The 30's club

Jeremy, drummer of drums, turned 30 this week. We were in Spokane, and enjoyed a night on the bus full of Usher, Faith Evans, balloons and a fantastic cake. Followed with a great steak in Bozeman, Montana at a micro-brewery. He's a guy I'm truly honored to know.

He's a champion of many things this season. Engaged to be married, he's arranging the details on the road, which reminded me of my own story. That's a tough time...however, to a great end. Congrats, Jeremy.

Freddy and Fredericka.

I think reading can be viewed like jogging for me. When I've not been in the habit, it's hard to start again. Flights are great opportunities to launch back into it, and I realized with 4 hours to Sacramento, I could do a lot of damage.

Well, I labored over this book for a while. My dear friends Nate and Scott turned me on to Mark Helprin's writing at my 30th birthday party. I started with Memoir From Antproof Case, and now this. He's written quite a bit and I've got more to go, but I can tell Helprin will exist in my reread for pleasure stack.

He writes about men and women with great wisdom. A keen observer of their hearts and how they differ in their souls' conflicts. He glories in that. The 2 stories I've read have beautiful absurdity, and a turn towards the profound from the ridiculous in just a sentence.

That may be why I love his books so much - I aspire to be both ridiculous and profound in my own way.

IF I WERE PRESIDENT, by Evan Mason

These were some things I copied from his paper he worked on at school. This was some serious joy-giving. Here's what he wrote:

take a hot bath. rid a drt bick. defintly wach star wars. reed a book. play on playgrand.

People, this is a place to start.

Not Really In Charge.

From Knight Ridder Washington Bureau:
WASHINGTON - One day after President Bush vowed to reduce America's dependence on Middle East oil by cutting imports from there 75 percent by 2025, his energy secretary and national economic adviser said Wednesday that the president didn't mean it literally.
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It's not the man you put in office. I'm learning that in this day and age, a leader can't stand for specific change. I listen to references like "the white house reacted..." It confirms my suspicion that presidents these days are figureheads, not leaders. The president has to posture for something, while the actual people that do the work accomplish whatever it is they care about.