A SINGER AND A CHEF
If I could be someone else for five minutes, I’d be Van Morrison so I could sing ‘Someone Like You’ to my wife.
I’ve been all around the world
Marching to the beat of a different drum
But just lately I have realized
The best is yet to come
Someone like you makes it all worthwhile
Someone like you keeps me satisfied
Someone exactly like you
SEE NO EVIL
Penn State head coach Joe Paterno.In law school I spent a summer working as an assistant to the chief prosecutor in a child sex crimes unit. One of our cases involved a man in his 50s who raped a little girl that lived next door. Using a tripod, the guy had also filmed himself in the act. My task was to watch the video and document each element of the rape statute. It was an exercise that helped push me away from becoming a sex crimes prosecutor and toward journalism.That was fifteen years ago. But those images remain in my memory. They came to mind this week when I read the 23-page grand jury report detailing the child rapes attributed to Penn State former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky. He’s facing 40 counts of child molestation involving eight boys over a 15-year period. More victims surfaced this week.A Life Worth Living
Ray Brown and Steve Jobs
Remember Ray Brown? He’s the 86-year-old bookkeeper that I wrote about back in July after he was diagnosed with cancer and ended up in a nursing home. Ray’s story generated more reader mail than any blog post I’ve written.I DON’T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT
Over the summer I encountered a woman so stunning that I couldn’t look away. It happened at the Majestic Theater on Broadway. I was there with my wife watching Phantom of the Opera on a hot, sticky June night. At intermission Lydia headed for the ladies room. I went the opposite direction in search of a cold beverage and some pretzels, my mind preoccupied by the scene of the deformed genius Erik kidnapping Christine Daae in hopes that she’d fall in love with him.A WITNESS TO HISTORY
Painting by: Ed VebellI like looking at the world through other people’s eyes. To a certain extent, that’s my job. But I’m also hopelessly curious. I just want to see.Lately my curiosity has been on steroids, thanks to an artist I’ve gotten to know. Artists by nature tend to see things that most of us miss. But the artist I’m about to introduce you to has a way of turning paint brushes and pencils into instruments of light.I met him the way I meet so many strangers – by following my nose. One afternoon I found myself in Westport, CT, once home to some of the greatest American illustrators of the past century. My son Tennyson was with me and he has an interest in art. So we ducked into the public library to check out an exhibit featuring local illustrators. I was surprised to find a painting of Brigham Young leading the Mormon pioneers across the Plains.
