David Bowie, R.I.P.

David Bowie passed due to cancer.  He seemed invulnerable to the conditions around him so perhaps it had to be something internal that took him from The World too soon.

This was the exact moment I became aware of his work, 1971.  I was working in a gas station too close to the local rock radio station's (WMEX) transmission tower in Quincy, Mass.  We could hear their broadcast on our phone line. WMEX would play their #1 song at the top of the hour, every hour.  Space Oddity was played at least that often.  We finally got a radio and were able to hear the song more clearly.  (Why it took 2 years for this song to break out in the U.S. I never did learn.)

I followed Bowie's work from that time forward.  It wasn't immediately accessible most of the time, and I think that was a part of his appeal, too.  He wasn't writing, performing, producing and touring for everyone...he was living for the rest of us.  The World is a smaller place today.

Cheers,

Greg

Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry Walk

This past Saturday, I participated in this fund raising and awareness walk.  This was the fourth consecutive year that a Walk was held.  The Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR) is open to anyone seeking a bone marrow transplant.  The shortage of available Armenian donors spurred its formation but it's not exclusive to Armenians.  Read More Here.  We raised a little more than $18K on Saturday.  It was a very young crowd as many school groups participated.  (The road marshals were adults...and you know how adults can be...)

Anyone who has known me for a while knows I'm not an Armenian Armenian.  I'm very proud of my heritage, but I didn't participate in the usual Armenian groups and schools growing up.  That's a mixed blessing as I know I missed out on significant opportunities to learn more about my heritage then (in addition to missing out on an opportunity to learn to speak and write Armenian as a child.)  Living so close to Watertown, I frequent Armenian grocery stores, and I get to as many Armenian social and cultural events as I can.  OK, back to the Walk.

The Walk started at the Armenian Cultural and Educational Center (ACEC) in Watertown on Nichols Avenue.  It's an impressive place.

Everyone congregated in the main hall and waited for the start at 11AM.  

A few minutes before 11, several speakers reviewed the route with us in addition to how the road marshals would work.  Road marshals had yellow t-shirts, and we walkers had green t-shirts.  The road marshals blocked every cross street (no easy feat in Watertown on a  Saturday afternoon.)

Once we set off walking, it was pretty residential all the way.  We did pass St. James, so I had to make note of the forthcoming Bazaar: October 16-17.

We made it to the park just outside Watertown Square next to the firehouse on Main Street.  It turned out there was a major fair in progress: live band, food, crafts and more.

We streamed through the crowd to an open space at the far corner of the park.  Organizers had placed ABMDR markers there for us to circle around while we waited for closing remarks and several drawings.

We received water and bananas while we waited, and then the raffles began.

There were some impressive prizes...I walked home with a new t-shirt, some hummus from an Armenian food booth, and a good feeling for having spent some time helping to improve life for someone else.  

My donors: Thank you for sponsoring me.  This was a local walk that helps people world wide.  Now that you've had to wade through my writing...here's a professional review from The Armenian Weekly.

Cheers,

Greg

Carmen Souza @ The Regattabar, Saturday, June 15th

Carmen Souza and her band energized a full house at the first of two evening shows at The Regattabar in Cambridge, Mass.  Born in Portugal and infused with Cape Verdean and African rhythms, Carmen and her band delivered a strong set with plenty of space for band solos.

Carmen is touring behind her new CD, Kachupada.  Her band (drum, piano and bass) is strong on every instrument and showed a real zest for getting rhythms into the audience.  Catch her on tour and check out her music, too.

Cheers,

Greg

Paul Williams, R.I.P.

Paul Williams brought Crawdaddy to life, and Crawdaddy fueled my love of and interest in music.  Sadly, Paul passed away last week. I used to sit outside The Harvard Coop waiting for the delivery of new issues.  (How I knew the delivery schedule eludes me today.)

Crawdaddy was informed and exceptionally well written rock journalism.  Everything else followed it IMHO.  I was definitely impressionable at the time, but the impression stuck, and I'm still happy with it today.

Cheers,

Greg

Zig Ziglar, R.I.P.

Zig Ziglar was a very prolific motivational speaker.  Everyone knows Dale Carnegie, but Zig was more accessible (at least for me.)  I used some of his cassettes to help orient myself to being more effective at my work (e.g., for my team members and customers) back in the 80's.  I wasn't alone.

Cheers,

Greg

The Travel Industry Takes On Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is growing.  Unwitting accomplices in the travel industry are focusing on the problem and trying to do something about it.  I support the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women.  You should, too. 

Cheers,

Greg

Rockaway Beach Needs Your Help

Good friends of mine rent a house there each summer.  Their friends live their year around and saw their homes destroyed.  Watch This.  Make a difference and fulfill a need through Occupy Sandy's Registry on Amazon.com.  I did.  You can learn more about Occupy Sandy here.

Cheers,

Greg