Today’s Listening Pleasure: LED ZEPPELIN: “Rock N Roll”

It’s been a long time since I rock and rolled

It’s been a long time since I did the stroll

Ooh let me get it back, let me get it back

Let me get it back, baby, where I come from

It’s been a long time, been a long time

Been a long lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time

Yes, it has

It’s been a long time since the book of love

I can’t count the tears of a life with no love

Carry me back, carry me back

Carry me back, baby, where I come from, whoa-oh-oh

   The last thing I remember was walking the streets of Manhattan, down 8th Avenue to the corner of 35th Street, being seated with my two friends at a restaurant when Fausto the greatest waiter in NYC formerly of CAFE 31 served me a double Grey Goose on the rocks without me even saying a word. The place was strangely empty. My usual order of fried calamari was placed on our table followed by veal parm over pasta. Fausto brings over a bottle of red wine to help us celebrate our meal. We pay the tab leaving a generous tip and proceed to THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS ARENA, finding the surrounding streets and area almost completely void of humans. This is unusual, this is Midtown Manhattan for Christ’s sake. A few hours earlier my bride told me about a virus that was making lives difficult. Could this be related to that? Before I left home she loaded my jacket pocket with a pack of tissues and a small vial of hand sanitizer while informing me to “be careful”, to wash my hands with the gel regularly and avoid crowds. “Impossible”, I told her. It’s March 10, 2020 and what is left of the Allman Brothers Band AKA THE BROTHERS @ 50 will be playing THE GARDEN to a sold out crowd.

   Here I am, 937 days later (2.567 years), finally, in NEW YORK CITY. What the fuck happened? COVID-19 is what happened. In the interim we missed my Mother-In Laws 90th birthday, a few weddings were postponed, a funeral was missed due to crowd restrictions, the pub cancelled our St. Paddy’s Day Annual Event, we had to have a car parade instead of a Sweet 16 for my granddaughter, and on and on.We had food and drink delivered to the house, searched for paper products and awaited the day and time when we could get our inoculations.Sports were abbreviated, and/or teams placed in a bubble, I did my taxes on Zoom, and voluntarily returned tickets for not one but two concerts. But here I am 937 days later…

to be continued…