Author Archives: ltrainlane

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.”

To be clear, I have not lost my mind and become a Jimmy Buffett fan. Although I’ve never drunk texted, tonight I had the absolute delight of having dinner and drinks (two large Passion Fruit frozen margaritas), so I’m definitely in a “comfortable state of mind.” Although I’m not blitzed beyond recognition to the pointContinue reading “greetings from margaritaville.(aka my window of tolerance)”

“Shine your light. The jealous criticize, the curious watch, but the inspired will be your tribe.” I stuck my neck out today for something that I truly believe is not right…although I know what I did it was not an “expected reaction”, and I’m sure the words “that motherfucker is crazy” has crossed the mindsContinue reading “that’s ok….jim mcmahon would understand.”

I was listening to the Grateful Dead – Live at the Fillmore East this afternoon…I love their cover of Smokey Robinson and the Miracles’ “Second That Emotion.” One of the things I love about it is that the mistakes in their performance of the song are included, and that the mistakes give the song anContinue reading “and so it goes….and so it is.”

“And all that glitters is gold. Only shooting stars break the mold.” – Smash Mouth, “Rock Star” It was during an Ithaca College Jazz Ensemble rehearsal in either 1987 or 1988….we were taking a quick breather between rehearsing a couple of charts, and someone had brought up the subject of how videos were making musicContinue reading “gold and glitter.”

February 22, 2020. Pre-COVID. The day I emotionally hit rock bottom. I was put on a two-week medical leave, because I told my boss that on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being that I wanted to “check out”, I was at a 3. I felt out of place wherever I was, andContinue reading “one year later…..and i still like brussel sprouts.”

My dreams tend to be pretty random, but every once in a while I’ll have a dream that is so incredibly vivid, so incredibly random, and so incredibly confusing. Last night’s dream was one for the ages. I remember that I was in a hotel lobby or a gigantic lobby of an office building, andContinue reading “no worries. (aka “the elevator”)”

Today I have the utmost respect for Ed McMahon, Paul Shaffer, and all the cats that were in the Rat Pack with Sinatra. I am my dog’s sidekick. This makes me very happy. As I’m not playing any gigs in the near or extended future, I needed to do something to stay creative. Having theContinue reading “sidekick.”