Yes, that's right...papaya enzymes. Chewable papaya enzymes. Letting one fully dissolve between your cheek and gum helps relieve congestion. Learned that from "The Sinus Cure," written by Dr. Murray Grossan and Debra Fulghum Bruce. Certainly don't feel like playing a horn while my ears are plugged up. Gotta remember to keep a reserve of "Airborne" tablets on hand-- those have worked remarkably well for me. Too bad they were sold out last Wednesday at the Long's near the office...

In the meantime, just started reading "The Trouble With Cinderella: An Outline of Identity," by Artie Shaw (1910-2004). I knew I had to read it when I saw Artie in the Ken Burns "Jazz" documentary.

If nothing else, knocking off the last vestiges of my cold is giving me a chance to work on putting together my two new musical projects. I don't want to give too many details-- until I've got the charts together and the rehearsals underway, I'll feel like the guy in that old Warner Bros. cartoon with the singing frog who never performs when he's supposed to. "Hello my baby, hello my darling, hello my ragtime gal!" You know which one I'm talking about, right? I think I might be dating myself here...

Hoping my Cardinal can make it six in a row in the Pac-10 tonight. No, there's no "s" missing in that last sentence...

Ooh, that sounds good! Pan-seared...pea snaps!

More random shazizzle:

About the inauguration: nothing about the current administration surprises me. "Let them eat cake" is alive and well, and I'm surprised, honestly, that the festivities (aside from security costs) cost ONLY $40 million dollars. The administration and its allies wouldn't spend one iota of mental energy pondering whether it's appropriate to hold such lavish parties during the unabated chaos in Iraq and post-tsunami Southeast Asia. Their attitude seems to be, "Hey, when you get YOUR own country, we'll let YOU run it however you like. Deal?!"

Incidentally, the word is "NORMALITY," not "NORMALCY." I try to refrain from grammatical fundamentalism, but I have no interest in continuing a linguistic blunder initiated by the illustrious Warren G. Harding. And when Bush used the word "normalcy" after the Sept. 11th attacks, politicians, commentators, and countless others seemed to fall right in line, perhaps fearing that they'd be viewed as unpatriotic, or ever worse, as over-edumacated wine-sipping Niles Crane intelligentsia if they used the correct word.

But on to a real issue: climate change. Just read a great book: "Boiling Point" by Ross Gelbspan. Scary shit. Heating and desalinization of the oceans. Melting of glaciers. The average temperature in Alaska increasing 7 degrees Fahrenheit over the past 30 years (!). The degree of White House corruption in blocking environmental reforms. Fortunately, Gelbspan gives an even-handed account, putting the blame where it belongs (activists do NOT get a free ride here, by any means). He also cites many positive developments and possible solutions, so it's not all doom and gloom. Gelbspan's web site is www.heatisonline.org.

My favorite NBA player, 5'5" Earl Boykins, is doing it again. He set an NBA record last week, scoring 15 points in overtime in Denver's win at Seattle. And then he scored 25 against the Memphis Grizzlies. I shudder to think how far back in the standings the Nuggets would be without him.

Props for today

(1) Tim Wise...anti-racism activist, as well as a compelling writer and speaker: www.timwise.org.
(2) I'll stop trying to explain George Lakoff's writing and tell you ways to get it:
"Don't Think of an Elephant," Chelsea Green Publishing, www.chelseagreen.com. Also available through www.amazon.com. Also, check out the Rockridge Institute (www.rockridgeinstitute.org) for more details about Lakoff, his writings, and the work he's doing to put his thoughts into action.
(3) Everyone who helped bring the election irregularities in Ohio (and elsewhere) to light.
(4) The Sirotas (don't know whether they're related): www.davidsirota.com and www.tedsirota.com. David is a writer and Center for American Progress fellow(www.americanprogress.org) who takes the Democratic Party to task for its mealy-mouthed "centrism." Ted is a drummer and composer who combines music and righteous politics beautifully on his recent album, "Breeding Resistance," with his group, Ted Sirota's Rebel Souls (Delmark Records-- www.delmark.com).
(5) The work of filmmaker Gordon Winiemko (www.enjoythesign.com) -- in the interest of full disclosure, I had a bit part in his 1998 film, "Enjoy" (I played the role of "Tom"). He's at UC Irivne now, but he has occasional screenings of his work in the Bay Area...most recently, at 21 Grand in Oakland.

Man, talkin' 'bout them dang ol' weapons, man, dang ol'...MISSIN', man!

No WMD...they just ain't out there. Spectacular! Well done! But hey, we've shown the world that no one fucks with America! NO ONE! Get it? Got it? Good!

There is reason to be hopeful, though...

The Democratic Party is finally starting to wake up to the fact that their blind obedience to walking-on-eggshells/perpetual-test-marketing "centrism" is political suicide. George Lakoff, a cognitive scientist at UC Berkeley, has recently written what will probably be the new progressive manifesto, "Don't Think of an Elephant." His main point is that progressives must frame their issues in terms of moral values (and not just in response to the 2004 election outcome). In recent articles and interviews, I've seen and heard Ted Kennedy and Senator Barack Obama of Illinois speak in similar terms. Obama is already viewed as a rising star in the Democratic Party, and doesn't come off as someone who will do the bidding of pharmaceutical companies, insurance firms, and predatory lenders.

Also, how about a big up to Barbara Boxer for standing with the Congressional Black Caucus to challenge the electoral college certification? Sure, it wasn't going to overturn the election results, but the point was to officially voice concerns about the alarming number of irregularities on the biggest political stage in America. Predictably, a group of reactionaries went haywire in response. I think Boxer's web site has the official report on Ohio's election-day shenanigans...the URL, I believe, is http://boxer.senate.gov, but if I'm wrong, just Google her.

If you think there's some fishiness behind the whole CBS spate of firings, you're not alone. Check out www.gregpalast.com to read Greg's commentary on this issue. He broke the story in 1999 of Dubya's preferential National Guard treatment during the Vietnam War-- the error that Mary Mapes and the others at CBS made in not verifying the authenticity of the "Killian" memo does not invalidate the larger story by any means. In any case, Greg Palast will give you the rundown. A great read, by the way, is Greg's "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy." My favorite investigative journalist...

R.I.P. Artie Shaw (1910-2004)...I found his commentary to be one of the most enjoyable and insightful aspects of the Ken Burns "Jazz" documentary.

Just what I need, and more important, what YOU need

So, as Fats Waller would say, "Here 'tis!" My first foray into Blogland (can I legally use that term on this site-- I should have read the Terms of Service more closely!)...I have a few moments here before I have to move the car for street cleaning, so I'll unleash a few thoughts that I've had today upon all y'all.

(1) The Social Security battle will be ugly, and I only hope the Democrats will actually show up to debate the issue. Already, by saying that, I feel like Linus on Halloween, waiting for the Great Pumpkin to arrive.
(2) Haven't seen "Sideways" yet, but Paul Giamatti is already in my personal Hall of Fame for his portrayal of Harvey Pekar in "American Splendor," so I know what film I'm seeing next.
(3) I think George Lakoff is well on his way to getting a MacArthur (sp?) grant, if he hasn't gotten one already.
(4) Tadd Dameron is criminally underrated.
(5) What the f--- is up with the Denver Nuggets (pulling for my old hometown team-- habits die hard)? 'melo, K-Mart, Camby, Andre Miller, and 14-19 is all they have to show. Hopefully, Michael Cooper can turn it around. Earl Boykins, though, is my favorite player to watch-- in all of the NBA. 5'5", 133 lbs., and more hustle than several rosters combined.
(6) Don't ask me about the Broncos. I don't know...
(7) Patricia Barber at Yoshi's-- one of the best shows I've seen in a long, long time.

I'm Audi 5000...for now.