Old is the New Young

As I've mentioned here before, I often have trouble sleeping. More specifically, my problem is usually getting back to sleep if I wake up, say, a couple of hours earlier than the time that my alarm is set to go off. When that happens, rather than try in vain to get back to sleep, I go ahead and get ready for the day (always making sure to first put a few drops of Visine in my eyes so that I look and feel less like a zombie), stop at the gas station to pick up a USA Today, and head over to Hardee's for breakfast; something I only do when I can't sleep.

Since I'm still waking up by the time I get there, I enjoy the relaxed ambiance of Hardee's at that early hour, often before the sun has risen. I eat a couple of their delicious and well-priced breakfast biscuits while catching up on the news. Playing softly in the background is music from an oldies station (which I prefer over most of today's music any day of the week). Every time I go to Hardee's, without fail, I see a group of about five elderly gentlemen sitting together. They sip on coffee while talk about the good old days, or just nothing at all.

This groip is one of my favorite aspects of breakfast at this particular Hardee's. There's something bittersweet about seeing these men reminiscing while listening to the music they used to love when they were younger. Maybe it's the quiet knowledge that society today tends to favor youthful and more destructive trends rather than the solid advice these men could impart. You almost envy them for having lived in less complicated times! One wonders: how much better off would we all be if we placed a greater value on the wisdom of our elders?

Scenes from Charleston

Charleston, South Carolina, never gets old no matter how many times you visit. I hadn't been in almost two years, but I had the pleasure of spending the weekend there visiting relatives and taking in some familiar sights. Charleston is one of the quintessential cities of the South and overflows with charm; my camera soaked it all up (click for higher resolution)!

Waterfront Park:






Fort Sumter:


Norwegian Majesty:



USS Yorktown:


Bike Taxi:


Historic cobblestone alley:


Courtyard at Lodge Alley Inn:




Charleston Place:





The Market:






Ravenel Bridge:


Fountain at Indigo Inn:


Meeting St. Shops:


Churches:

A Welcome 'Visitor'

This past weekend, I had planned to watch a movie I had received from Netflix. It turned out that the DVD was scratched to the point of being nearly unplayable (this happens only once in a while, but when it does they will send a replacement along with your next scheduled movie), so I was out of luck with that particular movie. Fortunately, thanks to the Netflix Instant Watch service on their Web site, I found a worthy alternative: The Visitor.

If it sounds familiar, it may be because its star, Richard Jenkins, was nominated for a Best Actor trophy at this year's Oscars (he lost to Sean Penn in Milk) for his marvelously understated performance. Jenkins plays Walter Vale, a widowed Connecticut college professor whose life holds meaning again after he forges an unlikely friendship with an immigrant couple he discovers has been squatting in his rarely-used Manhattan apartment.

The Visitor is one of those movies that has the ability to surprise you even when you think you know where it's headed, and the ending isn't quite wrapped up in a nice red bow. Among the movie's many strengths (the excellent supporting cast deserves honorable mention along with Jenkins) is its examination of immigration issues in post-9/11 New York City and how they relate to the enduring hope of prosperity in America.

Madoff with $65 Billion

Yesterday in Manhattan federal court, disgraced financier Bernie Madoff pled guilty to cheating investors out of nearly $65 billion in one of the biggest Ponzi schemes in history. When he is sentenced in June, the 70-year-old Madoff will face up to 150 years in federal prison. His victims include high-profile celebrities such as Steven Spielberg and Kevin Bacon, and many charities and foundations are now bankrupt or on the verge of bankruptcy.

So far, two people have committed suicide after losing everything they had as a result of Madoff's greed. Yet, he and his wife, Ruth, are fighting to hold on to $62 million and keep their $7 million penthouse apartment in Manhattan. The devastating effects of their actions will be felt by many for the rest of their lives, and the cheers that followed the announcement of his jailing will unfortunately do little to console those who have lost so much.

In this worsening economy, where every day seems to bring with it new headlines of scandalous excesses by corporate CEOs and Wall Street big-shots, Madoff's actions have further undermined the public's confidence in the market. I have to wonder how in the world investors can have any trust in a system which continually hammers them. What with the arrogance of Madoff and others like him, I think it will be a long time before that happens.

New Car Bug

Funny how the bad always comes with the good!

On Thursday, I took my black '06 Corolla CE to the dealership for some maintenance work. I waited for about an hour and a half for the car to be ready, and just before I was going to leave, I happened to notice a Toyota salesperson standing nearby. I asked him if the person who originally sold me the '06 Corolla still worked at Toyota. It turned out he doesn't, but several hours later, I ended up leaving with a white '09 Corolla LE and the salesman left a very happy man!

The new car is great, and in three days, I've put over 150 miles on it. Unfortunately, over the weekend I picked up the bug that everyone seems to be getting lately. I had managed not to get sick in almost four years, so my time has finally come. I stocked up on some good medicine at CVS today, and I'm taking the day off tomorrow in the hopes that the bug will be gone by Tuesday. If it is, I can continue enjoying my new car without being sick and popping cough drops!

U2's New 'Horizon'

After you've won 22 Grammys, what do you do from there? Try to win even more, naturally!

With yesterday's release of U2's new album, No Line On The Horizon, expect the band to sweep the Grammys next year. Produced by Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno, and Steve Lillywhite, Horizon is more experimental than their previous albums, but the sound is unmistakably U2. As with all of their albums, each track is infused with their trademark passion.

Leave it to U2 to launch the album with plenty of fanfare. Yesterday, part of West 53rd Street in New York City was temporarily renamed U2 Way. Also, every night this week, they are performing on the Late Show with David Letterman. Here is Monday night's performance of "Breathe", a new track from the album and already one of my favorite songs:

Return of the Donald

For several decades, Donald Trump has been a major business and real estate force in New York City and around the world. He (and his wives) frequently made the tabloids, and he had written several bestselling books. However, when he teamed with Survivor producer Mark Burnett in 2004 to create The Apprentice (a reality show in which Trump hires a qualified candidate to work in his organization after he or she proves themselves through a myriad of business tasks), his celebrity status reached unprecedented heights and the show became a major hit and the first of its kind.

The first episode of the 8th season airs tonight at 9 on NBC, and this is the second season of Celebrity Apprentice (in which the players compete for charity). Contestants this season include Andrew Dice Clay, Brian McKnight, Dennis Rodman, Joan Rivers, and Tom Green. As engaging as the diverse tasks and the contestants' dynamics always are, I watch the show primarily for its biggest star: New York City itself. When the Apprentice moved to Los Angeles several years ago, the ratings suffered, and I can certainly understand why: New York is where it belongs!

Trump has said that he always strives to merge the disparate worlds of real estate and Hollywood. Tonight, he reminds us once again that, regardless of our opinions of him, no one does it better.