Down to Earth Dave’s Post of the Day–February 18

Salutations, Gentle Reader,

I’m grateful for your indulgence in allowing me to offer some random thoughts on this Tuesday Muse Day. Thank you!

The Captain had a stellar day yesterday. He landed a new day job that will allow him much more opportunity to hone his talent and pursue more acting and singing roles. As if the Universe smiled in affirmation, he sang at Birdland last night. The Birdland. Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong performed at Birdland. Norah Jones and Diana Krall have performed there. Now, the Captain has as well. When we spoke late last night, I felt the positive energy coming from him. I am happy for him beyond words.

Part of living in New York is the proximity New Yorkers have to world renowned stages. Who can truly articulate the magic of watching those brilliant chandeliers float up to the apex of the Metropolitan Opera House as the overture announces the opening of the opera? How do reach Carnegie Hall? Practice–or wend your way the 57th Street. Or the famous Broadway theatres: the Minskoff, the Winter Garden, and the Booth, just to name a few.
We have contact with celebrities. LA? Those guys drive one block to grab bad coffee at a convenience store. Bah! New Yorkers walk. And walk. And walk. Average Bobs and Robert DeNiroes alike get out and hoof it in Gotham. This city is truly unlike any other in the world.

I get to lease and sell it, one piece at a time. I get to walk the Poms here. I get to remind my daughter that she has a Manhattan birthright. I get to share this metropolis with the Captain. I get to be a member of Sommerlyn Associates and actual work out of its international headquarters.
Fortunate am I. My word! I do love it so.

Gentle Reader, what better way to close today than to add a few links to three of my favorite NYC related songs? My doppelgänger, Billy Joel, captures it with “New York State of Mind“. Frank nails it with “New York, New York”. And from Porgy and Bess is Gershwin’s “There’s a Boat Dat’s Leaving Soon“. Have a fabulously lyrical day!

Remain calm, and speak well,

Be kind to yourself. Be kind to the planet and the future. Cause no suffering. Go Vegan.

David!

Down to Earth Dave’s Post of the Day–January 3

Salutations, Gentle Reader,

Well, Mother Nature has shared a beautiful blanket of white on this first Friday of 2014.  Many grumble about snow; I love the stuff.  I was out early with my Poms, Heidi and JonJon.  Tiny flakes, driven by the wind, temps in single digits, my beard literally freezing from the condensation of my breath…  Question my sanity, but I love it!  The Pomeranians, undaunted by the drifts that were as high as their own diminutive stature, bounded with glee.

Gentle Reader, I know I usually dedicate Fridays to haiku, but I beg your indulgence to allow me to share some pictures related to life in NYC when there’s snow–and a couple of pics of Heidi and JonJon, who is posing in his best smoker’s imitation.

And, courtesy of Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne–as well as Ol’ Blue Eyes–“Let it Snow“!

Remain calm, and speak well.

Be kind to yourself.  Be kind to the planet.  Cause no suffering.  Go Vegan!

Down to Earth Dave’s Post of the Day–September 19

Salutations, Gentle Reader,

Recently, a dear friend who is among the corps of gentle readers asked me why I had changed the auto signature on my personal e-mail account to “Excelsior!”  That question and my response is the genesis of today’s post: mottoes of states in which I’ve resided.

California: Eureka–I have found it!

South Carolina:  Dum spiro spero–As long as I have breath, I have hope.

North Carolina:  Esse quam videri–To be, rather than to seem.

New York:  Excelsior–Onward and upward!

I like each of these, and I occasionally reflect upon the character of the states and the connection with their respective mottoes.

Make no mistake. I may have been born in California and reared in the Southeast, but I’m a New Yorker. The Empire State feels like home, my home.  For years before I actually moved here I was in a New York state of mind, (side note–I’m often told I resemble Billy Joel) and at my last farewell party in NC, I entered to Ol’ Blue Eyes famous rendition of New York, New York.  (Sorry, Liza.)  I’ve gleaned and gained from each of the other states, but I hope to remain in New York for decades to come.  

Excelsior!

Challenge: Reflect on the mottoes of the states in which you’ve resided. How closely do the denizens of those states reflect the spirit of the motto?

Remain calm, and speak well.

David!