My Favorite Things

A mixed bag this issue.

1. Amazon.com

I like its web site, I like the suggestions they make based on my past book purchases. I like the fact that you have an option to buy new or used books and CD's. (Book publishers don't like this.) I like the customer service and I like the CEO, Jeff Bezos. Bezos went from poster boy to piñata when Amazon stock went from over $100 US to just over $5.00 post 9/11. But he's stuck with his business model and built an organization with whom it's tough to compete. They owe a lot of money, but are edging towards profitability and I'm betting they succeed. Another thing I like about Bezos is that his Seattle office is on the 11th floor and he never uses the elevator.

2. Robin Williams HBO Special

This will be aired on July 14th and is a sure-fire winner. Laughter is a big part of wellness, which will make this a very healthy show. While in New York, Nancy and I paid big bucks to see Robin Williams' first stand-up in 15 years. Describing his performance in the New Yorker (8 April 2002) John Lahr wrote, "As a spectator, you have to hang on tight; there are no signposts for the emotional-intellectual switchbacks and no rests. Williams is the ringmaster of his own haunted internal world and the whirlwind of the extraordinary is his natural climate."

We bumped into Robin and his wife while shopping in Soho. I told him we had tickets to see him that night and he thanked us profusely for coming to see his show instead of watching the Oscars on TV. (The Oscars could surely benefit from his talent.) I wish I'd remembered to thank him for "Dead Poet's Society", my favorite of his 40 odd films, but that happens in those brief brushes with fame. As we left the store, ever in character, he held the door open for us saying, "And thank you for shopping Casa Armani."

Robin is now a regular at Glide Church in San Francisco (see the "Georgia On My Mind" article in the Summer 2000 edition of 'Well').

3. The 2002 World Cup

Albert Camus, the French existentialist said, "What I know most surely about morality and the duty of man, I owe to soccer." Amen to that. Growing up in London soccer was my lifeline, and the first poem I ever wrote aged 10 began.

"It matters not the words I say
My thoughts are often far away
At a football match
On a Saturday."

America does not 'get' soccer like the rest of the world, it's too hard to control, it's not media friendly with time-outs for commercial breaks and it's become a sort of shorthand for happy suburban families, rather than the passion of the masses. Evidence of this is already emerging, after Senegal beat France the President of Senegal declared a national holiday, but after U.S.A. upset favoured Portugal, Bush didn't even manage a phone call, but said he was "aware" of the result. Despite the fact that the USA has qualified as one of the final 32 teams, few people could name even one player, or the coach. This would be unthinkable in the other 31 countries. I have been in no North American sports arena where the passion of the fans even remotely approached the intensity of a soccer crowd, who need no cheerleaders, marching bands or amplified sound effects to orchestrate their songs, chants and other-worldly roar.

I will be getting up at strange times to see the major games live from South Korea and Japan, and envying Steve Nash and some friends who have tickets for the all England games. For me a defining moment will be 4:30 am (West Coast time) on June 7th when England walks onto the field against Argentina. The 8,000 English supporters who have travelled to Japan will be singing "God save our gracious team" and my goose-bumps will be being shared with millions of others. England v. Argentina at football attracts much more interest than the Falklands War. (The Argentine military actually used the football song 'Vamos vamos Argentina' to try to boost their morale.) It's easy to go on about the history which includes the brawl in '66 ('Britania Waives the Rules.'), the 'Hand of God' goal by Maradona in '86, and two huge controversies involving clashes between Spice boy, soccer genius David Beckham and Argentine defenders.

It will be riveting stuff with strategy, passion, despair, exultation, and skills so sublime they can make you weep. Soccer is not called 'the beautiful game' without reason.

Organized sport is one of the great achievements of our species and soccer with its minimal equipment and simple rules is the ultimate game. (In the rest of the world soccer is called football, but this leads to confusion in North America. The word 'soccer' is derived from the 'soc' in association football, which is the correct terminology for the 'beautiful game.')

Late Note. As the excitement mounts, even George W. Bush called Mexican President Vicente Fox prior to the start of the USA vs. Mexico game.

4. 'Stupid White Men' by Michael Moore I've always liked Michael Moore who's smart, abrasive and not even close to being politically correct. I own his first documentary, 'Roger and Me', about the decline and fall of Flint, Michigan and his efforts to talk about this to Roger Smith, the CEO of General Motors. 'Stupid White Men' has topped the non-fiction best-sellers list for weeks and is worth reading for the first chapter alone, 'A Very American Coup' about the Florida election. Moore's new documentary 'Bowling for Columbine' has been the surprise hit of the recent Cannes Film Festival, and got huge coverage in the French press while I was there.

5. New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc I'm not a wine expert and won't give you a bunch of trendy adjectives to try to do with words what can only be done by taste buds. There seems to be ideal growing conditions for the sauvignon blanc grape in New Zealand and they've won over the world with their aromatic, crisp and fruity wines. There are plenty of good ones to choose from including the various 'Bay' wines, Oyster Bay, Hawkes Bay, and Cloudy Bay. Stoneleigh, Matua Valley and Marlborough are 3 others that come to mind. If I had to pick a favorite it would be the Cloudy Bay 2001, with Oyster Bay 2000 or 2001 a close runner-up at a few dollars cheaper.