This Yellow Taxi Cab In Which I Ride

I am lying on my bed in a heap of exhaustion after cleaning out the six plus inches from my driveway. It is still snowing... I'm tired and angry that mother nature is out to destroy me and my personal life. True, I kicked her ass and defied her many a time before. And while I won the battle of my driveway for now, I have resolved myself to give up on my plans for tonight. All this week, I have been looking forward to today. Railbird and Sean Rowe dual CD release show in Albany. Not only was I totally looking forward to this show (Railbird has a pretty engaging sound and Sean Rowe recently reached a huge musician milestone by getting signed by a pretty big label), but I was also meeting up with someone who I had also met up with the week before. Are you happy mother nature? You got me. Now, you owe me big time. How about a little sunshine sooner than expected? I am so tired of winter and so desperately in need of some sunshine that I bought a car air freshener that smells like sun t...

Be Mine. Be. Mine. Two words. Two. Simple. Words. One heavy statement, with only one meaning, but several different implications. Be Mine. When ended with a period is not a question. "Be Mine?" as a question seems innocent and somewhat shy. It can easily be turned down and/or ignored. "Be Mine." on the other hand is direct and commanding. As a command -- it's not something that can be turned down with a simple "no thanks." It's not being asked; it's being told. But what about "be mineee" (note: there are several extra 'e's and no punctuation)? The extra 'e's indicate an urgent need, a plea, if you will. "I need you to be mine." Be Mine = Belong to Me. But what does it mean to belong to someone? Is it different with different people? Is belonging to one person a totally different situation than belonging to someone else? Of course it is. And therein lies the trouble with it. Belonging to one person may requ...

I have been speaking my mind a lot lately about American Idol. Since the new season started a few weeks ago (*note: I wouldn't even know it had started if it weren't for the cornucopia of facebook comments that my friends post about it) I have been making comments via facebook and face to face conversations. Because I've been so vocal about it, I have been getting a lot of crap about my thoughts and opinions on the show from friends. In response to that, I've decided to write a detailed blog entry as a sort of one-stop shop of everything I've said about American Idol and also to respond to comments that friends have made about what I've said in order to sum everything up in a clear and somewhat concise matter. It's kind of like an essay... Firstly, I hate American Idol. Let's just get that out there. I hate reality television with a passion, really. I used to enjoy Road Rules and some Real World back when the people on the show were actually acting somew...

I updated some of my website. It's mostly just aesthetics, but it gives it a whole new feel. Who am I kidding? It just looks a little different. I changed some fonts, made a couple new graphics. And now I'm heading to open mic...

It's almost the end of January (2011) and I am just now getting around to blogging about last year. (See last year's end of year post) . I'm in bed on a cold night. I have the heating pad under my sheets turned up and I'm quite warm. I did some chores before ending up here... there are many more chores to be done, but blogging feels like the right thing to do... or am I just procrastinating? I re-read last year's end of the year post and found it to be rather blase. I was in a blah sort of mood, I guess. In 2009, I didn't accomplish a lot... things ended... life goes on... 2010 was really sort of the same... there wasn't anything super exciting that stands out... except for right at the end when I found out that my baby niece, Liliana was born! 2010 was mostly filled with little moments. The road trip to DC and back was pretty fun. I played a LOT on the streets of Saratoga (and in the cities between here and DC). I made a LOT of new friends. I went out a lot...

One, one, one-one. It's just about 11:11 (PM) on 1/1/11. Which is throwing my tired mind into a complete numerological tail spin... Should I make a wish? Should I send an annoying twitter post about it, so my friends can ridicule me later? Should I just forget about it all together? Last night, of course, was New Year's Eve. And it was a freaking blast. I have to say it was one of the better parties that I've ever attended. A few of us made and brought food (I did this cream cheese and olive roll-thing, which took about an hour to make). Some brought champagne. Everyone was in a pretty super mood. Oh yeah... and we all dressed up -- which was absolutely excellent! It was a great end to 2010, but was not the greatest of great things that occurred at the end of the year. On 12/30/2010, while on lunch break with co-workers, I received the most exciting news ever via text message from my brother, Josh: "Liliana James. 5lbs 5ounces. Born 12/30 1pm." Thus, I became an u...

It's 12:30am and it's officially December 24th. Thus, it's the night before the night before Christmas. In about seven hours, I have to wake up, wrap presents, pack, and drive my butt to New Hampshire for Christmas. And, as such, I should be sleeping. However, I just came from the Christmas edition of Open Mic Night at Caffe Lena and it was quite possibly the best Open Mic of my life. First off, all five current open mic hosts were present and all performed. This is a rare occurrence! Luckily, we documented the occasion with a photograph at the end of the night. I really admire the songwriting capabilities of the other hosts: Gary Moon, Kate Blain, Ray "Rainman" Pashoukos, and Willie the Moak. It's really an honor to be among them. Sharing the stage with them all for the photo was really excellent! At one point during the night, I was smiling warmly while listening to a Christmas song performed by an open miker. I turned around to see who was coming in the doo...

I am home sick from work today. I woke up at the usual time, felt like I had been hit by a truck, and made the easy decision to call my supervisor. I forced myself out of bed to make the call, which prompted the cat to remind me that it's her breakfast time; so, I went down stairs, fed her, and started looking for my humidifier. I found it and got it going as quickly as possible. Then, I passed out in my bed again for about three and a half hours. I awoke feeling MUCH better than I had. The dryness of the air must have done a number to my sinuses. That combined with the somewhat busy weekend I had being on call for work really beat me up. Now that I'm feeling among the living, I thought I'd blog. Before logging in to write, I usually glance at my website's homepage and scan the most recent twitter messages and my previous blog. The top two "tweets" and the blog this time around were pretty negative in nature. Some might even say they are "scathing." ...

A pair of my shoes are laying off to the side of the road somewhere between exit 24 and 25 on the New York State Thruway. "How did they end up there?" You might ask... Friday night, I went out in Albany. I attended a concert of local bands at Valentine's, had a few drinks, etc. Sometime around 11, I realized I wasn't having as good of a time as I had hoped and I decided to leave. Once outside of the music venue, I started giggling at the fact that I-wasn't-having-such-a-good-time, which caused me to ascertain that I was quite ready to drive home. On top of that I was hungry, so I went in search of pizza. There happened to be a pizza place right next to Valentine's, which was great for the case of the munchies that I had, but not so much for walking off the booziness. So, I walked up the street to Madison. On my way to Madison, I encountered a group of people standing in front of some stone steps. Someone was making their way through the group and, as I approac...

It's Wednesday night... what an odd time to blog, right? Typically on any given Wednesday at this time, I'm watching some TV or a movie and possibly doing some chores around the house. I'm not doing either of those things right now (though, I really should clean some more since I *gasp* have a girl coming over to the house Saturday...). I worked late, am still in my work clothes, and I feel kind of perplexed. First, some hilarity from work. Sometimes my job requires me to ride in a police car (with a police person, of course). I get to ride in the front seat, which -- I would imagine -- is a lot less conspicuous than riding in the back seat. This particular time, I was with a Sheriff and we were leaving Schenectady (for reasons that have to do with my job and which I shall not discuss at this time). While stopped at a light, a vehicle pulled up next to us (on the passenger side) and the driver indicated that I should roll down my window. I did and the driver said, "Hey...

Bob Schneider has a song in which he says, "Sometimes I feel like Superman; sometimes I'm just recuperating." And said line applies so often in my life that I feel it should be my motto or creed or disclaimer for poor performance ("I saved the world yesterday... and as such, I'm taking things easy today. So, no -- I'm not done with that report yet."). Today, Sunday (10/10/10 -- mind you!) -- and most likely tomorrow, as well -- I'm recuperating. In fact, as today has wore on, I have felt more and more like I'm 90 years old or something. My body... aches... for lack of a better word. Yesterday, I mowed the lawn and trimmed some bushes using hedge clippers. There was one branch of a lilac bush that was tall and I attempted to cut it off at about my height. I lifted the clippers above my head and chopped as hard as I could muster (it was a thick-ish branch). Something in my shoulder "popped" or "snapped." I can't really be su...

I have not been sleeping good this week at all and because of this, I feel somewhat like a zombie. Adding to this is the myriad of allergy medications that I'm taking at various intervals. Allergy season has really sucked -- especially this past week. Last night, was mild (for allergies), but for some reason, I still couldn't sleep. I zombied myself through most of today, got out of work and took a much needed nap. Now, I'm in Saratoga (again) for a friend's CD release show at Putnam Den. Mike Grutka , is releasing a brand new album tonight along with a not-quite-as-new-but-still-new-this-year one. Ria came out earlier this year and is just a wall of sound (I think he used like 200 instruments on track one alone!). February Sessions , was written throughout the month of, er... February as part of an album writing challenge. I'm interested in hearing this one and wonder if he recorded it similarly to the last album or if he did something different since they are rel...

It's Sunday night around 8. I woke up late, as is typical for a Sunday. Then, I put in a few hours at work for some over time pay. I napped for a little bit, watched a movie, and am planning to read myself to sleep after I post this blog. I love having lazy Sundays. (True, I have lots of housework related stuff that I should have done today, but I worked a little and made some extra cash, so I figure I earned a reward). This weekend was fun. A friend hung out with me around the backyard fire pit for a few hours Friday night. I played a benefit thing in Galway on Saturday. And I did some busking in Saratoga. The benefit was fun to play. There was a lineup of open mic regulars who performed 45 minute sets over a four hour period in which spaghetti dinners were served to diners. I arrived a little bit late and missed some of Pete Morselino's set. Hanging out with the other open mic regulars (Ray Pashoukos, Mark Stewart, Maurizio, and Emily Smith -- who put the whole thing together...

I feel like it's been at least a year if not close to two years since the last time I saw Knuckles at Caffe Lena's open mic. There was a period of time when he was coming quite regularly, but he moved to Lake George and only attended open mic sporadically since then. I got to introduce Knuckles a few times while hosting and remember being excited to do so on each of those accounts. I vaguely remember overhearing a conversation in which Knuckles' real name was used... I interjected, "So that's your real name." But, now, I can't for the life of me remember what it is. And I'm sorry that it escapes me. Knuckles was in his late teens and in his early twenties while I knew him at open mic. He was awkward and somewhat shy, but -- like me -- developed an outgoing personality through performing and the necessity of having some sort of "stage presence." I don't recall Knuckles' first performance at open mic. However, I'm certain I -- like ...

I am broadcasting from the wonderfulness of Uncommon Grounds, Saratoga. Today is the second day of the Hats Off Festival, which is basically bands playing on the streets near Broadway. There are lots of people everywhere and many of them are wearing hats. I came down here at about three o'clock. I read for a while in the coffee shop because it was air conditioned and it was very hot outside. Around 5ish, I found a shady spot on Broadway (by the Adelphi, Delphi, something Hotel) and busked for about two hours. I packed up collecting a measly 8 or so dollars from my guitar case and walked down Broadway. As I neared Borders (a favorite spot for douchey parents to set up their children with guitars and sheet music and demand that people donate so they can eventually make it big) I saw a young kid (maybe 5 years old), with a mini guitar and a harmonica contraption around his neck. He was awful. His guitar case had like fifty bucks in it... the kids douchey father paced around like a dou...

I feel like I just woke up after a very long nap... kind of groggy. A little disoriented. The phrase, "what just happened?" on my lips. I have been sick for a little over two weeks now with a sinus infection. I was put on antibiotics, which made everything much better, but didn't clear me up completely. So, I was given more and different antibiotics, which really wiped me out and made my stomach feel awful. I stopped taking them and am finally feeling like myself -- whatever that is... It really sucks being sick for as long as I was, especially in the summer. I feel like I missed out on multiple weekends of busking, seeing shows, hanging out in the park or other social places... Today, I relaxed around the house and did some housework -- finally. The place was really a mess. When you are not feeling well, you tend not to wash dishes or vacuum. This past Thursday, while being sick but on antibiotics, I attended open mic night. It was a packed house for most of the night -...

I have a philosophical/ethical question for musicians and songwriters. The question will come after an in depth description of the event that leads me to wonder about this thing. I recently found myself drawn to a person that I was "hanging out" with. Hanging out is one way to identify two people who get together for, well... hanging out without actually calling it a relationship. I thought we were having great times together and things were progressing nicely. Although I knew she only wanted someone to "hang out" with, I felt like we clicked in such a way that resulted in more chemistry or whatever and required more exploration. After spending a weekend with this person, I noted a big change in the frequency of her wondering about me (she stopped texting) and a while later (after being turned down for dates) I asked why. Admittedly, she was correct in assuming that I had made nothing into something and, essentially, broke the rules of engagement that she had laid o...

Borders. That's where I am. The bookstore in crossgates mall. I am here because I offered to drive my mom to the airport at a ridiculous hour this morning (or was it last night? Well, six of one...). I then attempted to sleep in my car while I waited for Panera Bread to open (Who'da thunk that a place that serves breakfast would not open until 7:30? Lame, Panera. Lame), but I didn't sleep. I had some coffee there and breakfast. Then I surfed the web for a while as I was waiting for a multitude of Albany people that I texted last night, or this morning, to text me back. It's noon and I haven't heard from anyone yet... is there life out there? Guess not. At 11:00 I came to crossgates. I broke the zipper on one of my two pairs of work pants that I like and so I intended to buy more. I found a style that mostly fit (although they are hipster pants and are skinny around the ankles... guess I'll have to deal) and bought three pairs. I didn't want spend anymore mon...

When I arrived at my cubicle for work this morning (Tuesday) after the long weekend, I turned to face my desk and saw the note I had left co-workers Thursday before I left for my vacation day and road trip. I had taped it to my computer screen and it read: "Gone Forever. Leave a Message." I laughed out loud at myself, forgetting I had put the note up. (Yes, that is a picture of Winona Ryder under my computer screen at work) In my last posting, I left off with me leaving Baltimore. On my way out of the city, I noticed another sporting arena and quickly took a picture. A short drive (less than an hour) later, I arrived in Washington, D.C. I found meter parking pretty easily a block away from Hard Rock. I headed straight for Hard Rock leaving my guitar in the car for now. I figured I'd scope out potential busking spots first. There weren't many people on the street at all. In fact, the city felt somewhat deserted. I went back to my car -- after buying two...