The things I had somebody took away

The wildest things we'd ever seen

Odds and Sods.....

I've been listening lately to the vinyl of the best album the E Street Band never made -- Gary U.S. Bonds' "On the Line."

Except they did make it. Bonds is backed by the E Streeters on a remarkably solid set of tunes, seven written by Springsteen himself. And the album's closer, "Last Time" is one of Miami Steve's best efforts. It doesn't quite take me back to Kingsley Avenue in Asbury Park like Southside's "This Time it's for Real," but it does the trick. This was Springsteen at the height of his power, when he could give away songs of this caliber.  An album worth seeking out, vinyl or otherwise.

I've searched all for my life to songs that reflect me, my story. I've posted some of them in this blog. I've attempted to do it myself with my limited musical ability. So I've tried to post them, some in this blog.

But perhaps the best answer is action, you know, speaks louder than words and all that.

I've been thinking about mortality a lot lately. You can't escape it. Wills and the future and what's left behind, if anything. Where does it all end? When does it all end? And does it matter?

I don't see too many new "adult" movies. Tonight I watched "Manchester by the Sea," an unflinching study on profound grief. A grief that can subside but that never disappear.

Sometimes I think that's where I live, the sadness ebbing and flowing. But every day you wake up and it's still there. No pity, as some is self-inflected. But some hasn't been.

The protagonist in "Manchester by the Sea" says that he "can't get past it." For some, it's uphill all the way.

Springsteen was once asked why he keeps going for three hours, night after night, when he could just do a rote 90 minutes, play the hits and get out.

"You can't save everyone," he said. "But you gotta try."

Even if the only person you are trying to save is yourself.