I can’t figure out why our check was close to $400. How did that happen? This is Happy Hour! Too many mini martinis. And I guess those oysters add up. Yeesh. Still, this is New York. Can’t kill my happy. 😎

I’m a firm believer that if you really want something, tell the universe. Tell everyone.  Something or someone will hear you. 🎸

“You strum a chord and then you kind of see where it leads you. Like breadcrumbs, memories, even regrets, or even the future. If you’ve got some sort of problems, you work them out in the song. It’s really the ultimate therapy I think.”

I have to wonder… do people value music made by humans more now, because so much of what we hear isn’t? The storytelling – the Bluebird, of it all. We’ve always loved live music, but is it becoming even more cherished as it becomes a rarer and rarer commodity?

I’m inclined to make a mistake I never made before. What will it be today? Who knows. But it WILL happen. I decide that when it does I’ll blame it on my pic. Or my capo. 😳

As soon as the cold air hits my face I’m smiling wider than the happiest emoji. There are bundled up men on bicycles delivering pizza, food trucks selling tacos. People are carrying their dogs. Life is going on big time. This is NYC. 🍸🍸🍸☃️☃️☃️

When I moved to LA in the 90’s I reached out to Billy Steinberg. It was a ballsy move. I never thought he’d welcome me into his world. But he did.

I was offered a ticket. But the idea of putting on another night of make-up after all the parties – my face would have fallen off. So I made pasta and DVR’d it. And ate a whole pint of Haagen-Dazs out of the tub. 😳

What do I know? I still listen to “Brandy … you’re a fine girl.” And, to be fair to ME, John Mayer. I mean it doesn’t get better than “It Shouldn’t Matter But it Does.” You know why? Lyrics. But that’s me. And I’m old.

It felt fitting to ring in the new year by introducing you to a human who plays a starring role in my life and is so often mentioned in this space: my husband, Adam.

Ok, so ”Man I Need” is not “Man In The Mirror,” but it’s delightful, no? It’s not trying to bedazzle me with substance-free wordplay. It’s a good-old fashioned ear-worm. ❤️‍🔥

It’s therapeutic to ponder ones regrets because in doing so one can change the way one lives their life moving forward. We can only keep trying and I say “trying” because you CAN’T promise. But every day is another chance to at least … try. 💜

Surely Barbra was given a rare gift at birth AND the favorable anatomical equipment with which to deliver that gift. But it takes more than that. It takes vision. Follow through. It takes Alchemy and the belief in the idea that “thought is stronger than matter and if you can imagine something it can be so.” ♥️🌹

I’m in the Zone and I can’t get out. Book #2. My favorite excerpt so far: Thing is if I fail playing on someone else’s terms, I’ll never forgive myself. But if I fail doing something I believe in, that is forgivable. I’d dust myself off and try again. (To quote Aaliyah). 💙💜

My life is very fluid and creatively fertile. I pray it continues because it makes me feel deceptively ageless. But I’m not. This I know. Life is like musical chairs. One day the music stops and there might not be a chair for you. I don’t mean to sound morbid, I’m just … well ... reunions. ❤️💛

I’m no longer teaching for several reasons. Time. Travel. Ai. 😳 But I kinda miss the exchange. The conversation about songs and the delicious act of writing them. The zone. Yum. So I thought I’d get back to it on a one-on-one basis. I don’t have answers. Just thoughts. 💙

This year (after some resistance) Suzan and I used a bit of ChatGPT to plan our journey. It proved to be a helpful tool but no surprise, it didn’t take the place of good old fashioned human guidance or instinct. He’s merely compiling and consolidating all the opinions of everyone on the whole wide web. So, maybe no Christmas bonus but we weren’t going to fire him either. ☀️🌊 🏰

I often wonder — if a journey of recovery is indeed part of your brand — your creative force — what happens (what do you write about) when/if you get well? What happens when you overcome that thing that defined you and for better or worse (usually worse) became your brand? That’s a messy question. 😳

Going out is not as simple as it used to be. I wish there were some kind of Theater Concierge who meets you in front of the theater and walks you through the whole process. Tickets, parking validation, popcorn, and then escorts you to your seat. And helps you find your car later. l would pay extra for that. 🍿