Short Answer...

for yesterday's question: NO.

As of today, the me from 10 years ago would not want to hear any of this mess from now. (Mental mess. Life otherwise is okay.)

Yes, in many many ways, things are much improved from then. Good and bad can always be found in my life. It's the focus, according to people I take wisdom from.

People from whom I take wisdom.

When I focus on the good things, I feel as if I have come through a lot, and I am out the other side, and it is a relief. I have six people in my life I love. I love them very strongly and want to do right by them. That is important.

Ten years ago I met someone who changed my life. This person continues to change my life. Change is good. A few people I know hate change. I like it a lot. Not that I throw a party every time something is altered in my life... It's just good for the crops to get a nice rotation going.

Right now today, I am upset by some changes. They have to be integrated. Or some things have to be discarded.

Hunch.com

There is a new thing online called Hunch. It's pretty cool. It basically helps you make decisions. It asks questions. Some of them really make you think.

Would the person you were 10 years ago be happy with you today?

• Definitely. That person would be proud.
• That person might be somewhat disappointed.

Skip this question

The Famous Among Us

Now that Ed, Farrah, and Michael have passed, I am sad. Because no man is an island, and every death diminishes us a little bit.

These were folks who were in our lives for so long, and totally taken for granted, as if we would always have them there.

They were really famous, not just sort of famous.

Eras pass when things like this happen.

EC & the SCs

1. "My Resistance is Low"
2. "My All Time Doll"
3. "Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down"
4. "Stranger in the House"
5. "Our Little Angel"
6. "Femme Fatale"
7. "I Felt the Chill Before the Winter Came"
8. "Hidden Shame"
9. "The Delivery Man"
10. "The Butcher's Boy"
11. "Blame it on Cane"
12. "Indoor Fireworks"
13. "I Dreamed of My Old Lover"
14. "There's a Story in Your Voice"
15. "She Handed Me a Mirror"
16. (Brand new song)
17. "Everyday I Write the Book"
18. "She Was No Good"
19. "Little Palaces"
20. "Complicated Shadows"
21. "Down Among the Wine and Spirits"
22. "Brilliant Mistake"

Encore:
23. "Red Cotton"
24. "The Crooked Line"
25. "American Without Tears"
26. "Sulphur to Sugarcane"
27. "The Race is On"
28. "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes"

Elvis Costello June 9 2009 Red Bank NJ (Count Basie Theater)

I have been a fan of Elvis Costello's for many many years. I don't like to refer to age or place or time in this blog, but I am proud that I got in on the ground floor of this one and never let go.

I have had the distinct pleasure of seeing Elvis perform many many times. We're talkin' way into the double digits here, to quote Bette Midler. I say without hesitation he does not disappoint. He takes the temperature of the room the second he walks onstage and proceeds accordingly.

His new album is "Secret Profane and Sugarcane", and the band are bluegrass musicians, and very good. I've had conversations with casual fans who are vocal about not liking EC's "country stuff". I'm not getting on the soapbox about that. I just know I love Elvis' voice, and to have it showcased in folk/country songs is great.

He understands music, is very musical, tells stories, plays guitar, is a natty dresser, a smart man, and the beloved entertainer.

My favorite song on the new album so far is "She Handed Me a Mirror". Oh, and the version of "Everyday I Write the Book" he did at this concert is the best I've ever heard. I WANT IT. "Femme Fatale", the Lou Reed song, was wonderful. It was all good, a great concert, and we saw him after the show and my companion got an autograph, which was a thrill!

I have a wish that he will keep touring into his dotage. And I will go see him until my legs can't carry me anymore.