Author Archives: ltrainlane

“Hooray, Hooray, the first of May. Outdoor fucking begins today.” – Issac Taylor (James Taylor’s father) Quite the unusual quote, which then became one of my favorite JT songs from one of my JT albums. The reason had nothing to do with the lyrics…. I used to drive a 1991 Mercury Tracer hatchback. I rememberContinue reading “first of may.”

1. That I’m just about over the side effects of the second Moderna vaccine. 2. The kindness of my friends and fellow musicians. 3. That even at my weakest and least energetic moment, I can still lay down a good bass groove. 4. My friends in Florida who I can’t wait to see in July.Continue reading “8 things for which i’m thankful…4/26/2021”

I can’t even describe how I feel right now over the verdict….in some ways it feels 29 years in the making since the Rodney King verdict, but at the same time I’m sad that it took a death of a human being for change to finally happen. My gratitude to the prosecution and the jurorsContinue reading “the verdict.”

We’re getting a new fence for our backyard. The existing fence is very old, and I’m 99.999% sure that The Floofinator could easily knock it down. This seems very symbolic to me, as knocking down my own walls by writing this blog has improved my life the way building our new fence will improve theContinue reading “tearing down the walls.”

I haven’t done one of these lists in a while…..feels good to do this again… 1. Otto licking my face to start my day. 2. The sounds of springtime. 3. Conversations that you wish could last for days. 4. LIVE MUSIC PERFORMANCES! 5. The movies of Mike Nichols. 6. To live in a neighborhood andContinue reading “8 things for which i’m thankful.”

“This is Us” had an incredibly powerful episode last night. In the episode, brothers Kevin and Randall (who is Black and was adopted at birth) had a long overdue face-to-face discussion, as they’ve had years of animosity between them, partially fueled with racial overtones. Although this was fictional, the dialogue hit me very hard, asContinue reading “white like me.”

At 2:47 early yesterday morning, I had an epiphany…I finally figured out a name to describe a feeling I’ve had for the last 9 years…..I’m a “plus one” friend. The majority of the friends I have are friends of Jenn’s, which makes me the plus one. I’ve always had an genuine interest in all ofContinue reading “dig a little deeper.”

Robin Williams. Joe Namath. Two very different men, but with incredible similarities. Two men for whom I’ve been in awe, as they left indelible performances in their chosen profession. I had the opportunity to watch the documentaries of both men on HBO this week. To say that I was blown away by the details ofContinue reading “mork and broadway joe.”

Over this past weekend, a friend from my childhood posted about the impact of many years of verbal abuse. Although this did not trigger a meltdown for me from remembering my similar circumstances, it has been in the back of my mind for the last couple of days, especially as our paths of emotional abuseContinue reading “best in (a dog and pony) show? no, thank you.”

1. That my day starts with Otto hopping up on the bed to get cuddles, and that my day ends with our nightly walk. 2. That Otto doesn’t just love riding in the car, but that he also has a preference for different types of music. 3. Otto’s incredibly soulful eyes. Sometimes I think heContinue reading “8 things for which i’m thankful…the ottomeister edition.”