Watermark

Summer's End

Summer and autumn are arguing with each other; autumn is winning.

There is a new public service ad on television -- a cowboy rides into view, then swings off his horse and lights a cigarette. Whomp! the horse falls dead. A message rolls across the screen, something like second hand smoke is deadly.

I think of this as my neighbor and I sit on the deck, in the rain, putting poison into our bodies.

I wonder how tough it was to train that horse to fall down?

Avoiding the news, distracting myself from my tiredness, I've been watching Home & Garden Television. Why do people want their bedrooms to look like hotel rooms? Designed and impersonal? I don't get it. Even if you get all shy and conservative in the rest of your house, isn't this the one room that ought to most reflect your uniqueness, as a person, as a couple?

Today, in the States, we acknowledge Columbus Day -- that most ambiguous of holidays. Some celebrate; some protest; some mourn. Another reminder of the natural diversity of this nation.

I've been thinking lately about intelligence -- what kind, how much, does it matter?

My dogs desperately need haircuts; the kitchen cupboards are bare; books and magazines and midstream projects are scattered on the livingroom floor. But I sit, and watch television, and think.

That's all.

What I like about The Charlie Rose Show

Those of us who are attached to The Charlie Rose Show have suffered some anxiety over the past couple of months, now relieved by his return.* I wonder if I was alone in watching the show even more regularly in his absence -- clinging to what is threatened?

As he recovered from heart surgery, many stepped in to sit on his side of the table. If I were in Charlie's circle of friends, I would advise him to take advantage of this. He could do three shows a week and have others do the rest, as they have so capably done this past few weeks. This would give him time to do what -- he says -- he has learned he must: rest, and have more balance in his life -- but maintain for us what we so value in his work.

For me, that is several things, small and large. I value the quietness of this show -- the set, a simple wood table and chairs, and darkness around -- and the conversation, which includes much listening and actual responsiveness, one person to the other. The substitute hosts stayed on the path Charlie has devised -- depth, and surprising turns.

This show is not about talking points. The discussions are nearly always thoughtful, intelligent, civil, and sometimes amusing. I often find myself thinking about what I've heard, and learned, for some time afterward; and I've discovered that it's not unusual for me to learn the most from a topic or guest in whom I thought I had no interest.

There is, of course, an on the other hand: too many white men in suits; behaving better than they do elsewhere, but still. And not that white men in suits can't provide some visual interest -- this show, Brian Grazer interviews Malcolm Gladwell, had me mesmerized. I had to watch it twice, to get past the hair duel to the content:

 

I recommend that Charlie broaden (heh) and deepen his show with a selection of guests who represent a wider constituency. More women, for instance, of all colors, and not all beautiful. Not that he isn't better than most at this, but there is still much room for improvement -- and that improvement would be, I think, consistent with his values.

Which is why I can recommend this program to you, with very few reservations. Check your PBS station for times.

*From Wikipedia: On March 29, 2006, after experiencing shortness of breath in Syria, Charlie Rose was flown to Paris and underwent surgery for mitral valve repair in the Georges-Pompidou European Hospital. The surgery was performed under the supervision of Dr. Alain Carpentier, a pioneer of the mitral valve repair procedure. Rose returned on June 12, 2006 with Bill Moyers and Yvette Vega (the show's executive producer) and discussed Rose's surgery and recuperation.