tous les jours ç'est pas la même

I watched President Obama give the commencement address for Barnard College at Columbia University this afternoon. He is so cool. In fact he is necessary. To be successful in this trying economy, it takes sound, consistent advice. I will never forget his calmness, conviction and goodwill.

To put it in personal perspective, I was hired as a programmer in 2008 at Columbia University by the late, great James Conlon, who was then the Director of the Visual Media Center. James hired me in part because of an application I made for a German media company covering the presidential election. One of James's major selling points was a free class each semester, in addition to the base salary (which he wryly called "the 50"). The first semester I watched the inauguration via a giant video jumbotron on the library steps. I took the basic computer science classes. James passed away, much too young, in the summer of 2009. He was a real character, and one of the most helpful, nicest men I have ever worked with. If I was Spock, he was Kirk. Working for James was a pleasure.

I applied for and was accepted into a degree program (and given 60 transfer credits from LSU). I went to art school for many years, perfecting my analog skill set- but let's face it, this is the digital age and the New York City job market is as difficult as it gets.

So I worked at a TV network to pay bills, took out loans, stayed up past 2 every night, usually in the Butler Library or the computer lab. I defragmented my brain, learning the tricks of the trade as well as the fundamental complexities of computation and visual cognition. Now I've finished the computer science degree (from Columbia of course, even though I took a screenwriting and theater History classes at Barnard).

And Obama came back. I watched him speak in front of Butler Library, standing there with a few of my best and sharpest friends, all of whom have also worked their way through school. It was worth it even if we lost a day's paycheck today. He's the President of the United States after all - careful, humble, smart, caring, humorous, stylish and powerful. I hope President Obama stays for four more years.
fiending for a new pair of ilie nastases....
Finally watched the Bill Cunningham documentary and I'm glad I did.



Met up with Bobbito Garcia aka Kool Bob Love aka DJ Cucumber Slice who was playing ball in the neighborhood. I won't say which courts because I don't want people crowding. He was talking about his new joint Doin' It In The Park.

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