Does a longing for David Baerwald that drives a person to purchase the "Crossing Guard" dvd in order to go directly to the chapters that feature him constitute mental instability? if so then color me cuckoo! Hey, thank you very much, ladies and gents, I'll be here all week, try the veal-its delicious and oh yeah, please take care of you waitresses- they're doin' it all for you and they're doin' it for minimum wage- but seriously folks- "The Crossing Guard" is a really good flick. I originally rented it years ago with no prior knowledge of Mr. B's appearance. As a Sean Penn fan, I really enjoyed "The Indian Runner" and was looking forward to more of that style and was not disappointed. If you haven't seen it, please do.

On to music-
I took Mr. Bearwald's advise and bought Amalia Rodrigues' "Queen Of The Fado". Wonderful music supporting passionate vocals. Great suggestion- thanks Mr. B. In the International music arena may I offer another woman with a very unique vocal style. Shiela Chandra. It may take several listens to acquire a taste for her, but the reward for doing so is worth it. Also on Peter Gabriel's Real World Label is the soulfully hypnotic Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. WOW. Start with his collaboration with Canadian multi-instrumentalist Michael Brook. Their joint effort is titled "Night Song". Hypnotic, mesmerizing and beautiful. Listen to it with headphones on in a darkened room and I guarantee it will put you into a trance from which you will not want to depart. It is that good- in my humble opinion, of course.

Thanks for reading and happy listening!
Jimmy