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I arrived in South Florida for a new job five weeks before the 9/11 attacks, which devastated me and countless others, and I sought solace at the ocean.

One Saturday, as I was walking in the foam, my mind filled with blind grief over the devastation and loss we as a nation, and I personally, had just been buried by, something happened that would ultimately change my perspective on where I was in…

Caretakers Take Heart: If You’re Doing Your Best, It’s a Wonderful Thing

I am reading the wonderful memoir Bettyvilleby George Hodgman, in which a gay man living in New York City steps up to the plate and takes care of his mother who has loved him all along but has never acknowledged his gayness. They have an unspoken, but a longing for the unspoken to have a voice, that I can relate to.  Gay or straight, taking care of an aging parent is never a conga line at the…

It’s The End of The World as We Know It, and I Still Care

Civilizations come and go – just ask the ancient Romans or their Greek counterparts. The Aztecs, the Incas, and countless others from thousands of years ago could also tell their tales – but most stories we will never know.

I have never been particularly interested in politics, voting across party lines when I liked the other candidate better, but never in my life have I actually HATED someone…

Why I Backed Away From the Music Industry

Photo credit: Alison Gordy

In light of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, and in support of all the brave women who have come forward,  also those victimized by Bill Cosby, another on-trial preditor, I’d like to add my voice. I cannot name names because all these years later, I have no “proof,”

I started performing at coffeehouses, open stages, VFW halls, etc. when I was 13 years old. I had nobody to…

9/11 – The Ache Never Quite Ends

My world changed on this day 16 years ago.

I pay homage and give thanks to the first responders who were lost among the NYPD, the PAPD, and the FDNY. Also, to the first responders at the Pentagon. I remember the passengers on the flight that went down in Shanksville, PA, who gave their lives preventing greater harm.

Let us all remember the men and women who went to work that day–that beautiful…

Brian Tobin, a NYC Original

On August 13th, my friend Brian Tobin passed from this world into whatever heaven we perceive. He was a gentle soul. We met in the early 90s and he told me he was available to help me cart my PA and gear to gigs far and wide. And that he did. He was better than a mail carrier. He showed up in rain, snow, floods, extreme heat, he was there for me. He never missed a NYC gig.

When I got a job offer…

My grandmother, Jean Castrovinci, asked me to memorize this poem by William Ernest Henley. It was one of her favorites, and she said to me. “You will need these words, one day.”  Oh, how right she was. This poem has served me well in many instances. INVICTUS

Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole. I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch…

Gilding the Silver Lining

When you look at this photo, you see two men dressed to hop on a surfboard and ride a wave. My father-in-law is on the right, and my husband is on the left.

I just want to say, being a caregiver to my husband’s parents is an honor and a privilege. It’s also hard, frustrating, and exhausting.

To all caregivers — I salute you. You may ultimately find me asleep in the laundry room. There’s a little…

One Step Forward…

  Last Thanksgiving Day, I was putting several heavy dishes up onto a high shelf with my right hand. All of a sudden, it felt like a small explosion took place in my elbow.  I had a houseful of guests, and I thought I just “tweaked” a muscle, and it would calm down, so I plowed through the day. And the days after that.

December came and went, and then January, February, and then, in March I…

Almost the Spring I Feared the Most

It was really balmy here in Southeast Virginia a few weeks ago, and it made me a little bit nervous. Where I grew up, March was the trickiest month of the year. It really could “come in like a lion and go out like a lamb.” In other words, March could be damn cold–cold to the bone. And God help you if you didn’t have shoes that could keep your feet warm or a coat that couldn’t keep the wind from…

An Early Southern Spring

It’s barely March, and already the daffodils are blooming, the Bradford pear trees are ablaze with white blossoms, my tulips are pushing green leaves up through the ground, the redbud trees are buzzing, and periwinkle carpets the hill with their tiny blue blossoms. 

I can’t remember spring ever being so early. In the Northeast, where I lived until I was beating down the door of middle age, March…