My 19-month-old daughter Sophie pulled this bookmark out of a book on the shelf recently. It’s from a bookstore I worked at fresh out of college in ‘93. I don’t know which book she pulled it out of. She just walked over and held it up to me as if she knew I would want or need it.

The phrase I wrote on the bookmark:

…walked with a stagger of experience…

I don’t recall what book the quote is from. The phrase, however, has just as much punch for me as it did back then.

Those days I noted the phrase in a bookmark as I read the book. Today, I scan the bookmark with the phrase on it and post it on my blog.

© Armando Bellmas

The past couple of weeks have been super busy and it’s been a blast of fun: new clients, creative assignments, the North Carolina mountains as a backdrop, another project for an awesome design firm here in Charlotte, Atlanta for some family time, a call from a big business mag, and lots of time riding north and south on Interstate 85.

Here’s some of what made the days even better:

An interview with Calvin Trillin. The man’s an absolute delight and damn good writer to boot. This interview made me feel like I was sitting at a dinner table with him in the Village instead of behind the wheel of a Toyota on a highway.

Folkmoot, the world at our doorstep. I’m so taking the wife and kids next year.

Lunch at Dot’s Cafe in Lenoir, North Carolina. Roast beef, mashed potatoes, peas, sliced cantaloupe, and true southern hospitality.

Fresh raspberries and blackberries, revisiting old friends and acquaintances, and bbq chicken and beer with cousins and in-laws on our deck.

Listening to the new Ryan Adams, The Brand New Heavies, new Spoon, The Shins, WNCW, Guy Clark, and the sweet sweet sound of my children’s voices.

More work and more good times are ahead, too. I love what I do.

David Byrne points us to a video by Catherine Ross titled “Trilling” that is clever, hilarious, and fun to watch.

Shane Lavalette shares some info about Robert Frank’s Cocksucker Blues, a rare and notorious film about The Rolling Stones and their 1972 North American tour.

Amy Stein’s Photo of the Week: Fireman’s Parade, Port Jervis, NY

Heavy rotation: The Hold Steady, O Samba Brazil Classics 2, Patti Smith, Vic Chesnutt