We just got back from a whirlwind road trip to Cleveland. We had the week off between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, so we decided to drive up to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, because — well, why not?

It was totally worth it.

I’ve heard from a few friends, both here and in Cleveland, that there are many obvious vacancies/exclusions in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (the HOF), and this is true. The HOF is not as old as ROCK, after all, and there have been a limited number of inductees into the hall each year. So some folks are undoubtedly missing that each of us would like to see there. But I recommend appreciating it for what IS there. And that is a LOT of stuff. But I wanted to see one specific exhibit that is there only until February, the Women of Rock, and that was incredible. The place also includes an unbelievable amount of rock memorabilia, starting with the very first radios and recordings and going up to the Beatles, Elvis and the Rolling Stones.

Beyond that, there is large-scale memorabilia like the concert puppets from Pink Floyd’s The Wall concert tour, and tiny things that mean so much like hand-written lyrics by people like Joan Jett and Janis Joplin. Then there are tons of instruments and stage clothes. We spent the entire day, from doors open to doors closing, and we didn’t quite see the entire thing. We tried to watch most of the movies and get into most of the exhibits but there just is more than a day’s worth of stuff in there.

The Women Who Rock exhibit let us see the original lyrics to the Runaways’ ‘Cherry Bomb’ and Siouxsie Sioux’s fur cape, as well as Lady Gaga’s meat dress. I also really loved seeing Elvis’s set list on his TCB letterhead, and one of Flavor Flav’s clock necklaces. Just so much to look at.

If you ever get the chance, visit Cleveland. Besides the HOF, there is a science museum right next door, a world-class art museum, and we also found the A Christmas Story house – where they filmed the exteriors for the classic holiday movie.

We spent a couple evenings out in suburban Lakewood, which got us to My Mind’s Eye records, an excellent independent record store, especially for vinyl collectors. There are good restaurants out that way and friendly people. Thanks Charles!

Sometimes we miss things most when they are gone, and when Tyrone was missing a couple of weeks ago, there was a vacancy in McPherson Square. More than that, there was a cloud over my day, and I got a bit worried.

Every weekday morning he is there to greet me on my way to work. If you take the Metro to McPherson Square, you may know Tyrone, too. Or he may know you. I’m not exactly sure when he showed up, but I think it was during the renovation of the park last year. I was taking photos of the park on a daily (or so) basis, and one day I wasn’t taking a photo, he said,

Aren’t you takin my picture today?

That made me smile, and that wall, which is naturally between strangers, came down a bit.

Tyrone is a beautiful part of my day, which might seem weird because he is a man that sits on a bench all morning. But it’s about attitude. He is careful to greet everyone that goes by, on both sides of 15th Street. He says, “Good morning!” or “Hello precious!” or “Hi there you with the hat over there! I see you!”

He makes sure that all his friends know that he notices them, and everyone that walks by his bench — or within a 50-foot radius of his bench — is a friend of his.

People in the McPherson Square neighborhood also know the man that greets us in the evening, by saying “Quarters, dimes, nickels, dollars, spare change?” He’s been in the area for years.

Remember the man that used to stand outside of the Black Cat on 14th Street and chant “Black Cat, Black Cat!” before the doors opened as we lined up for shows? A friend just mentioned he isn’t there anymore.

Let me be clear, I don’t know all of Tyrone’s story. I am not a social worker. But I talked to him enough to find out that he was away because the heat aggravated his COPD, and he went somewhere for treatment. I’m not sure if he’s homeless or jobless or retired and he just likes to bring his suitcase to the park every day. I am not going to ask you to donate to his cause.

Just remember that these voices we hear on our way to work, on our way to the Metro, or on our way to the nightclub — they have names. This is Tyrone.

I admit it.

I saw that bag sitting there.

I asked around, as intructed by the omni-present WMATA ad campaign, “Is that your bag?” and all nearby Metro riders responded in the negative.

So what next?

The ads say to alert a Metro employee or the police. I’ve got the Metro police phone number plugged into my iPhone. But the train was moving, it was Friday evening, and this was a rarely-seen available seat on the Orange line.

I picked up the bag, carefully set it on the floor, and sat down next to the window. A woman sat next to me, between me and the mystery bag. She had seen the whole thing, yet had no fear.

She didn’t call the a Metro employee or the police.

Thoughts raced through my head:

• I can’t tell my friend who works at Homeland Security I did this.
• I can’t call Metro because I get no reception down here.
• If I call the driver from the call box at the end of the car, it will surely cause a panic and screw up my commute (as well as the Friday night commute for a lot of other people).
• That’s a nice lunch bag. It’s really something that should go in the lost-and-found. Do they have that any more?
• What if I just threw it out a door at a random station, in case it is a bomb?
• I guess if I threw a bomb out of a train I would get arrested at some point…

Luckily it never blew up. I got home safely, though full of guilt.

These Metro ad campaigns have me convinced that every lonely bag should be treated as a suspicious package. But this was not a suspicious package, according to common sense, and according to Metro’s definition. It was a small insulated lunch bag, with room for a drink, and it seemed obvious to me that someone had forgotten it. If it had been truly suspicious I would not have touched it or moved it.

What would you do?

This is going to be a crazy fundraising weekend for me. My two great non-profit loves are both having super fundraisers in Washington, D.C. this weekend, and I get to play a part in both of them.

On Saturday — and you can easily be a part of this too — Eileen Fisher has chosen Girls Rock! DC as the metro area beneficiary of her Spring event. During Saturday, March 26, there is an awesome sale at Eileen Fisher stores and 10% of proceeds go to Girls Rock! DC. That totally rocks. Hope to see you there!

On Sunday I’ll be joining the 5th annual National Walk for Epilepsy on the Mall, along with my husband, and it will be very early in the morning and probably cold but we will go have brunch at Asylum afterwards. Knowing that, and knowing that my friends and supporters helped me far surpass my fundraising goal this year, will keep us warm!

THANK YOU everyone donating to both of these causes, whether you are writing a check or walking or shopping. It means a great deal to those that benefit!

I want to tell you about a film preview my husband took me to see. It wasn’t really a fun movie, but worth your time.

Kevin Smith, of Clerks and Dogma fame, directed this movie – Red State – but this is a whole new genre for him.

It is not an easy film to watch. It wasn’t exactly a break for my busy brain. It’s disturbing, and it makes you question things. A lot like the recent ruling in the Supreme Court might have. I have to agree, it is American to have the right to demonstrate wherever you want to. But it is also pretty obviously RUDE to picket at a funeral, no matter whose it is, no matter what you’re saying.

So… Smith put together this movie, Red State, and gives us a fictional family that is worse than what we’ve heard of in reality in many ways. They have their own crazy interpretation of the Bible, and more than that, they have a basement full of guns. They also seem to have the mentality of suicide bombers. I don’t want to spoil it for you, but let me say this: it is violent.

Smith found some excellent talent to work on the project, including John Goodman, Stephen Root, Michael Parks, and my favorite – Melissa Leo.

Some people are calling this a horror film, but I’d call it an action/thriller. I suppose it depends on your threshold for violence. But I do recommend seeing it with a friend, because it left me needing to talk. I have a lot of icky feelings about religious zealots as it is, and the movie almost makes you think… Wait? Are we as bad as they are? Good stuff.

Be on the lookout for its wide release October 19th: http://coopersdell.com/

FYI if you are on the list at the website for the sneak peek tour, get tickets! Kevin Smith does great talks with his fans. That was an excellent way to see the movie.

The end of winter is a hopeful time of year. I like seeing the bulbs in my garden breaking through the cold brown earth, promising bright daffodils and crocuses. It also means taxes are due soon, and that is no fun for most people.

But I look forward to the possibility of a nice fat refund, and I enjoy when I can say I’ve stuck to my budget and met my goals, like paying off a credit card or saving for a vacation or something like that. (I really dig Mint.com for personal finance tracking.)

Doing my own budgeting, there are definitely some things I’ve had to cut out in order to pay down my debt, so when I look at the country’s debt, and the struggle for Congress to agree on how our national budget is spent, I sympathize.

Personally, I would rather see federal money spent first on basics:

• Ensure Americans are healthy and educated,
• Facilitate transportation of people and goods across state lines,
• Defend our borders,
• and Provide adequate crisis response.

Federal government agencies are also responsible for protecting our national parks, planning our energy strategies, regulating our prescription drugs and research, and deciding what level of emissions/litter we decide to call pollution. Importantly, the federal government also defends and protects the constitution, using all three branches of government.

We have a lot to accomplish, but we just need to set our priorities straight. And I think it’s important to remember that our government isn’t some crazy militant dictator that’s been sitting in a palace for decades. We have a pretty good system.

• We could have had a lot more money to budget with if the Bush tax cuts hadn’t been extended. What’s up with that?
• Arts programs may have to take a back seat, but, if they do, will citizens who got their tax cuts step in?

We just got back from New York City!

Generally we stay with friends but this time we decided to splurge, to do something different, and I had always wanted to visit the Hotel Chelsea for its historical significance and character. Most prominent for me is the legend of Sid Vicious and his girlfriend Nancy, chronicled in the movie Sid and Nancy. AWESOME, right? It was also home to songwriter Leonard Cohen for a bit, and many other writers and artists. Besides that, the hotel is full of art, the furniture is eclectic, and so is the neighborhood of Chelsea.

The Hotel Chelsea is a great bargain, by the way. A fairly quiet neighborhood besides the clanging old radiator. There’s no continental breakfast or coffee maker in your room — this is no Inn Express. But the staff is gracious and knowledgeable, and you can enjoy a modern art museum in your slippers if you like, just walking through the halls. The characters in the lobby are worth watching, too. Last weekend was New York Fashion Week, so we saw quite an interesting parade of designers, models and hangers-on in the neighborhood while we were there.

Just around the corner we found a superb vegan restaurant, Blossom. The dishes were all perfect comfort food for our freezing February visit, and the dining room was comfortable and cozy. Service was excellent. I was very glad to have made reservations on a Saturday night, because they were packed.

We planned ahead and made reservations for the Statue of Liberty as well, and we were able to get tickets to climb to the crown. If you want to make this climb, do it soon. There are plans to do more renovations on the statue later in 2011, and she’ll be closed again.

Three more stops I have to mention. We never go to New York without hitting the local record and video shops. These are particular stand-outs, and they’ve all been around for ages. If you’re looking for rare old vinyl, imports or independent releases, you should be able to find them at one of these places:

• Kim’s Video
• Bleecker Bob’s
• Bleecker Street Records