Connections
There's no place like home
The other day, I looked at the step tracker on my phone, and it provided a rude awakening. In 2018/2019, when I was in the best shape of my life, I walked approximately 15,000 steps a day. Since I started my book publishing company in 2021, that number has been cut in half. So I’m busier than ever, and yet, half as active.
I can’t entirely blame work for my inactivity. I’ve had some troublesome knee pain, and my doctor suggested I rest it for a while to see if that would help. So I rested it. And then rested it some more. And then I put a few pounds on, which… made my knee hurt more.
The knee pain kept me out of the boxing gym for nearly seven months. Trinity Boxing holds a very special place in my heart. It’s more than exercise for me. It’s community. Some of the men and women who work out there have become close friends. I enjoy seeing them every day. So when I stopped going (in the name of health!), my mental health suffered.
My friends and former world champions, John Duddy, Peter Quillin and Joey Gamache
The universe works in mysterious ways, and I was in lower Manhattan not long ago when I ran into a gentleman named Rodney, who used to work out at my old boxing gym. Rodney is in his seventies, and he always had trouble with his knees. He would spend almost as much time wrapping them as he would working out. But it was always a joy to see him on the days he made it into the gym.
On this blustery winter day, I asked him how he was getting on and how his knees were doing, and he said, “They’re getting worse, but I’m getting better.” I asked him how he dealt with the pain while going to the gym, and he told me something that will likely impact me for the rest of my life. “The doctor told me not to do this anymore,” he said. “He told me there were other ways to exercise that wouldn’t bother my knee as much. But he doesn’t understand. I’m not coming to the gym for my knee. I’m coming for this,” and he pointed to his brain, adding, “I have to protect this at all times.”
Inspired by my pep talk from Rodney, I headed back to Trinity, and it was like I never left. My friends gave me a hero’s welcome. The new people wondered who the stranger was getting the royal treatment. I wrapped my hands and started moving around the ring, and suddenly, my knee didn’t hurt so bad. And Rodney was 100 percent correct. It was as if my mind had also been awakened from its slumber.
Martin Snow, the owner of Trinity and a legend, introduced me to all the new people in the gym, as is his custom. Because our gym faces a busy street near the Freedom Tower, everyday people from around the world come in to take pictures, and Martin talks to every one of them. He even gets them in the ring and gives them a 10-minute lesson, something to remember when they head back to their respective countries. As for me, I didn’t have to head anywhere. This week, I was home.
Martin Snow teaching our new friends from Spain the fighting stance.
Read Me – Books I Like
Molly – Blake Butler
Blake Butler’s memoir about the death of his wife, Molly Brodak, is so emotionally powerful it will stay with you long after you put it down. I don’t need to wait until December to include this as one of the best books of 2024.
Smoke Kings – Jahmal Mayfield
Jahmal’s debut novel is an old-fashioned tale of vengeance through the modern eyes of a young black political activist. The book has only been out two days, and it already has people talking as it should. It’s that good.
Alice Sadie Celine – Sarah Blakley-Cartwright
Sarah’s debut adult novel tells the story of a young, struggling actress in the Bay Area who begins an affair with her best friend’s mother, a Berkeley professor who wrote a landmark book on sex and identity.
(I’ve been trying to read about five books a week, which is a lot given all of the manuscripts I need to read every day, but I’m off to a good start in 2024.)
Found Treasures
My favorite holiday is this weekend: Super Bowl Sunday! My dear friend Danny Sheridan tells you how you can make a few bucks betting on the Super Bowl. Danny has been an oddsmaker for many years, and no one knows more about gambling than he does. Before my son was born, Danny made 6-5 odds that he would be a boy!
Speaking of friends, my pal Shawn Cosby wrote this wonderful story on the influence of Chester Himes. As always, it is superb.
Musicians, artists and poets on why you should love John Coltrane
My love of 70s daytime TV knows no boundaries. I was far too young to appreciate the magnificence of it. In this video I stumbled upon, Sly Stone co-hosts the Mike Douglas show for an entire week. In one episode, he sits with Peter Marshall of the Hollywood Squares. In another, Sly, Muhammad Ali and a congressman from Ohio discuss the poor status of race relations in America. In yet another, Richard Pryor plays drums for Sly Stone! Throughout the week, Sly performs and gets the entire studio audience dancing, including some befuddled older people who can’t help but feel the energy. If you want to see a microcosm of how the Internet has specialized everything and pushed us into smaller and smaller communities, this is it.
Korean food is all the rage in NYC
If you like Korean food, I highly recommend White Tiger, which is, in my opinion, the best Korean food in town. Be sure to tell the chef, Liz Kwon, that I sent you.
Andy Doro is trying to eat a meal from every country in the world without leaving NYC.
They had me at “T-Rex of the Sea”
Cruz Del Sur opened up a second spot near the Barclays Center, and their Guadalajaran food is superb.
If you’re reading this from AWP, I hope you’re having fun!
I’m looking to help organize some author lunches and dinners in NYC in my continuing effort to communicate more personally with people. If you’re interested in joining us, please message me or comment below.
Until next week…