Bfth's Boring Blog

  While writing part 1, I realized a couple of things: I've been to more concerts than I realized. I tend to gravitate more towards smaller (and VERY small) venues. I have always been a "part of the action" person, which is why I like smaller venues.  Unfortunately that's not something you can do with "big" names like Paul McCartney, Billy Joel and Elton John.  (All of whom I've seen at Giant Stadium.)  They were great shows, but I like the personal touch.  And the smaller venues are the only way to go about that. I mean the first time I saw Michael Nesmith (at the defunct Lone Star Roadhouse in NYC); I was practically sitting in the lap of keyboardist John Hobbs.  I LIKED that.   Smaller venues, such as The Ridgefield Playhouse (CT), Mayo Performing Arts Center (NJ), Count Basie Theater (NJ) and Tarrytown Music Hall (NY) are (somewhat) affordable and I've been lucky enough to be able to purchase tickets close to the stage so I c

Just recently, the Eagles played a concert at a venue not too far from my office.  When we were married, our first dance was to the Eagles' song, "Love Will Keep Us Alive."  You'd think we might have gone (or tried to go) to this concert, which was part of their "Long Goodbye" tour, but we didn't.  I'm NOT sorry we didn't go.  I AM sorry we didn't go around the time we got married.  Back in the days when Glenn Fry was alive, this would have really meant something to us.  But what is past is past and I can't change that.  (As a side note, I also regret that I didn't go see Kiss when they toured in the 1990s, which would have been an opportunity to see the "original" line up.  Kiss is still touring, but the group I want [wanted to] see is the four original members. Sorry Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer.) This got me thinking about the concerts I HAVE gone to, or at least the memorable ones.  If I were to consider myself a music f

 After Superstorm Sandy back in October 2012, my mother had to pretty much rebuild/overhaul the house at the shore. Just about all the furniture needed to be replaced.  And by May 2013 most of it had.  New tables, chairs, bureaus etc. The replacement furniture in the master bedroom consists of a white Broyhill bureau and night table. On the night table was a lamp and a (cordless) phone.  Both were plugged into an outlet on a nearby wall. When my mother died, I cleaned out most of the items in the night table drawers.  I unplugged the phone and put it in one. When I stayed overnight when my dad was alive, it was the bedroom that I slept in and I put my stuff on the table when I went to bed.  One problem I had was that the cord for my phone charger was too short to reach the table, so I would end up with my phone sitting on the floor charging overnight.  (Nothing wrong with that right?) With my dad's passing, my husband and I have been coming down regularly, not just to clean out the

 Today is one of those strange days.  It's not hot, but it IS sticky.  It's rainy and then the sun is out.  And 27 years ago, it was pretty much the same. As I write this I am sitting in the living room at the shore; the same place I was 27 years ago.  Today, I'm not too worried about the weather.  Back then I was.  I had been promised, by my always magical and optimistical Uncle Harold that the sun would come out.  He was right.  Uncle Harold was always right.  (At least that's how I saw it.)  By the later afternoon the sun was shining. (At least here...I understand in North Jersey was a rain soaked mess for a LONG time.) I'm not so sure about that happening today.  There are lots of omnious clouds, but there are also patches of blue, so who knows.  (I'm just glad that Hurricane Lee is going to miss us.) I wanted to be here, at the shore, on our 27th anniversary today.  For the first time in a LONG time, not being constrained by the public school system, I was

 My son has been away at college for nearly 3 weeks now.  We are empty nesters.  It's not something I like (or looked forward to), but it's not something I dislike either.  It's different.  It's strange.  It's life. There are some things in our household and daily life that are very different now: There is less laundry in the hamper; I do fewer loads.  You wouldn't think one person would make that much of a difference, but...Even though half the time when I would do the laundry he'd leave his dirty clothes in his room (and then I'd end up doing another load), the hamper seemed to be constantly full.  I'm down to two load a week?! I can do towels and sheets as one load instead of two.  I keep looking in the hamper because I think I need to do a load and I don't! (Of course then I wonder if my kid is doing laundry at college.  He'd done laundry right?  It's been almost three weeks and I pro

 The day has come around again, as it does every year.  It was so long ago; over two decades IS a long time.  Yet it is close as yesterday.  A surreal nightmare that was real.  A perfectly beautiful day full of shineshine and blue sky; and then the world was gray. What will we do today?  Will we stop to remember?  Will we pause to reflect? Will we, as we HAD to do that day, serve our fellow man?  Or we dishonor the fallen with hatred? Twenty two years ago there was no time to ponder.  Action was the only option.  And so we acted.  We did not stop to debate, question or argue.  We did what needed to be done; we did what we could do.  We acted in UNITY.  We acted not for ourselves alone, but for humanity. Twenty two years later, we have time.  We have time to remember, to reflect to serve.  We have choice as to what to do. So what will you choose today?  Will you honor the 2,977? Or will this be another day?