Update from the Homefront

I've gotten enough emails asking what I'm up to that I'm thinking it's time for a little update, not that I have much to report. As I spend my days getting my life and apartment organized, networking with lawyer friends in the name of finding a good in-house gig that will allow me to maintain some sort of life outside of work, running, learning how to cook again, remembering how to play songs I wrote years ago, doing my rosetta stone to remember all the french I used to know and entertaining old friends and new, I'm getting somewhat concerned that I lack the discipline necessary to write a book. When I shared my concern about my lack of discipline with Jamaica (who has been working on her new book for years now) last week, she reassured me, "my darling, if you need more discipline, well then, the rest of the world is really and truly in trouble." It's true that I never stop moving and being productive until about 10 each night (I'm a creature of habit)...I just need to spend less time on other projects and more on my book.

I'm hoping my book writing discipline will kick in when my social schedule calms down. Last week I hosted a bridal shower out of town for my sister, hosted a friend I met on the road in San Francisco (who stayed with me for a couple nights) and I met Jamaica for the official kick-off of the Melissa Etheridge tour, which she had some hesitation about attending because she didn't know if we should support a "deadbeat mother." Now, she obviously doesn't actually know or care what Melissa is up to, but she does love to goad me into debate and she always stays abreast of the latest lesbonic headlines (no pun really intended, but now that I've noticed it, I'm too fond of it to delete it) just to let me know that she is down with my people and knows what they're up to.

So, after she recapped some blurb she saw about Melissa leaving her partner and mother of their children penniless, I assured her that I did not support deadbeat mothers either, but that there was technically no way Melissa could have left her partner penniless since the papers were just filed and it would take months for the assets to be divided, child support to be worked out, etc. To which she replied happily, "oh, okay then" and after quickly laying out her case for why lindsay's parents should be going to jail instead of that "poor girl who was thrown to the wolves as a child by those people," (I was totally with her on this one too) we were off to the show, which was excellent, as always. For all my years of concert going, including several years as a radio DJ when I had to be at shows about 4 times a week, I am hard-pressed to come up with three other musicians who are as amazing live as Melissa Etheridge--the combination of passion, spontaneity and raw talent, particularly on the rhythm guitar front, is hard to match.

As for Mr. San Francisco, we had a blast (think swanky dinners, seemingly endless cocktail crawls and, of course, some hot girls who liked us along the way, one of whom might have real potential) and now I am even more excited to host Mr. Charleston, who is coming to stay with me this week. I have had so little time for friends over the last several years (during the week I wouldn't even get out of work in time to call a friend) and the friends I had were almost all fellow workaholics from the firm since I never left work long enough to make friends on the outside. I am relishing my freedom, my lack of stress and most of all, the incredible new friends I made on my trip more than I can express in words. I forgot what life could be like. I know that when I go back to work, and for the rest of my life, I will cherish these months of pure freedom.

Okay, back to that non-existent book...

I'm starting to think maybe I should call Kristin Hersh and get the name of one of those ghost-writers she kicked to the curb. I know she didn't love having some random guy shadowing her all day asking her about her feelings, but after my time with Mr. San Francisco, I think I might really enjoy it, especially if this shadowing, accompanied by mental and emotional probing, involves plenty of cocktails.