little blonde answered with a voice like an 8-year-old. She was so cute. But she kept calling me "ma'am". That was not so cute. I introduced myself and I explained that I worked full time and was a grad student at the university and that really the only hours I had to sleep were between midnight and 6am. Could she please ask her friends to keep it down, especially on weeknights? I also dropped a not-so-subtle hint that as my bedroom window was right at the bottom of the stairs, I could hear everything going on up here. Translation: I hear a lot of personal stuff you probably don't want your neighbor to know.

I think she got the hint. Mostly. Things have been quieter. Mostly.

The thing is, although the noise irritates me, I really don't dislike these people. As I lie in bed, listening to their banter (it's not eavesdropping if they're talking loud enough for me to hear, is it?), it's hard not to get nostalgic for my 20-something years and all the late nights spent on my best friend's back porch. They're really not bad people. They're just oblivious.

Two things made me decide that I liked them. Once I heard two of the guys talking. One was counseling the other, trying to give him the benefit of his experience, and he said, "How old are you?" And his friend replied, "20 1/2." And he said, "Well, I'm 21. I'm older, so you have to listen to me." An entire six months more of wisdom and experience. I love it!

The second involved an altercation at 4:30 in the morning. After I got over my irritation of being woken at this ungodly hour, I decided to find out what all the fuss was about. Apparently, they had been drinking, and one friend wanted to drive home. He wanted his keys. He grew exceedingly belligerent and demanding. He only lived 10 minutes away, he said. He had to get to work at 9am. He cursed and he swore and he disowned his own brother (who was apparently in the group). You know what? They never gave in. They never gave him those keys. And I thought, although their choice of activity may be questionable (I really have no idea if they are all of legal age to drink or not), they did right by their friend. They are being responsible. Or as responsible as they can under the circumstances.

But there is another problem. All that smoking going on upstairs has turned my back patio into the deepest ash pit of Mordor. Again, weeks slip by as my irritation grows. Aren't they using ash trays? Don't they realize other people live down here? So, once again, I don my diplomat's hat and head upstairs. Actually, first I went to the dollar store and bought an ashtray, then I went upstairs.

Hi. Remember me? Here's a present for you. Well, I wasn't quite so abrupt. As it turns out, they have been using an ashtray. (Now they have two). And, no, they didn't realize how much ash was drifting downstairs. But they would try to contain it.

What happened next really surprised me. One of the guys said, "If you like, I'll go downstairs once a week and sweep up for you." Not in a sarcastic, Eddie Haskell kind of way. But in a nice, sincere kind of way. I hope he was sincere anyway. I accepted his offer. But even if he doesn't, even if he "forgets," I still think it was nice he offered. The thing is, they are aware now of the consequences of their activity, and perhaps... *perhaps* they will be more consciencious about cleaning up after themselves, or taking preventitive measures, or something.

What it comes down to is this: I have to believe that diplomacy works. How can we make peace with another nation, if we can't even talk to our own neighbors?

How to Speak Russian

So I managed to pick up the Russian pianist from his hotel last night without mishap. It's funny, the promotional images they send for these artists are always a few years younger, a little more glamorous. I was not prepared for the faded, world-weary musician who stepped off the elevator. I don't know what I was expecting... a little more sparkle, maybe... a little more glamour. Add to that, after living in London for seventeen years, his Russian accent was almost nonexistent. His English was very British. But his conversation gave him away.

"London," I said. "That is one place I would like to visit."

Immediately he launched into a diatribe against the government. "They waste money," he said, "and every day they chip away at the individual's personal freedom. It's just like living in the Soviet Union during the 80's."

"How disturbing," I said.

"It may go differently after the next election, but I don't think the Tories have much better to offer."

"I suppose it is the same here," I said (always the diplomat). "It doesn't seem to matter which party we vote for."

He disagreed. "That Obama," he said. "He's got a brain. He will make a difference."

Interesting.

I should have known a Russian would want to talk politics. I was completely unprepared.

He also wanted to know where I got my Russian name. I said that I thought it was from that Russian movie that was popular back then, but I couldn't remember the name. It was Doctor Zhivago. Duh.

It's a wonder I made any kind of good impression at all. But he was gracious. And very polite. He would make this little bow whenever I would hand him things.

Funny how people are perceived differently depending on the circumstance. The theatre staff thought he was arrogant and snobby (they used other, less gracious descriptions) because he asked them to leave the auditorium so he could rehearse. They were just trying to clean the place, but they're supposed to have that done by 5:00pm. Granted, we were there a few minutes early, but they still should have cut him some slack. He is the Artist, after all. I guess maybe not everyone understands the artistic personality; I completely get that he needed to be alone to concentrate.

Around 6:00, Peter, our piano tuner, showed up. He's English, and well, what do you know, they got along splendidly. I popped in to the hall just to see how things were going, and Peter commented that he thought the artist was a lovely fellow, very nice. Likewise, the pianist commented to me that he thought Peter was very professional, did very good work. Mutual respect within the trade, you know. And perhaps it was just nice for both of them to hear the voice of home. Or the familiar. Something like that. Lord knows it's difficult to be a stranger in a strange land. Later, I saw them both out front, smoking cigarettes and speaking intently with one another. It was a quarter to seven, the audience was arriving, and the pianist wasn't even in his suit yet. I have never seen that happen before. I don't know if the people coming in even noticed him or recognized who he was. Anyway, I was glad to see he had made a connection with someone. I hope he felt welcome.

This was a chaotic night. Most of the board members were out sick or out of town. We were a skeleton crew with a full house. Somehow we managed to pull it off. Teamwork. What a wonder. After making sure that the pianist had someone to give him a ride back to his hotel, I left after intermission so I wouldn't have to drive back too late. Bum tire and all.

I am still waiting for my minions to fix my tire. The tires are on order. I am not pleased with the wait.