Let’s forget politics for a while. (It may take a national 12 step program at this point, but let’s give it a go.) Let’s consider what we can all agree is important: food, music and books. Three reviews:
New great place to have a nice dinner: Charlie’s on Leavitt.
What a surprize, it’s in Lincoln Square! Great food, great decorating. Try the skate, but ask for the butter sauce on the side. If you can’t get in here, walk across the street to Aquafina.
Author I’m totally over: Augusten Burroughs. His Magical Thinking, while it has a few great moments when he talks about his partner and his dog, is, on the whole, very disappointing. Watch used book price on Amazon plummett. Just for the record, David Sedaris wins. Hands down.
And on the music front, stop reading this now and type itunes in your browser window. Download Mark Knopfler’s latest album Shangri-La. Or, if you are that kind, go to Amazon or a store and buy an actual disc. If you thought Dire Straits’ Brothers in Arms was incredible, check this out. Shargri-La makes Brothers In Arms look like a rough draft. Knopfler is a master guitarist and storyteller. This album is him at his best in both arenas.
Only Mark Knopfler could sing these sweet words to his children (in “All That Matters”):
my darling girl
my darling girl
you’re all that matters
in this wicked world
all that matters
all that matters
my darling boy
my darling boy
all of my sunshine
and all of my joy
you’re all that matters
all that matters
on the same album where he sings (in “Don’t Crash the Ambulance”):
what we have here’s
a dung hole place
thought it was fly shit
on the map
fat bastard, ugly face…
had to go down there
stick a couple
aircraft carriers
in his ass
Oh, and we can all agree that an essential part of modern life is cartoons. Here’s a great one I stumbled upon recently.