September 29, 2005
Twenty-nine hours to the show and I finally finished the tagging of the paintings at two (total: 114, retail value: $108,600). Ron and I will haul all of them up to the gallery in the morning. Going to take several trips.

Last night I watched the first installment of "No Way Home," the Bob Dylan documentary by Martin Scorsese on PBS. Really inspiring. I am not a fan (I’ve never bought a Dylan record) but I am a huge admirer of him now. That this little kid (I think he was 19) from Hibbing, Minnesota went to New York and conquered the folk scene and the world with his songs, is nothing short of miraculous. And the courage of little Zimmerman is breathtaking. Concert footage of people yelling at him: “Traitor!” And worse (phoned in death threats of killing him with a shotgun before a show!), and why?—you ask. Because he had the temerity to use an electric guitar. Seems quite lunatic today but that’s the ugly side of the 1960s. Or, one of the goofier, ugly sides.

And speaking of snot-nosed kids going to New York, I got this from Thomas Charles two days ago (I had to get clearance to run it):

“I've come to see New York and Miriam under the same light. At first sight you are enthralled by the mystery, beauty, exoticness and seemingly endless possibilities. But when the shock wears off and the fog clears from your vision, you see something for what it really is. In one case, there really is endless levels and interpretations to be explored. In the other is endless smoke screens that ultimately add up to nothing. As you may have guessed, in the ladder I am referring to New York and the former, Miriam. Her being a make up artist and former model, our conversations are rich to the point of diminished physical attraction.”
—Tomcat
PS:Sorry, I just had a cafe con leche at my favorite restaurant in Inwood. No English and an $8 plate of chicken with rice that's enough for four meals.

Unlike Bobby Zimmeran, Thomas Charles has some pretty strong connections in New York. One of his best friends is Robert Chenal whose uncle is a famous psychologist. In fact, here’s the uncle now, right off the Associated Press:

“Xavier Amador, a clinical psychologist from New York, said at the court-martial in Fort Hood, Texas, that England's soldier boyfriend, Charles Graner, was her "social compass" whom she relied upon without reservation to guide her behavior.

"It was a knee-jerk reflex," Amador said Friday during [Army Pfc. Lynndie] England's military trial. "It was very much like a little kid looking to an adult for what to do and what not to do."

Prosecutors maintain England was a willing participant in the 2003 abuse at Abu Ghraib. They tried to paint Amador as a professional defense witness who tailored his testimony to benefit her.”

We all call him Xav (Hav) and he is a great guy. Fortunately he likes Tomcat and is a great influence.

Daily Feedback from the phones:
“James McGinnis of Ocean View, DE called and subscribed for 2 years of TW (and purchased Oct 05 issue). He has long been interested in old west history. He saw BBB on the History Channel recently and asked his daughter to find info on TW on the internet and then called today to subscribe.”
—Carole Glenn

Speaking of Carole, she took me to lunch today at Tuscan Cafe up in Carefree. Had the veggie sando and an iced tea. Talked quite a bit about office angst and what to do about it. We also got real petty, but Carole is my kind of petty. Ha.

“Anytime four New Yorkers get into a cab together without arguing, a bank robbery has just taken place.”
—Johnny Carson