Home Now:

Back from a week and a half away. I'm going to be in and out all summer long with a week in L.A for my book and to visit family, Lollapalooza and my birthday in Chicago, Jer and Allie's wedding, my cousin Jake's wedding and a September invitation to speak at a conference in Banff. I've got my book proposal to finish before Sept. 1, pieces due for Poets & Writers, The Chronicle and Dailysonic, plus a half dozen other projects to make some much needed green. I'd also like to get to the gym and the Jews, see my friends and breathe deep.

Which means this weekend, I need to to do two things: Lay low and plan for the summer. Much to do and see, much of it exciting. But I will need some Me Time to see it that way.

In Boston:

Trying to decompress from a simply incredible weekend of Best Manning for this gentlemen. Back in Da Bay on Friday. You'll hear from me then.

Gleanings: Jews, Wal-Mart, Bambi, Porn.

I'm in Philadelphia...

• The most emailed New York Times story the last few days has been this one about the growing Jewish community in Bentonville, Arkansas, Wal-Mart ccountry. Either folks can't imagine the words Jews, Arkansas, and Wal-Mart in the same sentence or the doings of my people is much more newsworthy than I had thought.


• The Chronicle of Higher Education declares that University Presses must change their business model if they want to compete in the 21st century. Amen to that but how? I spoke at U of Chicago Press last year and they get that the Internet is kicking over the whole apple cart. But they have neither the funds, staff or institutional support to adapt. They've got rss feeds and a blog. (via ArtsJournal).


• An absolutely fantastic episode of the Nextbook Podcast, where David Rakoff discusses Felix Salten, the author of the book which inspired Bambi. Salten dabbled in some soft core porn as well.


• Movies via iTunes? I'm not sold yet (via New Media Musings).


• When in Philly, please visit the Reading Terminal Market. It's a foodie paradise.

One Sentence Movie Reviews: "Proof"

Proof (2005): "Genius and regret are a terrible combination."

Giant Pile of Day-Glo:

Screw it. One more before I leave. Del.ico.us/Popular has clued me in to this giant copyright violation/database of 80s music videos.

Imagine days, no weeks disappearing. I'm starting with A. Air Supply did videos even though they probably shouldn't have.

Working on: (6.19.2006)

• In edits on an article for Poets & Writers magazine.
• Pitches for Fast Company and HEEB.

• Plugging away at the proposal for Book #2.
• Trying to get some infrastructure behind the Citizen Media project that I've heretofore kept under wraps.
• Consulting for the Idea Festival
• Consulting for Mental Floss
• Writing a toast. My buddy Dave is getting married this weekend and I'm the Best Man. That means I'll be in Philadelphia this whole week. Blogging will be light.

  See you soon.
  

Another Wild Day for Birthdays:

Born today: Pauline Kael, Greil Marcus, Blaise Pascal, Tobias Wolff and my parent's marriage. They're still together after 36 years. Happy anniversary, mom and dad! (via The Writer's Almanac).

At the End of Father's Day:

A true story about me and my dad, Irving Alan Smokler. And yes, I will be counting flags again this Independence Day.

Happy Father's Day, dad. I love you.

Cliches', The Good Kind:

I heard this poem today on The Writer's Almanac which I think makes brilliant use of famous sayings:

Blessings

occur.
Some days I find myself
putting my foot in
the same stream twice;
leading a horse to water
and making him drink.
I have a clue.
I can see the forest
for the trees.

All around me people
are making silk purses
out of sows' ears,
getting blood from turnips,
building Rome in a day.
There's a business
like show business.
There's something new
under the sun.

Some days misery
no longer loves company;
it puts itself out of its.
There's rest for the weary.
There's turning back.
There are guarantees.
I can be serious.
I can mean that.
You can quite
put your finger on it.

--Ronald Wallace

Sober Hungover:

If it's possible to be hungover without drinking a drop, that's where I'm at. After hitting both my friend Jish's birthday at Zeitgeist (which I'd never been to before and resembled rec hour at the local supermax prison. I loved it) and then my friend Willo's birthday, I thought I'd taken good care, had a great time, left at a reasonable hour and slipped into bed with a book at 1:30.

So why do I feel like I've been beaten with a long wooden object? Why did I wake up at 5:30 despite no bad dreams or noise outside? And why did I start doing my Sunday morning butt-shake-to-music before I got out of bed where the only music playing was Faygo's meow through the bedroom door?

I don't know. Oy, what a way to wake up.

Gleanings: Bloody Sunday and Rusty Nails.

• Author does 500 store book tour. Impressive feat of endurance but I wonder how much difference it makes when book sales are down for the third straight month (via ArtsJournal).
• George W. Bush sings Sunday Bloody Sunday. Fierce (via Matt Haughey).
• We need a Vanity Fair for Harvard magazine like we need Rusty Nail for Eyeball.

Not that you've been waiting for it but...

Talking Pictures episode #6 is available for your listening pleasure.

One Sentence Movie Reviews: "Prime"

Prime (2005): "Perhaps the most Jewish movie in creation not featuring 'you have brought shame on our family!' as a line of dialogue."

(Podcast) Saints Be Praised!

The Tavis Smiley Show is now available as a podcast. Well some of it at leat.

My prayers have been answered. Some of them.

Can't Wait to See This...

If you're a giant Armistead Maupin dork like I am, you're probably totally excited that the trailer for The Night Listener, based on his novel, is out. If you're not well then, I feel sorry for you. Or, ya know, you have eh, better things to do.

Gleanings: Dailysonic, AIDS, and Pixar.

• Dailysonic is a Yahoo! Pick of the Day. I love Dailysonic and am way way happy for them.
• Fantastic epsiode of The Treatment with guest John Lasseter.
• In a special look at AIDS over the last 25 yerars, the San Francisco Chronicle podcast features several reporters remembering Randy Shilts, author of And The Band Played On. Mr. Shilts is a hero of mine which I discuss at some length in this episode of my podcast.

High School Reunions. Whouda Thought?

So my 15-year high school reunion was lovely. I don't lovely like "tolerable" or "non-awkward" or "I was reminded why I live 2,000 miles away." More like I enjoyed myself a lot.

I'm not sure how it happened but everyone who came to the reunion I liked. Some were married with kids, others single, career focused. Everyone was still trying to figure out the great mystery called life but they'd also reached a place of relative adult serenity. Everyone had also put aside whatever hangups they had about everyone else long ago. The sensation that hung in the air was something like "Wherever I am now, I have a shared experience with these people. Perhaps that's something to relish, at least for today." And we did by staying out late, playing "do you remember" and laughing like kids.

When I called my parents the next morning, I said perhaps the best thing one can say about a high school reunion. I said I was happier having gone than not.

So Liz, Dan, Fred, Matt, Leigh, Francine, Tracy, Kara, and John, thanks, all of you. You made my weekend.

One Sentence Movie Reviews: "Broadway: The Golden Age"

Broadway: The Golden Age (2003): "A 'Golden Age' is a subjective conclusion not an empirical fact."

Thought of the Day: "Knowing"

"The more I think I know, the more I learn how little I know. And I would know."

--Hal Prince

Gleanings: Book Expo, Leonard Cohen and Baton Twirling.

• The Stranger does a skewed (the best kind) tribute to Book Expo America (via Arts Journal).
• A group of Redwood City, CA baton twirlers, 9 through 11 years old girls will not be allowed to march in their city's July 4 parade because they walk too slow. It's only about 30 minutes from San Francisco. Who wants to drive down and egg parade headquarters with me? Bastards (via SFist).
• Lines from Shakespeare that have entered into our lexicon. I did not know that "a foregone conclusion" came from Othello (via Kottke.org).
• I've been thinking a lot about Leonard Cohen lately after hearing his interview on Fresh Air. If you've never read Tom Robbins's essay on Cohen, his voice and his music, please do. You're in for a treat.

Home, sort of...

I'm in Ann Arbor for 24 hours to attend my 15 year high school reunion. Honest question of the day: Would I be going if a) I hadn't been nearby and b) I didn't feel like I'd made something of myself over the last 15 years?

Honest answer: Probably not.

In Toronto:

Late in Toronto in the lobby of the hotel. My talk today at Book Expo Canada went great. I managed to dash out just in time to have dinner with my local heros James and Neil. Tomorrow I head to Ann Arbor for my 15th high school reunion.

In unrelated trivia: The CN Tower is right outside my hotel window and is the tallest building on land in the world. My dad told me that.

Black T-Shirts:

Seen at O'Hare International Airport: A teenager girl wearing a black T-Shirt printed with the words "Yo tengo la camisa negra."

Translation: "I'm wearing a black t-shirt."

I've arrived in the next dimension.

Stranded:

In Chicago. On my way to Book Expo Canada. All because I forgot my passport and missed my flight this morning. I've got to speak tomorrow and I haven't had a decent night's sleep in three days.

Kill me now.

Kornbluth Wrap-up:

So last night's event kicked ass. Over 100 people and a ton of laughter. Josh Kornbluth was hilarious as usual. My buds Amy, Erin, Steve and Clint turned out. Sam Felder was in town and we all went to Swensen's for ice cream afterword. It was like the cherry on a sundae.

Moments like that make me glad for the speaking I do, despite all the anxiety and prep up front. It's like exercise. It takes a while to feel the effect but when you do, it's like breathing and letting the air fill you up.

Kevin yaps with Josh Kornbluth:

Just a reminder that tonight I'll be interviewing Josh Kornbluth onstage at the San Francisco JCC about his favorite work of Jewish literature, Henry Roth's Call it Sleep.

Event is free. We get started at 7:30 PM. The JCC is right about here.

Come by if you can. Should be a hoot.

Read Recently: "Honor Thy Father" by Gay Talese:

Title: "Honor Thy Father"

Author: Gay Talese.

Synopsis: Talese spent several years in the late 1960s with Bill Bonanno, heir to New York's Bonanno crime family. Staggering level of observational detail ensues.

Backstory: Picked up at the San Francisco Library Book Sale after my friend Rodes mentioned I should look into Talese.

Notes: Talese is the only author in this book that straddles generations of New Journalism. I've been trying to bone up on my new journalists because I'd like to be one someday.

Verdict: This book leaves nothing out. It'd give you Bonanno's blood type if you asked. Talese's reporting is beyond thorough which is great if the mafia if your kind of subject and a little tiresome if it's not. He doesn't waste time with a lot of analysis or pondering of the social siginificance of it all. Instead he captures a historical moment, a moment where the old familial structure of the mafia was giving way modern corporatism and the sons of family chieftains wished to be college graduates instead of following in their father's footsteps.

Talese paints Bill Bonanno as a tragic figure, a man with more than enough natural gifts to be succesful, comfortable and happy, if he were only born into a different family. And if that sounds like The Godfather, think again. Mafia life seems largely made up of endless cycles of fear, hiding, bad food, and unending bordemn, signifying nothing.

Talese is from the old school. He sees his job as a journalist to report, not philosophize nor stand in his own way. That can read a little dry, even when you admire his depth.

Gleanings: California Primary, iPods in Waco, Vox and Anthony Bourdain:

• I really should have listened to my friend Jeff when I voted today. He had voter guides.
• Since today is 6.6.'06, the official song of the day is Iron Maiden's "Number of the Beast" (via Scott Andrew) Great stuff.
• An open letter to Michael Pollan from Whole Foods founder John Mackey. Pollan takes Whole Foods to task in his new book The Omnivore's Dilemma (Via Steve Rhodes).
• Bookslut interviews Anthony Bourdain (via LHB).
• Yes, I have received an invitation to Vox. I just haven't messed around with it yet.
• Greatest post title in the history of blogging.
• Garrison Keillor sings the praises of San Francisco. "The iPod was not invented in Waco, TX." Damn right.
• Allofmp3.com and its questionable legality (hey, it's cool according to Russian copywright law!) poked over in the New York Times (via LHB).

One Sentence Movie Reviews: "An Inconvenient Truth"

An Inconvenient Truth (2006): "The sky is falling and we're standing under it."

Mr. Rogers Rocks Congress:

My friend Willo posted this video of Mr. Rogers testifying before congress to keep funding alive for Public TV. God, do I miss him.

June 4:

Photo by Jeff Widener, who was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

Today is anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre and the passage of the 19th Amendment of the Constitution whch gave women the right to vote.

Let us never forget as Thomas Jefferson said, that "the price of freedom is eternal vigilance."

(via The Writer's Almanac).

Y10MW #9:

It only took about 85 years but I've completed Episode #9 of Your 10 Minute World. More info here.

One Sentence Movie Reviews: "The Break-Up"

The Break-Up (2006): "Shocking in its literalness."

Gleanings:

• Sarah Silverman's interview on Fresh Air is a riot.
• Movie Binge. A group of bloggers try to see every movie that comes out this summer. I've had this idea but never gotten off my duff quick enough to do it (via Cinema Treasures).
• Can Web 2.0 sustain this much copycatting, asks Brad Stone, or are we headed for another bubble? I'd add: Has Web 2.0 changed what a bubble looks like? Does the term still apply (via Micropersuasion)?
• My friend Claire Zulkey has been dropping it over at the Huffington Post. She's one of the coolest people I know.
• Traveler's Tales has gotten into the podcasting business with Applaude Cast. Interested to see where this goes (via Written Road).

Pass Along Good News:

Giant-sized praise due to Joe at Butts in Seats who passed along this article about the role technology is playing in the arts. For anyone interested in the future of the arts and the effect technology will have on cultural consumption, this is a must read.

I'm on the Radio:

Since we know I royally suck at updating my own podcasts, I've decided to stall further by doing this piece on the Brannock device for Dailysonic. Enjoy!

One Sentence Movie Reviews: "Sketches of Frank Gehry."

Sketches of Frank Gehry (2006): "Out of that choas comes a new kind of order"

--Line from the movie

Thought of the Day:

"Nothing is so human as the desire to be remarkable."

--William Shakespeare

Happy Birthday, Dear Book:

My book is a year old today. So much has happened since then that it feels like much much longer. Wow.

Saturday I started work on my next book, just about a year after the first. I think there's a certain poetic justice in that.