A Low Key Birthday

I have to say the weekend offered plenty of celebration. I spent time talking to so many folks. So many took some time out of their life to shoot me a message or a phone call. The events I attended included friends old and new. the best contact I had was from my niece Sarah calling from Chicago to tell me that when you turn 40, you become "The Man". She is 8. My sister Susie and I laughed.

The gig last night.
First off, I have to say thanks to Zac and Nichole for picking me up in the middle of a good lake Erie snow storm. John the drummer got sick while dealing with a breakdown on I480 Saturday night after another gig. We made a late decision to have me go solo. With the weather being so bad, we figured it was not worth letting him grow more ill. So he stayed back to rest.

As we made our way through blinding snow, I got a call informing me we were starting early. I was first on. So I arrived, got set up, relaxed for a minute and started the show after being given a kind intro. The crowd was sparse but mighty.
The performance was a magical one for me. I felt I was able to become my songs. Everything clicked. My voice was strong, my guitar danced with me. the crowd fed me so much good energy. The whole thing felt amazing.
The green room included a vegan spread. Having played early I was free to relax and party all night with my music friends. By 12:30 I was home.

This morning we/Cleveland woke to a bit more snow. I stood at the bus stop and watched police cars slide all over the road. The bus rolled forward unfazed by the extreme weather.

Following work, I responded to many messages and eventually went to the Winking Lizard for a beer, cheese less pizza and a win for the CAVS.
As I watched basketball, I sat with an old friend from my Telarc days. The place of my college internship was celebrating Grammy success today with their 55th award. Once again I am reminded of the amazingly talented people I have come to know over the past 40 years. Congrats to all of my mentors.
Telarc won for a tribute to Coltrane's "A Love Supreme". But I will leave you with a little thing Louis Armstrong made famous.

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

The colours of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shakin' hands, sayin' "How do you do?"
They're really saying "I love you"

I hear babies cryin', I watch them grow
They'll learn much more than I'll ever know
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world
Yes, I think to myself, what a wonderful world