Do You Have a Blogger Card?

Just a Little Venting
I have grown weary of hearing this:

"Do you have a Ralphs Club card?"

"Do you have a Boarders Club card?"

"Do you have a Rite Aid card?"

"Do you have a Gap Card?"

It will also save you money at all Banana Republic and Old Navy Stores.""You don't have a Gap Card?" "Well, would you like to apply for a Gap card?"

My response of "No, thank you," is met with a stunned look which silently asks, "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

I am then told how much money I would have saved had I been in possession of this valuable club card. I am never told how much time I would have saved had I not been engaged in this conversation.

I wish I were more thrifty, more prudent, more frugal, more organized. But more than this much more than this, I wish I could check out of a store without being asked to sign up for their club card. And I wish I had a barrel large enough to hold every club card I've been offered and a purse strong enough to carry this barrel and a pack mule sturdy enough to carry this purse and a sherpa bold enough to guide our heavily laden shopping expedition.

"Do you have a Vons Club card?"

"Do you have an Arby's Club card?"

"Do you have a strip club card?"

Do you have a Meth Lab Club card?"

"Do you have a Prison Club card?"

No! I do not want to sign up for the Prison Club card! And, yes, I do know how much money I could have saved on shanks and tats!

Talk it Over

We took a week off for the Jewish Holidays and so I have no podcasting update however, I do have a photo of a Rabbi saving a Torah from Hurricane Katrina.

This is a beautiful photograph. It speaks of how precious our cultures and our histories are to us and how they must be cherished, cared for, and protected from storms and from inhumanity.

What lights me up is that we do protect our histories and we always have and we always will. All people. Whatever nation, whatever disaster or atrocity, you will always find a picture like this amidst the wreckage that lifts you and lets you hope that people care far more powerfully than a storm can rage.

And maybe this is why as the sun set on Yom Kippur, we saw a rainbow.

Kids Comedy Club

Three kids received ties of honor at our last performance. They are, Paul Herera, Devon Suraco (turning 17 this week) and Adrian Wolf. Our next performance is at Hallenbecks in North Hollywood, on Saturday, September 29th at 8pm.

Above

My nephew (top photo) does not think he's king of the world. He is, however, dating a hawk.

Have a safe, healthy, beautiful week!

Remembering

What a morning. O.J. Simpson broke in, well he didn't break in, he sort of "came in" and waved guns, I mean they weren't waved, they were more "wielded" or not so much wielded but "involved" because O.J. wasn't holding the guns. He just pointed to my Sports Memorobilia, and said, "That's mine, that's mine, that's mine" or maybe he didn't "point," as much as he "gestured" to it and it wasn't so much sports memorabilia, as it was sports "equipment." And really, all he did was take his own stuff which was rightfully his. And by this I mean, O.J. took my bike and my roller blades. Well, he didn't really take them so much as he "left with" them. I'm pretty sure that's what either "happened" or what was "made up" by me for the sake of "humor."

Weird O.J. Fact

However, this next part is all true. O.J. ate Shabbat dinner at my house when I was a child growing up in Buffalo, NY. My Mother lit the candles, as she does every Friday and then she walked around the table to kiss each of us, as she did every Friday and this Friday, she kissed O.J. We kids were mortified. O.J. stabbed her with a butter knife. We should have seen the signs.

In his pre-killer days, O.J. was actually a delightful dinner companion and he was especially kind to us kids. I was admonished by my father not to bother him with pictures but ever the journalistic warrior, I ducked into my room for my weapon of choice, the Polaroid Land camera and I snagged this shot of the running back sitting back on our very 70s living room couch.

He left without killing anyone and for that we are grateful.

Fini's Shower

Deb Cox and I threw Fini Goodman a Weddomg Shower. On October 14th, Fini will marry the lovely Ari David of Brentwood. The Shower, was pink and green and my favorite little touch was that Deb Cox made "Aqua Fini" Water bottles as party favors and Fini cried a lot which is what she tends to do when overwhelmed.

Fini is crying just because she loves my new glasses so much.

Jewish Federation

We have been documenting the wise and inspirational Holocaust Survivors of the Santa Barbara community for the Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara. It has been one of the most powerfully moving experiences of my life. I am very proud to be doing this and I believe that we should remember always how blessed we are to be living in a time and in a place where our freedoms are not oppressed. I know this is a right, but it feels like a privilege and for it, I am grateful.

Holocaust Survivor and American Hero, Eric Boehm, Jennie Reinish, Andy McNeil, Me.


This little film is called "Remembering"

Documentary team: Jennie Reinish and Andy McNeil.

Talk it Over

Our podcast, Talk it Over is worth some time to listen it over. The show features Professional Mediator Lee Jay Berman, World Renowned Journalist Diane Dimond and Me. If you can get past that third piece of the equation, you will learn and be enlightened. You will be enlearntend.

Even worse than typing things like that. I often say them, which is why our engineer, Matt Sigman, pictured above with Lee Jay may soon learn to mute my mic.

Have a beautiful and healthy New Year. Happy 5768!

Video Blogging

You Tube is offerring a new Video player. I thought I would try it.

I tried it and it doesn't work. So, above, I have placed the old player.

It matters not. I have been taping and interviewing Holocaust Survivors in Santa Barbara.

(see first video above)

I'm overwhelmed and quiet. I have little to say. They have much. Listen and watch.

More to come.

Now, here's a nice picture.



Have a beautiful week.