Tuesday, February 24, 2009

The Oscars, Vacation and Feast on Scraps - Chorus

It's almost 1am...

I started my vacation this week...I kicked it off last night with my 7th Annual Oscar Party, this year hosted at my friend Joshua's amazing apartment overlooking Central Park. Lots of great food and fun as we sat around his living room, tossing in $5 for the Oscar Pool, and waiting for the show to start.

The Award Show itself was quiet remarkable...just the energy and vibe of the evening felt unifying. I was thrilled with the speeches for equality that surrounded the wins for the biopic film, Milk and I loved that Slumdog Millionaire walked away with 8 of the night's awards. I just saw Slumdog Millionaire the other day and I absolutely loved it. I found myself completely enthralled and moved by the story. At the end of it I was crying tears of joy and gratitude for the way the film captures the human spirit. The movie just seemed to ignite a sense of Belief in me.

For my vacation...I'm spending a couple days close to home and then I'm heading to Richmond, VA to spend four days with my brother and his family. I'm really excited about this getaway from NYC and looking forward to seeing my nephew Isaac and my new niece, Lealla. I was in Virginia for the birth of my nephew but I wasn't there to meet my niece on Day 1, so I'm really looking forward to finally seeing her face to face.

As part of my STAY-cation here at home this week, I've turned some attention back to my writing. I seem to have a plethora of songs queued up inside me and I'd like to knock out finishing a couple.

That's almost always easier said than done.

A few posts back I mentioned a new song I was working on called Feast on Scraps. It is a song I keep coming back to...I think because it speaks so clearly to where I am in some of the relationships in my life but also, as I've talked to friends lately, it seems the concept/idea of feasting on scraps is pretty universal. A lot of us seem to be going through the same thing.

This evening I finished the chorus for Feast on Scraps...so I thought I would share it here. It's just a snipit, I'll post the completed thing when it's finished but the chorus, at least in my mind, capture the rhythm of how I hear it.
Enjoy.

Feast on Scraps
2/8/09, 2/11/09, 2/14/09, 2/23/09

Chorus

So we
Set the table
Feast on scraps
Then we
Do what we’re able
Feast on scraps
Make do
Get by
Fill in the blanks
Or at least try
Wink here, then a kiss
Drive by love
That’s hit or miss
We tell ourselves
This is just where we’re at
So we set the table
Feast on scraps

Monday, February 09, 2009

Words...Words...Words... -Shakespear

I'm on my way out the door to work, but I had to BLOG for a second about some of the new tunes I'm writing! I'm very excited with the new songs...especially Feast on Scraps.

Feast on Scraps is about making due with the little you have to work with. There are a lot of things that can get in the way of a relationship: friends, work, distance...and, well, life. You have to carve out your emotional space at times.

This new song is about trying to make a banquet out of scraps when you never get full. How long can you Feast on Scraps? There's the flip side to it as well...when you're left with scraps you enjoy every morsel.

There's the dichotomy.

For the first time in my BLOG-life, feel free to post a comment on this entry. What experience(s) do you have feasting on scraps?


(The title Feast on Scraps is taken from a line in the song Bent for You by Alanis Morisette)

Saturday, February 07, 2009

Wash, Rinse, Repeat

After working all day...nothing makes a day just a little longer than trying to do a load of jeans at the Laundry only to find out that you picked the one busted machine.

After waiting for a cycle to run (40 minutes) I realized that the load wasn't finishing...so the lady at the desk restarted the machine.

So we're going again.

As a bonus...I can see my jeans jostling in soapy water with my brand tube of chapstick. Damn.

Friday, February 06, 2009

Liza Minnelli Tonight...Myron Uhlberg last Saturday...and a story to tell

I'm off to bed...but couldn't not (double negative) post that I had a quick brush by with the divine Liza Minnelli outside the famous resident hotel the Carlyle. I was on the Upper East Side this evening and as I was walking down 76th...there she was.

I'm trying to stay with the writing in my journal...this online journal. So, though be it brief, I'm keeping it fresh.

I am doing alot of writing lately...I have my "real" journal (the private one that I carry on my person and will be published to much acclaim after my passing), I have my Facebook notes and statuses, I have this online journal and I'm back to work on some new songs.

As it relates to writing...I had a wonderful dinner with my friend Myron Uhlberg last Saturday night. He was in NYC celebrating the release of his highly praised memoir Hands of My Father (which was released Tuesday 2/3). Over dinner with Myron and his beautiful wife Karen, our conversation turned to books - as it usually does. He was encouraging me to explore my own story and wanted me to know how much he felt it should be told.

I've had several people (Cassandra Andrews, Jas Sustritch, and others come to mind) over the years listen to bits and pieces of my life story and say that I should get it down on paper. I've toyed with the idea from time to time but as I lay in bed that night after dinner, more and more vinettes from my past started playing in my mind. I just may have some ghosts to revist, pay my respect and put to sleep.

We'll see...

In the meantime, I was able to satiate Myron by telling him that I would consider a memoir of my own but I really wanted him to know that I was kicking around the idea for several children's books.

His advice: kick one around and finish it.
Myron and Karen Uhlberg and me just after an amazing dinner on the Upper West Side. Karen asked a young, well-dressed woman standing a the corner of 78th and Amsterdam if she'd mind taking a quick picture for us. Her reply was a half-hearted, "Ok, but if a cab comes...I'm hailing it." That's the kind of self-absorbed New Yorker that gives all a bad image. It took all of 30 seconds to snap a photo and there were all of 20 plus Yellow Cabs speeding up Amsterdam. Classic.

Also pictured here is Myron's new memoir, Hands of My Father. It is stellar!! As the hearing child of two deaf parents, he has a wonderful story to share...pick it up!

Thursday, February 05, 2009

I'm Baaaaack


It's been a while...as I'm constantly reminded...

Thank you for all the emails asking about where my BLOG is. My day-to-day has mostly been chronicled on Facebook the last months. It has been a quick way to document unexpected discoveries in ordinary days and also reconnect with friends and family all over the world.

But...this BLOG is where I started and I feel like an electronic-blogging prodigal...but I'm returning.

We shall now resume...