Thankful

Today I was walking around 34th street and Broadway to meet an artist and his manager to discuss logistics for a showcase that I will be playing in December. The trains were slow, so I found myself running ten minutes late. I tried, unsuccessfully, to make up time by walking quickly through the streets. As I double checked my HopStop email that I sent to myself for the directions to the meeting spot, I thought that it would be a brilliant idea for Hopstop to account for tourist traffic in their estimated travel time. Cynical and bitter, I know. The area around Macy’s was especially congested, as one might expect this time of year in NYC. I was frustrated with the slow moving crowds of people starting at buildings and not looking where they were going. The NYC resident elitism crept up inside of me and took hold.

And then from the corner of my left eye, I saw a man trying to navigate himself across the street through gridlock traffic. I looked his way as soon as I noticed him moving. He walked with a very dramatic limp and he was walking alone. Even the slightest movement looked like a struggle for him. He was carrying some lightweight shopping bags. He looked about 40 years old, and I instinctually thought, given our location and his shopping bags, that he was likely shopping for his family. The traffic light changed as he was in the middle of the street. He barely made it across the street without getting hit.

I kept walking fast, dodging tourists like a champion and using the side of the streets instead of the congested sidewalk as much as possible. But I couldn’t forget the image of that man. I’ve seen that before, but today, it resonated with me. I began to think about how that man probably had a To Do list that he was trying to get through before the holiday, and how much more difficult it must be for him to do even simple tasks.

This is not a major revelation. Obviously, there are people less fortunate than us, and people more fortunate than us, and so on and we see this everyday on different levels. And I didn’t have any grand plans to write anything for the holiday. But seeing that man today made me realize how thankful I am for the specifc gift of…I don’t know what to call it…full mobility, I guess. It’s something that I take for granted.

In the spirit of the Thanksgiving cliche, thanks for reading.

"Jacobson Brothers Band" is happening.

The likelihood of this happening soon is high, now more than ever, so I feel OK talking about this with you, being that you are highly intelligent, good looking and well mannered.

My brother is a gifted musician who plays many instruments, including drums. He’s been writing music for almost his whole life. If he could be cloned, that would be way cooler on several levels. But lucky for me, he doesn’t have a clone, so I get to be in his band. I don’t know what we’re called yet, but I’m going to type the first name I think of right now and never look back “Them Jonas Brothers.” Aw man, I looked back because I just lied to you and that name might be it, actually.

We want it to be a duo because, well, your last name isn’t Jacobson, is it? Also, the more people in the band, the quieter the drums and guitar have to be so that everything is balanced and people who love us can hear quiet things. This band will be loud. So again, no, you can’t be in this band. I think you’re great, we can talk about this in private. Why not go make homemade chicken nuggets real quick?

Here’s how:

What you need:
Package of chicken breast 
Break Crumbs
Olive Oil
Ketchup

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Wash the chicken breast, then cut off any excess fat. Then cut it into small little pieces. Depending on how your childhood went, you may prefer chicken tenders. I don’t know what that means, maybe it’s just your bag. I won’t question you, I’ll just judge you silently because I prefer nuggets. It’s not always about you, you know? Drizzle some olive oil (very small amount) over the chicken pieces. Put bread crumbs all over the chicken pieces. Make sure you get all of the sides covered. Get a baking sheet out and cover it with foil. Spray some non stick spray over that foil. Place the breaded chicken on the foil and put in oven for 12 mins. Then flip the pieces so they get crispy on both sides. Cook for another 12 mins or so, then open the oven, take out the biggest piece, cut it open and make sure it’s fully cooked. Depending on how sad you were when you ran into your kitchen to cut chicken, you may need to let this cook a little longer.

Serve hot, use ketchup. Eat alone.

I’ve heard some of these songs and I’m excited to put my spin on things. We’re going to meet a few days after Turkey day and rock out. Ideally, I would like to release an EP early next year. We may need your help.

andrewfutral:

I can finally announce that bess Rogers and myself are working on a Christmas ep called “chanukah for Christmas”

It will contain 3 original songs and a cover of little drummer boy … Which is pretty much just a 10 minute Elliot drum solo with bess screaming “how did you get so little?!?”

Lookfor it on iTunes in a month!