yes, i'm still alive.
there were three significant happenings since i last blogged, and i'm going to go in reverse chronological order- i don't know why, but it seems to make more sense to me that way.
on wednesday, as the PACE regulars (or IRregulars, if you prefer) were getting ready for open mic, the phone rang. it was the call that we'd all been dreading, and in my case, the call that i was in denial about- the one that i'd convinced myself was not going to happen. we found out that our fellow musician and dear, dear friend Bob Moynihan had just passed away about an hour before. he'd been battling cancer for quite a while, and we'd all been hoping, against a bad prognosis, for his recovery. on getting the news, my friends swarmed around me. i was in a haze for the rest of the night. i couldn't play or host the show, but at the end, i got up and said a few words about Bob, then played my favorite of the songs on his cd, "Blue Light of Dawn." everyone was quiet as the song played, and most just stared at the empty stage.
even when you know someone is going to die soon, the news is a shock. even when you know the person is better off, and no longer in pain, it still hurts. something about death just seems to make hearts and heads fall out of alignment.
and if i can make an arrangement that will do the song justice, "Blue Light of Dawn" will be on my next cd.
"Funny how it seems, it's almost like a dream, the plans I made faded like the miles behind me... but don't you worry none, my songs will still be sung by someone in the blue light of dawn." - Bob Moynihan
i was warm for almost 48 hours.
it's true. the world's greatest Mom (she really is- she's super fancy AND rocks out in the car to LoveShack) took me with her to florida, where we relaxed in a nice hotel, wore sandals, shopped, and ate exquisite fresh seafood. some highlights:
- the best dinner i've EVER had; unbelievably fresh swordfish with some crazy pommegranate sauce and amazing tabouleh, which must have had crack in it, because i really am not generally a tabouleh fan. but anyways, i'd recommend the restaurant highly if i could only remember what it's called- but i do remember that it's in fort lauderdale, on the same street as coyote ugly, where mom and i got up and danced on the bar with the ladies. (kidding! but that would have been cool...)
- my REAL kate spade bag that i got on wicked sale at sak's... can you say discounted by 200 bucks? this prooves once again the i am the GREATEST SHOPPER ALIVE.
- the delta/song in-flight trivia challenge. you can play against other passengers, and for those of us who are super-competitive, it is a grand way to while away the flight. i came close to winning quite a few times before i actually won, at which point i almost jumped up and yelled to my new arch-rival "yeah! suck on THAT, Ray in 31D!!"
a few weeks ago, my buddy Ethan hosted a coffeehouse at his place in Boston, where i played a few songs, and sort of rediscovered the fun of performing. since my voice has been in recovery, it's been hard to play out, but now that it's back, i'm having SUCH a good time! i was even backed by ethan's new band, Pesky J. Nixon (www.peskyjnixon.com), who are fantastic, and even offered to guest star on my next cd, which actually looks like it will begin to be recorded in the not-so-distant future.
so... now i'm headed home, where i think i'll pick up the old guitar and play one or two of Bob's tunes. cause though my heart is heavy, my head knows that it will be all right. they'll just have to be misaligned for now.
goddamned human nature.
