We left here....
Well,
last week marks a three-month absence from these pages. Concerned readers have asked, where have you been? Where, indeed.
Your
Correspondent has spent the last three months in an epic move from Gotham to
Southern California. The move was a long
time in coming, and completely necessary.
However, amassing a 40 year (and counting) collection of books, autographs,
historical documents, pictures, paintings, art materials and curiosa for
selling or packing and shipping was no easy task. (We won’t even begin to talk about packing 50
hats…) We have been safely ensconced
here for three weeks now, and things have settled down to the usual state of
fevered activity.
Nor are
our adventures over. While we have
settled into Huntington Beach for the next few months, that is only the first
step prior to finding a new, permanent home, exploring professional
opportunities, reaching out to the various artistic communities, and generally
getting on with life.
During
the past few months, I haven’t been able to give The Jade Sphinx the attention it so richly deserves. However, I’m delighted to find that my
readership has inexplicably increased
(some 12,000 reads in July alone!), and that the total number of reads has
reached an impressive 363,512! That
number amply demonstrates that the public is hungry for an in-depth examination
of great books, theatre and art. To each
and every one of you who regularly reads these pages, I thank you. For those of you who are new here, keep
coming – there is more on the way. (Or,
better yet, start reading earlier posts.
This blog has covered a broad array of topics, and there is something of
interest for most everyone.)
.... For here!
In the
coming weeks, we will return to book reviews, art analysis, and thoughts on our
current culture (or lack of it). We will
also make a comment or two on the efforts of two hard-bitten New Yorkers to
become laid-back West Coasters. The
change in lifestyle, quality of life, and overall enrichment of experience is
staggering. When people in New York ask
what Southern California is like, I say, “remember the view outside my window,
and imagine the exact opposite.” It is
quieter, cleaner, the people friendlier and more polite, there are no
undercurrents of anxiety and aggression, and the endless stream of
perfect-weather days provides a sense of timelessness. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier.
So,
while my life has fundamentally and happily changed, The Jade Sphinx will be providing the mixture as before. Let us know what parts of this blog you most
enjoy, and what needs work. Remember
that while The Jade Sphinx largely
exists as a mode of developing and exploring my intellectual and aesthetic
appreciations, it is an experience that I want to share with you.
Tomorrow: Getting Settled In
Southern California