Riad Galayini...
Scott Merrick
My friend Scott Merrick is many things: Teacher, poet, musician, father. We met 30 years ago when we were apprentices together at the Alaska Repertory Theatre.
(he's to my left in this photo, circa 1978)
He's as close as blood and breath. We're Godfather to each other's sons. Among his many gifts is the ability to be kinder and more loving than any man I've ever met. I wake up every morning and aspire to emulate that as well as his ability to share his passions with such even-tempered decency. I wouldn't be who I am today without his example and encouragement. Take a look at his life's work here. I highly recommend reading his book of poetry Speculativity, available at www.lulu.com. And you can purchase his music on Itunes.
Richard Peikoff - Guitar
I've been playing guitar since high school. I set it down for about 15 years - what I call my "Emerging From the Death Fog" period - and picked it back up before Seamus was born in 1998. My goal is to eventually play something during Savasana (final resting pose) in the yoga classes I teach but I've also been writing songs for years which I may or may not ever set free. It doesn't matter, really, as long as I keep looking and listening for my voice and that means surrounding myself with people who can say, "Yes, that's it. Play it cleanly and you'll have great satisfaction." Words to live by. Richard Peikoff is a hugely gifted guitar player, composer and teacher. I've been working with him since March of '06 on slide technique, mostly in DADGAD tuning, and he's changed my life in many ways. As with any great teacher, his influence and inspiration far exceeds the limits of his subject. And he's a good friend. Go to his site and listen to his music. You'll be greatly satisfied.
Showing Up
The Showing Up site is now up and running.
It's criminally insane to try to justify the sacrifice of our brave soldiers and innocent Iraqi civilians as necessary for humanitarian purposes or to protect us from "future terror attacks". But supporters of the war in Iraq still try to do it. And even when Bush finally reveals it's all about Iraq's oil reserves and securing a permanent military presence in the region, the press and the American people turn a blind eye, making us complicit.
The "best defense is a good offense" strategy only works in sporting events. As our president sings and jokes about his crimes and failings as a "war president" it's clear he and his accomplices who profit from the war view it as such.
One of their main selling points when they made the case to go to war was that it would pay for itself. They were wrong about that, too. It's beyond time to end this war based on lies, fear and greed. We must stop funding it and put the money to better use.
These are some causes we support here at Chez Seamus. I hope you'll check them out:
Comments?
Please feel free to drop a line to say hello. Though I can't reply, it's nice to know who's rolling through.