Pocket Lint

Celebrity sighting last week in NYC: We all went out for dinner at a tasty little joint called Five Ninth in the meatpacking district (um, get the steak) and as I was waiting for some other folks to arrive, in walks Russell Simmons – maybe not a household name to your ears, but a legend nonetheless. Simmons was, with Rick Rubin, co-creator of the Def Jam record label, which brought rap to the mainstream in mid-to-late 1980’s when they released a string of landmark rap albums such as Run-DMC’s “Raising Hell” and The Beastie Boys “Licenced to Ill.” He’s also the brother of Run from Run-DMC. Cool!

How cool is this – on Wednesday I got an email from Anders Parker and I find out that he’s on a mini-tour with another musician named Jeffrey Foucoult and they’re playing in Cambridge at a place called Atwood Tavern. Here’s the kicker, though: it’s a FREE show and it’s at 7pm! Now, a few years ago I vowed to not be swayed by late shows. I made a pact with myself that if I love the band, I need to see them regardless of the set time. I’ve broken that pact more than once. Not on this night! I went in with Leo and we had a seat 10 feet from the tiny stage, had a couple of beers and watched Parker do a terrific set, as usual. I was home by 9:30! Whoooooo! My favorite song of the night: Under Wide Unbroken Skies.

I was washing some dishes yesterday and thought about little things that make me happy. You know, little stuff like that moment when ALL of your laundry is done, how good that feels because you know it’ll be a while before you have to do it again. Full drawers, baby! Saturday Steph had her baby shower, so all the ladies were at the in-laws. My dad drove down and dropped my mom and sister off at the shower, then came to my house for a while. We didn’t do much, really. I put some ribs on the grill and we had a little bit of beer and just sat and chatted. It was great. We don’t get to do that much since we live a couple of hours apart, but that might change soon. All the better….