March 31, 2026

I happened to come across the blog written exactly one year ago today, which was also - obviously! - a last-second effort to produce something before the monthly deadline was over.

Rather entertaining, I thought, smiling at how this one included multiple photos and completely random thoughts.  So, well - here we are, twelve months later…

Why not go for phase two?…

As many of you are aware, I’ve been promising a new song for a good part of this past year, but despite only working one day a week (with several notable exceptions), I can’t seem to get things done.  There are simply so many other avenues available to waste one’s time…

For example - I finally allowed myself to catch up with a huge segment of society by watching “Stranger Things”.  The first season was great, but I struggled a bit in getting past the second one.  Three seasons remain. My progress has come to a complete halt these past two weeks, but I believe yet another time-sapping goal has emerged…

Perhaps the advent of Spring is an annual reminder to search for positivity wherever possible.  Usually these little glimpses come when we’re least expecting to see anything.  For example, I’d never seen the Central Park Reservoir frozen until this winter, but something about the recent receding ice brought a smile to my face.  Anyone from Minnesota knows where I’m heading with this… A promising omen, no?…

I’ve got a pile of “New Yorker” magazines - I believe since June - daring me to rise up to my challenge of turning every page.  (Not reading every page, of course - that has always been impossible for me…)  I dimly remember one occasion when I simply unburdened my mind by tossing an armful into the recycling bin, but I refuse to concede to defeat once again.  At least, not yet…

And, well - let’s continue with some pics.  I’ll include this blast from the past for my own personal reasons. Turner Fisheries from the Westin Hotel Copley Place continues to be a beacon of treasured memories for all of us who spent early adulthood making a living there.  This photo showed up out of the blue on Facebook last week.  Jeff, the man in the middle, was tragically among the many in our hotel lost to the AIDs epidemic of the eighties.  I haven’t seen my fellow waiters David and Sara in decades.  This pic reminds me how magical those early days and years were…

Oh, and perhaps this is because of the recent death of the great Catherine O’Hara, but my Facebook algorithm is suddenly presenting me with random scenes from “Schitt’s Creek” that serve as a reminder of the comic brilliance of that long-running sitcom.  In fact, I treated myself to viewing the premier episode yesterday afternoon.  Maybe I’ll be undertaking a new challenge of going through the entire catalog, like I once successfully did with “Veep” and unsuccessfully attempted (so far!) with “Breaking Bad”?  Why not, I’ve still got some pockets of free time available.  I’ll keep you posted…

Some unexpected moments are impossible to ignore.  For example, my childhood friend from Vermont - Michael Effron - has always been affectionally referred to as “Effy”.  So when an “Effy’s Cafe” pops up a short block away from my Upper West Side apartment, how can I not view this as a positive sign for the future?  I’ll probably celebrate finishing this blog by having a leisurely breakfast here tomorrow!

And last year I uncharacteristically included a recent photo of myself in the monthly blog.  So, OK - here you go - taken once again at my Tribeca place of work, Bar 135!

What else?…

(Good thing there’s an end-of-month deadline here; I could probably keep this one going forever…)

My co-op responsibilities as president continue to weigh me down, but I’m amazed at how well my recovery from partial-knee replacement has gone, leaving me lighter-on-my-feet than this time last year.  (All in all, I’ll take that trade-off!!)  My God-Daughter Shanda just delighted us with the news of the birth of her second child Henry - just as the sparkling new luxury building called “the Henry” opened up only three blocks away here in New York City!  (Another odd coincidence that I’ll take as a good omen, no?)  Those Lakers have been fun to watch, the baseball season has just begun, and “The Daily Show” has been hitting on all cylinders - I’m not even sure there will be time enough to sleep these coming months.  And soon I’ll be forced to contemplate yet another return to the Vineyard.  As usual for this time of year, no concrete plans have been formulated…

Random thoughts, nostalgia and a huge list of things-to-do can really wreak havoc on a man’s ability to move forward with artistic pursuits, I’ve re-learned many times.  But  dammit - I WILL gift this website with a finished version of “The Clouds Have Rolled In” by this time next month!

There - a fully-achievable goal!

Though perhaps I should re-read some of the other blogs from these past twelve months; I have a feeling I might have promised the same thing once or twice before…

Happy Spring, everyone!  Let’s all keep moving in whatever way feels like forward!!