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Summer Skin
Something about the quality of light tonight reminded me of summers in Oak Park. Dusk is deceptive. Everything turns deep blue. Shadows and light blend into one. Depth fades. We scramble through backyards blindly, illuminated solely by the flicker of fireflies, and surrounded by the sound of children’s laughter. Oak Park, Illinois, the first suburb…
Read MoreBittersweet Me
I shook myself from sleep at 5:42 this morning. I was dreaming about airplanes. Well, not exactly. Not solely. I never made it to the airplane. I was dreaming about airports. It was a two-parter. In the first scene, I am hurrying to some regional airport — say, Syracuse — for a ten o’clock flight.…
Read MoreBittersweet Symphony
I am strong enough, but I am not strong. I’ve long advocated that mental fortitude can carry one any distance: a marathon, triathlon, whatever. And for the last six or seven years, that’s proven true. Yes, I run and ride perodically, every few days even. But do I train? Not a ton. Not really. I…
Read MoreChin Up
How do I prepare for a morning of swimming, riding, and running? I eat, drink, and sleep. And then do it again. Tomorrow morning is my fifth New York City Triathlon. Used to be, I spent weeks preparing. I’d do laps at lunch, ride out to Jersey on weekends. Not so of late. I squeeze…
Read MoreMy Fragile Family Tree
I hear him from ten blocks away. I see him across the river. My cousin, the rock star. Andrew called me twice in two days. That’s unprecedented. “Um, dude, we’re playing a show on Pier 54 at eight o’clock on Thursday.” Did he really think I’d miss it? I trecked out to BK way before…
Read MoreKid A
I trudge up four flights of stairs in my new business casual slacks. I knock on the door, and drop to one knee. Ethan answers, smiling tiny ear to tiny ear. I reach out my arms and say, “Can I have a hug?” He pauses shyly, the dashes into my arms. Later, he is seated…
Read MoreFaking All These Sunsets For You
“It’s seventy-one degrees, cloudy and foggy in Central Park. You’re listening to WNYC-FM. It’s 7:21.” Cloudy and foggy. It’s not all full moons and sunsets up here in my room on the roof. Despite what you might have seen — what I’ve shown you — the rain does fall on the Upper West Side. I…
Read MorePaper Dolls
Betcha’ five bucks I release four records this year. The first one’s already out: “February 25, 2005,” aka “The Live Record.” I decided this weekend that I’m gonna’ put it on on iTunes. Gimme’ a few weeks on that. I’m recording the second one this Thursday: an iTunes Exclusive release, like Aimee Mann’s or The…
Read MoreComfortably Numb
Nothing like witnessing a massive global musical and political event from the sweaty interior of an office building to render it almost completely powerless. From the looks of things, there was a whole bunch of rocknroll going on yesterday. MTV News’ coverage of Live 8, like the Video Music or Grammy Awards, was a full-on…
Read MoreMe And You And Everyone We Know
It’s Friday night. I worked a twelve-hour day today. I’m due back at the office in just twelve more. I cleanse the pallet toggling between “Dogtown & Z-Boys” on The Sundance Channel, and “Trouble at the Top” on Trio. I flip through a week-old Entertainment Weekly. I eat sushi. I blog. Big plans this weekend?…
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