Sitting at the sidebar

Don't mind me, I'm just loving him tonight.

sweet

Annie: "Mommy, were any of your boyfriends jerks?"

Katie: "Yes."

Annie: "Real bastards?"

Katie: "A couple were."

Annie: "What did they do to you that was bad?"

Katie: "Oh, just not valuing me enough, not taking care of me, stuff like that."

Annie: "Did any of them ever cheat on you?"

Katie: "I don't think so."

Annie: "Yeah, a guy would have to be crazy to cheat on you!"

Driving under the influence

I was pulled over today and ticketed for being engaged in a riveting conversation on my cell phone while driving. And just my luck, it was a female cop.

40 bucks down.

In real time

77 degrees, air conditioner on, this is the view from my fire escape and the moonlight is pouring in.

Goodnight.

Teach your children well... but not too well

David: "Did Annie tell you I got really mad at her this morning?"

Katie: "No, but she did say you were drawing a lot of negative energy to yourself."

Sitting at the sidebar

Brought to you by Clifford Brown, Harold Land and friends, here's a favorite song of mine called, Delilah.

(Click the music player on the sidebar.)

I'm no Betty

It's been a hot and muggy, rainy day here in the city, and when Annie and her friend Giselle ran out of things to do, they decided to give me a quiz: What Archie Character Do You Most Resemble? Although I've never elicited such a response on the streets of New York, my scores tell me I'm just like a girl named Cheryl Blossom.

Pssst...

For those of you who are satisfied just sampling the songs posted here, do yourself a favor and listen to today's selection all the way through. Remember, it's all about progression at The Half Note (Well, sometimes it is), and what could be better than a beautiful piece of music that takes you somewhere, uncovering little jewels hidden beneath the surface of your Sunday.

Sitting at the sidebar

I shared this favorite piece of music with my dad on a road trip up north. Now it makes me think of him. Entres dos Aguas by Paco De Lucia.


(Click the music player on the sidebar)

Goodnight

Saturday morning

Francis D: "How was the greatest birthday ever?"
Katie: "It was the greatest birthday ever."

Sitting at the sidebar

I loved this song when it was released the summer I turned 11, and today, the day after turning 44, I still love it.

Happy Birthday Cousin Bruno!

Isn't he adorable?

Sitting at the sidebar

To exhale audibly in a long deep breath, as in weariness or relief.

Bridge of Sighs is a favorite of mine by Shakti.

A day of gifts

For my birthday I got calls, cards and emails from friends and family, an outdoor celebration at Josephina's, good food and two glasses of wine. Okay, three glasses of wine. I also received an overnight package from my friend Elisa, filled with gardenias grown on the terrace of her Los Angeles apartment. The fragrance literally poured out of the box, and the flowers must have possessed magical powers because as I carried them home, everyone I passed on the street stopped to smell the bouquet.

What a thoughtful and imaginative gift from a thoughtful and imaginative friend.


What kind of Leo would I be if I didn't partake in a bit of pampering on my special day? Among other things, I received a relaxing manicure and pedicure. The girls at the salon are always trying to talk me into bright colors, but I'm not a woman who likes to compete, not even with my own toes.


Annie picked out these stunning earrings for her Mama, and I must mention, it was the first gift she ever bought me with her very own money. What a girl.


David gave me a book, some CDs, and this adorable little pink camera. "It's so Katie!" he said.


My mother gave me a beautiful lilac bag, and on it were these words:

Life is Good...

Yes it is.

sweet

"Today I had a sudden craving for Mommy."

~Annie Kosh

They Say it's Your Birthday

Mick Jagger, George Bernard Shaw, Carl Jung, Gracie Allen, Helen Mirren & Stanley Kubrick.

Turn on the Sidebar, and turn it up loud...cuz it's my birthday too.

Sitting at the sidebar

The Recado Bossa Nova is a piece of music that no matter what, puts me in a great mood. Not just because of its obvious playful nature; for me it’s all about progression, how it twists and when it turns.

Hank Mobley brilliantly sets it up on tenor sax, and I love the moment Lee Morgan blows that first note on trumpet. Once Morgan is done tearing it up, I'm left with a huge smile on my face, suspended in a state of musical bliss. There’s also a great solo by Harold Mabern on piano, and with Billy Higgins on drums, it’s a quick trip around the world.

Turn this one way up, there's just no other way to do it.

Fact #56,213

This is the person who introduced me to artists like Clifford Brown, Horace Parlan and Michael Brecker, setting the foundation for what would become my ever-growing love of jazz.

Secret...

My daughter is almost 10, and I feel myself wanting another baby.

Is it wrong...?

...to eat sweet (and hot) red peppers for breakfast? With a slice of whole grain bread and a cup of good, strong coffee?

It didn't feel wrong.

Leo Horoscope by Rob Brezsny

You've arrived at the recreate-yourself-from-scratch phase of your cycle, Leo. To celebrate, I've gathered three apt pieces of advice for you to scrawl on a piece of paper that you'll put under your pillow.

(1) "Almost everything comes from almost nothing."
(2) "The best way to predict your future is to create it."
(3) "Leap and the net will appear."

Shutting up, not down

Sometimes I'm compelled to blog about everything from hurricanes to hiccups, and sometimes I just want to listen.

Check the sidebar for something wonderful by Zakir Hussain, and have a beautiful night... wherever you are.

Daniel my brother

Happy Birthday!

Sitting at the sidebar

This may not be my view this morning, but it's a Lovely Day here in New York. I'll blog later, in the meantime here's a favorite by Bill Withers.

Someday I wanna wake up...

... and see this outside my window.

For not blogging today. Please check back.

L.O.V.E.,

Katie

Sitting at the sidebar

I don't need to be a songwriter, hell, Jackson Browne has already done it for me. Here's a favorite, I'm not sure if it's the gray sky and pouring rain, or if it's just my mood These Days.

And thank you.

Sitting at the sidebar

I don't know, I've just got a feeling...

Sunday morning light

From the fire escape

The air is cool, windows wide open. Morning sounds of people talking, smells of breakfast cooking, and whether it's a Sunday or a Monday, it's just a little slice of city heaven.

Weekend city images

Columbus Avenue

Magical morning

When the humidity breaks in New York City, that's all you need.

Baby in a bucket

I don't know who this baby is, but I want this baby. I want this baby in a bucket.

I think she's mistaken

Katie: What celebrities did you see at the Wax Museum?

Annie: "I saw Brittany Spears, Jessica Simpson, Paris Hilton and McCoy Tyner."

Sitting at the sidebar

Clifford Brown was practically a boy when he died, but he played like a man. Through his horn he masterfully expressed the complexity and simplicity of life; sometimes a party and sometimes the whisper of a deep felt love.

Here is Memories of You, from one of my favorite albums, Ultimate Clifford Brown.

Leo Horoscope by Rob Brezsny

How should we visualize the phase you're in? Are you coming back home after a harrowing journey to the abyss? Or are you about to launch a quest straight into the heart of the dawn's blinding promise? Paradoxically enough, Leo, you're doing both. You're coming and going at the same time. You're graduating from an ancient lesson and beginning a new course of study. Hints of the future are mingled with the last gasps of the past.

A perfect prelude

Today I was invited to go to Greece in October and of course I said yes. What a way to warm up for a Moroccan trip in winter!

Music note

I'm happy to announce that my dear friend Kristian has solved my music-on-the-blog dilemma!

Please check the sidebar regularly for music I find worth sharing. The first selection is Francis Dunnery's Riding on The Back, from his album, Let's go do What Happens.

What every woman knows

"The sense of longing for the man who was able to love you deepest so far, will last until another man loves you deeper."

~David Deida

Don't stop believing

Katie: "I woke up looking really haggard this morning. I had bags under my eyes and lines all over my face."

Tai: "What about that super expensive face cream you use?"

Katie: "You know that stuff doesn't work."

Tai: "Yeah."

Katie: "But it's worth it."

Tai: "Yeah, it is."

Told you it was love

When I got in last night, I tossed my keys on the table, walked straight up to my air conditioner and said,"Hi honey!"

Required reading for my next lover

Come on, admit it, we all have at least one self-help book on the shelf that borders on the cheesy, but whose words speak an undeniable truth. I haven't read this one all the way through, it's for men, but introduce me to a guy who has, a guy who's committed to being all the man he can be, who's interested in loving a woman the way she was born to be loved, and I'll be putty in his hands.

By the way, Deida has a book for the superior woman as well, and yes, I'm reading it.

Confucius says, "Be nice!"

David sits on the couch eating Chinese food.

Me: "Can I have a bite?"

He reluctantly hands me his plate and says: "If you were hungry you should have ordered something."

Me: "Never mind, I don't want any."

David: "No, here, have a bite."

Me: "No, you're not generous."

David: "Have a bite!"

Me: "I'm generous, but you're not."

David: "I don't care."

I give in and take a bite.

Me: "I would say 'Thank you,' but I'm not grateful. You're not generous and I'm not grateful."