Last post of 2002:

For the last few years, I have only made one New Year's Resolution per year, a celestial wish that I hope gives meaning and shape to the 12 months ahead, a theme even. Since 2002 has not been easy but I have great hope for 2003, I'm tempted to say "Don't change a thing!" but that's kind of the easy way out.

I've had a lot of time to be by myself this month, often uncomfortable from the pain and exhaustion from post-surgery rehab. While I spent many of those hours zoning out in front of movies, books, video games and other piles of witzy ditzy entertainment, it got real old real fast. By about day 5, I felt like I was continuously getting off a long airplane flight, which my ears clogged and the world sounding like an unending hum of noise rattling around in my head, a lunatic trying to free itself.

It was horrible, the inability to be quiet and hear myself think, the once-removed-from-reality by constant distraction. I love movies and books and culture as much as the next person, but what am I really getting from it if I'm stuffed to the point of bursting?

For 2003, I'm like some peace, some, as Mary Chapin Carpenter once said, "cool quiet and time to think." I'm going to try to shoot up with noise less, to enjoy a little silence and to produce some of those words and images I've had such fun snarfing down. I'm going to try and savor the noise I do allow in, rather than gulping and frantically searching for more.

My best to all of you for a safe, healthy and happy New Year. And if you've got some New Year's Resolutions, I've love to hear them.

See you tomorrow, when we start it all again.

The Sound of History:

Megnut pointed the other day to Save Our Sounds, a federal organization to preserve America's audio heritage. Many of the original recordings of Langston Hughes's early poetry readings, work songs by Chinese railway workers and speeches by nearly every president of the 20th century were recorded on wax cylinders and other fragile media. Many of these sounds could be lost forever if not safely transfered to digital. If my experience with film preservation is indicative of anything, this is a time consuming and expensive process.

To donate, please visit here.

Strong. AND Bad.

My college roommate Justin is in town for the New Year from Chicago and has pointed me to Homestar Runner which is easily the funniest cartoon I've seen in ages. Go now.

Testify!

While I'm mighty glad the holiday season is pretty much over, I felt honored to spend Christmas Eve at the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir concert at Slim's here in San Francisco. The group, multiracial, multigenerational and nearly 60 years in existence, has done this pre-Christmas concert since the mid 1980's.

Now I get a vicous hankering for gospel music every now and then, even though I was born under the Star of David. And the OIGC, with their perfect harmonies and wailin' like God Almighty, did not let me down. By the end, even though I still don't have much of a voice to give, I was yelling "Sing It!" until the words didn't come out.

On the Eve:

Happy holidays and safe travel/celebrations to you all. All 81 of you as of this morning,, my biggest turn-out ever. I've been getting mad hookup the last week or so ever since WTS started showing up on Zeldman.com. Hooray for hook-up.

Surgery recovery is almost complete. The stitches are starting to fall out, I can eat a few solid foods (although I'm a long way off from say, taco chips) and the pain medication is no longer making me tired all the time. Thursday, I'm going to start exercising again, and I may head into the office before the week is out.

Many thanks to everyone who sent me well wishes during this very difficult time. Hell I even got a few late Chanukah gifts from my Amazon wish list from a few of ya'll (for the rest, it's not to late. *guilt guilt*). I feel very lucky to healthy and to be me.

See you soon.

On a slightly less somber note:

Yesterday and this morning, Suzan and I have been holding a little celebration in honor of Joe Strummer, the legendary singer and songwriter of the band The Clash who died on Sunday of a heart attack at his home in England. The Clash was Suzan's favorite band, a piller of her youth in the Detroit punk rock scene. I was younger and less hip and only really knew the band from his early days on MTV, its more popular later album Combat Rock and Strummer's film work as a soundtrack composer and actor.

Last night, we watched several retrospectives of punk rock on television, played all The Clash album we owned. I gave myself a quick education on some seminal punk artists by downloading songs from Bad Brains, the Dead Kennedys and Social Distortion. More will follow today.

"The Clash was the greatest rock band," said Bono. "They wrote the rule book for U2."

The Clash will be inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame on March 10, a decision made earlier this fall.

Joe Strummer was 50. He left behind a wife, three children, his band The Mescaleros and inspired musicians and fans around the world. We will miss him (tip via Consolation Champs).

Mob Mentality:

By coincidence, soon after writing the last post, I viewed The Ox-Bow Incident (1943), a western about a group of cowboys who lynch three men accused of murder and cattle rustling only to later find out they were incident. Henry Fonda plays a taciturn drifter who gets swept into the posse then joins a group of objectors to the mob looking to punish someone, anyone. In the closing scene, Fonda reads a letter that the condemned man left to his wife. I reprint here verbeatim as a reminder of the times we are living in, in this country called America.

"A man just naturally can't take the law into his own hands and hang people without hurtin' everybody in the world, 'cause then he's just not breaking one law but all laws. Law is a lot more than words you put in a book, or judges or lawyers or sheriffs you hire to carry it out. It's everything people ever have found out about justice and what's right and wrong. It's the very conscience of humanity. There can't be any such thing as civilization unless people have a conscience, because if people touch God anywhere, where is it except through their conscience? And what is anybody's conscience except a little piece of the conscience of all men that ever lived?"

Shame.

I can't tell you how wrong I think this is and how ashamed it makes me to be an American. And I have spent the better part of my adult life wearing my patriotism proudly. This might be the end of it for me and just when I thought it couldn't get worse.

When are we going to get the message here in the "land of the free and the home of the brave" that those words are not conditional, no matter what state of war we are in? In fact, they were specifically enshrined in our consititution to stand the test of our worst fears (Amendent 1, as in THE FIRST, THE MOST IMPORTANT AMENDMENT protects all Americans from religious prosecution. All of them. Muslims included.)? When will we learn, as Americans and as human beings, that fear and repression will not protect us from another September 11th? It will, I fear, only make us look more like those who we despise (link via Metagrrrl.)

Last Minute X-Mas Idea:

Everyday Icons: Devotional candles to for workaday malaise. Don't go to hell without 'em.

Housecleaning:

So with all this free time, I've managed to make some badly needed improvements to the grounds here at Where There's Smoke. I now have a bio up in case the mystery of where I went to college was simply too much for you to bear. Also, a partial FAQ to answer any previously unanswered questions. The FAQ obviously isn't done and I could use your help on that. So I ask...

What have you always wanted to know reading this here blog that I haven't explained? Ask and I will put it over there. Thanks.