National Coffee Day AND My Birthday

Yep, another year older today. Gonna get a free coffee from Dunkin', and maybe a free donut from Duck Donuts, so there's that.

Truth be told, I'm not bothered by birthdays. No, not even mine. It hasn't been the easiest year (and you're right, this is my first 'blog post since New Year's, no one seemed to miss 'em much), but it hasn't been 2020, either, and plenty of fun times were had and great trips were taken and amazing memories were made. With more to come shortly.

Two years ago today, I released "She." One year ago, she, the woman I love, gave me a left-handed ukulele for my birthday. Less than two months later, I'd started putting together some ideas for a new song that would include some ukulele. Several months after that, with no lyrics or even a title yet, I put this up on TikTok as a teaser. (Yeah, I'm on TikTok now. No, I haven't done any challenges. Yet.)

A title did eventually come to me: "Spark Rekindled." And I've written the lyrics, though they're subject to change; while I've figured out most of the music, there might still be some tweaking to come, which could require additional tweaking to the lyrics. Overall, I'm pleased with what I've written, which is, of course, about her, or rather about us.

Having dithered over said lyrics, I finished them last night. There are a few lines borrowed and/or repurposed from other songwriters (feel free to look for them here), and even from myself, but mostly they're new and true. I enjoy throwing words together. I really do. These took me a while because there was a lot I wanted to say, and I wanted to say it well. I could easily double the length of the lyrics, but nobody needs that, and it would probably halve the quality of the finished song. Which, yes, I do still need to finish. (Sorry to keep you waiting, honey.) In the past, I've tended to record songs pretty quickly once I've figured out the tune and the words. This one has been slow-brewed, and poked and prodded a bit. Hopefully, I'll get that recording by the end of the year, and then there are two or three other ideas that have been floating around in my head for a while that should really get outta there.

Anyway, whether you wish me a happy birthday or not, whether you like or listen to my music or not, I wish you a good day, and get yourself a free coffee if you can. Oh, and check out this AI-generated artwork from DALL·E 2. Sign up for your own free account if you're into that kinda thing.

An impressionist guitar with a coffee mug amid birthday celebrations

I Don't Have to Go Home, but I Can't Stay Here

I picked up a guitar for the first time in a while, a very long while, this morning. And played it, yes. It felt good- nay, it felt great. While I don't know if I'm going to produce any new music anytime soon or ever (I have a few ideas, some old, some new, but little motivation or encouragement at the moment), I think just playing guitar helps me. I need to remember that, and make time to do it more often. Get those calluses back. (You'll no doubt be pleased to hear that I haven't forgotten how to play Andersen Silva's greatest hits.)

The holiday season tends to cheer me up and also depress me more, and this low has been in my sights for a while now. Sometimes this Libra does a better job of balancing the scales than others, but it's been hard lately. There's no loneliness like holiday loneliness, and it's hard to shake even when you're among other people, even when they're people you like who like you, too.

Anyway, as a belated Christmas gift to myself, I've decided I'm going to self-impose a new moratorium on social media beginning January 1st. Between Facebook's increasing shadiness (Facebook Watch? anti-competitive practices and fake news?), trolls and bots and polarized people (on both sides) on Twitter, Google Plus dying a slow and agonizing death, and too many people saying too little of import too loudly, it almost physically hurts to spend more than a few minutes on social media anymore. I'm not going to close or delete my accounts, just going to stop reading and posting, at least for a while.

When I first signed up on MySpace in 2005, and then Facebook and Twitter (and Loopt and Brightkite and Friendster and Pownce and Orkut and...) over the following few years, I was mostly interested in trying to get my music out to more of the world (speaking of which, hey, give my Christmas song "Christmas Lonely" a listen!). The Internet has in fact led to people hearing, sometimes even liking, my songs. Then, of course, I started bumping into old friends and colleagues, and meeting new ones (even in real life sometimes), through social media, and I added myself to more and more sites. But I'm realizing that somewhere along the way, I started feeling less and less connected.

I don't need to read (much less participate in) fingerpointing and flame wars about whether George H.W. Bush was a saint or a demon (wouldn't be prudent, and spoiler: he was neither) or whether Trump will end up in the history books as "the best president EVER, believe me" or in a federal penitentiary (my guess: neither, but probably closer to the latter than the former) or whether Ivanka Trump or Hillary Clinton should be "locked up!" (neither-neener-neener). The Earth isn't flat, and climate change is real. I'm not interested in what's going on with Ariana Grande Sans or Kid Rock or Chrissy Teigen or any Kardashians or Wests or Markles or Middletons or Conways. I wasn't spending hours a day scrolling through feeds and Walls anyway, but even the minutes seem too much now. Yes, I'm going to miss out on pictures of kitties and gorgeous plates of food, and birth and death and wedding and divorce announcements, and so many complaints about New Jersey Transit trains and buses, but...

But there are other ways to stay in touch and share information. As I recall, we used to be able to do that even in the days before Facebook and Twitter and instant messaging. ("Why, back in my day...") Most of the few people who actually communicate with me already know how to do that, but for the rest of you, if anyone wants my phone number or E-mail (or snail mail!) address, just ask. I'll still be postin' and scrollin' on Facebook and Twitter and Google Plus for the next month. After that, my social media goes dark... and with any luck, my real world gets a little bit brighter.

Fool

Guitar rockin' (with a band, too!), Spartan Sprint and Warrior Dash, Monty Python in London, NIN and Soundgarden, Tori Amos... 2014 is shaping up to be a busy year, with no time for foolin' around. And that's not even counting events already past like the No Pants Subway Ride, the play festival at Tachair in Jersey City, the Dave Barry book signing in Paramus, and a Dessoff Choirs performance (not to mention kicking the year off with Gogol Bordello).

As you may have already heard, I'm now in a band with one of my best friends, Jon, and two of his other friends; we're calling ourselves Greta's Unmentionables. No, that's not an April Fool's gag. We were tossing around name ideas one night, after I'd suggested that we should call ourselves something, and that one came to me and everyone dug it. We've got two or three song ideas already, and are fleshing out one called "The Bite" built around a riff and a lyric verse I put together two weeks ago. Two hours jamming together at Aarius Studios in Old Bridge, NJ definitely had us feeling like this was shaping up to be a really good thing, and we're heading back to the studio later this month.

Andy, Anthony, Mike, and Jon: Greta's Unmentionables

The extended guitar with the Unmentionables (which led to a blister on my fourth finger) has motivated me to keep playing, and I rearranged the living room the other day to make it a lot easier for me to: a) pick up a guitar and jam; and b) switch on the Ozonic and record. I'm liking the way "The Bite" is turning out, and I'll be thrilled if we get it (and other songs) fully recorded, but my "solo career," such as it is, isn't going to be put on hold. I need to crank out some of my own tunes, too... and I'm going to play at the wedding of my friend and colleague Rhonda's daughter this month. I may even do Make Music New York again in June, though I haven't decided yet.

Then there's the runnin'. I'll be doing the Spartan Sprint and the Warrior Dash this year with some other colleagues, and while I'll not be breaking any records anytime soon, I have bumped up my game enough to manage a ten-minute mile. I'm not as young as I will be (or used to be; this linear time is not as easy as it sounds), and it's not always going to be easy to manage, but I'm determined to run every morning and play guitar every evening, when physically possible. The (popped) blister's turning into an ugly callus now, so it didn't stop me from jammin' with Jon Saturday night or on my own last night, and I logged two miles on the treadmill this morning. I just need to keep the momentum going. Jenn and I tried our hands - and feet - at indoor top rope rock climbing last month, and found that we both loved it, so we'll be going back to that at some point, too, hopefully with more friends.

I didn't realize it until after I'd already paid for both, but I somehow got a ticket to see Nine Inch Nails and Soundgarden at the PNC Bank Arts Center several hours after I'll be doing the Warrior Dash. As exhausted as I might be after dashing through the course and then dashing down to Holmdel, though, I doubt I'll sleep through either of those bands. It's amazing to think that I'll be catching NIN again 23 years after I first saw them at Lollapalooza. That was a terrific set, though the Self Destruct tour was even better, and with Marilyn Manson opening to boot. I'm going to see Tori again this year, too, and I'd have to guess this will be the fourth or possibly fifth time since I first caught her in 2002, in the company of a redhead named McCall.

Then there's London and the Monty Python reunion in July. No, I'm not going to be in the reunion, merely partake from the audience with my friend Barbara. It'll be incredible to see them live (mostly), and it'll be great to step foot in old Londinium again, even if only for a few days. I've also been urged to visit friends and relatives in California, Florida, and Nebraska; those trips will come, but I'll be needing some breathers with all this activity. Still, the blur can be fun, and though I am alone, I am determined not to sit at home and mope about it. Any more than I already have. Life needs to be lived, and I've played the fool long enough. (Which is not to say that I'll never return to the role...)

And what are you up to now that warmer weather appears to have finally sprung upon us?

Runnin', Writin', and Rockin'

NaNoWriMo has me in its clutches, but I intend to run and to play guitar every day this month (at least) in addition to the writing.  OK, I procrastinated Friday and Saturday, but I did manage to do all three today, and while I haven't produced as much text as I'd like just yet, I have started, and that puts me far ahead of where I was in the game last year.  While I've not put too much planning into "The Divorce Is Final," I'm happy with the direction in which it's currently going, and I do have some general ideas and will no doubt develop more as I get deeper into it.  I do want it to feel at least as much like fun as it does like work...

Isn't it?

Preeti dozed on the couch behind me this afternoon as Mozart streamed from the Apple TV and I began putting words to paper the cloud.  (I'm sure the end of Daylight Saving Time means absolutely nothing to a creature who dozes most of her day away anyway.)  Tuesday will mark one year since we brought her home to the apartment, and while our little family is littler than it was then, I think my female feline is pretty happy overall.  Granted, she'd prefer to play fetch with her mousey for at least an hour a day longer than I consent to, but we do play.  Meguilla the chinchilla gets her playtime, too.  And her raisins.  Mustn't forget the raisins.

While I've mostly played either the Danelectro or the Kona acoustic/electric over the past two years, lately I've been eschewing both left-handed guitars for my old Epiphone knockoff of a right-handed Strat (strung and played "upside-down," of course).  I do love the sound of the Danelectro, especially with the light top/heavy bottom strings I mainly use with it, but the Epiphone seems to rock more, and I like to play it slung down lower than my other guitars, which just feels more rock, too.  Anyway, I played this evening 'til my fingers were sore, and then I played a little more.

I'd planned on recording a new song or two this month, but I'm realizing that I can't really dedicate that much time to it, not if I want to get a 50,000-word novel done before December.  That Entwistlian bassline for "I'll Live" that keeps running through my head is just going to have to wait a bit longer...  I'll settle for getting a few new songs written, and although I'm not going to run a 5K before springtime, I'm determined to run every day and gradually get my endurance and my speed up to something that'll make a good showing when I do tackle my first race.  Should help to keep those winter (and holiday!) pounds at bay, as well, and I'm starting to reintroduce some South Beach phase two recipes into my meals, after a lengthy period of not managing what I eat very well.

Also going on this month: a weekend road trip to Boston with a couple of my colleagues, and "The Day of the Doctor."  I've been a fan of "Doctor Who" since probably sometime around 1982, and this special looks to be... well, special.  I'm going to watch the simulcast at the AMC Loews Village 7 in Manhattan on November 23rd, having snagged a ticket despite Fandango's ineptitude.  Anyone else going?  Anyone wishing they were?

OK, I've written too many words already for something that isn't "The Divorce Is Final."  ;-)  I'm going to relax with a cup of hot chocolate and a scone.  Later!

Dates

Ten years ago today, Gina and I started our relationship together, though I don't think either of us realized right away that that was what was happening.  It didn't last forever, as I'd hoped, nor did it maintain the initial burning intensity for more than... I don't know, the first eight months or so, but it was a big part of my life.  Anyway, that's long past, and I'm not commemorating it or anything; I mention all this only because the date's still stuck in my head.  I've always been enchanted by numbers in general, and particularly by dates, and they tend to stubbornly implant themselves into my brain.  (Yes, ladies, I'm the exception to the rule, the guy who will remember anniversaries and birthdays!)

Speaking of birthdays, my nephew Shawn's is coming up, and I'll be going to his party on Sunday, September 8th.   There's a guitar/bass flea market in Rahway on Saturday, September 14th that I'm thinking about checking out.  I don't really need any new musical gear, I don't think, but... what the hell.  I'm starting to spend more time playing guitar again, and I want to get back to recording, too.  I'm also thinking about running in a 5K in Lyndhurst on Sunday, September 15th.  With any luck, I'll do a little better than Slime's Doug the Slug.  Feel free to come cheer me on, or assist the EMTs in identifying me.  Whatever.  If I do it, it will be my first 5K, and I'll have Laura to thank for getting me to even consider it.

Then there's Saturday, September 21st.  That was supposed to be Laura's and my wedding date, four days after what would've been our two-year anniversary together.  Clearly, we're not getting married now (though a few people seem to have missed the news, leading to painful awkwardness all around), but I think we're still getting together that day.  Circumstances have been difficult for both of us, but we still care for each other, and it'll be nice to spend the day with each other even if it's not the way we'd originally planned.  She's more a part of my life than Gina ever was.

Of course, I'm probably not going to see her for my birthday the following weekend (the 29th, in fact), and that is going to suck.  The week between our wedding day and my birthday was intended to be our honeymoon in Maine, and I haven't decided how I'm going to spend it now.  Regardless, I'm going to be well aware of the fact that I'll be alone when I wasn't supposed to be...

To try to keep it from being the worst birthday ever, I believe I'm going to buy myself a new toy, that Google Nexus 7 tablet I've wanted for a while.  Depending on when it becomes available, and how much petty cash I have left, I may snag the new iPhone, too.  (Note: this isn't a "hint" to throw me a big surprise party or buy me anything.  I've had my big parties, and I'm not especially materialistic.  It's just that I was expecting to be newly wed on my birthday, and instead I'll be... well, you know.)

Some days are better than others, although every day I come home from work, I still look for a car that I know isn't going to be there.  I'm not simply sitting around moping, however.  Sure, I'm doing a little moping, but I'm also coping, and I've been getting together with friends and family, playing some loud electric guitar (and jamming with my Not An Exit mate, Jon), making healthy fruit smoothies, enjoying "Under the Dome," walking, running on the treadmill, playing with the chinchilla and the cat (not at the same time!), working on Slime, and heading out to see live music (think I may go check out another band tonight, as a matter of fact).  I'm still doing things.  I'm just finding them a little less fun without someone with whom to share them.

Like Medjool dates.  They are really tasty.  Laura and I both like 'em very much, and she'd share them with me.  :-)

Swingin' in the Park

A month and a half ago, I dusted off my righteous rage, put on the activist armband again, and joined the Nightwatchman and the Occupy Guitarmy in a march and some music in midtown Manhattan on May Day. The rest of the month involved quite a bit of marching, too, including a trip to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, two weddings, Mother's Day visits to both my mom and Laura's, and a rare Not An Exit jam/recording session with Jon Wardell.

Jon and Andy: this is Not An Exit!

At the beginning of this month, I stood by and watched Laura march instead.  Well, actually, I watched her run, in a 5K race, her first, and I was incredibly proud of her.  She's planning on doing the 2013 New York City Marathon, and I'll be there to watch her, too!  Last week, however, I slowed things down a bit, and the two of us headed to a Victorian bed and breakfast, the Hewitt Wellington, down the shore (yes, we say "down the shore" in Jersey) in Spring Lake for an overnight stay. There was a brief period of rain, much of which we escaped by ducking into a wine shop, but the weather was otherwise wonderful, as were both the lake and the beach, and we even got to commune with the squirrels (and ducks) and swing in the park, though it wasn't after dark. We had an amazing if puzzling dinner Thursday night at Café Artiste; we were never given menus or asked for our orders, and by the time we'd figured out that the chicken special mentioned outside was the only meal available, we'd already been served bread, lentil soup, and salad. After sausage and peppers and a side dish of peas, we finally got to the chicken dish, which certainly lived up to the hype by Cosimo, as did the incredible peach pie we barely managed to tuck away, too.  Dessert was plainly not optional, and I for one didn't mind.

I brought my acoustic/electric along, too, and Laura snapped some nice shots as I played a little on the beach early Friday morning. (Speaking of pictures, I know I haven't updated the Gallery... of Death! at all this year.  Since Apple is doing away with iWeb, I'm thinking of migrating my photos to Picasa and redoing the Gallery from there instead of iPhoto/iWeb; I just need to get around to doing it.)  She found a sand dollar among the tide's remains, which was a nice surprise, and we got quite a lot of walking done.  I know we did, because I finally have a Jawbone Up that seems to be lasting!  I got this one (I think it was the sixth replacement since Christmas, though honestly I've lost track) on May 2nd, and it's still going strong.  The longest that any of the others went before dying on me was three weeks, and that was the original one Laura bought me.  At least Jawbone's customer support has been very good about it, and each replacement was sent to me at no charge, not even shipping.  If this one goes the distance, I will be very happy indeed.

On the Beach at Spring Lake

A week from today, I'm lugging the Danelectro to Jackson Square at Greenwich and Eighth Avenues in Manhattan to play some tunes outdoors at 2 PM for this year's Make Music New York.  It's free, as are the hundreds of other performances taking place around New York all day, so you should come get an earful if you can!  I'm planning to add my newest song, "So Much Happy," to the set, and there's a new T-shirt design available ay my CafePress shop if you're interested; for the new free buttons and/or guitar picks, you'll have to come to the show.  ;-)  The shirts feature my two main axes on the front and Slime's Doug the Slug, plus his hedgehog and penguin buddies, on the back (thanks, Laura!).  You know you want one...

Some days, trying to find time for everything (including updating my personal social media accounts and 'blog - and now I'm adding RebelMouse, too?!? - in addition to the "music" and Slime social media accounts; writing the dialog, and scanning and prepping the artwork, for Slime; making the occasional YouTube video; playing guitar; and of course waiting hand and foot on the Chinchilla Princess, Meguilla) after spending a workday on Microwize Technology's user forum, 'blog, and to a lesser extent its social media and clients' data issues can feel overwhelming.  I need to record a medley of the Police's "Too Much Information" and Living Colour's "Information Overload" as my theme song... but where would I find the time?  Heh.  Then again, the minuscule interaction my "music fans" (102 on Facebook, 90 on ReverbNation, and 294 (!) on Jango, allegedly) provide can feel underwhelming; I still haven't gotten any responses to my query as to which artist(s) I sound like or remind listeners of, and I'm not holding out hope for many people I know showing up at Jackson Square next week, though of course my honey will be there supporting me.  Still, in spite of dwindling time resources and limited active interest on the part of the general public, I'm not ready to give it all up and live a "normal" life.  I want to revamp my Web sites, I want to come up with more creative outlets for the Slime characters, and certainly I want to write new music ("They Might Be Roses" is brewing in my head, and maybe I'll finally pen a song about the experience of playing live, for real people) as well as record some already-written songs that haven't been laid down yet ("I'll Live," "When Giant Giants Attack!" and "Occasionally Tormented Soul," I'm looking at you in particular).  I want to spend more time trying to interest people in that music, for while I'm neither trying nor expecting to become the "next big thing" in music, I do intend to keep at it, and input and criticism can only help.  I want to keep writing in general, and boy, did this 'blog post turn out to be longer than I'd planned.  I want to stop using so many parentheses and semicolons; no, wait, I don't (I really don't)...  Slouching back on the couch and watching the game and the latest reality show is too easy and not satisfying at all, and besides, there are way too many people doing that already.  Also, I can't really teach Laura to play tennis that way.

After all...  Better that your life be a blur than a blurb.  Happy Flag Day!  Got somethin' to say about any or all of this verbosity?  Leave a comment, then!

The Ideas of March, the Music of June

Make Music New York is swingin' round again this June 21st, and as I have for the past four years, I will be taking part.  I don't know yet where I'll be performing, since there aren't many locations available on the site yet, but I'll be there somewhere in New York City, most likely in Manhattan, with a guitar or two!  If any of my fellow singer/songwriters are interested in trying to get a block of time at the same location, that could be fun, so let me know.

I don't expect I'll be playing the "Slime" Theme during MMNY (it'd take at least one other musician, or pre-recorded/sequenced music, to make it sound anything like the recording), but Slime the Web comic is doing quite well, thanks for asking (if you're a science fiction fan, this week's installment might appeal).  Laura and I are cracking ourselves up, and apparently making some other people laugh, too.  Geek out with us, if you haven't already.

My local ranking on ReverbNation has jumped recently, and I'm grateful for it!  I'm currently well within the top 1000, at 872 as of this writing (this obviously isn't including only Lyndhurst- or Bergen County-based rock artists), and I would love to climb higher still if possible, so please feel free to visit the page and listen to my music there, and give me a 'Like' or a +1 if you can.

I've also signed up with yet another music site, NoiseTrade, and there's a free mini-album there, called Spelled with an 'E', featuring several of my songs old and new (the above-mentioned "Slime" Theme, "For Dana," "Dangerous Babies," "Rock and Roll Day," "Human Thing" (alien mix), and "Joy in the New").  You can even 'tip' me there, if you're so inclined.  By all means, check it out and share the news, please!  Oh, and I've received an underwhelming response to my query, so tell me, who do you think I sound like, or whose music does mine remind you of?  C'mon, don't be shy!

Lastly, this Saturday marks six months since Laura and I became a couple, and we'll be going out for sushi (mmm, sushi... hey, not everyone eats corned beef and cabbage and drinks green beer 'til they puke just because it's St. Patrick's Day, y'know).  I'm also giving my baby the gift of... a song.  I started writing "So Much Happy" several weeks ago, but since we began Slime, I haven't touched a guitar very much.  Tonight, though, I picked up the acoustic/electric and a notepad and pen, and I've got about half the song worked out.  I'll at least write up the rest on Saturday (and post it with my other song lyrics, of course), but I'm hoping to have a demo or maybe even the full recording done before we head out for dinner.

Half the month is gone, but I'm keeping busy; I hope you are, too!

7 + 4 = 11

Happy Independence Day!  I didn't do too much of anything today, and it felt rather good.  I even started the day off by sleeping late, and since I didn't get in 'til around 3 AM from the party Jon and Karin threw yesterday, I felt mostly justified.

It's been a busy several weeks.  I've attended a music festival with Jenn and Rhonda, done a bit of catsitting for Barbara, gone to Sally and Matt's party (where Matt learned enough of "That's Just What I Am" to accompany me on guitar - thanks!), filmed some scenes for Rick Ford's latest venture, "Hassel Unbound" (would you believe I have an entry at IMDB?), played some of my songs in Duane Park for Make Music New York 2011, with Barbara as my roadie, visited New York's Central Park and Greenwich Village with Laura before going back to the park the next day for rollerblading with Dawn (followed by Rosa Mexicano's outstanding guacamole and pomegranate margaritas), had Peruvian ceviche with Yesika's family and Rhonda, attended a managers' meeting at Shadow Lake in Franklin Lakes which eventually turned into a company-wide barbecue/party, and visited Jon and the very-pregnant Karin for the above-mentioned party yesterday.  And of course I had that job thing going on the whole time, too.

I've also visited my parents more often than usual during the past five weeks, understandable under the circumstances.  After my dad finally agreed to see a doctor, he was hospitalized for nearly a week with renal failure and anemia (as well as high calcium and blood pressure readings).  Those symptoms have been addressed, but the cause was eventually determined to be Waldenström's macroglobulinemia, a rare form of cancer in the white blood cells known as lymphocytes.  This, too, is being addressed, with chemotherapy, and while the prognosis is good and my dad is in better spirits than he was a month ago, it's still been stressful on him and the rest of us, and there are several chemo sessions ahead.  He's already losing his hair, and as he and I have both managed to hang on to our full heads of hair with minimal greying, I can relate to the trauma; still, he's mostly holding up pretty well, although of course he has better days (when he can eat and sleep) and worse ones.

With all that's been going on, I've been pretty good about playing guitar every day.  I'm determined not to lose these calluses again!  In addition to performing at MMNY, I dragged my guitar along to Sally and Matt's party (because they wanted people to bring instruments), to Microwize's barbecue last Friday (because my colleague and fellow southpaw guitarist Nicole was bringing hers and asked me to bring mine, too), and to Jon and Karin's party yesterday (because Jon figured he and I could jam a bit if people left early).  I'm still learning to play, and sing, "Burning in the Sun," but I'll get it soon enough.  I'm also planning to write another new song or two in the very near future.

Pam is coming back to see me next month, and one of the events we have planned is a New York outing with my parents to see the new Cirque du Soleil show "Zarkana" and then have dinner at the Hallo Berlin beer hall.  We're all looking forward to it!  A trip to the Jersey shore, a performance of Zach Braff's off-Broadway play "All New People," and dinner at the amazing Cafe Matisse are also on tap for Pam's visit.  :-)

So, yes, there's been a lot going on, and this month will see a get-together or two with some old classmates, more romping around in NYC, and possibly a venture shoreward... and who knows what else?  Can you blame me for parking it on the couch for a few hours this evening to watch "Hearts in Atlantis" and "Flatliners?"  Well, it's back to work tomorrow, and it's just about midnight now, so I should probably park it in bed.  Good night, all...

How am I different?

I first saw Aimee Mann in that iconic "Voices Carry" music video by 'Til Tuesday back in 1985, and I bought the single, but didn't get anything else by the band at the time.  Several years later, I was at a flea market browsing through music when I came across Whatever, Aimee's debut solo album.  I hadn't heard anything from it, hadn't even known that 'Til Tuesday had broken up and that Aimee was a solo artist now, but based on how much I'd liked that first exposure to her music (and how she looked on the front and back artwork), I picked it up.


I've never looked back.  I own all seven CDs, plus the "Magnolia" and "I Am Sam" soundtracks and "The Imago Traveling Road Show," and the "Magnolia" and "Live at St. Ann's Warehouse" DVDs.  I've seen her perform four or five times (most recently, last Friday at the Forum Theatre in Metuchen) and got my copy of "@#%&*! Smilers" autographed at Barnes & Noble.  I had a girlfriend give me grief about a promotional picture of Aimee that I'd taped up on my wall (right, 'cos even pre-Michael Penn, she'd have run away with me...)  I even wrote a song, "That's Just What I Am," that is in part a response to her minor hit "That's Just What You Are."  (Subtle, right?)


I like a lot of different music.  A lot of different music.  Somehow, though, no matter what I'm listening to, I always come back to Aimee.  Music always makes me feel, or at least good music does, but her music makes me feel alive and human and flawed and OK nonetheless.  She's still my favorite singer/songwriter, and while it had been a few years since the last time I'd seen her play, I'm so glad I made it to the Metuchen show and had such a great seat (four rows back from the stage, and directly in front of Aimee!).  I love that she closed the show with such a downer, "It's Not," and acknowledged just how wrong that was.  Heh.


I have to start writing (and recording!) my own music again.  I'd sort of imposed a moratorium on songwriting a few years back, because I've already got several songs written ("I'll Live," "D.V.," "When Giant Giants Attack!" and others) that I haven't yet recorded, and I didn't want to end up looking at a backlog of twenty songs I needed to record... but I don't think that's the right approach anymore.  Perhaps writing a few new songs will prompt me to start recording them immediately, and then I can go back and get those older songs done, too.  In any case, the new acoustic/electric should make it easier for me to drag a guitar around without needing an amp, and so hopefully I'll be spending more time playing, and writing.


I've decided to bring the Kona to Costa Rica with me tomorrow (an interesting coincidence: the last McKesson 'VAR Achievement Club' trip like this I took was to... Kona, Hawaii).  I'm not sure how much time I'll have to play or to try writing, and of course it'd be nice not to have one more thing to lug along, but I'm also trying to make time to play every day, and I'd rather not have to wait until next Monday to get my hands on a guitar again.  So that's that.


The six-guitar rack I purchased at the same time as the K2 isn't quite as great.  Well, it's a great concept, but I think the rests should've extended further, so the thing would've been sturdier and more efficient.  Still, I do have my five guitars on it now (although I'll be pulling the Kona off shortly), and it does look cool...

4 + 7 = 11

Guess who's back?  Andy's back!

I haven't 'blogged in a great long while.  Vitriol, which started as a column in my long-defunct 'zine (do any 'zines have funk anymore, though?) the Extreme, eventually found its way to my Web site, andersensilva.com, and though I didn't think of it as a Web log at the time, I suppose that's what it was.  That was replaced by Being..., and over time that was replaced by my own space on LiveJournal.  Once I stumbled headfirst into Twitter and Facebook and Brightkite and Pownce and their ilk, however, I became more interested in microblogging and posting short updates.

Now I've decided that I need to start writing things that require more than 140 characters again.  That means essays, short stories, songs, poems, and yes, 'blog entries.  I can write, and I'm going to start doing so again; it's been too long, and while yanking chords from an overdriven electric guitar is a great release, so is hurling words and phrases.  I've done it before, and I'll be doing it again.  Don't call it a comeback.

So, speaking of guitars...  I just got a new one yesterday!  I'd been planning on getting an acoustic/electric for a while, mainly because I want to force myself to go play some open mics and get used to the idea of people watching me perform my music (and they generally prefer acoustics).  There was an Ibanez that had caught my eye and received great reviews, so for a few weeks that was what I'd intended to order.  When I felt the time was right to order last week, though, I considered the price again, and started browsing online a bit more, finally coming to a guitar from a brand of which I'd heard once or twice before, Kona.  The K2 certainly looked sweet, and it was a thin body, which I prefer to the dreadnoughts, but I was a little hesitant.  In the end, many great reviews swayed my decision; everyone seemed to be very pleasantly surprised at how good this fairly inexpensive guitar looked and played and sounded.  And so far I'm in agreement with them all.  Say hello to Serenity!

My new colleague, Nicole, found the guitar really cool, too.  Turns out she's a left-handed guitar player as well!  I'm always thrilled to meet (or at least see) another southpaw guitarist, and it was a nice surprise for us both when she was being introduced around on Monday and noticed the guitars on my MacBook Pro's desktop and started asking questions.  She high-fived me upon learning that not only do I play, but I play lefty.  Heh…  I recently saw another lefty guitar player, too, Mary Bichner of Box Five, who played at Caffe Vivaldi the same night as her friends (and neighbors) Goli.  I didn't get a chance to talk to Mary that night, but we're Facebook friends now.  One of my favorite singer/songwriters, Aimee Mann, is not left-handed, but I'm going to see her tomorrow night anyway.  Haven't been to one of her shows in… forever.

I've finally come around to the idea that I should be posting separately to any 'fans' I have, because maybe they don't want to hear every goofy exchange between a long-time friend (or two) and me.  I already had a Facebook Page set up for my music, but now I've got a Twitter account dedicated to that kinda thing, too.  Apple graced me with my own iTunes Ping artist account, as well, though no one seems to be flocking to that.  Maybe I need to slag Lady Gaga or defend Chris Brown or something to get some attention.  Anyway, if you're interested:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Andersen-Silva/361729006176

http://twitter.com/joyinthenew

http://c.itunes.apple.com/us/profile/id-17590

My old roommate and long-time friend Jon and his wife Karin are having a baby!  I'm really happy for them, though I haven't actually spoken to Jon since I heard the news (via SMS from Karin, complete with sonogram picture - yes, this is the digital age).  I'm not generally a big fan of phone conversations these days.  I think a job in tech support does that to one.  I do have to call him.  I found out this week that my old 'bus buddy' Alex is also expecting.  Nice…

Work's been keeping me especially frazzled lately.  The good news is, I'm getting a mini-vacation out of it.  Next Wednesday morning, a few colleagues and I are flying to Costa Rica for four days!  I am looking forward to warm weather, ziplining over the rain forest, scuba diving... and getting away from the office.

Lastly, but not leastly, I'm in a relationship again, though it's (for the moment, anyway) a long distance one.  OK, Facebook has us down as "it's complicated..." but it's not, really, it's just far.  Pam is a wonderful girl, and a Mac geek like me, and she appears to be able to put up with my zaniness, most of the time anyway.  We've known each other a long time, and she's come to visit me (and New York City) several times over the past few years, and I went to visit her this past New Year's, and... well, we decided to make it official on Valentine's Day.  Changing your relationship status on Facebook makes it official, right?  Heh-heh.  Pam will be heading back out to Jersey in the fall, and we're both looking forward to her next trip.

This concludes today's 'blog entry.  There will be more, however.  There will be more...