Man of Peace, Man of Enlightenment, Man of Love

MOHANDAS KARAMCHAND GANDHI
October 2, 1869 - January 30, 1948

Frenchman Makes Black History

MADPROFESSAH, one of the contributors on my tennis blog, wrote this post about Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the Cassius Clay lookalike with a powerful game and killer smile, who has stormed through the Australian Open draw in Melbourne to contest his first title on the professional tennis tour at one of tennis' premier Slam events.

Despite MadProfessah's predictions yesterday, Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated world No. 2 Rafael Nadal easily to reach his first Australian Open final. The score was 6-2 6-3 6-2 but the match was not even that close. Tsonga did not even face a break point until the third set and Nadal went 0 for 3 for the match while J-W was 5 for 7 in that category including a break of Rafa's very first service game(!) followed by a love hold by the Frenchman. Tsonga had 49 (+22) winners to Nadal's 13 (+1) including 27 aces (one of which was nearly 138 miles per hour).

Tsonga is projected to rise from his current 38 to (atleast) #27 on the new world rankings on Monday. He becomes the first Black man to be in a Grand Slam final since MaliVai Washington lost to Richard Krajicek in the 1996 Wimbledon final.

He becomes the first player to reach his first ATP final at a Grand Slam event since Gustavo Kuerten did at the French Open in 1997, and we all know what happened after that. (Kuerten went on to win at Roland Garros three times.)

Heath Ledger (1979 - 2008)

THE MORNING after River Jude Bottom Phoenix died, I had just watched three of his movies the night before. It was Halloween 1993 and I didn't feel like being wrapped up in any of that. It was at a time in my life when movies kept me company at night. When a friend called to tell me that River had been found dead, I wept. I felt as if I knew him from all the movies I had just seen.

When watching Brokeback Mountain, as brilliant as Heath Ledger was, I kept seeing River in that role. In the performance. It was as though Heatch was channeling River. And it made the movie even more poignant to me. These two men had the potential to be the next Great Actors.

I'm spent. I didn't know Heath, but having watched Brokeback Mountain more times than I can count, I feel like I did.

And to think, his character shot himself in the heart in Monster's Ball.

And to think, his last film was entitled I'm Not There.

So, so sad.

American History King

Eleven Years Ago Today...

...THE INTERNET brought us back together and look where we are now.

The Wedding

PRISTINE. ETHEREAL. Green. Majestic.
Fire. Smoke. Candles. Love.
Eucalyptus. Mountains. Bamboo. Waves.
Damp. Overcast. Gray. Joy.

Family.

Artist. Music. Inspiration.
Clear. White. Steam.
Elegant. Simple. Black.
Crowded. Grandiose. Festive.

Shoes.

Lamb. Chicken. Tenderloin. Mahi Mahi.
Truffles. Meerlust. Champagne. Vodka.
Kale. Pinenuts. Carrots. Vanilla.
Cake. Bananas. Peanut Brittle. Chocolate.

Hair.

Orchids. Roses. Sunflowers. Cala Lilies.
Dancing. Drinking. Laughing. Crying.
Winter. Ocean. Waterfall. Rock.
Pool. Sand. Pebbles. Perfect.

Daddy.





See all 216 photos of the pre-wedding reception, preparation, ceremony, banquet, and after-brunch (the camera battery died before dinner so no snapshots of the dancing!) by clicking here.

Going To The Chapel....

MY BIG LITTLE SISTER is going to get married. And I'm nervous. I never thought she was going to get married. I take that back. I thought she'd get married but only after Daddy died. (Her picture would be beside Daddy's Little Girl in the dictionary.) But I never thought it would be this soon. But as a wise friend of mine said, divorce and/or marriage follow death like spring follows winter. And almost as fast.

When she called me two months after Daddy transitioned and said that she was getting married, I said, "To whom?"

I knew it wasn't the man she had been dating for several years, the man who was there for her when we put Daddy in the ground. The man I will always call my brother-in-law because that's how much he means to me.

No. It was a man from Malibu who I'd never met, a man she met a decade ago, a man she reconnected with soon after Daddy passed. Gina has been practically living in California since the summer and now she is about to jump the broomstick with the man that is her dream.

And I'll be walking her down the aisle and "giving her away," though she's not mine to give.

So, beloved sister, here's to life, here's to love, here's to you.

Happy New Year!

Health and happiness to all in 2008.