Growing up, my mother's family used to tell stories about the London House. Located at Wacker and Michigan in downtown Chicago, The London House was a restaurant owned by Oscar and George Marienthal that my great aunt Estelle managed. My great grandmother worked there, and during summers off from school, my mother, her older sister and their cousins all worked there. As I got older, the stories they shared were suddenly more... interesting. Shortly before my grandmother's little sister Marian passed away …

One of myspace friends has this great blog where, each day, she lists three things for which she's grateful. I think it's a fantastic way to counter negativity and redirect energy towards something more healing and productive. Before my grandmother passed away, I had a routine that helped me stay focused and put me in a more positive frame of mind. I started eating more veggies, fruit, fish and turkey. I gave up processed foods and booze. I waked three to four miles every day with Rosebud. I did yoga. …

I've just been asked to play another show at Indiana State Prison when I'm on tour this fall. I'm probably going to say yes, but thought I'd revisit my blog from the last go round. * * * * * After getting lost on the south side of Chicago and having to take a detour through downtown Gary, Rich and I finally made it safely to my brother's house. We were greeted at the door by his two dogs, Elvis and Hallie. Elvis is a 35 pound pug who apparently likes to eat his own doodie, so my brother has taken to …

California has failed once again. Yesterday, our state supreme court upheld Prop 8 (or Prop H8, if your prefer), which altered the state constitution to keep same-sex couples from marrying. Oddly enough, the court also allowed 18,000 same-sex marriages to remain intact. Confused? Prop 8 passed by a very narrow margin, thanks in part to religious black and latino voters. I find it so very odd that the same people who have fought discrimination for years are now the same people who are discriminating …

I've been avoiding TV since I returned home from tour and have been relying on NPR for the news. What I don't get from NPR, I glean from The Huffington Post, Salon, and other websites. Yesterday, in my web wanderings, I came across the video clip of Miss California "competing" at the Miss USA pageant. While I'm a staunch supporter of free speech, I don't necessarily know that her loss is about censorship. She dropped her poker face, she was inarticulate and she alienated lot of people. I …

It's hard to believe that it's been a week since Duane passed away. A couple of nights ago, Rich McCulley and I went out for dinner with Dave, my vocal coach and as soon as we left the restaurant, I burst into tears. So many things I wish I had said and done. So many songs, so many gigs we'll never get to play. I'm comforted by the fact that the last correspondence I have from him is a text he sent two days before he died that read, "I love you Heater!" I love you, too, man. Over the past …

When I was at university, I stumbled upon the poems of a writer named Liz Rosenberg. I loved her work so much, I tore it out of an anthology I’d found in the library, fearful that I’d never see it again. Years after my thievery, I was standing in my friend Sookie’s kitchen, retelling that story. She stopped chopping her veggies and said, "What was the last name again?" I told her; she paused, looked up from her cutting board and said, "Liz? She’s my cousin." I …

A few years back, I was walking around the local Rite Aid in Highland Park. As I was contemplating hair color, my phone rang. The voice on the other end of the line belonged to Duane Jarvis. He called to say that he heard I was looking for a guitarist and he wanted in. To say I was happy is an understatement. I was so happy I did the snoopy dance - right there - in Rite Aid. I met Duane backstage at The Grand Ol' Opry shortly after I moved to Nashville. Our mutual friend George Marinelli, who plays …

Someone on one of my social networking friends list, who as of two seconds ago is no longer on my friends list, posted a bulletin about Jesus being the one true way, the light, the redeemer, yadda blah ad nauseum. He wrote that those who don't accept him (Him?) as a personal savior, etc are in denial, need prayers, yadda yadda yadda. I am so so so so so so tired of proselytizing and Jesus trumpeting. My soul is fine. I do not need saving and if I did, it would be my responsibility. It shouldn't and …

While Rich and I were on tour, I bought a new road case from Guitar Center. It's a Roadrunner Utility case, and like most cases, it came with pull-apart foam. My foam, however, was eaten by a dog and needs to be replaced. Sounds simple enough, right? Here's the saga... I relay the story to hubby who writes Roadrunner on April 23rd inquiring about replacement foam. No response as of this writing. On 5/11, I write Roadrunner and let them no that no one has responded... no response as of this writing. …