September 30, 2003
Notes from the Road
Though I am not technically on the road at the moment, I have spent way too much travelling this month… it's fun, but tiring. Because I fly a good deal, I sometimes get free upgrades to Business/First class. A few days ago I was taking an 8 a.m. flight out of Chicago and got upgraded to First. With all the cutbacks airlines have been making lately, First class isn't as lavish as it once was, but it's still more comfortable than coach. I'm always amazed at how much some people drink on airplanes, and in First it can be truly excessive. I mean, if you order Scotch at that hour on a Sunday morning on an airplane, I think it's fair to say you might have a problem. I mean, I know the drinks are free and all, but it's 8 a.m. for god's sake.
Onward to the goodness… I discovered a wonderful new novel while in Chicago, Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife is a charming and romantic book with a unique twist. Niffenegger is both a writer and a visual artist. She shows at Chicago's Printworks gallery. I really like her works on paper, and the fact that her first novel is so excellent fills me with both joy and envy. I'm about half way through and loving every chapter. Check it out ASAP.
September 19, 2003
Heat and Vice
Yeah, I know… people in the bay area are wimps when it comes to heat… but it's been hot for far too many days. I actually went out to buy a fan today, that's how hot it is… I'm just not sure where we'll put said fan on the 350 days of the year when it isn't being used. Anyway, I didn't move to San Francisco for the heat, I moved here for the FOG! So bring it on, I want my icebox back.
Despite the weather I have been enjoying the soundtrack to Lost in Translation. It is most excellent. I really want to go see the film again… it's a perfect movie. I can't say enough good things about it… run, don't walk to your local theatre and all that…
Total change of subject ahead: the vice that is gambling. I have been thinking about this lately because, as I noted last week, a friend and I recently visited a small casino in Tucson, AZ and played a bit of blackjack. Amazingly, we both won, and I remarked that it might have been better to have lost because then we would have been soured by gambling and not tempted to return again… my friend thought this notion was absurd (or at least wrong) and we argued about it for a bit before agreeing to disagree. It's no temptation to me now because it's in Arizona, but if I was only 20 minutes away I would probably be tempted to go back and have some more fun winning… except that casinos don't exist to give out money, they exist to rake it in… In any event, I am happy to have won a bit, but I am also somewhat comforted by the fact I can't go back every week.
September 12, 2003
Review: Lost in Translation
This afternoon I went to a early showing of Lost in Translation, the new film by Sofia Coppola starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson. This film is easily one of the best films I have seen in the past couple of years. The photography is stunning and the story and acting are superb. This is a quiet film, full of lovely, gentle, charming moments that leave you feeling transported and inspired. It is subtle, and Murray and Johansson make what is exceptional and difficult look easy. Sofia Coppola has created characters with a depth that one rarely sees in films today. The picture inspires because these two people in very different places in their lives and gripped by serious existential issues, find in each other a comfort and understanding that reassures them that they are not alone. Everything about this film is so perfect… I will be seeing it again.
A Traveling Man
I have been traveling for work this past week and I am constantly reminded that internet access in general and wi-fi in particular are not as widespread in some places as they are in San Francisco. I can't believe more hotels haven't jumped on the bandwagon with wi-fi or ethernet jacks in every room… I read some article last week that stated that this is the number one request/consideration among business travellers when choosing a hotel. Yet it is still the exception rather than the norm. Equally annoying are hotels that advertise “High Speed Internet Access” in every room but fail to tell you it isn't included in the room rate and you'll have to pay another $10/day to use it…. lame!
Good things that happened: I saw some friends, did some (but not enough) business, won $115 playing Blackjack in a casino outside Tucson, Arizona, played golf (I still suck, but it's fun), and had a few good meals.
While in Los Angeles I ate alone most of the time, which doesn't bother me in the least, it's good people watching. I had dinner one night in a good, but not great (considering the price) Italian restaurant on 3rd Street in West Hollywood. I had one of those great rear corner tables (power tables) that face the entrance and let you survey the entire room… great for the solo diner and observer of weird details.
I was entertained that evening by the Japanese woman that received numerous phone calls during dinner, answering each with “moshi moshi.” (I believe this is the typical way of answering the phone in Japanese.) I thought about the word “cabal” which came up earlier in the day when I was speaking with a fellow dealer about the market and auctions and such… it's a fun word. I noticed the cook who sat down a few tables away to quickly eat his meal before returning to the kitchen… he was wearing a floppy style chef's hat that made his large ears all the more evident… nothing wrong with big ears though… Then, I watched this big guy that looked like a cross between a professional wrestler and a dandy get some marinara on his white silk shirt, he preceded to dab it with water the entire time I was eating my dinner, while his similarly bleached blonde female companion chewed away.
One of the waiters must have been a not wholly successful realtor by day, as he spent a good 15 minutes at one table explaining to an older couple what a nice condo he could sell them… odd. I finished dinner and the check came, I put my credit card down and the waiter picked it up and walked over to the machine and proceeded to kiss my credit card before he swiped it… why he did this is a total mystery to me, but whatever floats your boat.
Anyway, LA is a fun, weird place to be sure. My number one recommendation is King's Road Cafe on Beverly Blvd @ King in West Hollywood… Amazingly strong, rich coffee and very decent breakfast.
September 03, 2003
Moneyball notes before I sleep
I should be asleep right now… I do this thing where I keep myself up just a bit extra every night as an insurance policy for a good night's sleep. My problem is I have a 12am-8am internal clock on a 10pm-6am lifestyle. Those two hours are killers.
I finished Moneyball last night. It's quite interesting and I would recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in baseball, business, or life in general. It exquisitely illustrates how habit and conventional wisdom can become unquestioned fact, and how the inefficiencies of an established system can be capitalized upon to create structures and systems to surprise and exceed the capabilities of that establishment. It will also make you an Oakland A's fan. Having lived in San Francisco for the past ten years I should theoretically be a Giants fan, but I have never really connected with the team… Barry Bonds is obviously an exceptional athlete, but he sort of overshadows everything else… The A's are more in the spirit of baseball, America's pastime… a team made up of the unexpected…underdogs, but individuals with unrecognized mastery that come together (many nights at least) to achieve success and some measure of greatness. Now that's baseball. The A's are like the Red Sox reinvented, not such a large payroll, no “curse,” but still the appeal of the underdog. I know, I don't really know jack about baseball, but I'm learning a bit, and Lewis' book taught me a bit more. I recommend it.