Much franticness occurring in my life just now.

It's been a fine fine few months here in western Mass., but the time has come to shuffle along. Next week sees Uzee and myself relocating to scenic yet perversely expensive Hawaii for a period of several months in our ongoing "circle the globe" tour. I'm fairly excited about it, as I think anyone would be, especially since swimming in the ocean and snorkeling are easily on my list of 5 favorite things to do. Some mild anxiety accompanies the move, in terms of "Will I be focused enough to continue writing books while living in such a beautiful place?" Only one way to find out, I guess. Wish me luck.

The annual miracle

Here's what's growing on my back porch at the moment.

I've had mixed success with growing vegetables over the years, but these tomatoes look like they're coming along nicely. Of course, I may never taste them, since Uzee and I are relocating once again and leaving the continental US, in which case my mom will inherit them. But whatever. It still amazes me that you can stick a plant in the ground, and wait a few weeks, and have food. Okay so I'm easily amazed. What can I tell you.

Ramblings

Hello, it's Monday, nothing much happening. I will be going to the library later to work on the new book. Aren't you glad you know that?

1. Went to Provincetown Mass recently and had a terrific time. May I recommend the Somerset House Inn if you're heading that way anytime soon.

2. Hillary dropped out of the presidential race, which is okay, leaving Obama (motto: "Let's bomb Pakistan!") to fight it out with McCain (motto: "Let's bomb everybody!") Excuse me if I'm not terribly excited about the election this year. Yes, we must elect Obama, but I wish he was a trifle less bloodthirsty regarding the country in which I live and about which he knows nothing.

3. David Cook won American Idol. How do I know this? Lord knows. I believe it happened while I was in Provincetown, however. (For the record, I was rooting for Syesha.)

4. Uzee and I recently watched Chinatown for the first time. Great movie. We may be going through a vintage-Jack-Nicholson phase; Five Easy Pieces is sitting on top of the TV.

5. Celtics are in the process of hosing the LA LAkers, currently ahead by 2-0 in the finals. Now I don't care a great deal for basketball, but I'm enough of a local boy to like it when the New England teams win. Tomorrow they play in LA and, hopefully, extend the streak. Go Leon Bowe!

PLEASE TAKE THE POLL AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE!

Bettye ROCKS

Okay, somehow a week has slipped by since Uzee and I drove down to Long Island to hear Bettye LaVette. (Where exactly does the time go? Please let me know when you figure it out.) Anyway, that concert was, if not the greatest I ever heard, at least one of the three greatest I ever heard. And I've been to a lot of concerts.

For the record, the other two standouts that leap to mind are

Jane's Addiction, Tucson, AZ, 1989 (following the release of Nothing's Shocking); and

Baaba Maal, Rabat, Morocco, 1996 (in an outdoor arena that his big voice completely filled).

Honorable mentions include Koko Taylor in a jammed club in Tucson; Lucinda Williams, ditto; and The Tragically Hip, ditto again. These were all in the early '90s, which is when I went to the bulk of my concerts. The Black Keys were also great, last month in Boston, as I mentioned in an earlier posting.

But Bettye... oh man that woman can rock. She also came out to the lobby after the show (in a tiny theatre, 400-odd seats) and signed CDs and called everybody "honey" and was generally adorable.

Here's another clip from YouTube, just because I can't resist, from a TV appearance a few weeks back.