The Goodness of War

May 2, 2009
Last night, I saw two movies I have wanted to see for a long time and both completely lived up to my highest hopes. "Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars" and "Little Dieter Needs To Fly" are both about triumph of the human spirit over the very worst that humanity has to offer. I suppose they both show how war can produce positivity, but the full-scale horror they experienced can never be justified. In search of some advice before I travelled to West Africa, I called a family friend, Banker White, who had spent some time there making a movie. A…

Let’s go Celtics!

May 1, 2009
We are witnessing an absolutely amazing series between the Bulls and the Celtics. It has been tit for tat in every game (both score-wise and physically) and has featured OT madness in four games so far, including last night's three extra period ridiculousness. It is maximum drama. So much clutch. Game 7 is tomorrow night in Boston and I have no doubt it will fit perfectly with the theme of epic contests. Win or Die!

Inside Out

April 26, 2009
Summer came early yesterday and we are enjoying the best weather of the year now, in the 80's and so appreciated after the past month of monsoon. All of Brooklyn seemed to be in Prospect Park yesterday (and I am sure today) in our annual migratory shift outside. Our lifestyle changes dramatically during this period, from our choice perches to our means of cooking food and our general attitude. We bloom with the trees and flowers in perfect time with the rhythm of life.   

Best Ski Day of My Life.

April 20, 2009
When I began skiing at age 8, I became obsessed with it. Almost immediately, I was so gripped by the sport that although very little of my time was spent on skis, I thought about it constantly. I watched videos and read ski magazines and designed my own mountains and trail maps. It consumed me, and every chance I could (for many years every Saturday with The Mass Ski Club), I would get on a slope and play. I have skied many mountains and enjoyed every one, but there was always a legend, a myth of epic proportions, whose mystique…

Roll Call Reprise

April 10, 2009
OK. The roll call I originally posted garnered two responses... And not coincidentally, those two readers happen to be my two biggest sources of good media and entertainment, keeping me abreast of all that's good in TV, cinema, literature and music. Clearly they are keeping up on things! To be clear, I don't write this blog for them, or any audience, so much as I write it for myself. Long before I wrote a blog, I wrote my thoughts in journals which evolved into a blog as the technology allowed. When I created the supergood.org website, it was simply an…

Bucky

April 10, 2009
Buckminster Fuller was a man from the future. His concepts and philosophies would still be considered progressive today, 80 years after he began to publish them. He coined the term "Spaceship Earth" and recognized the importance of minimizing our impact on our environment, striving always to do more with less, and devoting his life to making his philosophy practical by designing hyper-efficient houses and cars that maximized their resources, then applying the same principles to larger communities and even earth in "an experiment, to find what a single individual [could] contribute to changing the world and benefiting all humanity" (Wikipedia/NYTimes).…

When days become 21 hours…

April 8, 2009
Baseball is on like never before. MLB.TV has feeds from every game, which would not be at all interesting if I didn't obsess over fantasy stats. Now I feel compelled to watch Dodgers v. Padres for Russell Martin and Adrian Gonzalez at-bats. I am seriously hoping that the new baseball smell wears off soon and I can resume a normal life, but I know myself too well: With this access to Red Sox games, I am doomed to spend even more hours a day in front of my computer (though, fortunately, I can hook it up to my TV or…

Take Me Out To Citifield®

April 4, 2009
I attended the first MLB exhibition game at brand new Citifield last night, featuring The 2009 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox. Most of the opening day starting lineup played the first 5 innings before a rain delay brought out the scrubs and eventually the Mets won, 4-3.  I give the new stadium high marks all around; nice atmosphere, good food and reasonably priced beverages make it a great place to spend an evening. After the delay, we found our way down to the box seats five rows behind the Sox dugout for an intimate rendez-vous with my team where…

Dan Deacon

March 27, 2009
Bromst is brilliant. It is hysterically good and unlike anything I've heard before. Spastic and Euphoric, Propulsive and Hypnotic. I saw him perform a few years ago and it is truly a carnal awakening to surround him in a crowd of primal dancing. The album composition is a rollercoaster flowing from long buildups to steep drops to fast banks and insane loop-dee-loops and barrel rolls and free falls. Wow.

Chip Chip

March 25, 2009
Good news for fans of Spring: bird activity is humming in Greenwood Cemetery. It is a haven year-round for our feathered friends, but Springtime always brings new life to the area. I took a walk last week and spent some time with the Monk Parakeets that inhabit the gothic entryway and the flock of geese in the big pond and also saw Robins, Starlings, Woodpeckers, Hawks, Jays and Cardinals. Conveniently, it is directly across the street from my house, so I don't even need to leave my balcony for some hot birding action. Today was loud. Usually the sparrows who…