The above saying, loosely translated from Spanish, means that singing (music) allows you to whittle away at life’s problems. Ever since I remember, when as a very small child I used to hide behind my grandmother’s skirts, I was a witness and a willing participant in a burgeoning love for music, in all its variants. Later, at the ripe old age of 8 or so, and in the arms of that same grandmother, I would learn to dance the common dances of the time… and of my grandmother’s youth. Boleros, danzones, cha-chas, as well as waltzes and pasodobles (this last from Spain) . Those were times during which I, in the midst of a very innocent period of my life, used to believe that musicians were all live somewhere in a giant radio studio, waiting for us to call in with our requests. They would then dutifully march to the microphone and start singing… whatever we had asked for. These were definitely much more innocent times, compared with today… when we relegate fairy tales, imagination, and...

It’s been a while since I sat here, my own imaginary pond, letting the cool, clear water cleanse my mind and the gentle breeze blow away the dark spots… I guess it is time to travel there and let the calmness of this place invade my mind and heart. It makes for better meandering than other, more harried corners I can think of… I need it and, really, had not allowed myself to be transported here in a quite a long time. This little respite –imaginary as it may be- becomes an all important escape. Sitting here, staring at the mirror like surface, I see images form; they parade by, claiming to be included in this reminiscence, avoiding a fall into a forgotten pile somewhere in the dusty archives of the mind. Early childhood black and white stills and short movies… the club, school, Sunday escapes with my cousins, riding bicycle on the city streets… Going with my grandfather to his office; going to the distillery to bug the employees … Christmas with all the family gathered around a ...

In a world which everyday becomes smaller and where very vocal minorities tend to have their way… …the concept of true freedom of expression is paying a very steep price. I am very open to discussions, regardless of what some people may think. My views are on the right side of center, though not on the far right. There is no room in my life for a fanatic view of any kind, except in the sports world. So yes, I am open to discuss most any idea and to respect the other side’s views, as long as they meet one small requirement… they must respect mine as well. This seems to present a road block to most of these discussions with folks who call themselves democrats and/or liberals. The “liberalization” of America is coming at a very steep price to the concept of intellectual freedom. Today it is becoming more and more difficult to openly express conservative ideas without being ridiculed by a number of people who are “liberals” but who have no concept as to what true liberty or de...

In my early travel years, one had to get somewhere in order to place a simple phone call to somewhere else… Never mind a call with an accompanying picture or –Gasp!!- a real time video of the interlocutor. This was Star Trek stuff, not meant for real life, only for Mr. Spock and the likes. And while I am not sure the technical advancements and embellishments accomplished since then are a real life enhancement bonus, they are here to stay and are evolving at a much faster pace than we ourselves can. Today, a cell phone ( and all its peripherals ) is a ubiquitous ( I had to dig in for that last one!! ) artifact which has become more important than the food we eat. In fact, it tells us which food we should and should not eat…Everywhere you look and everyone you see is hanging from one of those. We can’t seem to contemplate the consequences of being without it... Weather, mail, news flashes ( the ones we may want and the ones we want to do without ), junk, the latest gossip, p...

I have been called many things, including being an extremist of the right side … and a… (Gasp!!) Republican… And this is in my own house, mind you. Where my dear wife is a descendent of a long line of liberal democrats. I think by now more through tradition than conviction. Actually, I have been a registered independent for some 40 years who has actually voted on both sides of the aisle. Yes, I know this excludes me from primary voting, but it allows me to look and listen. To actually listen to what is being said and look at what has been done, or not. My swaying is encouraged by the latter, not the former. I am a conservative who is willing to talk, dialogue and to listen. As long as the other part is also willing to do the same. Now, I am not saying my mind will change easily, but if the arguments are coherent, I will listen. It is easy to lump me, along with many other Cubans into the “reactionary right” bag without giving any of the group a chance to be heard. ...

Yesterday morning I was almost late for my morning ESL class… It was a long night, one of those that refuses to allow sleep to come in and stay for any reasonable amount of time. Finally, at around 4:45 in the morning ( yep… one of those ) I gave up and being alone –seems like there has been a lot of this lately- turned on the television set. As in other occasions, I went down my usual channels – Discovery, History, American, Sports—and, finding out that at this time of the morning their primary interest lay in selling me pants, glasses, new hair( actually, this one I may take note of ) kitchen utensils, etc… it was time to go to the movie channels. Flipping furiously down the line, one offering caught my eye. I don’t really know why. Perhaps because it promised a light fare and perhaps because it promised to be boring enough to put me back to sleep. Julia Sweeney ( From SNL and “Pat” fame, among other accomplishments) talking about life. From her book “ God Said… HA!!” . Thi...

…but if you try real hard, you can get what you need” ... Stones This morning… a Sunday morning with an overcast sky and slowly waking up since I am alone at the house due to my wife and family traipsing somewhere on the other side of the world, the only company was the TV set. I dutifully turned it on and –again- being Sunday morning… it was a veritable deathbed for any decent programming. I turned to the movies and started going down the line… HBO, MAX and down at the bottom of the Showtime listing, just about as I was ready to turn off the machine and go back to sleep… I found gold. Yes, gold!! There it was… a two (YES…TWO) hour doc movie about the Rolling Stones’ Return to Hyde Park concert in 2013. Music Heaven… for me, anyway. Some years ago ( more than I care to remember ) I was being interviewed by the host of a local talk show somewhere in CT. I guess his producer ( Mr. Bubble… his dog, I think ) couldn’t find anyone to fill the late spot and I, after all, had been an...