Brief Update...

...because I'm really tired and need to go to bed.

1) No money today from the new client.
2) No band practice tomorrow because we do not have a drum set yet.
3) I have not been writing or drawing or doing a whole lot of anything other than work.
4) I am increasingly disliking work, mostly because no one will pay me.
5) My random play MP3 player just played two Van Morrison songs back-to-back, which is relevant to nothing.
6) I have mucho e-mails to catch up on tomorrow.
7) I am finally formulating a new song!

Another Long Weekend

I'm pretty tired and will be taking a long nap here in a few minutes, but here's a recap of my weekend: I spent Friday at my Mom and Dad's, and one of my Dad's friends came over. And then my Dad's best friend came over. I went home at about 10PM and watched a movie called Idiocracy which was pretty funny. Afterward, I checked my e-mail and had finally received the e-mail from my contact for the new project. I printed out the info so that I could do a quote for them, and then I did the quote, printed out contracts, and did some additional work for the project. I went to bed at about 6:30 Saturday morning.

I got up at 10 AM Saturday and went to the studio. Except we got stuck in the driveway and we were late. The drummer was already there when we got there, but the bassist was no where to be seen. We set up and recorded anyway, just getting the drum tracks, and "scratch" vocals and guitar. After that, me and Kenny went and got lunch and then went to this coffeehouse to meet with the investors in this new project.

So, I went to bed at about 2 AM and got up Sunday at about 11 AM. Then me and Kenny went up to the Legion in Cusick with my aunt and uncle. Me and my aunt played gin and made fun of the country music and then played pool. And now I am home, sleepy and ready to go to bed. I did write some in Devil's Handiwork. Here is some of the best stuff:

I should have known that something was up when two guys in suits came into
the Dew Drop Inn. I wasn’t certain, but I didn’t think that anyone in this area
even knew what a suit was, much less where to buy one. No, overalls and flannel
were haute couture of the Southern Oregon farmers that populated this area.

I definitely should have known that something was wrong when one of them
put a quarter in the jukebox and Mick Jagger started pouring through the
speakers. All the Good Old Boys turned to look at the newcomers, their
displeasure of Hank Williams’ usurpation as the jukebox king evident in their
frowning expressions.

Comments on this, anyone?

Nothing New To Report

I've just been working on new tattoos... I have fifteen or so that I haven't scanned in or added to my book. They're just sitting here.

I got more copies of my book today, so, if anyone wants one, put in your order now from my web site and I'll even sign it for you. One copy is already spoken for, so that leaves three. Get with it. :D

Sent a friend a birthday present and a check for his help with that computer the other day.

No new songs, and no new writing to report.

I have not heard from Civil Service. So, no new clue on what's happening with my life.

News

I just heard that I placed number one on the 911 dispatcher's job.

New can o'worms, I guess.

Aw, Hell...

Today, I had to get up early and go do another computer call-out and fix someone Internet connection. They have a new computer running Vista... and I think it sucks. Perhaps I would get used to Vista, but, right now, with what little contact I've had with it... I don't like it overmuch.

Later, we had band practice, and it went rather well. We went over several originals, including "Even If I Stagger," "Slow Burn," "Relax," and the new one, "Rumors."

Tomorrow, I am going into Spokane to meet with the recording studio guy about his web site and to book some recording time. I also need to go to Guitar Center and buy picks for Kenny, and I want to get some guitar strings for both my guitars. Thursday, I am testing for the 911 dispatcher's job. Friday's still up in the air, as is the weekend. Next Wednesday (the 21st), I am having the temporary crown put on my tooth, and having two cavities filled. That's about as much as I know for right now.

I haven't been writing, and I haven't been drawing tattoos. Mostly, I've been reading a book I got in the mail from a friend of mine.

What A Weekend

I went to King's with Kenny and Germ. We had barely walked into the place when the owner of the bar comes running up to us with a calendar in hand and asks us to play on March 16th, to which we agree. So, now we have a show! Yay!

So, then, Saturday, I get a call from the drummer's girlfriend telling us that the band that was scheduled to play at The Rio had cancelled sue to the flu, and would we play that night? And we were like, "Yeah, we'll do it."

We get to the show, get set up, and soundcheck. And... it's time to start. A few more people trickle in. We start off with "Burning For You." We have the typical first set jitters, but, by the third or fourth song, we were in the zone. The place started filling up pretty fast by now, because people had spent most of the first set calling their friends on cell phones and telling them that the other band wasn't playing. We went on first break, and then whizzed through the second set, including playing a MAJOR KICK ASS version of "Radar Love" (playing it better than we have probably EVER played it) and playing two originals that had people ON THE DANCEFLOOR!!!! We took second break, played most of the third set... we were two songs from finishing the third set when... the bar's bass amp blew a tube or something. We had to take the third break two songs early to see if there was another bass amp in the building (no) and the figure out what the hell we were going to do to finish the night. We ended up running the bass through the P.A., and all went well from there on out. We were ready to quit, and annouced that we were at the end of the night. The bar was still FULL. There had to be about 100 people there. They started begging us to play one more. My Dad came up and asked us to play "Crazy Train," so I said that we would do that. Just then, a guy comes running up, and tosses a $100 on Kenny's vocal monitor and says, "Play 'Sweet Home Alabama'." Kenny turns around to us and says, "We're playing 'Sweet Home'," and he launches into it. That was super cool. The guy's name was Chuck. I'll never forget that. And then the bar paid us $100 more than we thought we were getting. SCORE!

But the best part of the whole night was this: the bartenders told me that, the night before, when the other band was playing, there had been 14 people ALL NIGHT. That, the night before, when the other band was playing, the band had left at 11. But while we were playing, they'd had to empty the till THREE TIMES, and it was full again at the end of the night. The very best part? We played REALLY well. We kicked ass. I was so proud of us. :)

So, Grandpa's musical legacy lives on. I miss him so much. And I could never thank him for this gift he gave me.