the great leslie

I'm at this music cafe, listening to some singers sing their songs and tell me what was going through their minds as they wrote them. This woman is singing this song right now, inspired by a blog that started: "I'd love to have a different kind of day." She started her explaination of this song by saying: "When I read blogs, I think: 'why am I reading this? I don't really care.'"

Of course, I'm mildly offended. I'm here, listening to your songs. And they aren't all good. But I appreciate the effort, and the effort it takes to be on stage. I'm here, listening to you make some art for me.

I'm a writer and I think art can be made with words. Not every time, mind you. Sometimes I think there's some good stuff here, maybe even worthy of the word "art." I'm making something here...one might think another artist could appreciate that element of a blog.

Of course, she probably hasn't read my blog...

I have a friend who always picks up the heads-up pennies she sees. I spy a lot of them, but I usually don't pick them up. I've been very lucky in my life, blessed with good health and friends and family, among other things. So I leave the pennies, hoping someone less lucky will find the penny and maybe it will put a spring in his or her step.

But, today, as I was walking to the Eastern Prom to eat my lunch overlooking the water, I saw a heads-up penny and I picked it up. This week I have some promising opportunities, and I can use all the extra luck I can get. I'll be picking up pennies, wishing on shooting stars, and sleeping with my fingers crossed. I expect y'all to do the same.

I spent the beginning of this week at the family cabin in New Sharon, Maine. It was an all-around blast: campfires, lobster, a trip in the canoe which ended in me getting falling in the river (it's funny...in retrospect), and a collection of swollen, itchy momentos from the hungry mosquito population. Ah, nature.

My companion on this particular jaunt was my friend, Fabio. As all good urban fellows do, he has an iPhone. So, he spent a good deal of time taking photos and updating his FaceBook page. Which I didn't mind at all; I even sent a few mobile updates from my own phone. I know, I know: the cabin is a place to go to get away from it all. But, honestly, I don't always like to be away from it all. And letting your friends know that you're are sitting in front of a campfire that is finally burning after three tries is just another way of saying:  "Wish you were here." All 400+ of you.

I'm back in the city for just a few days. Although I've incessantly complained about the New York summer for eight years running, I'm so happy to be here! It's so alive and vibrant and there are so many people. It seems like there is something magical happening on every corner...a boy learning to ride a bike; a girl playing in the water from a gushing fire hydrant; a young man, just starting his Big City life, getting advice from a septuagenarian who has lived here for her whole life. I'll be back for good soon, and although it might frustrate me at times, I'm not sure I could ever really leave New York again.