Sarasota’s Police Advisory Panel — Some Thoughts

At the City of Sarasota’s Police Advisory Panel (PAP) public meeting on Dec. 28, Sgt. Kenneth Castro — a 28-year police veteran — admonished the panel for “disturbing” and “insulting” comments he felt some of its members had made about the Sarasota Police Department (SPD) in prior meetings. The panel — appointed by Sarasota City Commissioners last November in response to the summer 2009 police incident involving a police officer who was videotaped kicking a handcuffed suspect — is tasked with examining the practices of the SPD in connection with the use of force, and its relationship with residents, especially the minority community.

“We cannot allow you to continue to barrage our police officers,” Castro said, adding that such negative talk could affect the morale of the “troops” and possibly “demotivate” them on the job. (more…)

MC on Local Matters Thursday, January 28

Tomorrow night, 6 to 7 p.m., I’m going to have a bit o’ fun on the radio — WSLR 96.5 LPFM. I, along with co-guest, man-about-town Matt Orr, will be on a program called “Local Matters” hosted by Joe Hendricks. (more…)

Squirrelly fun

I may be stuck at my computer … but the squirrel outside is having fun trying to break into the bird feeder. (more…)

Sunday night … football, film, and fun

So, yesterday I had a bit of unscheduled fun.

I was invited to round out a dinner party for eight given in honor of a visiting out-of-towner, John Goberman, executive producer of “Live from Lincoln Center.” It was a lovely, erudite crowd, with a conversational focus on classical music. (more…)

Oh, when the Saints … go on the field

Oh, when the Saints go on the field
Oh, when the Saints go on the field
A little later on to-day (more…)

Crows

In the dark
The crows assemble

Unhunching shoulders
With glossy shrugs,
Beaks sussing out
Some unwelcome things
Among them.

Half-opening wings,
Not preening
Just quiet fluffing
And subtle shiftings
Of weight;
Almost imperceptible shufflings
In the order of things.

Readying themselves;
Maybe steadying,

For day and light
Then flight.

Copyright 2010 MC Coolidge

What if? …

… right this moment … or at least the minute you get done reading this blog …

What if we all got up exactly this moment and (more…)

Family fun …

Tonight, I went to my Mom’s house for dinner … with her stomach all bandaged up, she STILL managed to warm up some quiche, steam some broccoli, and set her brand, new dining table (the one my brother and I bought earlier this week).

I made her laugh — which made her hurt (in her stomach). (So, does this make me a good daughter or a bad one?! :)) (more…)

Fun in the sun

Late this afternoon, I knocked off work and went to the beach. It was not very crowded — which was super nice — and the water, the sand, and the sky all had a tranquility not often felt or seen, really. Sometimes the hubbub on the beach gets to me, but tonight was calm and a beautiful light was in the sky and in the water that reminded me of those certain European painters (I don’t know art well enough to remember just which ones) who captured light in the loveliest of ways.

The air had that special quality that I think is one of the reasons why this area was once called or marketed as “The Italy of America” for possessing light or maybe the essence of light similar to that country where so many master painters went to indulge their passion.

Anyway, I walked at a brisk pace for about 35 minutes and then indulged myself in nothingness. I took off my shoes and socks and walked in the water — it was pretty cold. I watched the sanderlings. I thought, really, about nothing.

I watched the sunset, something I’m often too busy or too preoccupied to do.

Then I came home. And, although fun of a quiet kind, it was still fun — to just be kind of still in my head. I think I need a bit more of that.

MC in Sarasota Magazine — making New Year Resolutions for Everyone Else!

In the current (January) issue of Sarasota Magazine — I’m featured, along with attorney Morgan Bentley, Asolo Rep artistic producing director Michael Donald Edwards, Argus Foundation director Kerry Kirschner, comedian Les McCurdy, and arts critic Richard Storm, and Bob Plunket, Sarasota’s own version of Dominick Dunne — in Pam Daniel’s “New Year’s Resolutions We Can Believe In” column.

In it, we all try to be funny and smart — to varying degrees of success and cruelty! — in telling other people what they should be shooting for and focusing on in 2010 — folks like Art Nadel, Facebook users, Charlie Crist, Sarah Palin, city manager Bob Bartolotta, and more.

I thought I was a little meanie until I met the rest of my esteemed panelists — these guys don’t even think about pulling their punches (or their punchlines)!

Check it out at http://www.sarasotamagazine.com/Articles/Sarasota-Magazine/2010/01/New-Years-Resolutions.asp — or pick up a copy on newsstands today.