Can't help it. It's not because it's the end of another year. (I don't think so anyway.) And, it's not because I'm feeling inspired to write again. And, I don't think it's because I'm starting something brand new at the SoHo Playhouse in a few weeks. And, I don't think it's gas.

I've just got this feeling... deep inside, that I'm right on the edge of a really, significant change in my life. Maybe it's something external. Maybe it's something internal. But, y'know, I have a strong feeling it's both.

2002 was a very odd year for me. It was filled with incredible changes... some very wonderful, and some extremely difficult. But, real-life stuff, y'know?

For me, much of this year was all about staying on the side of the fence that I'm used to being on. It wasn't easy at times and, at times, I found myself in a place I didn't like very much. It would have been very easy to slip away in the undercurrent of "Oh, what's the use" that has swept New York City this year. Didn't you feel it? I don't blame anyone for that feeling. It would be unnatural for us not to feel a sense of "Oh, what's the use". Y'know, a year and a half ago... we were so injured. We were so impacted by one of the single, most horrific murder in the history of the world. And, it happened right down the block. And, for a time... a brief blink of an eye in the grand scheme of things, it seemed as if it might become a benchmark for the world to change for the good. The whole world seemed to feel the injury. It certainly felt as if the rest of this country stood up and took notice of what a wonder the City of New York and it's people really are and, in the face of such cruelty, how magnificant the human spirit can be. Well, that lasted for about as long as Hollywood's "re-thinking the violence-in-film" line of bullshit... about a few months, I guess. And, sure, I guess I could go on and on about "Pre-emptive war" (a euphemism, of course, for "starting a war") and Enron, and Global Crossing, and Worldcom, and Mayor Bloomberg closing firehouses, and Transit workers threatening to strike at Christmas, and the Port Authority being more concerned with revenue than with history or dignity at the site of the World Trade Center. (I refuse to call it Ground Zero. This ain't a damned movie.) ...and Trent Lott, George Bush, and 9-11 "Memorials" that looked more like Super Bowl Halftime Shows... really slick, y'know? I could go on and on... but, I won't. (Oh, what's the use. Get it?)

No, I'm staying here. I'm staying with you guys. I'm staying on this side of the fence. I'm going to write more music in the coming year. I'm going to sing more songs and tell more stories. I'm going to allow myself to feel how magnificent all of you are. I'm going to write scripts that, hopefully, will let us all know that we're not alone, and that cruelty and corruption are not the norm. (That's the reason those things are "news". They aren't the norm.) I'm going to look at a few hundred shining faces on a hill in Central Park and share that "It's Just Us" feeling some more. I'm gonna sit in a theater in SoHo with a 4 legged stool and a guitar and see what moves us. I'm gonna keep my mind, and my heart, and my eyes open for whatever's next... whatever fascinating, wonderful thing is next.

I'm gonna try, humbly, to stay in the light. I'm gonna try my best to live in the truth. One person at a time, that's probably the single, most significant way to change the world. I mean, I know I'm gonna fuck up... but, I'm gonna try.

I love this town. I love people. I think people are the coolest things. I think most of us are trying, however falteringly, to be basically good. And, I'm looking forward to whatever changes are going to happen in my life.

Thanks for everything... talk to you soon.

(If you feel the neeed to chime in or just tell me to shut up, there's a Forum over there on the right. But, don't worry... I don't take these things personally.)