Outside, it is still grey and chill; I have taken to wearing my winter jacket again, worse luck. It’s also been raining today with my mantra being: April showers bring Mayflowers.
Though, for all the grey, it’s been a very pleasant day. I am not quite so time zone loopy as I was yesterday or the day before. I am a little more centered and not quite so forgetful. I feel good and am looking forward to dinner tonight at the Red Dot, with a group of friends, for whom I have souvenirs of India.
I still almost expect to look out my window and see the vivid amber colors of Jaipur or the greens of Delhi but, instead, am greeted by the muted colors of the Northeast, struggling to come alive in the early days of spring.
There is a glorious freshness to the air I breathe here, clean and sweet with the smell of damp earth. The air in Delhi always has an acrid undertow, not so pungent as my first trips but still residing.
Out in the wide world, from which I feel sheltered here at the cottage, the news is much about the guilty verdicts given to Dzhokhar Tsarnaev for his role in the Boston bombings of over two years ago. Certainly not unexpected given that his defense admitted guilt in their opening statements; it has, for some, brought some closure, some finality, to the wounds, physical and emotional, that were inflicted that day. Now we will see if he is sentenced to death or if his defense team can save his life.
One of the necessities of life is coffee, so I ran down into Hudson to get some good espresso roast from Olde Hudson. As I went, the radio played an interview with Ernest Moniz, the Secretary of Energy, who ended up playing a big role in the Iranian Nuclear talks. I couldn’t tell from the interview if he was defending the outlined deal or simply reporting on his role. He seemed guileless in the little bit I heard him, very much the scientist and not very much the diplomat.
Last night, as I devoured my fajitas at Coyote Flaco, I saw the video of the South Carolinian shot in the back by a police officer, not quite able to assimilate what I was seeing. The officer has been dismissed and is charged with murder as a result of the video. And tension runs high.
Rand Paul is finishing his first full day of campaigning for President, promising “shocking” revelations about the Clinton Foundation [and Hillary]. In the meantime, it seems many people are looking at him and his candidacy and asking: is this for real?
Certainly for real is the chaos in Yemen. Doctors Without Borders announced that a ship had arrived in Aden with 2.5 tons of medical supplies though no one was sure how they would be unloaded given the situation there. Iran has sent two naval vessels toward Yemen while the Saudis continue bombing. The US is underscoring its support for Saudi Arabia. 100,000 people have fled their homes, seeking refuge from the fighting.
A Pakistani plane has arrived in New Delhi, carrying refugees from Yemen, a gesture that will help the usually frayed relations between those two countries.
The Iraqis are hoping to build on the victory at Tikrit by advancing into Anbar province, the Sunni heartland now mostly under the control of IS. At least that’s what the Anbar province regional council has said. Seems to be a bit of a surprise to the central government.
What is also a surprise but not in debate, is that IS has released more Yazidis. What is unclear is why they’re doing this.
Fighting for cyber security, the US is attempting to deflect attacks on White House and State Department computers, which seem to be coming from Russia. The Russians deny this.
In the UK, the election is “hotting up” as the May election draws closer, with Scotland appearing, quite extraordinarily, to end up playing a pivotal role in what shape the new UK government takes.
I do know the shape of my evening. That dinner out with friends and then gathering together the things that need to go with me to the city in the morning, an early rise and off on the 7:20 train in the morning for a 10:30 meeting.
It feels good to have my body and my mind in the same time zone, almost.
Letter from the Vineyard 
Letter From New York 04 11 15 After a pause…
April 11, 2015Yesterday, there was no Letter From New York. As the afternoon wore on, I felt pensive and uninspired. My mind was full of thoughts from my lunch with Isaac Phillips, a young entrepreneur whom I had met at a New York Video Meet-up. He is working on several apps and is whip smart in technology.
We had a wide ranging conversation about technology and then the general state of the world. After Isaac departed, I stayed and answered a couple of texts. Feeling discouraged about the state of the world based on my conversations with Isaac, I couldn’t seem to motivate my mind to move my fingers for a blog post.
Even though the day was grey, damp, and chill in New York, I had entered it with a good attitude and was feeling upbeat about most things. But if you look out on the global landscape, it’s hard to be upbeat. And I was thinking globally yesterday.
Today, I am thinking very locally. Tomorrow my friends Lionel and Pierre will be driving off to Baltimore so that Lionel can start his new job with AOL’s Ad Tech group. Tonight, I am having several neighbors over for a little farewell splash at the cottage so I need to be organized and moving today.
Falling asleep early last night, I woke early and decided to get my morning coffee, peruse the Times and do a blog early, so that it wouldn’t be on my mind as I prep for this evening’s serious nibbles and drinks.
While Lionel and Pierre have only been living across the street for eighteen months, they have been regular visitors at the cottage since the very beginning. Having them across the street brought another layer of security and hominess to this little neighborhood in Claverack. They hope to get up on a monthly basis and I am going to attempt to get down on a monthly basis to see them but it won’t be the same as having them in residence.
What will be in residence in all our lives for the next eighteen months will be the build-up to the 2016 Presidential Election. It will kick off with seriousness tomorrow when it is anticipated Hillary Clinton will officially enter the fray. She heads off immediately for Iowa after her Sunday announcement and our lives will be pummeled by politics until the last vote is counted.
In the background, Obama has been quietly praising up his former Secretary of State. It will be interesting to see what role he might play in the campaign ahead.
In financial news, GE is selling off its financial unit, GE Capital, to refocus on its core manufacturing skillsets. Being a financial giant doesn’t look as good today as it did before the financial crisis and GE is making a bold move to reshape itself.
In a low key but historic moment, Obama and Raul Castro shook hands at the Summit of the Americas being held in Panama. There will be, I’m sure, other encounters through the weekend.
Today, Saturday, Walter Scott, the South Carolinian shot in the back by a police officer, will be buried while a number of Southern Californian deputies are suspended after video surfaced showing them beating a suspect after his capture.
Captured in Yemen were two Iranian officers, allegedly offering support to the Houthis. If true, this will ratchet up the tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia, both vying to be the big guy in the Middle East. In the meantime, Yemen is in chaos.
Outside my window, the sun is streaking down, cutting a path of light across my bedroom carpet. Today is supposed to be cloudy, grey and maybe a little rainy so the morning sunshine is deeply appreciated.
I still feel a little melancholy today but it should pass as I prepare for the evening’s fete. It will be a good day!
Tags:Claverack, GE, GE Financial, Hillary Clinton, Isaac Phillips, Lionel White, Mat Tombers, Mathew Tombers, Obama, Pierre Font, Raul Castro, Walter Scott
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