James Monday

R40
i can't forget, but i don't remember what.
the soundtrack was on full force. all the rooms were packed
with friendly faces, big smiles and stolen kisses;
whirlwind tours of life and long embraces.

R50
Days of Future Pass'd

The one my mother gave me: Jim
The one that Nicholson & Bennett gave me: MoNS
The one my boys call me: Giacomo
The one that sticks: sANti (from the BurningMan Playa.

i want to see how much of our magnetism & chemistry & hope have endured.

in memory: Art Pinkus & Scott Dorman.
Arthur and I were close friends at wwHS.
We shared classes together (TA Nisewaner and Charles Cockrell); worked out together (Art always trying to get his weight down for wrestling by starving himself and wearing rubber suits to sweat off pounds, me always trying to get my weight up for football and baseball); partied together; got into trouble together; even lived together for a while when our home lives disintegrated into hell.

I remember the day Art died (along with some
of the music) in a car accident and was
devastated, then. I still think about him from
time to time and wonder what might have been.
Scott (who was driving) suffered horribly (i
imagine) until he died in 2006.

Linda Walleigh ('70) still survives the tragedy.

>lost tribe boys:
Craig Ford, Steve Jones, Rolf Siverson, Pete Scott, Chris Zima & Steve Rales

>Lance, Judd, Freddy, Andy, Richard Gold,
Susan Sharp, Jody Leivick, Patti Schultz,
Lynn McLeod, Bob & Melissa Wheeler

>Jim Nicholson, Peter Bennett, Valerie Gilpeer,
Susie Cole, 'Cilla & Pete Scott, Donna Darcey,
Linda Beaumariage, Chris Montgomery & MIMI

>Tom Gorey & Annette Woodhams Gorey,
John Hoke & Bob Peskin
Garry Posin, Robbie Burk, Tom Cutler,
Bill Rollins, Milt Herd & Dawn Perusse,
Gail Bronson, Linda Williams Cox, Georgine MacGarvey,
Sheila Brady & Linda Schumacher

>Jeff Southmayd & Nancy Spruill, Tim Junkin,
Dudley Jones, Carl Bergmann, Jimmy Sampson,
Bobby Graves, Mark Melnicove, Mike Newman,
Bruce Bowen, Lou Shroyer, Bob Brinkmeyer,
Thom Pharris, Rick Gerber, Nick Deoudes,
John Nunez, Sam Hackner & Rick Neumann
(the man who knows too much.

>Barbara & Lisa

Los Angeles CA

This year I have created a set of Commemorative Broadsides/Posters & PostCards for our 50th ReUnion gathering. I am planning to print them on June 15th; or thereabouts. I will bring some with me; but I would prefer to know how many to print in advance & deliver by hand during our Saturday Night Fever Dance.
So, if you want one, or two, or three (or you want to go All In,
Please Order NOW!: www.james-monday.squarespace.com/shop

I know your walls are full of art, family photos & bits of ephemera; but you don't need a wall to acquire a keepsake that celebrates an event of this magnitude & import. Better to think of it as a Bridge to our shared memories. You can put one on your refrigerator; or, pin one up for a while; or roll it up & put it in a drawer, like a diploma that proclaims you have lived well, you have survived life's trials and tribulations & you are playing it forward!

for what it's worth: there's something happening here.
what it is? IT ain't exactly clear.
(Diversity. Vitality. Excellence. Persistence & TrueGrit, i reckon...

I have made these posters with a strong narrative in mind
considering our collective experiences; best summed up by our poet laureate, Whitman, Walt:
“Be Curious, Not Judgmental.
The powerful play goes on, and You will contribute a Verse.”

Reaching Out, Holding On, Running Down Dreams, Raising a Family,
On The Road (Never Stop Exploring.

Old River Elementary (in CA

West Middle School (in CA

solo, now.

jas.monday7@gmail.com

the iTunes Playlist on my iPhone
which i'll have in my back pocket
at the R50 party (& beyond.

Ruthie & Johnney. Both have pass'd, Now. RIP

MArch / College of Environmental Design, UC Berkeley
BA Design&Literature / Antioch College (West...

Licensed Architect in CA
Architecture:
The Museum of No Spectators (MoNS) BurningMan 2022
Tavern & Brewery, Amador County CA
Residence, Amador County CA
The Future of Fly Ranch, Black Rock Desert NV
Café Fanny & Chez Panisse Restaurant, Berkeley
Goldstine Residence, San Francisco
Alice Waters Residence, Berkeley
Kermit Lynch Residence, Berkeley
FDR Memorial, WDC (Project Architect with Lawrence Halprin
Flight 93 Memorial Competition (with Sam Clayton, Honorable Mention
Siverson (As In: Roland) Residence,Chatham County NC
Cultural Resources Expedition, Fairbanks AK (Wrangell-St. Elias NP
Teaching Environmental Design at UC Berkeley
Exhibitions of Photographs in Berkeley, San Francisco, New York, Boston & Tuscany.
Sustainable housing for farm workers, and mobile medical clinics in disaster regions, world-wide.
The Shields Library, UC Davis
The MLK School of Law, UC Davis
JT Bom Compound, Joshua Tree CA
The iHouse, MiHouse & TiHouse (conceptual design projects for farmworkers, the homeless, survivors of natural disasters & those who wish to live off the grid.)

BOOKS (& ChapBooks:POEMS
Blue:Prints JM
Tesseract
Poems After The Fall
Outside The Elements
new york portraits
Anna
LiSA

MONOGRAPHS
worldwideModularHabitat (Pamphlet Architecture
Wm. Bishop, Painter
Sam Clayton, Landscape Paintings
Canan Tolon, Fragments

BOOK PROJECTS:
Tiny Houses of The South (with Lisa Howorth
The Language of Menus (with Jeremiah Tower
Waiting At Chez Panisse (with Jerry Budrick

too many to mention.

Yes (& No.

Periodic Table of Contents:
sweetser> she loves me, she loves me not (she loves me...
lisa> take another little piece of my heart, now. darlin' (& i'll sing you a song...

TA Nisewaner
While Mr Nisewaner was vigorously writing out lessons (arms flying, dust clouding, mind working overtime) one lazy tuesday afternoon, some of us guys were trying to time short, high pitched whistle bursts of "anchors aweigh" with the shrill screech of the chalk on the board. Since we thought we were so clever about firing our whistles around the room; and, we figured he wouldn't be able to catch any of us; and, if he did, that he might get a subliminal, submariner kick out of it; we (art & me, that is) got bolder as a few others joined in. Suddenly, he paused and without turning around, started making comments about the quality of the whistling. Then, the chalk snapped in his hand and he slowly turned around and addressed (commanded) the broken-off piece lying on the floor: "Hell's bells, sailor. Get back up here with these other sterling characters, or stay down below with those whistlin' april fools" (or, words to that effect.

The whistling came to an abrupt halt; and, having made his point, he turned about-face to resume writing the lesson with a fresh piece of chalk in his naval hardened hand - with an attentive audience in his head (& a large grin between his ears, i'm sure.

Captain Nisewaner taught mathematics with discipline and humor. He was a strong and compassionate man, an enigmatic old warrior who taught us things about life that were way beyond the realm of algebraic expression.

Charlie Cockrell
Staley Jackson
Tony Stavaski
Señor Hassan
Bari Bergman
Rose Gadbois
John Virden
Richard Abell
Don Buckley

What were my BEST & WORST Moments at Whitman:
>listening to coach Karr "recruit" me to play football Junior Year.
(He had to be desperate, if he was recruiting me.
i did not play, but had a great time howling in the stands with southmayd, who also took the year off because of The Pieman's threats to make him pay for it in basketball season. The football team went 1-9; the basketball team went to the State Finals. KUDOS to Jeff Southmayd.
Go figure.

>listening to coaches Stavasky and Jackson "recruit" me to play baseball Junior Year (after kicking me off the team at the end of Sophmore Year for throwing rocks at cows in Gaithersburg while warming up with Rusty Eagan).
I did play and had a great time with the other boys of summer.

>listening to coach Karr "recruit" me & southmayd to play football Senior Year (still desperate, a year later.
Jeff Southmayd defied Coach Dargert and played against his orders.
I played (both ways - wide receiver & safety) and intercepted the extra point pass in the end zone against WJ. We won, 7-6!

>meeting lance dublin, who demonstrated (with his incredible genius for making shit happen) how things can change, profoundly.

>1968: being invited into the salon of susan sharp, which became an expanding circle of friends within the alternative counter-culture crowd; spending lots of time at her house with the scotts, the siversons, the wheelers, lance, judd, richard, freddy, andy, bennett & nicholson, lynn mcleod, LiSA.

delightful Tuesday afternoons cutting class, getting down with intense talk about how to change things, really. a beautiful year (the music & the friendships cemented; many still standing) and a terrible year (the constant ramping up of the war; the assassinations of MLK & RFK). all things considered, susan's salon fueled my hunger and passion for the arts and life in a café society; and prepared me for entry into the world of anais nin, henry miller, lawrence durrell; the expatriates and the beats, modernists and post-modernists that have filled up my life since. oh, lucky man.

>jody leivick on guitar: season of the witch.
turning points all across the universe.

What were my BEST & WORST Moments at Whitman:
They occurred in 1968: A beautiful year (the music & the friendships made; many still alive) and a terrible year, also (The Hard Rain Fell, again & again…

I was nominated to the US Naval Academy in '68 but the horrible events that occurred then (The Tet Offensive, MLK & RFK assassinated, the Chicago Democrat Convention; the truth & lies about the war on TV every night) changed my mindset; and I declined.

My father had groomed me for this since I was about 5. He was an engineer on the Apollo mOOn landing mission; and that was his dream. But he moved us to Bethesda and the privileged education I received at Whitman changed all that. He was devastated; and sent me packing in the summer of '68. I am forever grateful to the Nicholson Family for taking me in that summer with understanding, compassion & love. Upon graduation, my father “rewarded” me with a job on an oil pipeline outside of Knoxville to teach me how to pay my own way. These events only strengthened my character and my resolve to GO my own way. This resolve led me to live on a commune in Oregon; to Antioch College in San Francisco (at the behest of Lance Dublin); & to Berkeley, where I found my place in the garden of forking paths.

All things considered, the events of 1968 fueled my hunger and passion for the arts and drove my desire to live in a café society; it prepared me for entry into the expatriate writers world of anais nin, henry miller, & lawrence durrell; the beat poets & fine art printers of San Francisco, and the modernist and post-modernist Architects that have informed & shaped my life over the years.

Being There. Falling in love for the first time (time waits for no one; but love comes around, from time to time.

What were my BEST & WORST Moments at Whitman:
Homecoming Football Game, Senior Year (1968:
Getting knocked on my ass (knocked out, in fact) coming up to put the safety hit on some giant running back (who was running away from linebacker Southmayd, who was in lateral pursuit) at the 50-yard line, in front of our cheerleaders, Alumni and the home crowd. When I woke up (with a concussion and a separated shoulder), after visiting the stars and getting a good dose of smelling salts, the first thing I remember was seeing Barbara and Lisa standing over me, like Angels from Montgomery.

(On second thought, that would have to be a BEST moment); then crazy Jack Laudenberg's wild sock-eyed and twisted face came into focus about two inches from mine (scary, to anyone who has been there); then,
His Voice: "Good hit! How many fingers do you see?” (He stuck one in my eye)
“Good hit! Now get up and get back in the game!"

All three methods of learning (by reading; by doing; & by getting hurt) collided in that one event. I read the play; I put my head and shoulder into stopping it; and I got the big hurt put on me.

This proved to be a most valuable worst moment lesson:
Winning, is not everything. Losing sucks, but has its own rewards…
(and I was rewarded, warmly, later on that night.

Nothing, nothing at all.

> brother: Jeff, Class of 1970

Architecture, Graphic Design & Photography (not to mention Baseball & Poetry.

Better termed: Truth or Consequences. Played this game with Barbara Sweetser, Lisa Johnston, MiMi Fauquier, Melissa Wheeler, Susan Sharp, Jim Nicholson, Peter Bennet, Stephen Jones, Lance Dublin, Pete Scott, Rolf Siverson, Roland Siverson, Judd Williams, Andy Pollack, Fred Ritzenberg, Paul Furnas, Steve Rales, Dudley Jones, Mark Melnicove, Craig Ford, Tim Junkin & Jeff Southmayd.

Play It Forward: A Challenge
John Hoke challenged me (& All of you, I might add) to make A Whitman Story video. Thank you, John.
I was reluctant, at first; but it seems to be a worthwhile thing to do (especially since this is the last round-up for our class. And one day, when you're old & gray (even if you are not already), you may want to reflect on our days of future pass'd... & remember our glory days at Whitman.

So, I am passing the challenge on to other classmates who are great storytellers; and, I daresay, are full of good humor, wit & wisdom:
Jim Nicholson, Lance Dublin, Richard Gold & Judd Williams;
Jeffery "Duke" Southmayd & Frank "fPOP" Poppelwell;
Bill Rollins & our President for Life: LiSA. (aka: the NightMayor of Oxford Town

Come on People. Let’s Get It On. Play it Forward.
It’s time to play another round of Truth, or Dare…. Ha!
See y'all Real Soon...

still thinking about them. trying to invent my way out of my contradictions.

Bob Dylan, The Beatles, John Lennon, George Harrison, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, Levon Helm & The Band, Richard Thompson (& The Fairport Convention with Sandy Denny), Teddy Thompson, Mark Knopfler (& Dire Straits), Tom Petty & The HeartBreakers, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Clapton, jj Cale & Winwood, Cream, Blind Faith, Derek & The Dominos, Springsteen, Wilco, Cowboy Junkies, Donna The Buffalo, Buffalo Springfield, Carlos Santana, Talking Heads, Traffic, The Doors, The Grateful Dead, The Jefferson Airplane, The Beach Boys, The Mommas & The Papas, The Byrds, Jesse Colin Young, The Association, The Boxcars, The Beau Brummels, The Zombies, The Animals, The Yardbirds, The BeeGees, The Black Keys, The Bangles, Neil Young (Crazy Horse), CrosbyStills&Nash, The Hollies, John Sebastian & The Lovin’ Spoonful, Three Dog Night, Nils Lofgren, Nels Cline, The Kingston Trio, The Dave Clark 5, The Who, The Traveling Wilburys, Harry Nilsson, Jackson Browne, The Eagles, Carole King, Ian & Sylvia Tyson & The Great Speckled Bird, Led Zeppelin, Blood Sweat & Tears, Steppenwolf, Three Dog Night, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Simon & Garfunkel, Del Amitri, Annie Lennox, Natalie Merchant, Joan Osborne, Madeleine Peyroux, Norah Jones, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Bob Marley (& The Wailers), Jimmy Cliff, Toots & The Maytals, Peter Tosh, The Wild Tchoupitoulas, Michael Jackson, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Spirit, Jethro Tull, Tom Waits, Dave Van Ronk, Taj Mahal, Keb Mo', Mose Allison, The Kronos Quartet, Joy of Cooking, Eye to Eye, Chicago, Gil Scott-Heron, Frank Zappa, Tower of Power, Earth Wind & Fire, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, John Mayall (& The BluesBreakers), Ten Years After, Richie Havens, James McMurtry, James Hunter, Jackie Greene, Dr. John, Van Morrison, Alan Toussaint, Billy Joel, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Beth Orton, Neil Diamond, Tom Jones, Matt Monroe, Dan Hicks (& the Hot Licks), Asleep At The Wheel, Alicia Keys, Lauren Hill, Rhianna, Queen Latifah, Lady GaGa, Ry Cooder, The Buena Vista Social Club, Eddie Palmieri, Stevie Ray Vaughn, U2, CCR, Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne & The Electric Light Orchestra, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Otis Redding, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Little Richard, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Supremes, Aretha (The Queen of Soul), Gladys Knight (& The Pips), Martha & The Vandellas, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Wilson Pickett, Sam Cook, Sam & Dave, BB King, Johnny Rivers, Dion, Glen Campbell, Linda Ronstadt, Jennifer Warnes, Pink Floyd, The Moody Blues, Procol Harum, The Police, The Staple Singers, The Kinks, The Animals, The Rolling Stones, Maryanne Faithfull, Frankie Valli Billy Preston, Booker T & The MGs, The Platters, The Coasters, The Drifters, Sly & the Family Stone, Joe Cockier, Archie Bell & The Drells, Tommy James & The Shondells, The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Rascals, The Troggs, The Cars, The Steve Miller Band, Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Peter Frampton, Sinead O’Conner, Suzanne Vega, Boz Scaggs, Dave Mathews, Chris Isaak, RadioHead, Blondie, Loudon Wainwright III, Rufus Wainwright, Martha Wainwright, LuCINDa, Bonnie Raitt, Warren Zevon, Gillian Welch, Marty Robbins, Jesse Winchester, Gordon Lightfoot, Steve Earle, Townes Van Zandt, Dave Van Ronk, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Donovan, Judy Collins, Peter Paul & Mary, Emmylou Harris, Allison Krauss, Nancy Griffith, Woody Guthrie, Arlo Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Phil Ochs, Tim Buckley, Little Feat, Blood Sweat & Tears, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Buddy Holly, Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn, Johnny Cash, June Carter, Roseanne Cash, Shawn Colvin, Patsy Cline, Dusty Springfield, The Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Eilen Jewell, Rhiannon Giddens (& The Carolina Chocolate Drops), Nick Drake, Donovan, Leo Kotke, John Hiatt, John Fahey, John Prine, Joe Jackson, Jack Johnson, Elton John, Cat Stevens, Eminem, Tupac, Green Day, Nat King Cole, Natalie Cole, Roberta Flack, The Reverend Al Green, Elvis (The King), Diana Krall & Elvis Costello, T Bone Burnett, Jeff Bridges, Jeff Beck, Tony Bennett, SINATRA, Dean Martin, Streisand, Ani DiFranco, David Bowie, Lord Huron, Lou Reed, Nick Drake, John Mayer, James Taylor, Rick Nelson, Johnny Rivers, Bill Frisell, Pat Metheny, Oregon, Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Janis Joplin, John Coltrane, John Lee Hooker, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, Charles Brown, Stan Getz, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Astrud Gilberto, Django Reinhardt, Ron Carter, Jaco Pastorius, Larry Carlton, Tom Scott & The LA Express, Art Lande & Paul McCandless, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Keith Jarrett, John Cage, Paul Dresher, Pablo Casals, Yo-Yo Ma, Erik Satie, Giuseppe Verdi, Antonio Vivaldi, Johann Pachelbel, Giacomo Puccini, WA Mozart, JS Bach & Bob Dylan!

Roasted Garlic (is as good as ten mothers); Artichokes; Fettuccine Alfredo, Filet Mignon (& a good bottle of Vin Rouge...

Chez Panisse, Café Fanny, César & The Cheese Board, Berkeley
Greens, Farallon, Foreign Cinema, Taditch Grill & Zuni Café, SF
The Interval (bar, cafe, museum, home of The Long Now Foundation, SF
Tra Vigne, Mustards, Bouchon & French Laundry, Napa
the girl & the fig, Sonoma
Chateau Marmont Bar, LA
Casamento's, Acme Oyster Bar & Camelia Grill, New Orleans
McSorley's, Nobu & Grand Central Oyster Bar, New York City
Café de Flore, Paris
Los Caracoles, 7 Portes & Bar Daguiri, Barcelona
Alfredo, Sud, GiNa & Hobo, Roma
Harry's Bar, Venezia
Rick's Café American, Casablanca
Stars, San Francisco

6am, after hours have pass'd: into radium.

from WWHS (the full spectrum:
Lisa Howorth, Lance Dublin, Art Pinkus; Rusty Eagan & Doug Henry (He took the path i could have taken, also; but for a simple twist (or, two) of fate.

The Architects:
Vitruvius, Leonardo da Vinci, Palladio, Thomas Jefferson, Louis Sullivan, FLW, LeCorbusier, Alvar Aalto, John Hejduk, Lars Lerup, Steven Holl, Jim Jennings, Thom Mayne, Aldo van Eyck & Renzo Piano.

The Artists, Writers, Chefs, Musicians, Pioneers & Statesmen:
Bob Dylan, John Lennon, George Harrison, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Alice Waters, Jeremiah Tower, Michelle & Barack Obama, John McCain & John Kerry, Anais Nin, Thom McGuane, Ken Kesey, T. Roosevelt, Anne Frank, FDR, A. Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Ben Franklin, Frederick Douglass, Susan B Anthony, Rosa Parks, MLK, RFK, Cesar Chavez, Dennis Banks, Russell Means, Daniel Ellsberg, Chuck Yeager, John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins, John Barrow; William Shakespeare; TS Eliot & ee cummings.

Fiasco, Thomas Ricks
Sailor Song, Ken Kesey
Black Spring, Henry Miller
Does It Matter, Alan Watts
The Right Stuff, Tom Wolfe
Complete Poems, T.S. Eliot
The Infinite Book, John Barrow
The Beet Queen, Louise Erdrich
Complete Poems, ee cummings
The Russia House, John LeCarre
The Cat From Hue, John Laurence
The Book of Nothing, John Barrow
The Novel of the Future, Anais Nin
Complete Plays, Wm. Shakespeare
the enorMOUS room, ee cummings
Our Man in Havana, Graham Greene
The End of The Affair, Graham Greene
The Alexandria Quartet, Lawrence Durrell
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, Tom Wolfe
A Yellow Raft on Blue Water, Michael Dorris
cradle to cradle, William McDonough & Michael Braungart
The Crown of Columbus, Louise Erdrich & Michael Dorris
The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, Milan Kundera
The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera
Nothing But Blue Skies, Thomas McGuane
Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri
Collected Fictions, Jorge Luis Borges
Man of Moderation, Michael McClure
Darkness at Night, Edward Harrison
the circular gates, Michael Palmer
How to Speak Dog, Stanley Coren
Slow Food Nation, Carlo Petrini
the back country, Gary Snyder
Rogue States, Noam Chomsky
Summerlings, Lisa Howorth
Flying Shoes, Lisa Howorth
Big Bad Love, Larry Brown
Hopscotch, Julio Cortazar
The South, Lisa Howorth

Burn
8 1/2
JUNO
Bullitt
Wings
Amelie
Titanic
Flyboy
Tucker
Papillon
Godless
Gallipoli
Blow Up
Birdman
The Way
The Post
True Grit
Apollo 13
La Strada
Spartacus
Contempt
High Noon
Cast Away
Tom Jones
Casablanca
Dr. Zhivago
The Martian
Medium Cool
Heart of Gold
The Revenant
On The Beach
The Godfather
Eight Men Out
King of Hearts
The Departed
The Passenger
City of Women
The Right Stuff
Dr. Strangelove
Henry and June
Children of Men
Wings Of Desire
Apocalypse Now
American Hustle
Definitely Maybe
American Sniper
The Big Lebowski
The Thin Red Line
As Good As It Gets
Juliet of The Spirits
Seven Days In May
Stop Making Sense
The Usual Suspects
The Shape of Water
The Missouri Breaks
Dances With Wolves
Lonely Are The Brave
All The President's Men
The Saragossa Manuscript
The World's Fastest Indian
Oh Brother Where Art Thou
The Bridge on The River Kwai
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid
The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming
Close Encounters of The Third Kind
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Garlic Is As Good As Ten Mothers
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
The Hundred Foot Journey
In the Name of The Father
The Saragossa Manuscript
The Last of The Mohicans
A Very Long Engagement
The Secret of Roan Inish
McCabe and Mrs Miller
Lawrence of Arabia
The English Patient
Stop Making Sense
Ocean's 11, 12, 13
The Perfect Storm
Two For The Road
Five Easy Pieces
Don't Look Back
Don't Look Now
Wonder Woman
Lonesome Dove
Don't Look Now
The Good Thief
The Last Waltz
Paths Of Glory
True Romance
Nevada Smith
Little BiG Man
I'm Not There
Fellini's Roma
Little Big Man
The Graduate
Heart of Gold
Blade Runner
La Dolce Vita
Bull Durham
Lust For Life
Jules & Jim
Confidence
Woodstock
Unforgiven
Tombstone
Inside Man
Easy Rider
The Boxer
Tom Horn
Apollo 13
Catch 22
Let It Be
The Post
Cabaret
Lincoln
Always

Hamilton; Evita; Oklahoma; The Music Man; Hair; Tommy;
The Seven Year Itch (my brother Jeff wrote that...

Baseball: SF Giants; Oakland A's; Boston Red Sox; Houston Astros.
Baskeball: The Warriors !
Football: The Raiders; The 49ers
Hockey: The Sharks; The Bruins

I played Varsity shortstop for 3 years at Whitman, and still play, insofar as i am able. There is no clock & no crying in baseball. Although there is no clock, one may call "time" at any moment, except while a play is in motion (the American League may change that rule in the not too distant future); & it ain't over, 'til its over, of course. Crying (or kicking dirt in the umpire's face; or using the "F" word in reference to the umpire's mother, sister or wife) is usually grounds for ejection from the game.

Every team designs its own field. The only fixed dimensions apply to the distance between the pitcher's mound and home plate (60'6") and the distance between the bases (90'). The distance to outfield fences varies greatly as does the shape of the fence (think "Green Monster" at Fenway). The area outside the foul lines is 'in play" under certain conditions. If a batted ball is caught in the air in foul territory it is an out; or rolls into foul territory during a play, the play continues. Runners can advance in either case. The outcome of the game can change based on errors committed by either team; but the umpires do not stop the game and award "extra points" or "free throws" or other penalties for a "foul". You make a mistake, you keep playing, you play through it. You can think about it between innings or when you retire. Landscape Architecture also has an impact on the game. The grounds crew maintains the field (yard) with different specifications for planting grass, mowing patterns, and soil amendments, hence the real "home field" advantage. The team with the ball (in the field) is on defense. The team without the ball (at bat) is on offense. Scoring runs are earned without possessing the ball, then. Foul balls & home runs are both treasured souvenirs, gifts for the fans. Stealing signs and stealing bases are also highly valued. Can you imagine any of that in football or basketball?

To some people, the game seems to go on forever and not much happens. They find it boring. To others, that is the attraction: there is time to consider what is about to happen and then (if one is paying attention) the play explodes in several directions, all at once. Pitches (heater, curveball, knuckleball, change-up, splitter, spitter & slider) and players (the rooster, mudcat, catfish, scooter, dizzy, space-man, the babe, the yankee clipper, rocket & the splendid splinter) have colorful nicknames and add to the lore and mystique of the game. It may seem boring to the casual observer, but that is just a lazy word for: Intense.

If you want your (grand)children to succeed in baseball, teach them how to switch hit and/or pitch left-handed. Then, cash out your 401K and hire an agent. Follow Yogi Berra's advice: "when you come to a fork in the road, take it." You won't be disappointed.

It is a game of Science (physics, mechanics, mathematics) and Art (music, poetry and literature.

The campfire burn at dawn, Espresso, Roasting Garlic (& the Roses.

Fit & Stable, with some of the usual suspect complications which accompany our aging bodies (not to say: our minds...

Any even number (except when i roll the dice).
Why?
any even number + any even number = an even number.
any odd number + any odd number = an even number.
any odd number + any even number = an odd number.
So, when you roll the dice, odds are you're going to get an even number.

I am drawn to odd numbers; especially 3, 5, 7, 9 & 81
I am also drawn to Prime Numbers;
Pi (3.1416
I am still grappling with E = mc2.
& The mathematical equivalent to The Golden Section Ratio: 1:1.61

Thank you, TA Nisewaner !

I traveled to New Orleans after Katrina & Haiti after the massive earthquake in 2010. Worked with Architecture For Humanity, Partners in Health & Médecins Sans Frontiers, to develop modular mobile health clinics and schools; and I contributed to the new Urban Plan for Jacmel : World Heritage Site Watch List (UNESCO.

Wounded Warrior Project (WWP)
Iraq and Iran Veterans of America (IAVA)
Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA)

Just One Thing: I want to take the Camino de Santiago trek
(The Way of Saint James) in Spain, with my Boys.

Old BallPlayer: Grew up (in LA, prior to moving to Bethesda) playing baseball with Rick Burleson, who became an all-star shortstop with the Boston Red Sox. He played in the Classic '75 World Series against the Cincinatti Reds (the big RED machine) and still holds the major league single season record for turning the most double plays. He now coaches for the PCL Triple A Reno Aces. We get together on occasion to smoke cigars, drink beer, chew gum, spit, play cards and dazzle our boys with games of pepper.

Writers & Poets & Musicians: Studied and worked with Anais Nin, Michael McClure, Gary Snyder & Michael Palmer. Got to hang out backstage a bit with Pat Metheny, Jackie Greene, Richie Havens, Ian Tyson, John Cage, Merce Cunningham & Donna the Buffalo.

Film Makers: Had breakfast with Philip Kaufman at Café Fanny; Had lunch with Francis Ford Coppola at his vineyard home in Napa; Had dinner and played poker with Les Blank at Chez Panisse (God Respects Us When We Work, But Loves Us When We Dance. Used to play poker with David Webb Peoples, who wrote the screenplays for BladeRunner, 12 Monkeys & Unforgiven.

Book Designers, Printers & Publishers: Studied and worked with Clifford Burke, Frederick Mitchell, Adrian Wilson, Hermann Zapf, Wesley Tanner, William Stout & David Lance Goines.

Architects & Artists: Studied and worked with Lars Lerup, Mark Mack, Stanley Saitowitz, Jim Jennings, Christopher Alexander, Daniel Solomon, Richard Fernau, Laura Hartman, David Rockwell, Charles Moore, William Turnbull, Donlyn Lyndon, Wayne Thiebaud, Canan Tolon, Sam Clayton, Dragan Kljenak, Anna Dyson, Alvar & Alyssa Aalto, Renzo Piano, Peter Smithson, Sverre Fehn, Giancarlo diCarlo, Aldo Van Eyck, William Stout, Jim Jennings and Lawrence Halprin.

Chefs: Alice Waters, Chez Panisse (Godmother of my two fine sons.
Jeremiah Tower: Chez Panisse & Stars (The Last Magnificent & Godfather of California Cuisine.

Walking, not talking.

Sex, R&B, Soul, Rock'n Roll (not to mention poetry & baseball.

Intolerant people (misogynists, racists, xenophobes, nazis & fascists...

Still learning English (plus a smattering of Italian, French, Spanish & Croatian.

Luna, my Border Collie / Aussie Shepard, who trekked all over the country with me from 2001-2010. She died from a snakebite while nosing around in a woodpile. Intrepid traveler, she was.

No

Yes

Bon Mots, rather:
"you can lead a horticoulter, but you can't make her think."
Dorothy Parker (redux for jds, with apologies, dotty

"I need a character. I don't think of myself as being able to do anything. Seeing my life in the movies, I have one question. And that is, 'Why aren't I in rehab?!"
Al Pacino

"Wait a minute, Wait a minute. You ain't heard nothing, yet!"
Al Jolson, the first words spoken in a talking picture,
The Jazz Singer (1927)

"He's so lame, that when he walks into a room, people ask: Who Left?"
John Barrow
(discussing the concept of Zero, in The Book of Nothing)

"The problems we face today cannot be solved by the minds that created them"
Albert Einstein

"some things i know
and some i don't."
john, from cincinnatti

"looking forward into the past, or
looking backward into the future
i stand on the highest hill and laugh about it all the way."
ee cummings

to Build and to Think.

a gentleman's challenge between me and jeff southmayd,
we each agreed to read a book of the other's choosing.
i gave him: What Are People For, by Wendell Berry.
he gave me: Treason, by Ann Coulter.

It's going to be a long, hot, sultry summer, for me. i hope to discover what bill maher sees in vituperative ann, beyond the obvious come hither pose on the cover.
i'm also hoping that jeff will listen to the wisdom of our greatest living poet and learn how to plant all the ingredients necessary to eat with turtle soup bouillabaise.

the next book i read is going to be LiSA's new novel: Summerlings, due out in August (after her heart-wrenching novel, Flying Shoes); and i am going to go on a book-reading fast until it is published.

hope springs eternal in our tribe.

i never wanted to be an architect
i wanted to be a bush pilot
qui tacet consentit

i am a poet and i am saying so (what?

Still thinking about it.

i miss her.

NiCO & OLiVER, my two fine sons, have grown up in the food and wine world of the SF Bay Area, partaking of the many pleasures of eating at the table of Alice Waters since they were infants. A simple twist of fate led me to Chez Panisse Restaurant in Berkeley in 1971, the year it opened, where i met Alice and their mother, Sharon.

Both boys now work in and around the Food World: NiCO as a chef in Gloucester MA with his wife Amelia; OLiVER as a philosopher and urban farmer in the Slow Food Nation; and now as a creative director for a small film company in New York. They both build and cook and eat with such amazing pleasure. OLiVER does so with solid reasons, a good eye and a strong back; NiCO with creative hands, laughter & passion.

You, who are on the road, must have a code...
Don't ever ask them why. If they told you, you would cry.
Just look at them and sigh, and know they love you.

Now i have a grandson, Charlie (who just turned three) & another one on the way (we call him IO, in utero; it's a moon around Jupiter.

My Black Borsalino Fedora