When I got home last night I noticed Augusten Burroughs’ new book on the dining room table.   I’d forgotten we’d ordered it.    Ever since “Running With Scissors,” I’ve read all of his books including his first, which came out before Scissors.  It’s a bizarre little novel titled “Sellevision.”     His latest book is about his relationship with his father, titled “A Wolf At The Table.” 

I came across this quote on Wikipedia…Burroughs said that many of his fans may have trouble with the book.   “It’s just a devastating, terrifying story.  But I had to write it for me. “

I’ll let you know what I think in a couple days when I’ve finished it.

Melinda Beck from the Wall Street Journal  wrote a great column Tuesday about “self-efficacy”, the unshakable belief some people have that they have what it takes to succeed. Stanford professor Albert Bandura first described it in the 1970s and it has become a key concept in educational circles. Don’t confuse it with self worth. Bandura says, “it’s easy to have high self esteem…just aim low”. Self-efficacy is a person’s judgment of specific capabilities. Professor Bandura, still at Stanford at age 82, says there are people with high self-efficacy who “drive themselves hard but have low self-esteem because their performance always falls short of their high standards.” Bandura adds, “People need to learn how to manage failure so it’s informational and not demoralizing.” Some notable failures who didn’t give up? Take Julie Andrews who was told at 12 she was not “photogenic enough” for film. Or J.K. Rowling who was turned down by 12 publishers until she signed with a small London publishing house. Then there’s local nerds Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak who were turned away by Atari and HP when they tried to sell an early Apple computer. Some are born with the determination but self-efficacy can be acquired by mastering a task; by modeling behaviors of others who have succeeded and by effective encouragement tied to achievement as opposed to empty praise. Good stuff. Read the article here.

In our Blind Date  year Tchaikovsky wrote Sleeping Beauty and Henry Cavendish Jones convinced the “All England Croquet Club” to replace a croquet court with a lawn tennis court in… 1875.

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I’d like to personally thank you if you attended the KDFC Classical Star Search Finals last night at the Palace of Fine Arts Theater.   It was a great event…from the pre-concert reception to the announcement of the winners.  Even getting out of the parking lot went well without much of a wait.

There are so many people here at KDFC who worked tirelessly on making this happen (you know who you are) and we couldn’t have pulled it off without them.   And Lang Lang…you rock!

I wanted also to thank the 300 people who submitted entries, the 20 semi-finalists and the six finalists.  I could never be a Simon Cowell (even though I often agree with him)  because I feel rather paternal to the performers…I thought they all did a terrific job.   Congrats to the winners…Percy Liang and Rieko Tsuchida.

We’ve had several conversations here at the studios today on how to grow this event even bigger next year. 
And we will.

Now I’m wondering if he did it on purpose, that is, arriving late to our special pre-show reception.  “Where’s Lang Lang?” everyone whispered.  The attendees had to make do chatting with me and the rest of the KDFC gang for an awkward 20 minutes.  But just when we thought his plane from Berlin had been delayed, in he strolled. I guess a star knows how to make an entrance.  Looking, I must say, great.  Adorable.  His spiky black hair not quite as spiky as in his photos, 501 jeans, Adidas tennis shoes with gold stripes along the sides.  As soon as he entered the party, the buzz was palpable.  Everyone wanted a photo and an autograph from the 25 year-old Chinese piano sensation.  He obliged them all with a smile and a laugh.  If he was jet-lagged, I couldn’t tell.  And when we took our places on stage for the judging of the 1st annual KDFC Classical Star Search, he dug right in with insightful comments and a few pointed criticisms (heard only by me!). He added so much to our event.  An event that was a mere twinkle in Bill Lueth’s eye just a few months earlier.  Could we pull it off?  With the good-natured participation of one of classical music’s biggest star, we did it!  Check out our winners on the Star Search page at www.kdfc.com.  BTW, Lang Lang kissed me on both cheeks when we said good-bye so that’s it, we’re bonded for life.

“Without heroes, we are all plain people and don’t know how far we can go”. Bernard Malamud, American Author.
That was our quote  today from AP and it got me thinking about the heroes around us every day. I’m thinking of the ordinary people who face up to extraordinary challenges thrown at them in the moment, or those who see a need in their community, country or planet and give way more than most of us do. That applies to an article in the Contra Costa Times today in their Monday Profile about Oakland based investment adviser Karl Mills. Seven years ago he was asked to take the full-time, unpaid position of President of the San Francisco Opera. He’d helped his investment firm grow from 130 million to assets of around $3-billion. The new job would have an enormous impact on his families finances, but he jumped at the chance and in two years time turned the opera’s $7.6 million deficit around to a $25-thousand dollar surplus. He called it an expensive, but rewarding experience. Heroes are all around us. None of them fly, or wear capes, but they are heroes never the less. I found more rewarding stories at CNN.com as they search for heroes and you can read more about them and nominate your own here.

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This week I gave away tickets to see the new show at Berkeley Rep, “Figaro.”   The show opens tonight and runs through the first week of June.  I hope you enjoy the show.

MONDAY
This musical opened on Broadway on this day, April 21, 1977.   The original run of 2,377 performances lasted just shy of 6 years.

ANNIE (Winner-Hope Weisssman, San Francisco)

TUESDAY
130-million of these will be thrown away this year.   Only 20% are recycled.
CELL PHONES (Winner-Patrick Domres, San Jose)

WEDNESDAY
What were you allowed to do on flights from say the Bay Area to LA and Seattle (flights less than two hours) UNTIL this day, April 23, 1988?
SMOKE (Winner-Josephine McChord, Berkeley)

THURSDAY
We know most everything about our pets.  But only 6 in 10 of us know this.
THEIR BIRTH DATE (Winner-John Quilter, Brisbane)
(There are our two dogs.   “Sophie” Tucker, on the left, was born February 10, 1998.   She’s now 10.   We don’t know Jackie’s birth date.  She was a rescue.  We guess Jackie “Jane Russell” she may be about 8.)

FRIDAY
New Yorkers were required to buy one of these for their automobiles beginning on this day, April 25, 1901.    The price for one was a dollar.
LICENSE PLATE (Winner-Cliff Terry, Walnut Creek)

Have the best weekend.
See you Sunday morning on the Big Island of Sanity from 9 to Noon.   

Go ahead.  Call me a copycat.  John Evans had the great idea of posting his Prize @ 5 trivia questions and answers each Friday.  Sounded good to me. Here are this week’s Lunch Box trivia Q’s and A’s.

Monday-

What European monarch is also Paramount Chief of Fiji?

Tuesday-

Which US city is the most literate according to a recent study which surveyed bookstores per capita, books sold, and library card holders?

Wednesday-

In his will, Shakespeare left his “second-best” what to his wife?  Hint: It was a piece of furniture.

Thursday-

James H. Billington is the head of what American institution that houses a Gutenberg bible and several Strad violins?

Friday-

What is the distinction of basketball player Chuck Cooper, drafted by the Boston Celtics on this day in 1950?

Answers:

Queen Elizabeth  (82nd birthday)
Seattle
bed
Library of Congress
He was the first African-American player in the NBA.

Some interesting stories I thought I’d share with you today.   I can really relate to the travel story.   I will be traveling to three places this year and all of them are in the U.S.   (I want to be Hoyt when I grow up and become a world traveler).    In June, we’re going to Seattle for my son Jordan’s graduation from the UofW.    This summer, we’re going to New York City and we’re spending Thanksgiving with friends in New Mexico.    That’s the only region not represented on this top ten list.

HUMAN CONDITION

Summer City Destinations
Are you traveling this summer?  Orbitz says Americans for the most part will be staying stateside this summer.  The top American destinations will be Las Vegas, New York City, Chicago, Orlando, Honolulu, San Francisco, San Diego, Anchorage, Seattle and Miami.

Teen Writing
Texting is taking a toll on teens.   Texting shortcuts are finding their way into formal writing assignments in school and dropping grades.   It was bound to happen.    LOL!!       

Close Call
A new study by scientists finds that the human race nearly died off 70,000 years ago.    The human population was reduced to small isolated groups in Africa and may have shrunk as low as 2,000 because of drought before numbers began to expand again in the early Stone Age.

TECH TICKER

Internet Population
China and the U.S. now have about the same number of Internet users….about 220-million each.   There’s been a dramatic increase in China where a third of all Internet traffic takes place at cybercafés.

Penguin Wet Suit
Researchers have developed a wet suit for an elderly penguin.   The poor guy was losing his feathers which protected him from the cold waters.  Unlike marine mammals, which have a layer of blubber to keep them warm, these penguins rely on their waterproof feathers.   After losing patches of feathers, little Pierre could no longer stand the cold water and would shiver on the sidelines.  Oceanic Worldwide in San Leandro made a penguin body suit.   One concern was that the other penguins would reject Pierre in his new duds, but, they accepted his new look.    Pierre was outfitted six weeks ago and since then has gained weight and grown back feathers on his hind part

That’s the title of an old Broadway musical song from the 1940s sung by a woman who has come to terms with her easy virtue. The lyric came to mind while reading an article on the website onlineorganizing.com called “20 Ways to Say No”. Many of us have a hard time turning down a request whether it’s from our boss, co-workers, children, significant other or friends. There may be some valid reasons, the article explains, like your qualifications, lack of time, comfort factor, previous committments , inexperience and more. One of the 20 ways to say “no” is the direct approach “No”, but saying it with respect and courtesy leaving a door open for good relations. Read all twenty of them here.

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I can now reveal what I’ll never tell my daughter Monica which is that I knew it all along.  I knew she would end up at UC San Diego from the moment she set foot on the campus and breathed a big sigh of “yes, this is what I had in mind for college.”   ‘Course it’s taken months of applications, essay-writing and the waiting, oh the waiting.  You’ll see from an earlier posting that that wasn’t the end of it all. No, the deciding became a painful phase all its own.  But I’m happy to report that the check is in the mail, literally. I’m not sure how a creature that is half-man, half fish , a triton, is supposed to hit a home run or make a basket or score a goal, but, particulars aside, Go Tritons!