Favorite lines from John Mayer's latest CD

Putting the last 16 months aside, there have been a number of amazing things happening to me over the last 4-6 weeks.

I truly believe Mom and Uncle Bill have sprinkled angel dust down on me to help get me back on track. Lord knows, I have been unable to do it by myself! It can only be Divine Intervention.

Music happens to be a strong and guiding force in my life. I'm not quite sure what I'd do without my God, my family/close friends, my Cleveland Indians and last but certainly not least, my music.

I've been absolutely fixated over the last 3-4 weeks on the new Taylor Swift CD and then the new John Mayer CD.

It's been ridiculous! I have to have them blaring constantly in the car and at home! Thank God for my 8 mile treadmill session last week. I buzzed through at least 5 CD's and found that I adored the John Mayer "Battle Studies" CD.

Usually when I hear a song, I have a favorite line in the song, or even a favorite note sequence. Ok, so I'm crazy about my music...but it keeps me happy!

I started thinking --which is usually a mistake! I decided to write down my favorite line from each song on the CD and see what kind of song it would make.

Just for fun, of course!

So here goes --my favorite line from each song and we'll see how it winds up!


"I bought a ticket on a plane and by the time it landed you were gone again...

I don't care if we don't sleep at all tonight, let's fix this whole thing now....

Suddenly, I'm in over my head and I can hardly breathe....

Asked the Lord for mercy....said, Help me if you please....

If fear hasn't killed me yet, then nothing will.....

You whisper come on over 'cause you're two drinks in....

I want you so bad I'll go back on the things I believe....

In all my revelry I thought I felt us there.....

Who says I can't be free from all of the things that I used to be, rewrite my history, who says I can't be free....

Lonely was the song I sang 'til the day you came showing me another way and all that my love can bring....

And when I look behind on all my younger times, I'll have to thank the wrongs that led me to a love so strong...."



Well, not bad. May need some fine tuning.....but every single one of these lines has special meaning in my life right now....and I thank you John Mayer for being one of the people bringing such joy to my life over the last few weeks!

Rockin' at the Moodog Coronation Ball 2010

Getting advice from all sides...and one of the winners is 'get out and do stuff.'

That's in my nature.

I've always been quite active, always on the go. Can't keep me down.

I have not withdrawn or stopped living.

Some days I WISH I just had 72 straight hours with no obligations, no appointments, no work, no singing, no Church, nothing in order to make a small dent in cleaning, organizing, getting in a really good work out, or just taking a nap.

That was not in the cards this weekend.

My Uncle's back in the hospital, and unfortunately, he's very sick.

Each weekend means lots of singing and time spent at Church.

Saturday night was the annual Moondog Coronation Ball Concert at Quicken Loans Arena. This year's acts included Paul Revere and the Raiders, The Turtles, Little Anthony and the Imperials, and Grand Funk Railroad.

When I go to a concert, I rarely remember what the 1st song was, all the songs in between or what the encores were. I don't have a photographic memory. One of my best friends can recite the whole play list from a McCartney Concert back in the 70's and every concert he's ever been to. God love him!

But I do remember the great music, the feeling it brought, who I am there with, seeing living musical legends and I'm usually drawn to a specific person in each band or musical act.

Maybe it's because I am musically inclined and have always been in choirs or some kind of singing group so I focus on as much of the 'behind the scenes' as the actual performance.

The Keyboard /Piano player for Little Anthony and the Imperials, aside from being hot, was their musical director. Watching him direct the entire band and keep in sync with Little Anthony and the Imperials intrigued me. He had the entire stage --which consisted of maybe a dozen or so people, following him. And one particular song (of course, you don't expect me to remember the name), they kept going up and changing keys ....and his arm movements to keep them as one --PHENOMENAL! How can you not love this group which has performed in 6 decades belting out some Police --'Every breath you take!'

One thing I learned at college from one of the best Choir Director's I ever had --Damaris Peters Pike --'Watch me at all times!'

It's true --you MUST watch your musical director so you can roll with the changes, cut off together, improvise, take breaths at the appropriate times, get quiet or loud, and be one.


It was rough. Last year Mom and I went. We sat in the handicapped section. It was a cluster. But it was such a joy hearing her belt out every single tune because, frankly, I had the coolest Mom in the world! I loved hanging out with my Mom. I cherished going places with her while there are other kids who like ditching their parents or leaving the nest the first chance they get!

I remember last year's concert as if it were yesterday and had such fun with Mom!

This year, I was so close to the stage I could almost touch it. Great vantage point! Of course, I did not have my camera. But, I did not stress over it or regret anything. I lived in the moment and took it all in.

I knew Mom was there in spirit listening to these guys because she just adored music of all kinds, was the biggest cheerleader for Cleveland and cherished the fact that Cleveland was where Rock and Roll began! We rarely missed a Moondog Coronation Ball Concert.

All the acts were tremendous. I was impressed at how many members of Paul Revere and the Raiders had been together for so long. Oftentimes you have the original band member surrounded by young guys. Not so here. And the lead singer used to be with the Letterman! Holy cow! I love them and still have some of Mom's record albums! That's right, record albums!

The Turtles LOVE coming to Cleveland. They are due back for Memorial Day Weekend. What's there not to love about C-Town! And so entertaining as well as talented. The entire audience belted out 'Happy Together.'

And last, but certainly not least--Grand Funk Railroad. Hearing 'We're an American Band' LIVE brought chills. Every single artist in the band has a long resume of fabulous--from the original members who rocked the house to other members, who've been with the band for a long time, yet came from the likes of 38 Special, Meat Loaf, Kiss, Bob Seger, Robert Palmer, Billy Squier, Michael Bolton.

I must admit, I was so tired and a bit depressed this weekend, I told my friend in Tampa I was contemplating blowing the night off. That's not me! And, I am so glad I got all dolled up and hit the town because the heart of Rock and Roll is still beating.....in Cleveland!

Christmas Eve traditions

I'm proud of how I keep plugging along knowing what I want to accomplish this holiday season but not being too hard on myself if it does not get done in a timely fashion.

I've already established that I WILL send out our annual Christmas letter. As of this writing, the letter is not quite finished but the holiday season goes on for me until at least the Feast of the Three Kings!

I've also decided that I will continue making all of our Christmas cookies, even if I have to make some of them around and in the New Year.

This is my favorite time of the year. I know we've lost a great lady, but I will not let her down and stray from both of our most Sacred Holy Time and favorite holiday.

So today, I had more errands to run than anticipated but did get them all done. There's always one thing I forget that I can not find at the last minute. Happened again this year unfortunately.

An emotional day. I ran into Mom's old physical therapist who had no clue she had passed. And then as I shared the "Mom rainbow" story with the owner of The Dancing Sheep, I made her cry which in turn made me cry. I'm telling you, Mom is physically gone, but she and her amazing persona and the stories of how she is STILL with us continue affecting our lives and others.

We decided that everyone would go to Mass together, as always, but changed which Mass. Does not matter for me. I sing them all!

However, it was nice because after Mass, I had a bigger stretch of time before I had to go back over to Church.

I firmly believe we have the prettiest church in the Diocese. And our Pastor is a gem. It's a win-win situation! Then factor in the holiday music and you have a wonderful night.

I absolutely adore the music we sing each Christmas Season. The Bells usually play a few of the Masses and our Choir Director David gets his friend who plays the violin to accompany us.

By the time I went over to Church, I had laid out all of our hor'doerves for after Mass. The house smelled so wonderful. AAAH! It must be Christmas!

I like seeing so many old friends who don't come to Church the rest of the year or they come back to Cleveland to visit family at Christmastime. And, no snow. It's a beautiful Christmas Eve.

Father Gary personalizes so many of his sermons. He brought a tear (OK, many tears) to my eyes at the Mass my entire family attended. He saw everyone sitting out in the congregation and threw in a line saying 'he sees those in the pews who may be having a harder time this year because they've lost a family member this year...' I lost it. I had to mask it being in front with the choir, but it was very hard. Finally, by the end of the Mass, I had to bail out before the end of the closing song because it was just too hard.

We had a good night.

We ate, spent time together, laughed, the girls did some fast hand moves trying to teach the boys, and the boys taught everyone how to tie a tie!

I could not have asked for a better Christmas Eve --except to have Mom here with me. But then I get a smile on my face because Mom is spending Christmas Eve with Baby Jesus this year.

Summer's here!

We started having nice weather, temps in the 80's, back in May I believe.

Well, summer is officially here and there were Summer Solstice celebrations all over Northeast Ohio.

What great fun and a super way to officially kick off 'summer.'

As we traveled around our neighborhood Saturday, all you heard was music eminating from street to street as the 1st annual Larchmere Porchfest embarked on the Larchmere-Shaker Square neighborhood.

It was WONDERFUL!

Each street you visited had onlookers and music-lovers gathered around at least one house which held a free concert on their porch for all to enjoy.

Shaker Square was rockin' all night long and then folks who did not want the evening to end made their way to Boulevard Blue for the Larchmere Porchfest 'after party.'

We have a terrific, eclectic neighborhood.

From preliminary reports, the 1st annual Larchmere Porchfest was a smashing success and organizers are already planning next year's event!

I wanna be as cool as my Mom when I grow up!

I've got very big shoes to fill but I'm gonna try.

I want to be as cool as my Mom when I grow up.

She has this charm which immediately draws folks to her and they are hooked for life.

At the end of their conversation, she knows almost everything about them --and vice versa --and remembers it! Heck, I can not even remember a person's name when I first meet them! Let alone anything that transpired in that conversation...

I could drone on and on and on and on..snap out of it....but I really realized how cool my Mom was when we watched the American Music Awards the other night.

Not only did she know who the Pussycat Dolls were, the Jonas Brothers, Jimmy Kimmel...but got extremely excited to see The New Kids on the Block perform live (as did I)!

Amazingly enough, she's got a keen sense for music, similar to mine. I can honestly say I do know a little something about music and about writing lyrics. Though I do like much of the music today, it does not hold a candle to the likes of Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, then add to the list Chicago, Seals and Crofts, The Supremes, Steely Dan, The Beatles, Elvis, America, and so many other musicians who actually wrote their own lyrics, musical scores, and had impeccable performance skills, not to mention their sweet harmonization.

We both balk at those artists who scream at the top of their lungs thinking they are creating music...who repeat the same line over and over and over and over again....and those who claim they 'want to be The Beatles or Elvis' (though, at times, 'he' does have a good singing voice, if he would just focus on a better choice of lyrics)...


I thank my Mom for her influence....for opening my eyes, ears, and mind to a wide range and variety of movies, authors, musicians, delicacies, and pretty much living the great dream in this life! I'm a much better person for it (especially with my love of baseball and scrabble!!!!).


Thanks Mom!

Magical memories

I am determined to hold onto those magical moments from last week!

It's very easy to have a few days off or enjoy a great party, concert, celebration...and once you get back to work or the grind of the routine, poof --everything goes out the window!

Not this time. We had a wonderful week! Jam packed as usual. But what else is new?! Every day in our lives is like being on the freeway at rush hour in LA, Orlando or New York!!!!!

Last week consisted of basking in the beautiful weather....family celebrations....new restaurants never sampled...good friends revisited from the past and the present...exotic places never traveled....making apple cider from scratch....singing, dancing and music....

Mix in the fact that baseball season is still alive! And the Cleveland Browns had an UN-BELIEVABLE MNF game. What more can you ask?!?

It truly was a dream week.

Toward the end, little things started happening as signs that the dream week was about to end. Not gonna let it happen!

Life is too short. Remember the good times to get through the bad times. Keep a sweet memory in your pocket when times get tough as a stepping stone to the next magical week.

Music makes my world go round

God, first and foremost, is the center of my universe.

Then Mom and my family and very close friends.

And then my world spirals out of control! However, it's neck and neck as to what keeps me glued together. That would be MUSIC and Cleveland Indians' Baseball.

Music is an extremely important part of every single day. I love days when I have Cantor practice because I just belt it out for over an hour....and every weekend singing each Mass is also a joyful time filled with music!

Taking it one step further, it seems most events and moments in my life have music attached, specific songs down to a specific line for a specified memory!

I was driving into work today and heard two songs which totally took me back.

1st I heard Seals & Crofts 'Diamond Girl.' I was immediately transported back to the 70's when my family would drive to Fort Lauderdale, Florida playing Seals & Crofts, Three Dog Night, and so many more 8 Track Tapes! We stayed at the Sherwood. They had the big cockatoo that welcomed you when you pulled onto their grounds. One year the entire family gathered there during a two week span! It was GREAT! Every day a new family member was either checking in or checking out! I also met one of my first loves there. I can not even remember his name, though I want to say it was David. He was a cutie. He had an older brother and a younger brother. We all went to a game of the Little League World Series together. Oh, I did not lead on that I was totally infatuated with this kid, but I was. And then summer vacation was over, we parted and he was gone forever.


Then the next song that came on was The Scorpions 'Rock you like a hurricane.' More of a bittersweet memory. Mango man broke up with me at The Scorpions concert. But for the 6 months we were going out, it was paradise! He was HOT. All my friends said he looked like a top model for GQ, and he did! He DID have me at hello! Interesting story really. He worked at our local grocery store. He came up to me one day telling me how wonderful I smelled! Well, in actuality, he smelled great! To this day I do not know what cologne HE wore, but I'd like to find someone who wears it!

I would not give up that 6 months for anything! Ironically, when my friend Jodi and I traveled to Atlanta to see our pal Pat and take in a Braves game, we saw Mango man in a local bar! WOW, what a blast from my past!


I could go on forever, because honestly, I have a favorite line from every single song I love....and usually that line is attached to a tremendous memory!

Thank you, God, for giving us music and giving me my wonderful appreciation of ALL musical genres!

Let's monkee around!

A charming venue for live acts! I saw Al Stewart at the Winchester and this weekend I was lucky enough to see Peter Tork of the Monkees!

What a wonderful time. I surprised one of my dearest friends with a night out on the town. He had no idea where we were going or who we were going to see! It worked out perfectly! Felt like the 'good old days!'

We met a wonderful couple, Elaine and Tom, who helped make the night memorable!

Peter Tork and his band made some rockin' music all night long....and we sang and we danced and, at least for me, I just put my troubles aside for a few hours and said 'anything goes!' What a treat at the end of the night to actually meet Mr. Tork and welcome him to our great city! Quite the charming man! I can not even believe I had the guts being the shy gal I am (I think the Bacardi-Diet Cokes helped a bit!)...

I've been given some great opportunities in my lifetime, in my city, and whenever one of my very best friends is around! M-A-G-I-C AND M-E-M-O-R-I-E-S!

Pinch me!

(pictures courtesy: Elaine and Tom)

'I felt so good like anything was possible'

Just what the doctor ordered! What a fabulous night!


I missed it! I did not realize how MUCH I missed it until I was living it again and 'runnin' down a dream!'


First, going to see an act that I really wanted to hear...Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers! Gearing up for a great night ahead!


Then just hanging out with friends, special friends who are there through thick and thin.


And something that NEVER happens...my friend actually drove. I am always the one schlepping people around. I honestly did not know how it felt to have the night off from driving. To have someone pick me up at my house and drop me off at the end of the night. I kinda liked it! It was great just enjoying the scenery, jamming to Petty all the way!


I was the 'GPS' since Yak is not from here and had never been to Blossom. In fact, every step of the way I was giving a little tour of our great city...not as good a tour guide as Flynn, but Flynn knows everyone and every inch of this city!


The whole phenomena of seeing an event through the eyes of someone who has never experienced something is a blast! Seeing my friend's reaction to the "Blossom Experience" made the concert and everything surrounding it even heartier!


Now, tradition has it, before a concert at Blossom: FISHER'S!


So a group of us all met up at Fisher's for pre-concert cocktails...and 2 of my dearest friends shared some great news that they are expecting again! Their 4th child! We are all keeping our fingers crossed for a little girl in their world of three boys!


Now more than ever, we all had to celebrate!

Nothing like being out in the open air, enjoying the company of good friends, drinking a corona with lemon and just taking it all in!

I warned Yak, he was gonna be baptized into the whole "Blossom scene" with the drive from Fisher's to the venue. And unfortunately, I was right! What normally takes about 20 minutes, 30 minutes tops took us almost an hour! The traffic was horrendous BUT true Blossom traffic, especially for a sold out show! So we continued to jam to Petty, the Beatles, and back to Petty as we made our way up the winding road.

Oh to be young again....seeing the young kids dashing out of their cars while we were at a standstill and peeing in the woods.....I remember it well, unfortunately!

I guess some things NEVER change! Every car you drove by had Petty blaring out of the speakers....

Finally, we made it into the venue. Fortunately, we had a parking pass so we were kinda close. Parked our car, and tried to catch WHERE we were (will get back to that later!).

I'm just soaking it all in. I can not verbalize the wonderful feeling of going to a rock and roll concert at Blossom Music Center with good friends!

First order of business, rain and all, hitting the restrooms on the way down. We did our business and then made our trek down the huge Blossom Hill. As you enter, there were signs "no mud sliding." That just about says it all. The day's rain covered the entire lawn and it was as slick as a sheet of ice....trust me I know....I have mud all over my black flip flops and almost wiped out a few times!

But, what a rush! I loved people-watching and seeing the vast range of the crowd. I think of myself as fairly young and hip still...had people my age but the amazing thing was the large group of really young kids--late teens into early twenties for Petty. And these girls had little summer strapless frocks on with their flip flops! I loved it!

Two things that really took me back to my college days: the smell of Marlboro Lights 100's which emanated from various lawn locations and the line of 10 guys strategically standing in a line on the outskirts of the wooded area all taking a pee at the very same time....what a hoot!

Once inside the pavilion, the concert is about to start. Unfortunately, our traffic melee made us miss most of Steve Winwood.....

We grabbed our brews and continued to dance the night away for the next two hours! At least I know I still have it. Stood the entire time dancing and never felt better! Just an AMAZING SHOW! Oh man, I just love the acts who sound like their records when performing LIVE...and Petty sounds better than ever! The night went to quickly! Next thing I know he's playing my favorite song 'American girl' as the last song of the night.

After the concert, again, some things never change. The mass exodus up the hill and folks start 'mooing!'

We made our way to the parking lot where we 'thought' we parked. Now mind you, Yak is not familiar at all with this venue so it is all on me. We searched high and low. My phone, which is on it's last legs, was about to die but I ventured on my own to an area where I thought the car was and voila, a sight for sore eyes! I called Yak and just as I had weaved him over to where I was, my phone conked out! It's all good!

Lesson learned: Oh there were many during this amazing experience...but it made me realize that I am not yet old....I still have a lot of living and zest for life inside of me....and hopefully, I always will!