Beth and I like to take a walk every day, especially on the days when we aren’t going to our gym at the Villa Roma, the last remaining hotel from the glory days of the Catskills. If we turn left out of our driveway, we go uphill and if we turn right, we go up …
After discussing the topic of practice, musicianship and related issues with Beth, I decided to do a little research on the science of practice. I love this piece written by Dawn Gregory, a Quora contributor, and self proclaimed “Emissary of Love.” How do you become motivated to practice something you love, even if you’re not …
There’s a presidential debate on Tuesday and I’ve got to admit it – I’m a little bit excited. This reminds me of Frazier v. Ali, OJ Simpson’s white Bronco chase and the Apollo 11 moon landing. All were great moments in history fueled by the fact that we could watch them on TV. Apparently, 90% …
I have four Jeffs in my life and one of them, Jeff R #1., is visiting with us this weekend. Here he is at dinner with a glass of wine in one hand and a Twizzler in the other. Like me, he’s a pleasant mix of serious and silly. We met on the set of …
School has begun and our life will (after a brief lull in September) get very busy very soon. As a result, we are enjoying the last bits of summer by working hard, but not TOO hard. Truth is, I really like the start of the school year. After all, I’ve been on the school schedule …
Our first full week on LBI is finished, so we celebrated by going out for a seafood luncheon and a long bike ride. Beth and I thought it important to celebrate because this was not an easy week for us. On the contrary, it was full of some discipline issues at camp and a rewrite …
In the summer of my 12th year, I had my first hit off a marijuana pipe. And in the summer of my 62nd year, last week, in fact, I had my very last hit. For over 50 years I have flirted with, been deeply intimate with, laughed, danced and listened to music with and generally …
Last year, all of our campers at LBI were girls save one mild mannered, five year old boy who had traveled the world. I liked him and we had many conversations about his travels.. That group of mostly girls made us feel right at home. As parents of daughters, we are accustomed to their emotional …
We are on LBI returning for our second year as teaching artists for the Long Beach Island Foundation in Loveladies, New Jersey. Yes, that is the name of the town! There’s nothing to complain about here. Beachside living is literally a breath of fresh air and those of us us lucky enough to be here …
It’s Monday morning, one week after our arrival at the campground in Croton-on-Hudson, NY. Everything has gone well: shows at camps, workouts and swimming at a local club, a nice hootenanny at a friend’s home, good meals and even better rest. The only glitch, thus far, has been Beth’s vertigo. She has had this issue …