bouncing on this ball

As I have for the last four winters I'm spending a good amount of time everyday reading college applications. For someone who likes hearing people's stories it's a great way to pass the hours during the cold months. When it starts getting monotonous I have to take a break which usually means picking up the guitar and fooling with it for a while.

I have a few different places I like to read and a number of chairs to accommodate my demanding comfort. A lot of the time I sit on a big green ball like you see in the gym. Yesterday on one of my breaks I hit record and bounced to the rhythm of this blues number I'd been picking on my new guitar. It's an electric G&L ASAT Classic, just like a Fender Telecaster only made by Leo Fender's newer company.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO ME KILL TIME PLAYING GUITAR ON A BOUNCING BALL

Letter to my mom

I was driving my friends Olentangy John and his girlfriend Liz back to their place in Bedford-Stuyvesant on the night of the New Hampshire primary last week. We'd been at an open mic at the Lucky Cat in Williamsburg. About half way to their place Obama took the mic to give his concession speech. By the time we pulled up outside the apartment his speech was only half way through, so I cut the engine and we sat there until he ended.

John and Liz are both about twenty three, from Ohio. He plays banjo and mandolin and guitar, writes songs and plays in a band with the guys I work with in Tribeca. At one point during the speech, as Liz tells me they easily do, John's eyes teared up. We were all fired up when the speech ended, talking about "yes we can."

At one point I thought I'd vote for Dennis Kucinich but then two things happened. First, he said that down the line he'll be supporting Barack. For many years Kucinich has consistently been forthright in his articulation of my beliefs and concerns. Then, in his concession of the New Hampshire primary to Clinton the other day, Obama's warmth and optimism, his determination to confront a scroll of challenges and to represent the nation thoughtfully had my blood pumping and my back straight. In my life time only his speech at the 2004 democratic convention has been as moving.