Minor adjustments

     I think I know how the cavemen felt after they invented the wheel.

     Last week, I lugged an overstuffed backpack halfway around the world and back. By the time I returned to L.A., I felt as if I'd need rotator cuff surgery. I was also in possession of what might have been a laptop prototype; it apparently doubles as an anvil.

     Today I strode through LAX with the ease of the seasoned traveler. I now have a carry-on with a handle and wheels (welcome to the New World Order, as designed by the same people that brought us the Swiss Army Knife), as well as a sweet 13" Macbook. My papers are in order, my pockets aren't bulging, and I'm sitting at the gate, updating my blog. Plus, I was here early enough to ask for and receive an emergency exit row aisle seat. Hey, it ain't business class, but I'll be able to stretch my legs!

     A carpenter and a courier both need the tools of the trade, but a courier will rarely hammer his thumb.

Romney out?

     Does this mean that Drew Carey is out as host of "The Price is Right", too?  

I heard this new kid the other day

Toe-tappin', spine-unwindin' kinda stuff... 

Order yours today at:

http://cdbaby.com/cd/bernieking.

And visit www.myspace.com/bernieking, too...

I just missed Chinese New Year in Taipei!

     The guy that handles my fluff 'n fold is from Taipei and reminded me this afternoon that I'll arrive in Taipei a day late (and way more than a dollar short, I'm sure) for Chinese New Year. Having spent years working with Chinese customers and agents, I know that it's the most festive time of the year in the culture. Taipei might be a ghost town this go-'round, as many people trek back to their hometowns in mainland China or elsewhere on Taiwan Island.

     I also know that Taipei 101---the skyscraper I visited last week and will again Saturday---has a helluva fireworks show. Paste this link in your browser and let 'er rip:

http://revver.com/video/607910/071231-super-fast-new-years-fireworks-taipei-101-tower/

     

"WE are the people that we've been waiting for."

I love that line...

Tools of the trade

     I'm leaving Thursday afternoon and returning Sunday, late afternoon. Same route, except no overnight stay in GDL; I'll arrive in GDL Sunday morning, clear Customs, hang out somewhere, then fly back to LAX.

     I think I'll need a massage sometime soon. 

Can't we all just get along?

Super Tuesday Eve---Don't forget to VOTE!

Told ya

     Giants win!

     If they hadn't been playing, would I have even watched?

     

Next trek is delayed, BTW, so I'll watch the Super Bowl!

NY Giants: 30, N.E. Patriots 27

Super Bowl Sunday is windy in Redondo Beach

My favorite new (old) book

     My sister Mary sent me a book for Christmas. It's a great little read, written by a horror novelist, but it hasn't scared me at all. 

     On Writing was written by Stephen King, known for books that frighten some and cause others to propose film options which evolve into blockbusters that become cultural touchstones. Not bad for a guy from Maine.

     I've learned a great deal from On Writing; not so with King's well-known books. Horror isn't a genre that rings my chimes. But bias and personal taste are viewed through eyes wide shut, and On Writing has mine wide open.

     King mentioned a book that I had forgotten. The Elements of Style was written by William Strunk and E.B. White. I remember it from my brief flame-out at SUNY Morrisville in '77, when Woodward and Bernstein--and Hunter S. Thompson--were my romanticized, post-Watergate heroes. I might have even bought it back then with student loan money. I bought it again the other day, this time with money earned in Russia. A Cold War dividend.

     I love words, even the bad ones. I try to love punctuation, too. I used to edit radio copy that nobody would ever see, adding a comma here, removing a colon there; sifting and changing and striving to be descriptive--yet economical--with words. I didn't want copy written merely to sound right; I wanted it to read right. I remain odd in that way.

     I'd much rather be a poor man in search of the right word than a rich one with nothing to say at all.           

     

                

Leopoldo's compound

Leopoldo, Cesar, and "I'm sorry--I didn't catch your name"...