David Saltman

Alan Watts’ on Laughter and Anxiety

After David Saltman described his remarkable experience seeing Alan Watts give a talk in the 1970s, we hunted down some video of the essential astonishing lesson. Which led to way more…

How to Edit Your Life (Werner Herzog)

When guest-contributor David Saltman met filmmaker Werner Herzog, he found him full of amazingly on-point advice…

Houdini Unbound: How A Novel Changed Its Author’s Life

When David Saltman randomly opened a biography of Houdini in a dusty second-hand book store, he had no idea it would change his life, leading him down an unexpected life path that would become Houdini Unbound.

Herbie Hancock: Miles Davis’ Essential Lesson on Mistakes

(Video link here.) One short minute of perfection: Herbie Hancock recounts the BIG life lesson he got by example from Miles Davis, when Hancock played what he thought was a seriously WRONG note during a gorgeous riff.

Al Hirschfeld: What Happens if You Reframe Work as Play

Legendary illustrator Al Hirschfeld worked seven days a week and wouldn’t have it any other way. Nor did he ever consider retiring. He LOVED to work and felt at sea if he didn’t draw every day. He worked until he died just shy of 100 years old. The secret to Hirshfeld’s drive was the pleasure he took in work.

A Principle for Dealing with Everyday Losses +

When we wrote about navigating loss during th holidays, 80+-year-old skydiver Karrolyn Belkis pointed out something we hadn’t thought of: we feel loss daily. Things we love disappear, whether it be a person, an ability we had, a familiar place, a tree, a friend…something we rely on broke or fell apart or got lost. In answer to…

Weekend Magic: René Lavand + Li Po

(Video link here.) David Saltman of The Houdini File alerted us to René Lavand, the extraordinary artist of illusion who passed away recently. His performance of the classic “cups and balls” is mesmerizing. Lavand, who has only one hand, performs with the grace of a dancer, weaving a hypnotic spell as he whispers “siempre tengo tres” (I have…

When Normal Equals Perfect

Our readers know Sally has been occupied lately with the serious illness of a close friend – namely, myself. Now recuperating, we’ve realized something about perfection: it does not mean being super-human or doing everything exactly right. It simply means means being normal. This revelation was amplified by our friend Thomas Ashcraft, a remarkable artist/science.

The Last of the Cherry Blossoms with Haiku

Last week’s wild weather knocked most of the glorious cherry blossoms off the trees. We found ourselves walking through a wondrous pink “snow”. We sent a photo of this surprising landscape to a few friends. Two sent back haiku to go with it.

Magic for Monday: Lindzee’s Wondrous Illusion

(Video link here.) Our friend David Saltman is, among other things, a magician. Over the years, we’ve learned from him that magic requires PRACTICE. When you see a great illusion, it is the result of hundredes of hours of practice, thought, innovation. This lovely illusion, found at his blog The Houdini File is an example of practice…

Stylish Coffee Cones + Our Own Coffee Rig

Remodelista recently posted about a new trend: Artful Coffee Drippers. By “dripper”, they mean the funnel-shaped cone, lined with a paper filter, that sits on top of a coffee pot or cup and allows the brewing coffee to drip through. We use the method ourselves so were interested to see the 10 stylish itereations. The only problem with most of the Remodelista coffee cones is they don’t allow for ways to keep the coffee hot, unlike our own homely rig.

Paper Packaging for Homemade Holiday Gifts

We hadn’t thought much about packaging suggestions for homemade food gifts until our friend David Saltman was casting about for bags to pack his home-roasted coffee beans in. We had a dwindling stash of white metal tie coffee bags we’d bought years ago by begging the coffee guy at our local gourmet store to sell…

houdini’s mantra: “my brain is the key that sets me free”

‘improvised life’ editor-at-large David Saltman has just finished writing a historical novel starring Harry Houdini. From David we’ve learned about the amazing achievements of this real life superhero that go way beyond his well-known escapes from straightjackets and handcuffs. We’ve come to know a little of ‘the inside’ of the great magician. Houdini trained his…

the coffee improvisations (pt 2): roasting your own

My credential as a coffee fanatic came unglued last September. It was all Sally Schneider’s fault. Yes, herself, the creator of this charming blog. I had been complaining about the skyrocketing price of coffee, and whining about the difficulty of finding a decent bean, much less a decent cup, even in New York City. “What…

the coffee improvisations (pt 1) + oscarina’s old brazil brewing method

I am a fanatic. Or at least I thought I was, until my fanaticism led me to meet some real fanatics. Luckily for the rest of the world, I’m not a fanatic about big things, like, say, Hitler was. I’m crazy for a tiny joy that makes me feel great every single day: coffee. (Click on the link to…