You Can Quote Me On This One

Act the way you'd like to be and soon you'll be the way you act.
Leonard Cohen 

Prayer is translation. A man translates himself into a child asking for all there is in a language he has barely mastered.
Leonard Cohen 

An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it.
Mahatma Gandhi 

Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one's weakness. It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart.
Mahatma Gandhi 

Grief is the price we pay for love.
Queen Elizabeth II 

I spent three days a week for 10 years educating myself in the 

public library, and it's better than college. People should educate themselves - you can get a complete education for no money. At the end of 10 years, I had read every book in the library and I'd written a thousand stories.
Ray Bradbury 


I probably love thousands of quotes, but these are a few of my personal favorites. 

It's a Cold and it's a Broken Hallelujah

     I was just standing there in the lobby of the Palace Theatre with all the other Leonard Cohen concert-goers, minding my own business. Really, I was. At door three there was the start of the merchandise area. There was a table with a black cloth on it. I think the only purpose the table served was to keep people out of the area. There was nothing on it, and you could not even see the stuff from that spot. So I stood there waiting for my husband. And you know how intermissions are, people sort of materialize and then dissolve right in front of you. And that's just what happened on Saturday night.

     I turned my head and I saw her. This young girl, with her date, were standing right in front of me. And she looked so much like Victoria my head started spinning. She was looking at me, too, and I smiled at her. But I felt a little... uncomfortable? nostalgic? sad? thrilled? All of those things? She smiled back, and oh my gosh she tilted her head at me in that way that only Victoria did. I looked away because I needed to find my composure. Thankfully, in just a few short seconds, my husband was back from his trip to the bar. Unlike all the other strangers that night, the girl and her date had not dissolved to be replaced by new strangers. I look from her to Luis and he agreed. You know that language you have with people who get you? How you can say more by looking at things than with words? Then he said "Except her eyes are bluer." Which is true since Victoria's eyes, they were hazel. 

     The girl was so close to us and she was looking at us again. Or still. So I told her "You remind us very much of someone we love." And then I thought I was going to lose it. Because she gave me a sheepish smile and there went the last little bit of my composure. I had to turn around to the miraculously empty wall space behind me. My husband was able to quickly bring the conversation somewhere else.

     I can't even see my screen as I type this right now because there's all this liquid between my eyeballs and the computer screen. I can hardly breathe. People say it gets easier. In some ways it does. In other ways, though, it never changes. And, son-of-a-gun you never know when it's going to happen. Can't plan for it, brace for it, resolve against it, it just happens.  Seeing that girl made me feel so much joy - and so much pain.  In the middle of a perfect night, one of my favorite events in my life, there she was. So I am going to say it was no accident, me seeing her Saturday night. 

Old Ideas

     On Friday we packed our bags and headed south so we could go see Leonard Cohen at the Palace Theatre in Louisville Kentucky. Where do I start? The Palace Theatre is a beauty. Go see it if you ever get the chance. Simply amazing.  Leonard Cohen was fantastic. He arrived on stage at 8 PM and he  put on one heck of a show. We staggered out of the Theater a little past 11:30, after many standing ovations. On the brief walk across 4th Street Live to our hotel I promised my husband I would stop referring to Leonard as my boyfriend sometime in the next month. (29 days and counting!) 

     Leonard jogs out on stage, a young whippersnapper of 78 years old. He sings songs, tells stories, pays reverent homage to his fellow musicians on stage, each one very worthy of our love. He's a gentleman of the best kind. He's respectful of everyone, but doesn't take anything too seriously. There's two kinds of women at a Leonard Cohen concert: The kind who have already lost their mind, and the kind who are about to lose their mind. I'll let you decide in which category I reside, but suffice it to say I have been to a concert of his in Cleveland in 2009. 'Nuff said. 

     But seriously, while I sit mainly still in my seat in awe of it all, some of these women are hypnotized in other ways. There are a lot of reminders of what it's like in some churches. And I have to admit, at many times throughout the night I kept thinking to myself it felt a little like a church. Except a church where nobody was pretending they never said bad words. A church where you could buy a beer or a glass of wine and bring it into the sanctuary with you. And they did. And we all sang. Women raised their hands to the sky all the time, and swayed in their seats.  People danced in the aisles a little bit. There were standing ovations scattered throughout the show, for Leonard Cohen, for Sharon Robinson, Hattie & Charley Webb, and every member of the band. People shouted out "I love you, Leonard" at times throughout the show but I think nobody minded because we all wanted to shout it out. At some point a lady shouted out "Best Easter Ever" and we all silently agreed. I wanted to shout out and if I could I would shout to Leonard "Ole`!"  

And if you want to fully understand why "Ole`!" you can see the very heartfelt and genius video of the Ted Talk here:

It's worth every second of your time. I think it's one of my all-time favorite Ted talks. 

     There's so much more I could say about it. I could tell you how Leonard Cohen will be at Radio City Music Hall the 6th and 7th of this month (in 4 days!) and I want to go so much I was digging through old gold to see if I could see enough to finance another trip. I could tell you how lucky I am to have a husband who understands my soul with his soul and led the chase to Louisville. I'll leave you with this photo I took, which does no justice, but makes me happy all the same. 

Ole`! Ole`! Ole`!

p.s. Oh my gosh I found my people! And they are here: Leonard Cohen Forum! Where have you been all my life?

     

Why I Am Celebrating Today

Ladies and Gentlemen, my boyfriend, Leonard Cohen.

   

  I am about to go to a Ticketmaster location near me and pick up my Leonard Cohen tickets! His concert was the best concert of my life, so we are making the trek to Louisville Kentucky this weekend to go see him again! I am very excited. This time I might even buy a t-shirt! I mean, it will be the most cherished t-shirt in the history of ever and last time I did not buy one. I still kick myself at my own cheapskate ways on that night. Indulging should be over very special things, right? So send me your congratulations, send me your applause, send me Paypal... I am going to see Leonard Cohen!

     We are going to be staying right at the 4th street area, so if you have downtown Louisville dining tips throw them at me.

Oy With the Leonard Cohen, Already! AKA: Leonard Cohen, You Are My Sunshine

If you are a true Java Junkie, you get the "Oy with the Leonard Cohen, Already!" title. If not, I'm sorry.

Here's the rub: (another nod to Java Junkies) I want Leonard Cohen to sing "You Are My Sunshine" when he comes to Cleveland. I also want a recording of him singing it. Who can help? Does anyone know who I can call? I would work for free for a week, maybe two, just to get to hear him sing it and get to have a copy of him singing it.

Suggestions? Hints? Tips? Ideas? Anything?

Now You Can Sleep At Night

I know you guys probably haven't been able to sleep because you were concerned about the expense of the Leonard Cohen tickets I was drooling over lately. I want to put your minds at ease. I got tickets! They arrived in my lovely mailbox just this week. I was going to take a picture of them but I didn't. I had a good reason, though. You would have been able to see my seats. Then all of you would have tried to buy tickets to sit near me. Frankly, Cleveland theater doesn't need to be marred by the stampede which would surely be caused by your enthusiasm to sit by me. If you know me at all you know I am way too lazy to photoshop things so the idea of blurring out the seats was beyond me. I am not too lazy to do this, though:

Leonard Cohen Comes to Cleveland Ohio!!

Here I go writing about Leonard Cohen on my blog again. Leonard Cohen is coming to Cleveland and I think he is doing it just for me!! The tickets are amazingly expensive, though. What gives? Seriously, $209 is the cheap seats. They go all the way up to $1400. I need some kind of corporate sponsor to go to a concert, now. I really want to see Leonard Cohen, though. I regret greatly never seeing Johnny Cash. I don't want Leonard to end up being another regret I have. Also? Pavaratti. He was in Cleveland, but I was in South America, or traveling there, that day. I am flipping my lid over Leonard coming to Cleveland! I guess I need to go seek employment so I can afford his tickets.

Anyone need a Girl Friday? Will work for Leonard Cohen tickets!