Death

You would know the secret of death. But how shall you find it unless you seek
it in the heart of life?

The owl whose night-bound eyes are blind unto the day cannot unveil the mystery of light.

If you would indeed behold the spirit of death, open your heart wide unto the body of life. For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one.

In the depth of your hopes and desires lies your silent knowledge of the beyond;
And like seeds dreaming beneath the snow your heart dreams of spring.
Trust the dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.
Your fear, of death is but the trembling of the shepherd when he stands before the king whose hand is to be laid upon him in honor.

Is the not joyful not Joyful beneath his trembling, that he shall wear the mark of the king?

Yet is he not more mindful of his trembling?

For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun?

And what is it to cease breathing, but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?

Only the river of only when you drink from silence shall you indeed sing.
And when you have reached the mountaintop, then you shall begin to climb.
And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.

Kahlil Gibran

Tags: death, Kahlil Gibran

Pop’s Water Ice

I have been talking a lot about Pop’s Water Ice lately, mainly because once again I am living a water ice-less summer. I was reminded of something I had written last year for the I.E. and thought I would share it once more:

Rita’s Water Ice is branching out to Indianapolis. This is just the latest of 500 stores now open across 21 states. Rita’s is the most popular water ice distributor in the country, if not the world, but it’s crap! Why all the fuss?

I unfortunately had to settle for Rita’s water ice on those hot spring and summer days while attending Istinkalotta University–there was a store just across the street. I would watch students line up for the ‘more water than ice’ thing, day after day. Most of these people were from upstate Pennsylvania, so I would quietly giggle to myself thinking, “These idiots never had real water ice!”

One of the benefits of growing up in South Philadelphia was the multitude of water ice stands and stores available: Mom and Pops, Italiano’s, Fillipo’s Ice, That one place across the street from Dr. Steingard’s office and my personal favorite Pop’s. In my opinion and also many others, Pop’s Water Ice is the best it’s ever gonna get. The big difference between Rita’s and Pop’s is the 50 year age gap between them. Pop’s has been running since 1932 and Rita’s only from 1984, although the franchise didn’t pick up until the mid 1990s. Though Pop’s is technically a chain, their 3 stores don’t come anywhere near to the 900 Rita’s will have by the end of 2009.

I myself am guilty of going to big money corporations for grub once in a while, but at the same time I know the cappuccino in Starbucks can’t touch that served by coffee houses deep in the heart of Philadelphia’s Italian Market, for example, Anthony’s Italian Coffee. I know that the soggy shit given out by McDonald’s can’t compare to the Hamburger Royal served by Tony Luke’s. Which brings me to my point–Rita’s can open up in as many locations as they want, but they will always be missing one important factor, quality.

Tags: anthony's italian coffee, hamburgers, italian ice, mcdonald's bull shit, pop's water ice, rita's water ice, starbucks crap coffee, tony luke's

Carnegie Hall’s Susan Brady is at it again…

I am absolutely infuriated right now at an email I have received tonight from Susan Brady, Carnegie Hall’s Director of Development. Now I will cut and paste this letter on here so you can read what I have just read, the sentences highlighted in bold, were done so by Susan, not myself. Underneath her email is my take on it all.

————————————-
Dear Dia,

My name is Susan Brady, and I’m the Director of Development at Carnegie Hall.

I’m writing because a very important deadline is approaching: Carnegie Hall’s fiscal year ends on June 30. The major decisions that face this organization–decisions affecting our world-class musical programming, educational services that inspire thousands of students, and needed renovations to the Hall itself–will depend on what happens in these next four weeks.

Our Executive and Artistic Director, Clive Gillinson, recorded a brief video where he talks about where we stand–and about why Carnegie Hall means so much to everyone in the world who appreciates the best in music.

I know that you’ve enjoyed music at the Hall before, but if you’re like many of our supporters, you may never stop to think about what it means to the cultural life of this country–or what it takes to keep it up and running.

Please watch the video, then consider making a $50 donation to support Carnegie Hall:

I know how much this recession has affected all of our lives, and that we’re not the first organization to tell you that times are tough.

But times like these are also an opportunity to focus on what matters most–and I believe that music is indispensable to our lives.

As Clive says in the video, just because Carnegie Hall has been around for 118 years doesn’t mean it’ll be around forever. The support of people like you is instrumental to the success of this organization–past, present, and future.

You’ve experienced the power of Carnegie Hall–you’ve attended performances here, but you’ve never taken the next step by supporting this institution with a charitable donation.

Thank you so much for considering our request. Please watch Clive’s video and learn more about making a donation:

All the best,

Susan

Susan Brady
Director of Development
Carnegie Hall

—————————————-

Let me tell you why she keeps emailing me. I went to see a Deborah Voigt recital back in 2004. I had just had my eleventh brain surgery. Some friends of mine helped me pay for a box ticket because they knew how badly I wanted to see her perform. I had a rough year, and this was the first night I was spending outside of the medical world, outside of all of the drama…it was the first night I had to focus on something other than my brain troubles.

Ever since that night this woman Susan Brady has been hounding me with emails and phone calls. When I was living in New York, I would get a call once a week begging me for money. I tried to explain, that although I sat in a posh seat, I WASN’T POSH. Geez. I had medical bills coming out of my ass, and they thought I could afford to support Carnegie Hall? They were as vicious as Bill Collectors for student loans. They never let up until I moved.

So, her harsh words in the above email that talk about an obligated “next step of charitable donation”…to that I say, WHAT? Are you serious? The ticket prices are high, no one gets in for free. Carnegie Hall is not a non profit organization that depends solely on donations, they make an enormous profit! Why are we meant to take this next step out of obligation? I don’t understand. I do know that these are desperate times for everyone. In addition to that, music is the most important thing in my life, without it I would have dropped dead a long time ago, I have never denied the power of music in my life, but I will not sit back and be bullied into paying that “50 dollars” just because Carnegie is going under. Never have I once received a thank you for my ticket purchases, never once an apology for the tremendous amount of phone calls and emails in the past which demanded money. Why on earth would I respond to one of the most ignorant emails I have yet to receive, with a 50 dollar donation?

Come on! Be nice, and maybe people who have that kind of money will respond, but continue the hounding, and people will turn the other way.

Tags: annoying letters, brady, carnegie hall, donations, ignorant, mean, rude, susan, susan brady