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Bill Murray's character in the movie "What About Bob?" explains his divorce by saying, "There are two kinds of people in this world: Those who like Neil Diamond, and those who don't. My ex-wife loves him." Whether it's true or not, I'd argue that if you don't like Neil Diamond, either: a) you don't know what you're missing, b) you didn't party much in college, or c) his unbridled and unapologetic emotionalism makes you uncomfortable. All of which are understandable. Just don't discredit the man's songwriting chops, because he's one of the finest of our times. Anyway, my best friend Adam and I went to see Neil play the Boston Garden last night for an astounding 11 bucks each -- I mean, that's almost criminal -- and it was, as I kept telling the missus this morning, transcendent . Amazing. He even played a series of songs from his 1972 "Hot August Night" live album, every fan's favorite, just...

It's been 10 years and three -- that's THREE -- ( 3?!! ) -- Red Sox World Series championships since I wrote "The Scarlet Letter." To the 26-year-old me who watched the otherwise insignificant Aaron Boone knock my dreams out of Yankee Stadium in late 2003, this present version of reality is flat-out unthinkable . In a few ways, really. Let me explain. Of course, there's the Red Sox. You all know the story, perhaps not as intimately if you're not from around Boston, but you get the gist. Eighty-six years is a long, long time. (Cubs fans have endured even longer, but I'd argue it's worse when you come so close so often.) As a bright-eyed 10-year-old, I watched that ground ball go through Bill Buckner's legs in disbelief, and watched my dad pretty much have a breakdown. But there's more to it than that. In the fall of 2003, I was unemployed, trying to find love, trying to be a musician … and worried I was failing at all of it . But I lived...

Gina and I have a theory about surviving winter: at some point, you either have to get the hell away to someplace warm, where you can charge your solar battery, or you have to go all in and embrace the season — skiing, sledding, hot cocoa, roaring fires, snowmen, whatever. It doesn't matter which method you choose, but doing one or the other is essential to dodging the doldrums of midwinter; waiting it out is not an option. This year we decided to welcome winter's icy clutches, and went even colder with a short trip up to Montreal for the long weekend. We love that city, and it's the kind of place that loves you back. We stayed at a super charming B&B ( read my TripAdvisor review if you like) and ate like crazy: mussels steamed in savory broth, fries with homemade spicy garlic mayo, baked onion soup, maple syrup glazed salmon, crepes with nutella and banana, crepes with apples, brie, and maple syrup... you name it, we ate it, and it was all fantastique . The weat...

It's extremely hard for me to fathom that the 2000's are coming to a close. I mean, I've barely accepted that the nineties are over, much less this decade. Plus, it was unquestionably one of the most action-packed ten years I'll ever experience, both universally and personally. A helluva ride! (I just wanted to use "helluva.") I find lists and statistics to be a helpful coping mechanism in times like this. So, as the decade winds down, let's tally it up, top five style. Since I'm playing a show this Saturday (hey, you should come!) we'll begin with... Top Five Gigs 2000-2009 5. McGovern’s - Gorey, Co. Wexford, Ireland (7/29/05) Playing in my namesake town in Ireland was even more of a treat than I thought it would be. The other musicians were terrific — is there anyone in Ireland who can’t sing? — and the fans who frequented the place were real music lovers. 4. Wirstrom's Pub - Stockholm, Sweden (1/3/05) I never knew I had such a f...

Saturday night, after a gorgeous day watching Will Dailey perform outdoors and savoring some  Great Pumpkin Ale  at the Cambridge Brewing Company, we finally returned home to a chilly house — and lit our first fire of the fall. Summer, I barely knew ya. Now, I'm a huge fan of fall; October is even my favorite month , by far. But between the second cloudiest June on record , my workaholic month of July, and our late August sojourn to the cool, damp, west coast of Ireland, I kind of feel like I missed out on summer. For the first time in years, I'm not quite ready for apple picking, or football, or sweaters. I mean, I probably donned shorts all of a dozen times in the last three months! What happened ? Anyway, this post is actually about a book: Last Days of Summer by Steve Kluger. Read it, and you will love it. It's hilarious, charming, and surprisingly beautiful. We met Mr. Kluger just last week at the Harvard Square " Bookish Ball ," and I got him to s...

So, like, we're in the middle of summer? When did that happen? What was this, the fifth nice day we've had since April? I'm way behind on my summer fun! Anyway — let me just say that I love our president. And it feels great to say that. Also, the Red Sox (and my fantasy team, for that matter) are somehow in first place as of the midsummer classic. It feels great to say that too!

The Yankees are in town, meaning the greatest rivalry in American sports is writing another page of another chapter in its storybook history. (Apologies to fans of UNC, Duke, Green Bay, Bears, Michigan, OSU, and others who think their rivalry is superior. They are great rivalries. They are not, however, the Red Sox-Yankees.)  Somehow the Sox have managed to win all seven of their match-ups with the Yanks so far this season (knocking on wood). The 21st century is a crazy place! We were lucky enough to go to Tuesday night's game, a blowout and a blast. And a few friends were at last night's nail-biter, including rock star Will Dailey (you should buy his new album ), who said it ranked in his top five all-time games.  Wherefore came the inspiration for today's Top Five:  Top Five Sox-Yankees Games I've Attended  5. Friday, April 13, 2001  In the prime of my rip-roaring early 20s, I went to this game with my three best buddies. Of course we sat in the bleachers like any o...

Often, the intent of an analogy is to illustrate a difficult or abstract concept more clearly to someone by likening it to a situation he or she is familiar with: The colonists didn't win at Bunker Hill, but it was a moral victory, because they held their own and inflicted so much damage on the reigning, more powerful champ... like in Rocky .  It's an — perhaps the ? — essential tool to understanding, I think. I love analogies. I love that everything in the entire universe can be compared to something else, creating this beautiful, intricate fabric of connections. I often say to myself, "Everything is like everything else." The analogy proves the simple, elegant beauty of our world. Most of all, I like to make sports analogies. Baseball, in particular. Football makes for great war comparisons, sure, but the subtlety, strategy, and slowly escalating drama of a baseball game offer much more to work with. Is there any situation in life without a symbolic parallel on the...

It was cold and raw enough today that we had to fire up the wood stove, even though it was supposed to be on summer vacation. It instantly brought me back to winter — but, mercifully, I hope only for tonight! This brings us to today's Top Five list: Top Five Months 5. December Between the first snowfall (when you're not all cold and jaded and bitter about winter yet), Christmas (and its associated cheer and carols and lights and vacation), New Year's Eve, and NFL playoffs and college bowl games... there's a lot to love. 4. September As much as I hated going back to school as a kid, come the college years I absolutely yearned for fall. There's the dry, sunny weather, and those first cool nights when you can wear long sleeves and shorts. But, most importantly, it's the presence of life's most profound melancholy: the sad, poetic beauty that emerges wherever beginnings meet ends. The fleeting last days of summer, the nostalgia of leaving an old apartment and t...

The Massachusetts Senate approved a sales tax increase last night , raising it to 6.25%. By a veto-proof margin, at that. Booooo. After all that hemming and hawing about not raising the gas tax during a recession, they're raising a tax that applies to...  everything else!  I understand they need to raise revenue, and quickly. But you're telling me that instead of raising the tax on gasoline, which would encourage people to consume less gas — something pretty much everyone agrees is a good thing — the solution is to penalize people buying stereos, books, and cars at at time when we need that commerce the most? Weak. I'm writing this Michael Morrissey fella to give him a piece of my mind.  (If you like sending angry emails as much as I do, you can find your elected officials here .) Last night I went to my first Sox game of the season, a great one (not to mention a fast one), and before the game we met up at the new "Irish pub" adjacent to the House of Blues , cal...

...as sung to the A-Team theme song : O-pening Day!  Oh-pen-ing Day O-pen- ing Day!  Oh-peh-nee-ing Day (repeat ad nauseam) So, yeah, I get that in my head about once a year. But this year, it's happened twice, since the opener was rained out yesterday. Honestly, can you imagine the caliber of politicking and/or bribery that takes place behind the scenes at MLB to allow a season opener in Boston (or any other cold-weather city)? Especially when we're playing TAMPA! It's not like they had to pick the warmer option between Boston and Cleveland. They could have played yesterday's game, and today's, in Florida — indoors nonetheless! Instead, Josh Beckett will be pitching through full body numbness and the Fenway Faithful will be drinking themselves into, or perhaps out of, hypothermia.  But in any event... baseball's back, and therefore so is spring (whether it's obvious or not), and for the second time in three days I find myself trying not to throw up from ...