Autumn, Kaufmann Hall

I've been on a Tom Petty kick for awhile. Maybe it was because I saw him in concert in June and was all aflutter about Conversations with Tom Petty book and the anticipation of his new solo album next year. A part of me was beginning to feel he was overtaking Billy Joel as my #1 favorite in music. But after last night, I was pleasantly reminded why Billy Joel has been #1 in my mind for over 15 years.

Cheryl and I trekked to the upper reaches of the Upper East Side to the 92nd St Y and joined a room full of superfans for Billy Joel: Questions, Answers, & A Little Music. We were sitting 2 rows behind the Child Bride. She is quite striking in person and does look very young. Alas, I didn't get a look at the ring. The evening started off a little slow -- it began with Billy speaking with Rolling Stone writer Anthony DeCurtis, who looked so befuddled and asking really lame questions. The conversation went nowhere. It was a half hour later when it was just Billy on stage that the true fun began.

I've read, seen, heard countless interviews with Billy over the years, and most of the stories I was already familiar with. But he is such a stong storyteller and conversationalist, that much of what he said retained it's value, honesty and humor. Unfortunately, I did not get picked to ask my question, but it was fine. Aside from a few stupid questions and annoying people, the audience really engaged BIlly with good questions.

The highlight though was anytime he had his hands on the piano keys. He played the complete versions of my all-time top 2 Billy Joel songs, "Summer, Highland Falls" and "Miami 2017". Also played in its entirely: "Famous Last Words" (which he said was the first time he ever played it live), "Vienna" and the Beatles "A Day in the Life".

We also got to hear good chunks of "Laura", "Rosalinda's Eyes", "It's Still Rock & Roll To Me" (which in the middle of, realized had the same melody as Bob Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay" and segwayed into playing that -- in which I went into silent hysterics because that's my favorite Dylan song), "Tomorrow is Today", "Scandinavian Skies", "Lullaby" -- really delving into the vault. It was so incredible.

He did a little classical, and also paid homage to his influences, like Dylan, like the Beatles and the Stones. Cheryl and I were both struck my his amazing ear for pitch, melody, rhythm, tone. He plays "Like a Rolling Stone" as effortlessly as Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and picks up patterns between the various genres of music.

The man is also quite funny. He recounted selling his house to Jerry Seinfeld and meeting Bono at the Garden recently. When asked how married life was treating him, he jumped on his chair, a la Tom Cruise. A musical genius and wit to boot!

Billy also said this upcoming tour will feature a lot of album tracks that often get buried. I am so excited for the shows. Maybe I will finally hear "You're My Home" and "Captain Jack" live. *fingers crossed*

The three hours flew by. If anything, it made me wish that I could just have a few hours of his time and talk to him about music. He is a wealth of information and his passion for music is so evident. I had such an incredible time and hope I get to see him in this type of venue again before another nine years pass.

Thanks Billy!

Quote of the Day:
"I tend to live in the past because most of my life is there." -Herb Caen

The Warm Up

Billy Joel-mania continues. I was flipping through the new issue of New York magazine and saw that the Piano Man is doing one of his Questions, Answers and a Little Music seminars at the 92nd Street Y next Tuesday. To my very pleasant surprise, the $30 tickets were still available. Needless to say, I snatched that up.

I went to one of these before waaaaay back in 1996 during my senior year of high school at George Washington University. He had actually called on me to ask a questions, but the stupid microphone guy gave the microphone to another girl. Gar!!! Perhaps, nine years later, I can finally ask if he wrote the prelude to "Angry Young Man" while writing it, or if it just came about. Will keep you posted.

Let's give a shout out to my roommate Suzanne, who is celebrating her "21st" birthday today.

Man alive did it get cold today. Earlier this afternoon, it was rainy, but still bearable. But as 4pm approached, that all changed. It got very windy and the temperature plummeted. Not fun. Oh, how I wish summer was right around the corner.

Because I am a follower, not a leader, I have also changed the settings on The Genius Switch, so everyone can make their comments. Thanks Cheryl!

Quote of the Day:
"You can pretend to be serious; you can't pretend to be witty." -Sacha Guitry

Sold!

The greatest thing about New York City is the ability to do so many thing here that would be impossible to do elsewhere. Yesterday I did one of my favorite things to do in the city - I went to an auction preview. This one took me to Christie's for a music memorabilia auction. But to my very pleasant surprise, there was also a preview for a Bob Mackie auction as well.

In the music section, they were showing lots of stuff from the Beatles, Bob Dylan, the Doors, The Who, Joni Mitchell, Ella FItzgerald and Buddy Holly among others. There were a couple of items that were a little more exciting than the rest: a pair of Bob Dylan's black sunglasses, the necklace Jimi Hendrix wore in the famous picture of him getting the guitar on fire, a silver box for Christmas 1980 from John Lennon & Yoko Ono and a pair of Roy Orbison's sunglasses. The only item I questioned as a piece of music memorabilia was a book report Britany Spears wrote in the 5th grade about White Fang. Even sadder was the estimated selling price of $500-700.

In the Bob Mackie preview, there were beautiful gowns, costumes and sketches he made for the Carol Burnett show and the Sonny & Cher show among others. There were also some Elton John stage outfits for sale as well. It was so wonderful to see dresses and headwear up close and see all the attention to detail. They are true pieces of art. It was such a treat to see this.

And the cost of seeing all these hallmarks of pop culture: free. Doesn't get much better than that.

Quote of the Day:
"Any life, no matter how long or how complex it might be, is made up of a single moment - the moment in which a man finds out, once and for all, who he is." -Jorge Luis Borges

Why I Will Never Be In The Armed Forces

This was a very stressful morning; moreso than any Saturday morning should be.

I woke up around 8:30am, in anticipation of the Billy Joel tickets going on sale. I turn on the TV and sit up in bed only to see that the mouse traps between the wall and the television shelf are askew. I begin to panic. It's too early to think about a mouse corpse underneath the rubble of wooden traps. I watch Ebert & Roeper, trying very hard to distract myself from what I know I need to clean up.

It takes me about 45 minutes to psych up the energy and resolve to dispose of this unwanted roommate. I open up some sterile gloves and triple bag garbage bags. I peer over to the spot of perish and see a small gray mass beneath the traps. It was like the photo of Kurt Cobain's suicide, where all you see is his leg. Kinda the same thing here, but with a mouse. After taking many deep breaths, I sweep the crime scene into the bag and toss it outside. The long national nightmare is over.

Very keyed up, I then prepare to get Billy Joel tickets for his show at the Garden. At 9:59am I am frantically pushing refresh on my computer, until I get the screen to get tickets. After much stress, I do get tickets. They are not the best seats, but good enough. I'm just happy to be going to the show. Just for kicks, I also tried my luck at getting a ticket for the Boston show 5 days before the NY show. Luck was on my side because I got a ticket next to the stage, 12 rows up. It is so much fun being a superfan.

Quote of the Day:
"I know it sounds calculating, but if you're not cute, you might as well be clever." -David Sedaris

Dear Santa,

With the holiday season right around the corner, I just want to make sure I can make things as easy as possible for people to buy me things that I covet, but don't want to pay for myself. The easiest way is to go to amazon.com and choose one of the 110 items on my Wish List. That way, I will be surprised and know I will love it.

Let me also take this time to remind you of the 4 things to never, ever, ever buy me.

1. Mugs. I can only drink so much cocoa. And for my 14th birthday, I got 3 of them.

2. Stationary. Too many helpless trees have been sacrificed in order for me to write correspondences. I appreciate the fine art of letter writing as much as anyone else, but I'd rather have a written word than a blank page.

3. Beach towels. I don't go to the beach. I rarely use swimming pools. I am too albino and pale to attempt to get sun. Please, no beach towels.

4. Bath products. It's not that I don't enjoy a good vanilla scented body wash or a strawberry-mango-lavender-banana mask. Face it, bath products are the mercy gift. It's when you have no idea what to get someone and don't have the energy to put any creativity into the gift. So nay on the bath products.

Let the holiday season begin!

Quote of the Day:
"How many Ganneshes' do you have? ... 19?!?!" -Suzanne Temple

And...Action!

Last night I went to the off-off broadway one-act performances of EATFest. My friend Aimee was in a play called "Cupid's Bow" and was excellent. She was a co-worker of mine at Mystery Diagnosis. I would always hear so much about the shows she was doing and auditions she was going on. This was the first opportunity I've had to actually see her act and she was fantastic.

"Cupid's Bow" was about 2 people who meet in a coffee shop and the mysterious connection between them. It always brings me such joy to see my friends in their element.

The other one-acts included "Reunion", about 2 people at their 40th high school reunion. "Final Answer" - about a game show going horribly wrong and "A Touching Story", an exploring the perils of threesomes.

If your in New York and need something to do this Friday at 9pm or Sunday at 7pm, check them out at 311 W. 43rd (b/w 8th & 9th Ave). Tickets are $15 and worth every penny.

Afterwards I joined Aimee and some of her friends for dinner and catching up. All in all a very nice evening.

Quote of the Day:
"A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to do."
-Bob Dylan

Shout Out

Much love and congratulations to my friend Sarah. Not only has she finished her tenure in the Navy, she has also gotten engaged! Talk about a win-win situation. I could not be happier for her. Yay Sarah!!

I am loving this weather. 70 degrees in mid-November. Bring it on! Although Mother Nature will have revenge on us tomorrow with lots of rain and a cold front. I will savor today as much as I can.

Also, I am VERY excited to hear that my favorite Piano Man, Billy Joel is going back on tour. It's been far too long since I've seen him - he last toured in 2002. Tickets go on sale Saturday and I will be right there to get them. It's so much fun to be a superfan.

Quote of the Day:
"Geek, when used correctly, is usually a compliment. It means eccentric, skilled, quirky, unique." - Mat Laibowitz

Yay Global Warming

First off, what a heartbreaking loss for my Sons of Washington yesterday against Tampa Bay. Granted, going for the 2-point conversion after the false start on the extra point was nothing less than genius, but still really, really hurt nonetheless. We'll rebound next week.

I am proud to report that for once my theory has been disproven. Last week Conan O'Brien and his wife had a baby boy and gave him the name Beckett O'Brien. That's a good name. Good for you Conan!

It was such a lovely weekend here in Hoboken. Temperatures in the 60s. Perfect weather for walking and gaping at the beautiful New York skyline. This is my kind of winter.

Quote of the Day:
"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence." - John Adams

The Little Things

I went to the post office this morning, not in a very good mood, because the envelopes to be mailed were paid bills, depleting me of all funds in ye olde bank account. But then, as I am leaving, in the corner of my eye, I see something -- a smile. A green smile. I walk closer and see it's a stamp of Kermit the Frog and other Muppet characters. Yes, Muppet stamps. I went back in line and bought a few packs of them. My mood completely changed and I am happy. Yay Muppets!!!

I hope everyone voted today. I absolutely love voting. It's a shame I don't live in Chicago, because then I could have voted all day!! :)

Quote of the Day:
"Early morning cheerfulness can be extremely obnoxious." -William Feather

Random Thoughts and Ramblings

Because nothing is really going on, I thought I would share some thoughts on nothing in particular. In random order...

* Yay Redskins!!! I think I was in college the last time my beloved Sons of Washington beat the Eagles. We are undefeated at home this year and for the first time in ages, I am optimistic about the team. Joe Gibbs, the greatest coach in the history of professional sports, once again worked his magic. Mark Brunell is coming back to life and our defense is awesome. Hail to the Redskins. Hail to the Redskins indeed.

* Last week I bought Conversations with Tom Petty by Paul Zollo. I have been a diehard Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers fan for years and have been waiting quite some time for the release of the book. It is everything I hoped it would be. What makes the experience even more amazing is listening to "Playback" in the background while reading. Not only is Petty an accomplished musician and songwriter, but also an articulate speaker and masterful storyteller. I'm learning the origins of his many hits and also some of his other acomplishments that I was unaware of his involvement in. What's also so cool is him getting to meet and perform with so many of his heroes and idols, and having them appreciating Petty's work just as much. I am loving every page of this book and will be very sad when that final page is turned.

* I feel I must reiterate my complete frustration at people who stand on the left side of the escalator. This is really, really irksome and bothers me to no end. Really people, escalator courtesy is like driving -- the left side is for PASSING!!!

* I've been checking out the setlists for the latest Aerosmith tour. The Boys are diving into the vault and pulling out some gems. You should check them out. Lenny Kravitz is opening for them.

* Wouldn't it be awesome if I won the $225 million MegaMillions jackpot? I think it would. :)

* I am so excited that all the good movies are coming out soon. On the top of the list: Rent, Walk the Line and Memoirs of a Geisha.

* I know the holiday season is still a little ways off, but I must recommend one thing to get you into the holiday spirit -- the Santaland Diaries by David Sedaris. It works in essay or play form, but if you have never read the Santaland Diaries before, might I suggest you buy David Sedaris reading it. It's the funniest, most entertaining story and his voice only enhances that. You will never look at Macy's the same way again.

* An addition to the horrible celebrity baby names list: Kevin Sorbo and his wife named their daughter: Octavia. *sigh*

Quote of the Day:
"Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend."
-Albert Camus