From This Moment On- Tracking down my shots in the light and the dark

5/22/19 When I was 18, my friend Jody tried to show me how to play the guitar  but I quickly lost interest because of the strain on my fingers, wrists, and was confused with the coordination that was needed. I gave up minutes later and never tried again.  But then a month ago my son asked me to buy him a guitar, so I went to Guitar Center after work one day and with help from their super friendly and helpful staff, chose a Yamaha acoustic.  I always wistfully thought about being able to play. In D.A. Pennebaker’s 1967 “Don't Look Back,” a documentary that mainly focuses on Bob Dylan, I loved seeing Joan Baez in it and her strong tranquility, flowing hair, powerful voice, armed with her own guitar, so simple, noble, and romantic. (not from "Don't Look Back" but such a lovely image) Then there's Courtney Love and her leg defiantly sticking out as she plays,  encouraging us by saying, “I want every girl in the world to pick up a guit...

5/6/19 It's 4:00 on a Saturday afternoon and I'm waiting for my cousin Vincent to pick me up. He and his siblings have planned a surprise birthday party for their father. He's coming from Brooklyn, I'm in Queens, and the party is in a Long Island restaurant. At around 4:30 they-my cousin, his wife, and her mother, arrive. Late, because of "traffic, traffic, traffic!" Concerned about the time I say, “Oh we have to hurry up! We’re going to be late!” Since it's a surprise party, it was important that we didn't show up after the guest of honor. “No that’s alright," Vincent assures me. "We’re running right on schedule. I created a buffer.” I say something back like, “Oh good, so you factored in the Puerto Rican thing!” There was no response.   I’m not sure if he liked the stupid joke or not, or if he even heard it. I was sitting behind him so I couldn't even read his facial expression. No one else seemed to res...