Here's your sign...

Things ain't what they used to be. (In fact, they never was.) The Profile (more than you really wanted to know) is here.

I used to park at the rear of the paint and decorating store I managed. One morning as I walked toward the back door I peered into the huge industrial dumpster and spotted a brief case. I checked it and found it was full of paperwork. There was a tag in the inside cover identifying the owner as a Detective with the local police force. After opening the store, I telephoned him to tell him I had found his brief case. His first question was, “Is there anything missing?” In Wichita, Kansas.

These are the most popular pages: Alison Young Art Pepper Barney Kessel Bettie Page Curl-up-and-dye Edgar Degas and the lost Ginger Nude Ginger Panda Gnat Trap Little Annie Fannie Marilyn Resident Alien Sunday Funnies

Wine of the week - Gnarley Head Zinfandel

Things ain't what they used to be. (In fact, they never was.) The Profile (more than you really wanted to know) is here.

About Five-Fifty. It whas a pleasant change from the shiraz I usualy have.

These are the most popular pages: Alison Young Art Pepper Barney Kessel Bettie Page Curl-up-and-dye Edgar Degas and the lost Ginger Nude Ginger Panda Gnat Trap Little Annie Fannie Marilyn Resident Alien Sunday Funnies

Wordless Wednesday - Invisible

Things ain't what they used to be. (In fact, they never was.) The Profile (more than you really wanted to know) is here.

My own Wordless Wednesday

These are the most popular pages: Alison Young Art Pepper Barney Kessel Bettie Page Curl-up-and-dye Edgar Degas and the lost Ginger Nude Ginger Panda Gnat Trap Little Annie Fannie Marilyn Resident Alien Sunday Funnies

Music Monday - John Pizzarelli

Things ain't what they used to be. (In fact, they never was.) The Profile (more than you really wanted to know) is here.

This is John Pizzarelli jamming after hours during the 2002 Jazz Festival in Ottawa. It's after the show. He's just one of the guys. A fine musician.

These are the most popular pages: Alison Young Art Pepper Barney Kessel Bettie Page Curl-up-and-dye Edgar Degas and the lost Ginger Nude Ginger Panda Gnat Trap Little Annie Fannie Marilyn Resident Alien Sunday Funnies

Sunday Funnies - Bill's apple.

Things ain't what they used to be. (In fact, they never was.) The Profile (more than you really wanted to know) is here.

Bill did this.

These are the most popular pages: Alison Young Art Pepper Barney Kessel Bettie Page Curl-up-and-dye Edgar Degas and the lost Ginger Nude Ginger Panda Gnat Trap Little Annie Fannie Marilyn Resident Alien Sunday Funnies

Alison Young and the moment.

Things ain't what they used to be. (In fact, they never was.) The Profile (more than you really wanted to know) is here.

Never throw away any picture. We are all we have. The camera tried hard to get a shot for me but the lighting and the inept operator gave only this marginal result. The shutter was open too long and Alison Young moved. That’s okay. The memory of listening to her play live comes back just as well with this shot as with any other. As my wife and others will attest, when I hear a really talented musician or a really wonderful performance, I tend to weep. Yes, I know. As I sat in the dark at an after-hours jam session during an Ottawa Jazz Festival, I was often a bit misty eyed. Talented musicians, relaxed before a small audience, played as they felt, often only for their own appreciation. Good stuff. One such night, a young fellow played an alto sax solo backed with rhythm and piano. His technique was good, polished; his chorus was fresh and welcome. Then as he finished, he unhooked the alto from its neck strap and handed it to a red-haired girl standing just out of the spotlight. After a couple hearty solo piano choruses, 19 year old Alison Young stepped into the light and began to play that same alto sax. And tears came instantly to my eyes. Yes, I was impressed. It was the same saxophone but nothing else was the same. Her tone and range set her apart. Her attack and enthusiasm made it fascinating. Most of all, her inventiveness kept the listener sitting up straight. I’ll never forget it. When she finished we all realized we had been holding our collective audience breath. Every moment of our lives has that possibility to connect with someone. Each moment has that ability to be an important moment in someone’s life. Perhaps as a race we are losing that capability to empathize with our fellow humans. We have become protectorates, isolationists in our own being. We fear or loath connection so much that we avoid sharing any of ourselves. We only perceive the surface of others, not the warmth within. A child knows how. A child has the ability to freely observe moments from everything, collecting, mimicking and blending. But just like the fairy tales and goblins, this talent fades away as adulthood comes jack booting down the life path. We can rail on about conservation and brotherly love. We can preach about faith and hope and charity. We can be reliable or lie and make work or leisure for ourselves. We can vote and debate and scoff and complain. But in the final analysis: we are all we have. Never throw away any moment. We are all we have.

These are the most popular pages: Alison Young Art Pepper Barney Kessel Bettie Page Curl-up-and-dye Edgar Degas and the lost Ginger Nude Ginger Panda Gnat Trap Little Annie Fannie Marilyn Resident Alien Sunday Funnies

The Story Behing the Photograph - Laura

Things ain't what they used to be. (In fact, they never was.) The Profile (more than you really wanted to know) is here.

Laura is the face in the misty light Footsteps that you hear down the hall The laugh that floats on a summer night That you can never quite recall And you see Laura on a train that is passing through Those eyes, how familiar they seem She gave your very first kiss to you That was Laura, but she's only a dream She gave your very first kiss to you That was Laura, but she's only a dream

These are the most popular pages: Alison Young Art Pepper Barney Kessel Bettie Page Curl-up-and-dye Edgar Degas and the lost Ginger Nude Ginger Panda Gnat Trap Little Annie Fannie Marilyn Resident Alien Sunday Funnies

Wine of the Week - St. Joseph Offerus

Things ain't what they used to be. (In fact, they never was.) The Profile (more than you really wanted to know) is here.

Self explanitory. Yes, I ended up pouring most of it in the kitchen sink.

These are the most popular pages: Alison Young Art Pepper Barney Kessel Bettie Page Curl-up-and-dye Edgar Degas and the lost Ginger Nude Ginger Panda Gnat Trap Little Annie Fannie Marilyn Resident Alien Sunday Funnies

Wordless Wednesday - Chrome Horse

Things ain't what they used to be. (In fact, they never was.) The Profile (more than you really wanted to know) is here.

My own Wordless Wednesday

These are the most popular pages: Alison Young Art Pepper Barney Kessel Bettie Page Curl-up-and-dye Edgar Degas and the lost Ginger Nude Ginger Panda Gnat Trap Little Annie Fannie Marilyn Resident Alien Sunday Funnies