Author Archives: ltrainlane

On my 8th birthday on August 15th, 1977 (the same day my friend and fellow musician Jenna Marotta was born!), my mom gave me the Chuck Mangione “Feels So Good” album that truly helped set a path for me. Call it divine intervention or whatever you want to call it. I started playing trumpet inContinue reading “why chuck mangione will always be my “spirit musician.””

Are you ready for some (flag) football??? I signed up to play flag football in Fairfax, starting on Monday nights in mid-March. For the longest time, I’ve wanted to play a game of pickup “two-hand touch/stop tackle” football (or what’s known these days as the NFL Pro Bowl), and for the first time in 31Continue reading “i’m definitely not a “ready for ‘prime time’ player.””

February 15th….it’s always a unique and bittersweet day. It’s my half birthday (yes, I still recognize it at age 52 1/2), but it’s also a day of mourning, as it’s the day one of my closest friends passed away. This year my half-birthday had more significant meaning, as I have decided that on February 15,Continue reading “from type A to type F(L)…..”

1. My favorite 80’s sitcoms on Rewind TV. 2. Patience and perseverance. 3. My friends in Chicago and Milwaukee, who have shown me the true meaning of kindness and understanding. 4. The Apollo Theater on 125th Street in beautiful Harlem, USA. 5. Clinton Tuckerman. 6. The return of the USFL. 7. The music of SamContinue reading “8 things for which i’m thankful.”

I’m trying to find my motivation again. The motivation to get back in shape. The motivation to practice my Electronic Wind Instrument which I haven’t touched in weeks, as I have no gigs. I’m writing this post as I haven’t been motivated to write, and the feeling of being in neutral has been overwhelming. ForContinue reading “firing on all cylinders.”

2022. We’re only a few hours into the new year, and I feel more optimistic than I did for the majority of 2021. It’s been over 30 days since my last post….a big reason is that even though the last month has been very challenging and stressful, I didn’t feel the need to blog asContinue reading “turning the page.”

The older I get, the more the holidays have become a blur. What used to be my favorite time of the year is now nothing more than a watered-down marketing and sales push, and it tends to bring out the worst in people. I grew up believing that the holiday season started the moment thatContinue reading “black friday has become black november.”

1. My new friends in Milwaukee….there’s a different type of politeness in the Midwest that I wish we had here on the East Coast. 2. Newfound courage. 3. Improved communication. 4. Lactose-free mint chocolate chip ice cream. 5. Finding my voice musically, emotionally and spiritually. 6. Laying on the couch while watching TV with TheContinue reading “8 things for which i’m thankful.”

So much for a good night’s sleep. Our dog Otto is usually our morning alarm clock, as he consistently wakes up between 5:30 – 6:30 every morning. He sleeps in our bedroom, as he likes to sleep on the hardwood floor. Occasionally he’ll have an exception to the norm, and this morning was definitely anContinue reading “a clockwork otto.”