the pod bay door

:: It’s late, early in the morning on June 26. I’m sort of drifting through this week, I’m in a daze, basically. There are things about which I want to write, but I’m not feeling very coherent. Perhaps in a few days. But I turn 50 on June 28, actually at 12:06 am MDT (I was born in Winnipeg at 1:06 Central Time, way back then). I’ve been fighting this, a losing, pointless battle, yet it’s nothing I feel like celebrating. I don’t want to have to say the number. Turning 30 was nothing, 40 was more of an annoyance; 50? “Old man, look at my life…”

Leaving the Y tonight after a Pilates class, I passed a notice board with pictures of the “Fifty Plus” crowd, some of them easily in their 80s. Gee, I’ll get to join on Saturday. I wonder what the parties are like? “Turn on…the bubble a’machine…”

Frankly, I wish I felt better about this, but I don’t; not tonight, anyway. I know, I know all the reasons to feel good about it, but at the moment, those reasons have taken a sabbatical. I also accept that other factors make this birthday somewhat bittersweet. But on Saturday, and then Sunday, the sun will rise, regardless.

Despite the foregoing, it’s been a pretty good ride. I’m surrounded by the best of friends, a loving, extended family, am in good health, have a great job, to name but a few reasons for celebrating the other side of life.

:: Overheard (many times) in NYC: “You don’t get HBO in Canada? Seriously?”

:: I was in the Strand, the best bookstore on the planet, inquiring about a book, can’t remember the title. Strand employee (young woman): “We have three copies, but they are on hold for other people. If you want, I can put a hold on the title for you.” Me: “That’s ok, I’m just visiting from Canada for a few days.” Strand Girl: “No problem, we ship overseas.”

:: At a bar on Avenue A: “I’ll have a Corona, please”. Bartender: “That’ll be four dollars”. I give her a five, and braindead, I keep the change. A number of us wait to go into the lounge to watch a comedian, where there is a two-drink minimum. Bartender to waitress: “Make sure that guy buys two drinks.” Me (incredulous, looking at her): “You mean me?” She ignores me. To the waitress: “The guy with the glasses, he doesn’t tip.” Realizing my faux pas, and feeling like scum from beneath the earth, I return and offer the bill to her, and she says, “Thank you.” Further words are exchanged as we enter the lounge, including mention that I’m from Canada.

After the show: I approach her and offer a fiver, saying, “My apologies again, and please don’t think less of Canadians.” She accepts the bill, and announces: “I LOVE Canadians.” Half an hour later we are still in the bar, milling about. She calls me over, and offers me a shot of something, maybe tequila, and she has one as well. We toast and laugh and make friends, and I thank her. On the way out she tells me her name is Nikki. I bid her farewell, and my friends and I head out into the night.

I arrived back from NYC on Thursday night, somewhat bagged. Have been sleeping most of the weekend. Saw The Moody Blues last night, a good show with questionable sound; more on the show later. Saw The Hulk on Friday afternoon. Work begins tomorrow. The weather in Edmonton sucks bobos. I’m off to dim sum, and will probably return and go back to sleep. I’m also reading fiction for the first time in years, Pattern Recognition by William Gibson, and it’s a great read. It’s fun to get lost in another world for a change.

:: Last night I saw The Fab Faux at a free concert at the World Financial Center near Battery Park City. I was with friends who invited me to attend. As a lifelong Beatles fan, I was looking forward to seeing them perform, given the preconcert info I’d received from said friends: the Faux reproduce the Beatles’ tunes as you hear them on their records, as close to a note-for-note reproduction as possible, and delivered by some of the best musicians around, including Will Lee (The Late Show with David Letterman) and Jimmy Vivino (Late Night With Conan O’Brien).
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:: The last three days have been better for walking about – the temperature has dropped, and the humidity is way down. Last night, I took the subway to a place called Smoke, to watch Carolyn Leonhart perform. I arrived around 6:20 to find a tiny jazz club and cocktail lounge that serves no food, very intimate and relaxing. With maybe 3 or 4 people at the bar, I took a seat at a table near the “stage”, and when Carolyn and her band began, I was the only one sitting at a table. It felt like I was listening to and watching a private concert! Carolyn sang a few jazz standards, some of which appeared on her album, Steal The Moon. Her voice is sultry and smooth, and I felt drawn in to her music and delivery. She was backed by an amazing trio of musicians on piano, standup bass and percussion, to whom I cannot do honour as I cannot recall their names.

While in NYC, and thanks to Carolyn, I was able to obtain a copy of the album Glass Lounge, by the Swiss percussion group Lyn Leon, of which she is a member. I’ve not heard the album yet, but at their website you can hear sound clips and video of the group in action, and order a copy here.

After the first set, I approached her to say hello, and to ask if she would sign the CD insert for Glass Lounge (which, btw, comes in a package with a round piece of embossed glass!). For the next 20 minutes, we spoke about her career and its direction, how she came to sing with Steely Dan (since 1996), her albums and forthcoming recording project, and other things. She was gracious with her time and company, and I thank her for that. She gave me the ok to take a few pictures during the second set, and I hope they turn out well. I will post the best ones when I return home.

I have Steal the Moon, and if you are looking for a relaxing and engaging album of jazz standards and originals (by Rob Bargad), this album is worth your effort. Order it here.

Thanks, Carolyn, for a memorable evening of music and conversation.

:: This afternoon I saw the film, Blue Car, featuring David Strathairn, one of my favorite actors, and a brilliant young newcomer, Agnes Bruckner. More on that later. What happened when I bought my ticket was a rite of passage: I approached the ticket window (which is outside the theatre showing the movie, on 2nd Avenue near 12th Street), wearing a bball cap, sunglasses and a t-shirt. I gave the attendant $10 and said, “Blue Car”; he looked at me and asked, “Senior?”, as in, “you look old enough to qualify for senior admission prices”, to which I responded, “I’m not EVEN FIFTY YET, thank you.” And I always thought I looked younger than my age. Ha ha!

:: I also spent an hour with one of my favorite people, Jessica Owen. We had coffee and swapped stories, and I walked her to a studio where she was going to record 8 demo tracks of new tunes she’s written. I shamelessly promote her latest album on my site – please buy it, you won’t be disappointed. Love you, Jess.

:: The last two days have been active. Yesterday Geoff and I walked around the South Street Seaport area, where we bought tickets at the TKTS booth to see La Boheme, which was amazing! Following that, we crossed Broadway, and saw Darrell Hammond at Caroline’s. He was a hoot! Earlier in the day, we rode the Staten Island Ferry, which is now free of charge.

This morning was a trip up the Empire State Building. It took 90 minutes from entering the building until we made it to the 86th floor observation deck. After my bag was x-rayed, I was asked to pull out my Swiss army knife. It was given to a guy in a suit who started to bag and ticket it for pickup when I came down, but then he stopped, looked at me and asked, “Where are you from?”. I said, “Edmonton”, and he gave the knife back to me and said it was ok.

Tonight Geoff and I plan to see Carolyn Leonhart perform at Smoke. No cover charge! Geoff leaves tomorrow, I’ll be back on Thursday. Also, today the humidity is way down, and it hasn’t rained (like it’s been doing every other day this week).