#APAC2017 was a whirlwind couple of days once again, but this time I felt more prepared, more relaxed, less overwhelmed. I just stuck to the schedule this time and let Fate guide me the rest of the way.

It was the first year, I think, that as many people approached me (“Hey, you’re Paul Woodson!) as I did them (“Hey, you’re Narrator McFamous!”), which allowed for more casual interaction and less pressure to be that sort of creepy-assertive-proactive-convention-stalker type. (Which I’m bad at anyway.)

It was still humbling of course to hear such stalwarts give excellent readings at the Listening Lounge, and watch the #Audies winners stroll in to the #Naudies in their tuxes and gowns and medals, but it felt like a room I was welcome in; the atmosphere was warm and embracing. I drank far less this year too, so I actually can remember the Naudies from beginning to end, and I don't think I told any bad jokes to drive Jeffrey Kafer away this time. Mission accomplished!

Thanks to everybody who has helped usher me along on this adventure bit by bit; you are too numerous to name, but it has been a great ride so far and I have no intentions of getting off the coaster! I will try always to keep narrating quality work, and routinely to have a fresh FB selfie of me with a pint in the foreground or a mountain in the background (or ideally both simultaneously). 🍺🏔

Sorry my lovely wife Christine (and Kellgren doppelgänger, which was the source of mistaken-identity humor last year in Chicago) was not around at the festivities; but she has been informed of your interest, and I will make sure she meets you all again next time round!
And after enough brutally honest conversation with you all, I will finally concede that yes, I did indeed marry up. She’s way out of my league and far too hot for me. I do get the message loud and clear.

I didn’t get enough pictures of the events myself, but it’s been a pleasure seeing all of yours! I feel so honored to be a part of such an intelligent, talented, attractive, and generous group. Hoping to continue to get to know you all better as each year comes round! Cheers! 🍻

John Lennon Remembered, and CHAPTER 27 (film)

My 2nd residence in Manhattan was the same block as the Dakota. (I'm still not sure how I got such a great deal on W. 72nd St. to be able to afford it.) Every time I walked up the street to Central Park I thought about him, and all the history there. And every 8 December, there were always many acolytes both at the Dakota Apartments, and the "Imagine" Memorial just east, inside Central Park.

My parents were massive Beatles fans and I know that my birth name was at least partly influenced by Paul McCartney. John Lennon, though, was the strongest id of the group. He had such an amazing life journey, not just the fame and fortune of it all, but his transformation from a frustrated, pent-up, almost criminal youth to a peace-and-love, universalist embracing philosophy. What a cultural touchstone he was. And what a tragic waste.

Mark Chapman was an addled excuse for a human being, but he was portrayed with intriguing commitment (seriously, with the weight gain he is unrecognisable) by Jared Leto in the sleeper CHAPTER 27 (2007), which follows Chapman's time in NYC leading up to his assassination of John Lennon. He's not glamourized or sympathised at all, and it's sad because you know how it's all going to end, but it does put you into an interesting time and place, and the supporting cast (generally all playing Lennon fans – Lindsay Lohan, reminding us that she CAN be a really good actress– or paparazzi– Judah Friedlander of 30 ROCK fame– that Chapman interacted with) are all phenomenal.

Having finally seen Waitress, I'm reminded of how much I liked Adrienne Shelly: her acting, directing, writing were all utterly charming. In interviews she always had a guileless, quirky sweetness about her, and always looked like a radiant ingenue even in her late 30s, which belied her fierce intellect below the surface. Plus she'd attended my alma mater, Boston University, only a couple years before me. I'd always wished to see her make it bigger than she did, but this allowed her to create a lot of her own opportunities in film.

It still stuns me to remember that she was murdered in 2006, at age 40, by a 19 year-old Ecuadorian construction worker, in her own Manhattan apartment. She had a happy marriage, a 2 year-old daughter, and WAITRESS had just been submitted to Sundance. It would be her final acting and directing project. She never had the chance to flower into the fully-fledged writer/director she certainly would have become on the heels of that film's plaudits.

It seems such a senseless waste of life of a woman who clearly embraced the bittersweet humor of everyday life. That some violent kid could just take it away from her, and from those that loved her, blows my mind. Remembering Ms. Shelly gives me pause and reminds me that every day is precious, that your life can turn on a dime. Perhaps I'm driven to write this because of the recent murders of journalist Alison Parker and her cameraman Adam Ward, whose deaths were equally shocking and sudden.

On this, my wedding anniversary, I am grateful for my life, the love of my life Christine, and the great family and friends that surround me. I guess my tribute to the late Ms. Shelly is also partially meant to inspire all of us to seize our opportunities to live every single day as fully as possible. Even when things are presumably on track and stable, tragedy can strike– yet the world must continue on. This seemed to be Adrienne's own outlook. May your legacy live on, Ms. Shelly. I admired your work greatly.