Lane's Back Nine – my online diary as a 55-year old

We spend most of our lives having to prove our value to others, whether it be in sports or academics during our adolescence, or through interviews and auditions as we get older.

The proverbial question exists: “Who are you, and what have you done to make you the ideal candidate?”

As someone who has not won a lot of awards and not had a lot of unnecessary smoke blown up my ass about my abilities, I’m now at a crossroads….at this point in my life, does it matter to have to prove myself worthy to anyone?

The answer is no, it doesn’t…don’t get me wrong – I take pride in doing my job well, and even though I only do gigs for fun, I still try to do my best for my own satisfaction. I’m done having to prove myself to other musicians, and have have absolutely no desire to be an ass-kisser in Corporate America – the thought of that makes me want to puke.

As we’re entering 2025, and I’ll be enjoying my 56th trip around the sun this year, I’m approaching this year with a different attitude….I’m going to truly embrace all my personality quirks, and try to enjoy each day, while the rat race continues around me. No stressing over if I’m good enough for a job or a gig. I’m just gonna have fun and enjoy the ride.

For those who know me, you know that I’m not a fan of the status quo, and that when I put my mind to something, it’s full speed ahead. This is going to be an interesting year ahead, and I look forward to new an exciting challenges, which will be approached very differently than in years past.

And the best part? I’ve got nothing to prove. 😎

1. The incredible weather in Key Biscayne, FL from where I’m writing this blog post.
2. That Class A RV’s are much more cost-effective to rent than purchase.
3. The VW Tiguan and the Buick Enclave – as I’m not getting an RV, I find these two cars to be very intriguing.
4. That Daniel Jones is now a Minnesota Viking.
5. That I can watch the New York Giants without being emotionally attached anymore.
6. Fever Tree Premium Ginger Ale.…it cures what ails you!
7. That I only have 12 more working days until Christmas.
8. A wonderful gathering of friends at the high school reunions I’ve recently attended.
9. The incredibly underrated music of Roger Voudoris…rest in peace.
10. Renewed optimism.

It’s the only thing we can do now, and we’d be moving forward regardless of who won the election last night.

Today I’m an AMERICAN, and I put my hope and faith in things getting better, as we focus on commonalities instead of the continued focus on what divides us.

It’s one thing to say “Make America Great Again”, and it’s another thing to DO IT…..for ALL Americans.

We can’t worry about the things we cannot control. We had the power to vote, and the majority has spoken. All I can do know is hold those in power ACCOUNTABLE for the changes that will take place over the next few years.

It would be very easy to rant and rave in this post. In all honesty, I’m tired of feeling angry and scared. I’d much rather be the change I want to see instead of complaining about the change.

We will get through this – many Americans are hoping for economic improvements, and we may see these come to fruition. It’s the social impact of this election that strikes the most fear, and hopefully we will not see the destruction that many people fear could happen.

To my friends and family – now is the time to lean in to each other, not to fracture.

Hopefully we can all be the change.

Time to look forward.

1. That the election will be over in three days, and we won’t have to endure all of the commercials anymore.
2. 80° in late October? Yes, please!
3. Only Murders in the Building….I’m hooked.
4. Frosted sticky buns from the Best Buns bakery in Shirlington on an autumn Saturday morning.
5. Quality time with my grandson Milo….its truly a blessing.
6. Reconnection with friends from high school at my brother’s high school reunion…..there may be a “Partners in Crime” gig in the future that could be off the charts.
7. The wonderful folks at Massage Heights in Kingston NY. As our local spa in Alexandria is closing, the Kingston spa is honoring my credits when I go up there.
8. The extra hour of sleep I’ll get tonight, even though it’ll start being dark at 5:30 tomorrow afternoon/evening.
9. The incredibly underrated music of Bob Mintzer.
10. FAMILY – mine isn’t just blood relatives.

This was a fun weekend.

On Friday, I drove up to where I grew up for a relaxing couple of days, where I had the opportunity to reconnect with some people who I have not seen in 40 years. It was the 40th reunion for the Onteora Central School Class of 1984…..this was my brother’s class, but I was invited to crash, as I crashed their 25th reunion as well.

It was great to see so many familiar faces, as even though I was a freshman when this class was graduating, I have more of a connection to this class than I do to my own. There were a lot of musicians in the Class of ‘84 that I looked up to, and it was great to have the chance to reminisce.

Friday night was an informal gathering in Woodstock, and on Saturday night they had the reunion dinner. In between, I got an AMAZING massage and facial on Saturday morning, I caught up with one of my classmates in Kingston in the morning, and another classmate in Saugerties in the afternoon. I even made time to go to the ham dinner at my brother’s church before the reunion dinner!

The weather was FANTASTIC! It had to have been the peak weekend for the fall foliage, as the colors on the trees were tremendous. I drove up through the Pocono Mountains on Friday, and between those mountains and the Catskill Mountains, I’ve never seen the area look so vibrant with fall colors!

The thing that I truly enjoyed was how everyone was so incredibly genuine at the reunion….it wasn’t about comparing careers or successes – it was about people asking how others were doing, and being very engaged with each other. There were no cliques dominating the room, which only confirms that with age comes maturity.

I’m hoping to get back up that way during the holidays, and I hope to catch up with other school friends when I do. This was an incredible weekend of laughter, great conversation, and reconnection. For this, I’m truly thankful.

To the 1984 OCS alumni who so graciously welcomed me to be a part of their celebration, you all are PURE CLASS.

I got to cross an item off my bucket list this weekend, as I got to see Gladys Knight in concert.

I’ve been a Gladys Knight fan my whole life…she has a soulful and unmistakable voice, and she sounded just as good as ever. Her band was top notch, and her backup singers were dynamite.

This only reaffirmed my love of the Pips. Even though Gladys performs as a solo act now, I found myself not just singing along with the background harmonies, but when she kicked into “Midnight Train to Georgia”, I was on my feet doing my best imitation of the Pips’ choreography!

It’s amazing that I’ve been fortunate enough to see all of my favorite performers. Between seeing Dionne Warwick and Gladys Knight this summer, it was nice to revisit the music of my childhood performed by two legendary artists.

If Gladys Knight ever decides to have Pips again, I’m totally trying out…..their choreography and harmonies were always on point. I can watch the Richard Pryor skit of just the Pips all day long…..that was genius.

Thank you Gladys, for fulfilling one of my greatest dreams of hearing you perform live. You truly are a living legend, and your music will be celebrated and cherished for many years to come.

And I’m sure I’ll “hear it through the grapevine” if Pips are ever needed.

1. Yacht Rock Deep Cuts on Sirius/XM Radio – where have you been my whole life?
2. That today is the 23rd Anniversary of the entire country coming together as one. We did it once….we’ll do it again.
3. For that slight tease of Autumn breeze I feel when walking Otto at night.
4. For whoever does the voiceovers for the Yacht Rock stations. They need to make a movie about your life story.
5. For the perfect glass of chocolate milk.
6. For that moment when you slip on the perfect pair of flip-flops that hug your feet.
7. For that nagging voice in my head, challenging me to be grammatically on point while writing this post. 😂
8. For being able to start wearing all of the Nike sweatshirts I bought all summer long.
9. For Jay Graydon and David Foster….Airplay was badass!
10. For unbelievable and incredible joy!

Greetings from sunny Ft. Lauderdale….I’m currently sitting in the airport, waiting for my flight back home on JetBlue…..they should change the name to JetBlows.

I blame myself for booking through Expedia…for what I paid just to check a bag (mandatory), I could’ve booked directly with American. And who doesn’t love stale graham crackers as their in-flight snack?

Sadly, my rental car experience was worse than my flight….ever heard of Priceless Rent-a-Car? Don’t bother, as they should change the name to Worthless Rent-a-Car. Although I got a good rate on my rental car, and my rental car (Chevy Malibu) was fine, when you’re told that you either have to pay an additional $45/day for insurance OR put a $2000 hold on your credit card as a deposit for using your own rental car coverage on your insurance policy, you might get a little bit irked. (So much for just waiving the coverage.) And this was after taking two different shuttles just to get to the rental car place offsite.

Fortunately, my weekend was awesome! Got some rest and relaxation, and I feel very recharged. There’s something about sitting on the beach, and enjoying the warm water of the ocean that is very rejuvenating. I had the chance to celebrate my birthday with friends down here, and that more than made up for the travel issues.

Don’t get me wrong – I know these are “first-world issues”, and at the end of the day, there are far more important things to stress about. I still had a wonderful weekend, and that’s what matters most.

Perhaps next time I’ll try Priceline. 😂

1. That I’ve made my 55th trip around the sun.
2. The friends and family who have reached out to offer birthday greetings. My gratitude is off the charts.
3. My wife’s incredible gift of taking me to see Gladys Knight….I always wanted to be a Pip!
4. That SVU reruns are back now that the Olympics have concluded.
5. My birthday coupon from Nike.
6. Natalie Walters – LOVED my birthday video call today….love you!
7. Otto’s morning ritual of starting my day by crawling up in the bed….its worth the risk of getting pawed in the nuts as my “alarm clock.”
8. Haulover Beach – IYKYK.
9. The music of Kings Return….best vocal group since Take 6.
10. Equality.

Next week completes my 55th trip around the sun. For my 50th trip, I started this blog as a new way of expressing myself, using writing as my primary communication instead of music. This was also a way of digging out of a deep hole of depression.

As someone who always feared writing a college term paper, it’s nice to feel a sense of accomplishment, as this blog never felt like an impossible project.

To everyone who has taken the time over the past five years to peek into my little window of world, I offer a very genuine and heartfelt thank you. Your support is tremendously appreciated.

None of us know what our future brings, but may we all be blessed with health, happiness and love.

And I’m very much looking forward to the next five years, as retirement is on the horizon…..will there be an RV in the picture?

Stay tuned. ❤️