Today we asked a fellow passenger to buckle his seat belt.  He said that he would not.  We were astonished.  This person is such an intelligent, resourceful, wordly, kind person who says he never buckles up.  We asked him to repeat it.  He did.  Then, just as we were grasping the depth of his resolve, he had the temerity to say that my smoking cigars is more dangerous than not wearing a seat belt.  I felt totally justified in pish poshing this comparison. 

 

The other passengers watched our retarded argument with degrees of bemusement and dismay.  (Okay, okay, the dismay was mostly mine.)  Cigars are nasty and I smoke at least part of one nearly every day.  It's been 62 monhts since I had a cigarette, but that sounds like a hollow proclamation with the unseatbelted dude sort of challenging me.  A year of cigar bliss followed by a big nudge.  Damn.

 

Since we're humans and all supposed to love each other - I swear that was in the rule book I got at camp - it seems like it'd be easy to just say to one another, 'You're right, friend.  I'll stop puffing and you strap in tight.'  But we didn't.  We're curious how this one ends.  Maybe some trade is in order.

 

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Now, on a less petty note, may I take this opportunity to thank you for the many condolences on Joel's passing.  The richness of your prayers build up my own.  I am sending you kind strangers the hugs I feel from you.  And I will pass your regards to his family.  Joel's still here in the best ways and for anyone who's ever seen my live show, chances are that Joel was the reason I was booked there.  (Well, Joel and the sublime Steve Levine at ICM who is my agent.)

 

The mimosa's about to bloom, the orchid tree's all pretty lavender and the princess tree beside it already has its furious purple flowers daring us to take our eyes away from it.

 

I am only learning the questions, but I do know that Nanny Donna has the answers.  Ring her up.  She'll answer the daffodil if you keep trying.

 

With love....and maybe I should've said that more often since December 2001 when I started this silly blog.

 

Brett