Message from Ray
Picture
Welcome to my website!

I have many interests. I like to believe that some of these have been developed to a useful level of skill, and that I can share them to the benefit of others. Some, like my writing or photos, may simply engage or amuse you. Others, like my unique yoga workout or editing services, offer potential benefit to those who find them compelling or useful.

Philosophically, I’m an optimist, a “half-full” guy. I don’t dwell on negativity. I think we can get life lessons from movies, and I'm happy to discover the likes of “Zootopia” or “Trumbo”, that reveal the pitfalls of prejudice and paranoia..

I love great entertainment, having been a musician, a  record business executive, and later a presenter of events, dances and movies.

I’m an avid consumer of books, movies, music and ideas about our collective future. My greatest joy herein will be to share, enthusiastically, my discoveries.

My wife, Shashi, is a healthy lifestyle coach, and I’ve been a Shaolin yoga practitioner for 30 years. So, there’ll be tips on boosting energy and vitality.

I’m a very visual person, so photography is compelling to me. It’s art and science. I love to do portraits. Expect lots of photos!

I’ve always been fascinated with technology, since having a youthful ambition to become an astronaut. (I came close, but chickened out of Navy flight school at the last minute!) So, for example, I can’t wait to see where the new virtual reality (VR) headsets will take us!

I hope you enjoy what I have to share! I’ll be providing links to my recommendations, and, if you use them to buy stuff, it will provide a modest monetization for this service that I offer.
Thanks for hanging out with me!

Movies 

I’m fanatical about the movies. I’ll try to see everything that has Oscar potential, and much more, of course. I see at least one movie every day, based on recommendations from a variety of mainstream and independent websites.
Living in the remote mountains north of Napa Valley, I’ll drive to nearby St. Helena, Healdsburg or Santa Rosa weekly. I also have an 8-at-a-time subscription to Netflix Blu-ray discs. (There’s no streaming up here!)
​When I see something that is excellent, I’ll write about it.
For example, “Ex Machina” was a 2015 film that explored the fascinating subject of what Raymond Kurtzweil has famously termed “the coming Singularity.” 
In 2014, “The Grand Budapest Hotel” was simply one of the most original and delightful entertainments ever, and should’ve won Best Picture!
I picked and showed movies to the hotel guests at the small theater at Harbin Hot Springs for several years, and was rewarded with packed houses every night, so my confidence on this subject is high. Hopefully, you’ll find some useful recommendations here, and perhaps be inspired to join in critical discussions on my blog.

Photography

I got back into photography in 2011 after purchasing a Canon G12. This happily coincided with my adoption of a beautiful cat, Mr. Handsome, who now sits on my desk as I write. He was my first model.
At that time, I also started sailing weekly on nearby Clear Lake, which has a 100-mile coastline.
These provided inspiration.
I was told by my friends that I had “a good eye”, and that my shots of them were their favorites.  I picked up some photography assignments as a sideline. After the Valley Fire that ravaged Lake County in September 2015, our community was scattered.
​I needed to get a smart phone, so I got an iPhone 6s+. The camera on it is excellent. Even better, some of the apps available make it amazing! There’s a temptation to do art with landscapes, for example, so some of shots will look unreal, but, I hope, cool. I really love doing portraits, and can turn your faded color photo into one resembling a classic Hollywood glamour black & white.

Music

My career was in the music business, specifically rock music. However, my early and abiding love is for jazz and blues. I played guitar for an R&B band in the mid-’60’s, and have recently taken the instrument up again. I listen for artists who channel similar roots in a mature way, who speak to those of us who are boomers or WWII babies. (I was born in the three-month period between Mick & Keith.) Recently, I’ve been moved by the later work of Boz Scaggs, whose recent stuff should not be missed if, like me, you’re a fan of the likes of Bonnie Raitt. His jazz vocal album, “But Beautiful,” has the warmth of Mel Torme! I’ll be launching an internet radio station soon, to share my favorite music, including the jazz compilation that gives this site its name, “Ray’s Groove.”  (You'll want to download these eight songs and compile this playlist in the sequence recommended. It thrives on repeat. Great sex or, at least, excellent dinner music will ensue!) It's romantic, but it's also some of the very best songs in jazz.

Hi-Intensity Yoga

I’ve been practicing Shaolin Yoga for 30 years. My teacher was Yogi John Franzoni, who was featured on the cover of LA Weekly in the ‘80’s, when they did their yoga issue.
 taught his set in martial arts schools in L.A. It resembles a martial art itself, because, while it brings center-point focus and flexibility, it also develops explosive agility and power. My wife, Shashi, who has mastered the practice, has renamed it “High-Intensity Yoga”, as it has similar interval training benefits to HIIT. I’m developing this as a workout video, using a unique approach to the groove and audio. Shashi folds it into her “Health, Happiness, Wisdom & Wealth” teachings on her site, www.shashi.rocks.
Writing & Editing
I’ve found that I love to help people write effectively by proofreading and editing.
​I've edited the Harbin catalog for its last two years. Friends have asked me to help them compose letters on sensitive subjects, and have been very happy with the results. This is a service that’s available at a reasonable fee, and I work quickly and with complete discretion.