NYC JOURNAL ENTRIES

Here are some journal entries from our NYC visit...

7:30PM

We got to the Hotel about 1:30, but the room wasn’t ready yet so we just went out and walked around Times Square and the area. It was fun, but I had flip-flops on and my feet are killing me. The energy in this town is intense.

8-19-07

It’s Betsy’s Birthday. We are in NYC, and having a great time. We all slept in last night after a long day yesterday. Today the girls are shopping, and I’m going to wander around and possibly go to MOMA. Tonight we are taking Betsy and the girls to Ruth's Chris steakhouse, which is just around the corner.

8-20-07

Betsy’s Birthday dinner was nice. Betsy had filet, and I had Sea Bass. It was a wonderful dinner, but I must say that New York Prime in Myrtle Beach has Ruth's Chris beat, in my humble opinion.

Today was a very busy day. We went to Columbia University, the World Trade Center site, and SoHo. We spent a lot of time hanging out in SoHo and the girls did some shopping. We ate at a crappy restaurant that we just went to at random, as we were starving at the time. The service sucked and the food was ok at best.

Anyway, we saw a lot of the city today, and got very adept at riding the trains. It’s amazing how quickly you can get around on the subway system. Tomorrow we are going to the Village in the evening. In the day the girls are doing a bit more shopping, but I don’t want to hang with them. I may duck into a museum or something.

8-21-07

It’s our last night here in the City. Betsy and I spent the whole afternoon at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was absolutely incredible, and I wish I had another entire day to check it out in greater detail. We also got to drop by the Dakota and pay my respects. I convinced the girls to go to Greenwich Village this evening and we wandered around and took it all in. We bought some books at Shakespeare and Company, the famous bookstore in the Village. We then took the subway back to the hotel and had a bite to eat at the Cosmic Diner across from the hotel. We had breakfast there on Sunday and like it so much we decided to go back. Now we are packing. We have to leave the hotel by 9am at the very latest. The plane leaves at 11am.

8-22-07

We are actually at the airport early for a change. We thought the flight departed at 11:00, but actually it leaves at 11:50! That’s not much of a problem, because I don’t want to spend any more money in the city! Right now I’m trying to get on the net. It’s spotty at best. I’m a bit tired. I have a lot to do when I get home. I need to get my project in to Disc Makers.

I really enjoyed this trip. I know that I want to return fairly soon. I’d like to check out some music next time. Next time Betsy and I will come on our own. Possibly I can tie in some kind of performance or music business oriented activity.

NYC

It's been a whirlwind of activity, and lets face it, we'd need a whole lot more time to see it all. Today is our last full day. We leave tomorrow at 11am. We have become a bit familiar with the trains, which is always a plus, and that knowledge will come in handy next time around. I won't be able to post any pics until I get back home. I just haven't had the time.

I will say that Betsy had a wonderful Birthday. We went down the street to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. Dinner was very nice indeed.

I have never walked this much in my life, but I'm enjoying every minute of it. The sights and sounds, even the smells. I'm taking it all in.

This afternoon we are headed to the Village. Right now the girls are going to finish up some shopping (Katie and Ivana. Betsy and I are out of money!). Betsy and I might check out MOMA while the girls shop.

4:24AM

I'm up, showered, and ready to roll. Our flight leaves at 7AM, but they now have this rule that you have to be checked in a minimum of a half an hour before the flight to guarantee seating. How do I know this? When we went to Boston in April we got to the airport about twenty five minutes before takeoff and they wouldn't let us board. They put us on the next flight. I'm going to do everything in my power to be the ogre in the family this time. Plus, we have to pick up Ivana. Yikes. I'm outnumbered by chicks.

Wish me luck.

I'll be posting pics later this evening from day one in NYC.

MASTERING COMPLETED

Mastering of my CD, Matter Of Time has been completed. It was mastered by my friend Ronny Morris at Digitak Mastering. I eagerly await the reference disc. Next stop is manufacturing.
I'm moving along on this one, and it will be available very soon.

New York State Of Mind

Betsy, Katie and I are going to New York City for a few days. We leave Saturday morning. Katie's friend Ivana is coming with us as well. She's a cool kid, and we should have an awesome time. Katie want to check out Columbia University while we are there, so I am calling this a College exploratory trip. I am only kidding myself, because I know that's only an excuse for the girls to do some shopping in the city!

I have never been to NYC. I am quite excited to finally be going. It should prove to be a nice overview for me. I'm pretty sure I'm going to fall in love with the place. I have no doubt that it is a totally different experience from my old stomping grounds of Los Angeles. I look forward to meeting some new friends, soaking up some energy, and some awesome scenery, and making some cool memories. I hope we get a chance to see some music while we are in town.

Betsy's birthday is on Sunday. That should be a great place to celebrate, don't you think?

CONCERT T-SHIRTS LOSE THEIR COOL

I don’t know about you, but I think the fact that you can get concert t-shirts at places like Wal-Mart and Target cheapens the rock n’ roll experience. This is yet another example of a corporate fueled and superficial marketplace. I used to take great pride in obtaining a concert tee at a concert I attended. It was a rite of passage. Now the very same vintage tees are available too readily. The charm is gone and the glory has definitely departed. Now every yuppie from here to Hong Kong has got the same damn shirt! It’s kind of like tattoos; everyone has one. Now don’t get me wrong. I like my tattoos; it’s just that now that everyone has one it seems like a herd experience. I once wrote that conformity was inevitable.

Conformity is inevitable

So why fight

To try to be yourself

No matter what you try to do to be unique and original, you can be sure it has been done many, many times before. There is clearly no way around it. How about this? Just do your thing, and don’t worry about what every other skin bag is up to.

Live it people. This gig is most certainly not going to last forever. I suggest that you try to enjoy the moment. If you cannot enjoy the moment, at least live it and experience it fully. Keep in mind how fleeting the past was and hold on loosely and enjoy. Don’t worry about things so much. Don’t take yourself so seriously. Live your life in a truly present fashion.