There was much magnificence packed into this last week. Starting with opening night at the Metropolitan Opera. There I saw Le Nozze di Figaro along with the Masters of the Universe, David Koch, John Paulson, Carson from Queer Eye, etc. I tend to think I don’t like opera or Mozart (I prefer Chopin and Beethoven and Schubert) until I witness a brilliant performance and then I remember why it is genius. I love music. It was my good luck that dear friend Ambassador Earle Mack invited me as his guest. Later we dined at Cipriani’s where we saw more Masters of the Universe, Mr. and Mrs. Pepe Fanjul, Peggy Siegel, etc.

One of The Ambassador’s many accomplishments has been to arrange a suitable retirement for race horses. A noble and worthy and sensitive niche. Furthermore the project is intwined with the sufferings of soldiers returning with PTSD. The horses whisper to the soldiers. Fostering healing. I applaud you Ambassador Earle Mack.

On a grubby note, in that same fine dining establishment, I saw a pervert from my past. Someone I had clean forgot. When he came over to say hello to my dinner companion the sound of his voice hurtled me back to a time long ago. Suddenly I saw us behind a slammed closed office door, after he had pretended to be seeing me out, and pressing me against a wall he attacked me. He didn’t get very far, he was middle-aged and feeble and I easily shoved him off. But I was rattled, that much I remember. I couldn’t tell if he recognized me.

Bookending this week of culture I went to Washington DC and met with my Generals. With Serbia in my sights there is much to plan. Amongst many meetings with some very interesting and very smart people a great pleasure was afternoon tea with the legendary Arnaud de Borchgrave whose resume was all over the walls of his office at the CSIS Think Tank in snapshots of him in Vietnam and him with dignitaries interviewing this one and that one. Arnaud has lived an exemplary and inspiring life and continues at 88 years old undefeated in his optimism for hard work. I asked him when he was going to write his memoirs, and he replied, “I am more interested in the future.”

Image by John Martini©
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