(VIDEO) IRRESISTIBLE SNACKS

John says his most favorite snack is crackers with peanut butter and strawberry jam.

Em reminds John of his nightly big bowl of home made popcorn, seasoned with Lawry's seasoned salt, and a touch of garlic.

"And peanuts," John reminds her, admitting that life would strange without peanuts to nibble on.

It amuses the Cullums, that Em, after so many years of being a dancer and practically subsisting on cottage cheese, is actually a "big eater," while John, who never had to watch his weight, has to be careful not to put on pounds, as he endlessly devours popcorn.

AGASSI & REGGIE JACKSON

Reggie Jackson --  what a hero,  retired, but active -- still a hero.

Andre Agassi -- what a hero, retired, but active -- still a hero.

Agassi is 43. Reggie is is 67.

From Agassi, I sense defensiveness and anger, and also, the passion to win -- the same something that I sensed when he was a wild-haired, killer tennis-player at the start of his career, when he was rising professionally.

From Reggie, I get a feeling of honesty, energy, confidence -- the fearlessness, of a man who's taken chances before and won. 

Why do I discuss the two of them at the same time?  Because they are well known names, heroes, winners -- each defined, partially, by what was important in the world as they were conquering the art of a sport. I sense, a similar drive in the heroes and heroines who emerge in an art,  be it theater, painting, writing, dancing, or any of the arts, as well sports.

Yes, a small flame, a spark ignites, and burns. No, it's not  a flame that consumes and turns the body,  its source, into ashes.  It's a flame that lights up the mind -- an internal, eternal flame, that intensifies, heightens, and transforms the senses -- eyes, ears, taste, touch, and smell, all five senses -- into receptive magnets that pull in, take in, all that is there to be consumed.

The person has a focus -- a commitment to that heightened state.

So Andre Agassi, still young, hugely successful, is at a stage of life where he is examining his success, not what he loved about it, but what he hated.

While Reggie Jackson, more than half-way up the mountain we climb as we age, looks out at the world, safe in the place where he paused. And he perceives -- with that super five-senses sensibility -- the world of his art, and delights in sharing what he perceives.

Both  men are remarkable, but artist Em, viewing them with her own heightened senses, observes that there is something for all of us to grasp, and learn from them.

Listen and learn from Andre Agassi.




What do you feel, what do you sense, when you watch and listen to Reggie Jackson?
Here he is with Belinda Luscombe --click answering her 10 questions.


 

(VIDEO) OUR PIGEON PROBLEM

Em recalls John's fantastical obsession with the pigeon who chose our bedroom window for their home.

How John handled the noise with creative efforts, and help from a stagehand, still amazes Em but reminds him of all the things he tried that never worked.

WHAT'S NEXT FOR BLOOMBERG?

Mayor Michael Bloomberg  has done a lot for New York City, and a lot for many, many charities, and causes. I summed him up last year in a blog, "Bloomberrg--Why Do I Like Him?

Skim-read it -- he is a do-everything mayor, who has created an efficient, reliable, knowledgeable team with whom he runs the city. He runs it well. And the causes he supports -- especially Gun Control, Immigration, more and better jobs in our city, are important to me.

What touches me is his thereness -- he magically appears when things happen.  His connection with the large and small but all important areas of life in my city, the biggest of big cities, is astounding.

Hearing him explain what will happen next, how long it will take to fix or change whatever crisis that local TV channels call "breaking news," makes me feel as if I'm being watched over, protected by a strong, fatherly man. I'm calmed down, and reassured.  

For me, liking (or disliking) someone in politics, is instinctive. The person's bearing, the way the person speaks -- the phrasing, pauses, focus -- I sense whether or not this person is communicating with me, and wants ME to understand the reasons for his/her actions.

The stop-and-frisk New York City Police policy bothers me. Nevertheless, though I don't agree with every single thing Bloomberg supports, I trust his judgment -- trust the reasons he stacked up that are the basis for him supporting something that others say is bad or wrong. 

So where is Michael Bloomberg heading next? I wondered if he'd run for President in 2012, and now I'm wondering about 2016? 

I  say NO, he won't run -- his Jewish background, his age -- he'll be 74 in 2016, 78 in 2020.  President Reagan was 74 when he started his second term.

In the "Ticker"-- Mayor Bloomberg's online news magazine in which his views on economics, policy, and politics are expressed -- there are references to Hillary "looking less good." Her fall and that blood clot have been mentioned a few times. These things suggest that he is not supporting her emergence as a presidential candidate.

Okay -- Bloomberg has proved himself to me. But if I had to choose between him and Hillary, I'd chose her. I don't think he will run and compete with her. He's a realistic, practical man. He has a very large organization that keeps him armed with the facts.

Here is Bloomberg talking with CBS commentator, Scott Pelly, about what's next for him, and Bloomberg's cagey answer to the will you run for president question.

As you listen to this video, remember --  Bloomberg has ignored traditions. He has done things that no one else ever tried to do, like running for a third term as mayor, and winning it. What do YOU feel, what do you sense as you hear him avoid a yes or no?