On the thirty first floor, a gold-plated door

The storm wasn't  as mean as it was made out to be. Wind was barely existent - I had expected thunderous window rattling - and we retained electricity. And, as a result of the storm, I had yesterday and, I just found out, today off from work.

Yesterday was part lazy and part active. I watched a couple of Sopranos episodes in bed, played some music, meditated, read. I also practiced yoga for about a half hour followed by an uninterrupted three hours of shoveling.

Fred was working from home, so I tackled the driveway. It was a meditation; I got into a space, if you catch what I'm I'm flinging. And, I have to thank my yoga practice; I maintained a good energy level the entire time I was out there and am only the slightest bit sore today. That was a ton of snow, son.

So, yeah, I'm a veritable Hercules. Lucky me. Whatever. Anyway, I'm going to enjoy another day off.

Winter ain't such a bad thing.

We used to have good times together, but now it seems they've gone away

Friday morning my car would barely start. After several attempts, and right as I was about to call AAA, it started fine. That was good because I had to go into Cambridge and do some recording for work.

The car ran fine, but I took it to my mechanic in Andover when I arrived at work. He told me I needed a tune up and, even though I was out close to $300, I figured I got off easy. The car ran fine all through the weekend until this morning when I could barely get the car to start.

Fortunately, it started and I didn't have to have it towed. I brought it to the garage I go to here and left it. It's almost four o'clock and I still don't even know what's wrong with it. I called around one and they told me my car was up next. I'm going to call again. So all day I've been on pins and needles about how much this is going to cost me.

Between the last paragraph and this one, I went and picked up my car. They couldn't find anything wrong with it. I got off cheap, but it's disconcerting not knowing what the issue is. It will show its face again, I predict. We'll see.

A big blizzard is soon to arrive. We're expected to get at least two feet of snow, which means no work for the next day at least. My neighbor Steve, who was out shoveling/snow blowing for approximately four and half hours the other day (we only got about four inches), is, I'm sure, in full hard on mode right now. Last big storm we had, he spent the entire day and a good chunk of the night clearing snow wherever he could find it. I wouldn't give a shit, but I have to listen to the racket he causes. There are worse things in life.

I'll probably work on songs a lot in the next day or two. I've been inspired in an F you kind of way. I don't want to go into detail, but I feel like I need to prove to some people that I'm an actual musician who might actually be pretty good. I know my stuff is an acquired taste and a lot of people don't care for it, but I care about it.

Alright, time to go do other stuff.

Good luck in the storm, kiddos.

Meet me in the morning

To Be Kind, the powerful and latest album by Swans thunders through my ribs as I write this. It's good energy to be around in the dead bowels of winter; keeps you alert like a cold shower or a stein of Red Bull. I'll tell you what: this album is all consuming; I'm finding it hard to concentrate. What else is new?

I have to work tomorrow; a lot of people have it off. MLK day. I'm not jealous or nothing, but it would be nice not having to get up early. I'll get by. Maybe I'll get some coffee and see Mary; last time was Wednesday. It's been interesting, our relationship, such as it is. This is how it's gone so far:

1. I'd been getting coffee from her for several years and it wasn't until a few months ago that I formally introduced myself to her and we started talking. Before that, it seemed like she was barely aware of me.

2. I found her attractive but thought she was probably too young (she's not; she's only a few years younger than me) and married (I'm sure she was, but I'm about 100% sure the relationship is kaput).

3. One day recently it occurred to me that she was interested in me as a person; she was inquiring more about my background and interests, etc. Our conversations became a little longer. And, then, maybe a week later, it occurred to me that I was thinking about her fairly often.

4. It seemed like things were escalating, albeit slowly. Maybe, and I don't know if this is the same thing, but maybe rather than things escalating, there was a growing mutual awareness that a connection had been made.

5. Last week, I went to get coffee and things seemed different, like a flame had been blown out. It wasn't palpable, it happened quietly within. Or did it? I'm still not sure.

6. I don't know if anything beyond a casual acquaintance will manifest between us. I do know that the experience reminded me how desirable being in a relationship still is to me. It's been too long; I want a partner.

There's a big Patriots playoff game on right now. Clearly, watching it is not a priority for me. Not that I'm not interested; I am, but there are other things to do.

G'night!

I've got sunshine in my stomach, like I just put my baby to sleep

Man, what an ugly commute home from work. Just ugly. Shitty drivers, snow spitting on salted, sanded wet roads. Surprisingly, I kept a pretty even-keeled disposition throughout it. Maybe the increased attention to my spiritual life is paying off.

Spira gave me some mala beads to meditate with. I'd been wanting to get some and she had an extra one, so now I'm in business. There are 108 beads total and the idea is to say a mantra for each bead. There's an orthodox way to hold them, but it's not comfortable for me, so I do it my own way, which I'm confident is just as good. I like using them; by keeping count with the beads I can't focus more on the mantra.

Music abounds! The band has been back on track after a hiatus during the holidays. My life has become enriched because of it. We're building up a set and soon enough will be playing out. We're introducing Pat to the fold; he'll help fill the sound out.

Next week I start another band. This one will feature me, Scott, Foley, and Pat. A couple of weeks ago I had the idea to reach out to Pat and Foley to see if they wanted to get together on a regular basis and see what we can come up with. I talked to Pat about it and he was on board. Today, I texted Foley with the idea and he texted back that he had the exact same idea and was just about to present it to us. He also informed me that Scott could contribute, too, albeit from afar (i.e. he'd record parts and send over the internets). So, an abundance of music down the pike with some of my favorite people.

Alright, off with me.

I want a horse, I want sheep, I want to get me a good night's sleep, living in the heart of the country

It's been a while, so I'm producing a post. I must admit, however, that I'm doing so somewhat reluctantly, for it grows late and I'm beat. Well, I'll trudge on, but I'm giving myself fifteen minutes. After that, I'm out of here, dear.

At the end of my last post, I mentioned I might watch Edge of Tomorrow. Well, I did. It was wonderful. It's the kind of sci-fi action movie I enjoy best. It had thrills, laughs, great acting, great effects. The story was told in a clear and concise manner. It's not terribly complicated, but in lesser hands, it could have become a jumbled mess. Now I want to watch it again.

My time grows short, so I'm going minimal the rest of the post. Here goes.

Band=fun.

Today I saw a possibility grow dim. Maybe. Maybe not. Probably. Who knows? I felt sad and lonely in patches afterward. I moved on, it is ok.

Spira turned me on to the beneficial properties of crystals. She gave me two: one chunk of quartz, one polished piece of amethyst. Don't feel anything yet. I'll give it time. We'll see.

Reading Stephen King's It. This is my second go. First time was....when? Shoot, maybe  when I was in high school. Anyway, it's been a while; it's almost like reading it for the first time. King is a very good writer. The older I get, the more I appreciate him.


Ok, bye.

The rich man stands in front of me, poor man behind my back

New Year's Day, 2015. So it is. I had lunch with my mother at her favorite restaurant, Luigi's. I ate relatively light yesterday in anticipation of eating Italian food early in the day today. I ate a combo plate of lasagna, eggplant and chicken parm, and meat balls. I almost finished it all in one sitting. Guess I was hungry. It was nice starting the year off with mom and a cute waitress that seemed to like my ways. I put aside the notion of asking her out,though, particularly because I was preoccupied with my mother and also because my days of asking women out in spontaneous fashion are behind me. Let's just say I've had poor results.

I ended up not being social last night. I didn't have too many invitations to do anything, but I had a couple. I was tired and felt like a low key night. Wasn't entirely low key, I had trouble at times feeling alright about my choice. The curse of the social introvert is always wondering if you've made the right decision. Well, it was an okay night all the same, but kind of weird. I listened to probably too much of a Ronnie The Limo Driver compilation, talked to Kreg, and watched probably not enough of the first installment of Nymphomaniac.

Jeff sent us home at noon yesterday. We had so much work that I almost wished that he hadn't. Almost. It was nice getting home early and I was grateful. I stopped by the coffee shop before I left for some egg nog brew but mostly to see Mary and wish her a Happy New Year's. Alas, she wasn't there. Perhaps I'll talk about her more in another post.

A new year. Last year wasn't so bad, plenty of highlights, some of which are not safe to print, but it was challenging and disappointing, too. So it goes every year, every month, every day. Living ain't easy, my friends, not all the time, and if we've been told any different, we've been misled.

Contemplating renting The Edge of Tomorrow, a movie I keep hearing from reliable sources is a very good one. I want to play music, though, and I'd like to have a go at some lyrics. We'll see.

See ya, cronies.