“Snow from an early snowstorm still lingered in the shade and at high elevations when we arrived a couple of weeks ago. But the occasional patches of white didn’t detract from the vibrant palette of Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Taos. The sky seemed bluer, the houses earthier, the food and clothing more colorful.”

Southwest Colors, The Silk Road Ensemble’s American Railroad, Dark Winds, “Someday We'll All Be Free,” Sunset on the Rio Grande.

“Hate's goin' 'round/Breaking many hearts/Stop it please/
Before it's gone too far.” —Stevie Wonder

America/Stevie Wonder at Fiserv/The Moors/Cesaria Evora/”Try to Praise the Mutilated World”

“After a considered, self-reflective pause, I stared down at that new shiny screen, darkly reflecting my suspicious gaze. ‘Thanks a lot, Mr. Jobs. That’s why I never became a best-selling, critically acclaimed novelist! Curse you and all your Silicon Valley minions!’”

iPhone Therefore I Am, Roy Wood, Jr., Book It, Sense and Sensibility, Metheny’s Meditations.

"I'll instead give Megalopolis a thumbs up on blind faith. Not that I believe it will be a great movie, but because the work of an artist like Coppola deserves to be seen and talked about."

Choice Critics' Choices, The Coast Starlight, Megalopolis, His Three Daughters, RIP Maggie Smith.

"We once watched Julia Child explain how to perfectly roast a chicken. Today we thrill to cutthroat competitions to be the Top Chef or to Beat Bobby Flay. If we’re feeling particularly sadistic, we might turn on Hell’s Kitchen and watch an upstart try to get a rare smile of approval out of Gordon Ramsay."

The Only Thing? Spring Green Moments, Alex Edelman, Edgar Steed, Angelique Kidjo.