ValerieB

ordered the book yesterday and looking forward to the read. thanks, again.

this sounds like a "must read" to me. thanks so much for the heads-up. i've always known dern to be very talented, quirky and intelligent. think his daughter, laura, probably has followed in his footsteps, at least in some ways. wonder what her grandparents would have thought about her marrying a black man!!!

this just happens to be one of my favorites of all-time, especially "new girl in town" (or something similar) and so many other tunes!!! and mickey roker bashing away was tres exciting!

latest news is that George is doing better and is out of ICU!! hurrah!!

i'm so glad that quincy made the cut as i know he really needs that $25,000!!

it was reported on another bulletin board that george awoke today and apologized to his mother-in-law for ruining her vacation!! good news although, as far as i know, he's still on the critical list. but apparently his liver is functioning the way they want it to.

i have done all of the above, and then some, for far too many friends i have lost through illness over the years. i have a friend right now who has stage 4 cancer and i attempt, on a daily basis, to help her with countless "mundane" daily chores/necessities/treats, etc., etc. that doesn't mean that i don't pray/chant for her as well.

oh, my goodness, what a mess!! i certainly didn't "instruct" anyone to do anything. i was simply requesting "prayers" and to me that means positive thoughts in whatever way the individual imparts them. in fact, i pray and chant and think positive thoughts, etc. and this request of mine came from me and no one else. thanks, guys.

Yep, nothing like Chris's "opinion" to make Valerie & George feel that much better. Nothing like editorial opinions to help bolster a thread filled with good cheer, good wishes, and yes, prayer. Just because you don't believe in prayer doesn't make it unneccesary, any more than me believing in prayer makes it necessary. Here's a clue, Chris: THIS AIN'T ABOUT YOU. You could've very easily made your point just with the second half of your statement. my sentiments, exactly!! but that's "consistent chris"! always with the negative, like clock-work.

George has just received a double transplant of a kidney and liver. He needs all our strong prayers!

Nov 16/17 - Carol Weisman do you think this is supposed to read "Carol Welsman"?

well, you may be but i certainly ain't!!

I've been a Donny Hathaway guy since 1970 or 71, when I heard "The Ghetto". My understanding is that the compilers of 'These Songs For You, Live!' wanted to put everything from the first two live albums plus the unreleased tracks on a 2-CD set, but that the company would only let them do one CD. They didn't leave out anything glaring, given that choices had to be made, but there are enough missing tracks that you'll want the other two live CD's also. 'These Songs For You Live' is probably the best place to start on Hathaway. You get his incredible "What's Going On" (I'd take it over Marvin's if forced to choose only one version), a live version of the beautiful "Someday We'll All Be Free" (covered memorably by Alicia Keys in the concert right after 9/11), a great live version of "The Ghetto", and almost another hour of music on top of that. 'Extensions of a Man', as touted by Mr. Sangrey, has some amazing moments, such as his cover of "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know" and the studio version of "Someday We'll All Be Free", though I find the album somewhat inconsistent. But it is truly transcendant in spots, and belongs in all of our music collections, as does every CD this unique artist released, which only amount to three live CD's and three studio CD's. i've also been a fan of Donny's since the early '70s and i got to hear him perform at a UCLA concert with Roberta. there was only one Donny!! he still gives me goose-bumps!

i'm getting ready to be disappointed!! they're advertising the cookers but i hope at least some of you will be here!!

i already have that gig on my calendar! can't wait! best, valerie bishop

most people don't seem to have much trouble naming their children at birth. imo, pet names are little more than labels we humans use for convenience and sometimes for amusement. this is all of little interest or consequence to the animal. what does matter to me very much are the communications (most of it nonverbal) that exist between human and animal companions. those communications, along with the relationships between all three of us, will be heavily influenced by our individual personalities, i assure you. ^ ^ o o =o= (---) naming children beforehand is a completely different issue with different reasons/legalities, etc. but i agree with everything else you've said in your post and i'm sure you're a great dad!

i can't imagine naming cats anything without knowing their personalities! sorry but that makes perfect sense to me.

thanks, Free For All. certainly makes sense. and Nat's widow still lives in florida as well, i think.

i'm wondering if nat is buried in the same place. i'm actually going to see cannon's widow tomorrow at a celebration for the zawinuls. all people i love and miss.

wonderful pictures! thanks so much. first time i've seen the Big Band without Craig Handy! i love the Band in all its incarnations. it's just the best.

For some reason, I find that to be a very moving story. Seriously. Joe swam (and boxed) regularly until he became ill.

And Jaco was beaten on the same day that Joe died (20 years later). oh, wow, i didn't realize that! jaco was like a son to joe.

eerie that willie tee and joe zawinul, who were such good, longtime friends, died within hours of each other.

thank you so much for this, JSngry. you really got him!! and you got him right!! the only thing i would change is your last line to "You are loved."

marcello: that is a fabulous picture of dizzy, which i'm sure you are already aware!!! do you sell copies of your work? i would love to buy a print of this one. i have some wonderful ones of diz but yours is incredibly special! thanks in advance. valerie