Rob Rio Revisited

Twenty-five years ago in South Boulder there was a tavern called La Paz, and in that tavern some nights we had the joy of hearing Rob Rio play boogie woogie piano blues. He was and is amazing - I cannot even describe it except that it makes me smile, laugh, clap and hoot each time I hear it - to understand you've gotta hear it for yourself.

Back then, Rob had long black hair down his back that he wore tied back to keep it out of the way, and often played with a cigarette hanging precariously from his mouth.

Due to the alertness of our friend Ginny, last night we had the unexpected pleasure of hearing him again after all these years, at Nissi’s, a new restaurant in Lafayette that is hosting live music many nights of the week. I walked away a renewed fan of Rob’s – and a new fan of Nissi’s. The local owners have great taste in music, genuinely support it, and also know how to run a high quality restaurant.

Support live music in Boulder County, and check out their calendar! If you want more of Rob, check out this youtube of him playing "Rocket 88"!

Hope for America

During a short hike up Chautauqua Trail in Boulder, and a good look at the Flatirons on this June Sunday morning, I had time to think about two hopeful articles I read recently. Luminescent clouds against a Colorado blue sky framing the Colorado Rockies can do this (give you hope).

The first article was in Newsweek. I have always enjoyed Fareed Zakaria’s analysis of the complex interplay of culture and politics in the Middle East. Last week he wrote an article about hope – the hope we must all hang on to for the future of America. He helps us remember who we are by describing what he saw in the United States when he first arrived here as an 18-year-old from India in 1982, during another period of great challenge and transition for our country with unemployment at 10.8% and interest rates at 15% as well as great unrest in many areas of the world. Despite this there was hope and optimism. Today, he says we are so seized by fear we have forgotten how to believe in ourselves. He says we must stop using our energy to bash W. and get ready to move on:

“To do this we must first tackle the consequences of our foreign policy of fear. Having spooked ourselves into believing that we have no option but to act fast, alone, unilaterally and preemptively, we have managed in six years to destroy decades of international good will, alienate allies, embolden enemies and yet solve few of the major international problems we face.” - Fareed Zakaria

His point is, we do have what it takes to win back the respect of the world and move forward. Fareed says: “What the world needs is an open, confident America.” I agree.

The second article was a column by Garrison Keillor, author and host of the radio show ”A Prairie Home Companion.” He writes about the serenity and simplicity of the Amish and of small towns in a column called “Making the Case for the Simple Life.” He concludes that…

“There are bandits and demagogues and red-eyed zealots and destructive visionaries out working the main roads, but back here in the little towns and hoods, the country survives on steadiness and some innovation.” - Garrison Keillor

Yes. Let us cease the negativity of Bush bashing – and elect a new administration that will lead with hope, optimism, steadiness and innovation.

My daughter Caitlin says that I am a "mombie" when I am playing Scrabble on-line. This is probably because I am totally focused on the game, and less than responsive to queries or comments while I'm playing. The Scrabble site I favor, Scrabulous.com, has timed games. That means I have only about 10 minutes total for all my plays (this is configurable), and my opponent also has 10 minutes for his/her plays. If time runs out, I lose, even if I am ahead. Since I do have a competitive streak, I want to avoid losing and thus the concentration, resulting in my "mombie" behavior. If you want to play a game of Scrabble with me on-line, go to Scrabulous.com and look for my handle: lweather

My favorite rooms are: Auntie's Corner, Bingo Boomers, Coffeehouse and Riverside Cafe