Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving

A little Saturnalia On Samhain

Indian summer has finally arrived in Los Angeles, with bright sunny days and clear cool nights. Last night from the hills of Bel Air at twilight, the view from downtown Los Anageles to the beach,
looked something like this

And in the early evening when the stars were just starting to show, there was one particularly bright light in the sky.  I assumed that it was the planet Venus.
But what do I know about astronomy...
You're right, absolutely nothing
There just happened to be a telescope on the terrace and this is what the bright light turned out to be

Astounding, isn't it. I was also able to see 2 of Saturn's moons
So two months early, let me be the first to wish you

Happy Monday!

Happy Bastille Day!

Sorry... but I just had to post a little humor at expense of the French

On the other hand I give you

10 Hot Frenchmen Who Make Bastille Day Worth Celebrating

Celebrate with a
French 75
1 1/2 oz gin

2 tsp superfine sugar
1 1/2 oz lemon juice
4 oz chilled Champagne
1 slice orange
1 maraschino cherry
In a shaker half-filled with ice cubes, combine the gin, sugar, and lemon juice. Shake well. Pour into a collins glass. Top with the champagne. Stir well and garnish with the orange slice and the cherry.

Vive La France!

Just Another Easter Dinner At Home

I woke up early today to the sound of rain. So unusual for this time of year. It fit my mood.

Yesterday an earthquake that I didn't feel. The day spent preparing for an early Easter dinner with Stephanie, Alex and his girlfriend, the lovely Laura. Listening to quiet music all day while cooking and cleaning, The Magnetic Fields, Zero 7, Air, Belle and Sebastian, Interpol, Beirut, etc.

A fun dinner with amusing conversation that you can only have with a table of twenty-something year olds. Conversation about law, politics and finance, the California elections, piigs, brics, the end of Mexico and the coming collapse of the euro. None of these topics optimistic but we laughed anyway.

Then the big news...Alex wants to move to New York.
Even though his office is a block from mine, and he lives close to where I live, I don't actually see him that often. But it comforts me to know that he is nearby. But to be 26 years old and in the investment business, he needs to have experience in NY working on a trading desk, or something like that. I understand it, but I'm not happy about it.

Happy Easter to All

Washington The Worthy

Here we are with back to back holidays of Valentine's Day and President's Day and a post by our own Duchesse on repurposing V-Day which is certainly an interesting idea.

She leaves us with this excellent suggestion

Not everyone has a family where love abounds. But everyone needs love, and why not stop for a day to connect with love in all its forms, from the altruistic to sensual? Sure beats celebrating presidents, pilgrims or Queen Victoria.

But I politely disagreed in her comments section on pilgrims and here I'm going to disagree on presidents.

Way back in ancient history, otherwise known as my childhood, we had a holiday for Washington's birthday. Years later this holiday celebrating the father of our country morphed into the catch all President's Day.

Well I for one don't think that we need to celebrate Presidents in general, but George Washington is certainly an exceptional man and his life is worthy of our celebration.

Washington Crossing The Delaware by Emanuel Leutze
1776 by David McCullough

I'm not going to go into a long dissertation here but I want to point out that Washington was a brilliant commander who successfully fought the far superior British forces and won. He then ushered in the office of the Presidency and then humbly stepped aside.

Unlike Napoleon, who crowned himself Emperor and drank his own kool-aid to the detriment of France and the greater Europe, Washington remained true to the idea of American representative government and individual liberty.

He was a truly great man and a snappy dresser too! If you haven't read 1776 I recommend that you do.