Totally. Blown. Away.

Seems like every year, we hear about THE writer of a generation. Every other new writer is proclaimed "Greatest American Writer Ever," which is ridiculous.

Or so I thought until James Frey's A Million Little Pieces completely blew me away. His wrenching tale of addiction and withdrawal and eventual recovery grabbed me by my white collar and jerked me around like a bully on a playground.

When I came to, I wanted more punishment. This memoir is nothing short of brilliant. His memory is unfailing, his attention to detail genious.

Frey shuns Twelve Steps and Higher Powers like the crutches they really are. He is a man 0f self-reliance, of inner strength and my new hero. When I was kicking the bottle, I took a similar approach. The higer power is in you, he reminds us.

The follow-up, My Friend Leonard, is out on bookshelves now.

You thought you were a strong person. You had no idea.

Thomas and Kate at the Reno Rodeo 

Alex chasing Bogie 

Alex 

Celebrity Golf

I got up to South Lake Tahoe (about a 50 min. drive) Wednesday and watched the celebrities play a little golf.

That's me with Dan Quayle, our former vice president. Click
here to see more of my pics.

When I stopped Quayle to take this pic, I said, "you can keep walking, I'll shoot it as we go." He was headed to the next tee box. As we walked, i snapped the shot and turned it around so he could see the result. Quayle sort of chuckled and said, "Well, I'll be darned. It worked. How did that work."

They say he was a pretty smart guy (a couple of public blunders aside). Maybe I taught him a little photography trick.

Thomas 

Thomas