Nice Night

Had a lovely dinner with my family tonight. My sister Maria took us all out to the Red Lobster. Maria and her daughter, my niece Julie, are in town to visit. Ten of us were at dinner. Myself, Betsy, Katie, Roger, Mom, Maria, Brenda, Julie, Taylor, and Wesley.

It was a good time.

Shameless Promotion (Thanks Bob!)

Weird Video

Check out this odd video.

John Lydon On The Meaning Of Life

Check out this video of John Lydon on the meaning of life. I may not agree with all he says, but I love his candor.

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.

Dinner With Mom

It's a beautiful, sunny Sunday. The humidity has dropped considerably, but it is sunny with a slight breeze. My mom is settling in nicely. Visiting family members have departed today, after helping get my mom moved in. We are joining her for dinner this evening.

10:28 PM
We went over to my mom's for dinner. It was a nice time. It's so cool to have her around. She has a great new apartment in a retirement community right around the corner. The last couple of days we have been meeting some great people. A guy named Jacob joined us at our table for dinner in the dining room. He is from Holland, and he had some amazing stories to tell. He's eighty-four, speaks about four languages, has been to about forty countries in his lifetime, and is an excellent Chess player. So good, in fact, that some people in the community don't want to play him anymore. He even played a game with Bobby Fischer.

I can tell you that it's going to be great going over for dinner on a regular basis. Not only is the food excellent, but the people are awesome, and I think my mom will be happy and make all sorts of interesting new friends. So will I.

My Mom's Birthday

It's my mom's 82nd Birthday today. She has also moved to town just two days ago. This represents a big change for her. It will be nice to have her around. We are all going out for dinner this evening. It looks like about ten of us will be in attendance. Then we will all convene at my house for some cake and coffee. It should be a nice time.

Man, it just started raining like the dickens. It got all dark and windy, and before you knew it, it was just gushing down. As hot as it is, I hope it gets rid of some of this dreadful humidity.

Immersed In Music

I'm going through some music files, and getting organized to send a batch of songs to mastering. I can say that mixing is done, which is quite a relief. I did all of this myself, so it has had some fits and starts to say the least. I've pretty much done the best I could do, and now it's time to move this thing to the next level. These songs are what they are. I can't wait to share them with you.

Fried

My ears are fried this evening due to listening to a mix repeatedly last night. I have a bit more work to do on this particular mix, and then I am done mixing the CD. I intended to be done on this song tonight, but I think it would be counter-productive to the mix and also to my hearing health.

Grand Strand Blogger Meetup

The meetup was a lot of fun. It was a nice, warm day, and we met down at Bummz Beach Cafe. My brother Roger (standing, left) and I (standing, right) met up with Dave Slusher, seated, right) and Andre Pope (seated, left), and hung out for almost a couple hours. It was super cool hanging out with these guys. For you folks that missed this go-round, there's always next time, but you missed a good time. It was awesome to meet Dave and Andre. Dave is one of the original podcasters, if you don't know that already. He is one of the guys that got me interested in the podcasting thing when I read an article in the Charleston Post and Courier about podcasting almost three years ago. It's hard to imagine it's been that long. It's mind boggling to think of the changes that the podcasting medium has gone through in the last couple of years. It's interesting to see it evolve. The media playing field has been leveled in multi-faceted ways. Every aspect of content production and delivery has experienced a major paradigm shift. And the keys to the kingdom have been given to each and every one of us.

Dave is a catalyst, and I appreciate his efforts on behalf of this community.

Thanks to Andre for his generosity this afternoon. You shouldn't have man!

Seeing's Believing on Evil Genius Chronicles

Dave Slusher was kind enough to play my song, Seeing's Believing on his podcast, EGC Clambake for June 23, 2007. Thanks so much Dave!

Happy Summer

I just wanted to say Happy Summer to everyone! Today was the official first day of summer.

Grand Strand Blogger Meetup

I copied this from Dave's blog, Evil Genius Chronicles. Be there or be square!


Grand Strand Blogger Meetup

from Evil Genius Chronicles by dave

I pulled the plug on the original date for the Grand Strand Blogger meetup because for one I had dog care issues and for another, it was unbearably poor form to hold it on Father’s Day. Even though no one seemed to mind, I just didn’t like the idea so we scooched it one week back. If you are driving distance and want to come, please do and invite your friends. You need not blog or podcast or videoblog, even having a vague interest that you might want to one day is enough. Just come.

Here again is the announcement:
—–

In the spirit of ongoing attempts to crystallize a blogger community here in the Grand Strand, I’m organizing a get together. If you are a blogger, podcaster, videoblogger or interested in any of the above, come and hang out with us. Here are the specifics:

Sunday June 24th at 3 PM, Bummz at 2003 N. Ocean Blvd, Myrtle Beach, SC
Phone number of the joint: 843-916-9111
Google Map to the restaurant

We’ll be at a table outside as close to the beach as we can get. If you are interested in coming, please send me a non-binding RSVP via email just so I can keep you abreast of logistics and make sure we have enough table space reserved. Feel free to forward this information around, tell your friends, tell your neighbors, blog about it yourself. Bloggers now do this kind of thing all the time in Charleston, and we’re as good as those people. Just like they found out in Charleston that when they got together they had a critical mass they didn’t realize existed, let’s try to get the same thing going in our part of the state. Let’s rock!

Podcast 6 - Shrimp And Grits

Listen Here.

This is a quick ramble down in Charleston this morning.

Shrimp and Grits. MMMMM!

Tommy Condon's

I was saddened to hear of the tragedy that occurred there last night. I didn't hear about it until I got home. My heart and prayers go out to the families of the fallen firemen that died in the line of duty. May God bless them and be with them in this horrible time.

YAHOO

I just found out that I now have unlimited storage on my Yahoo email account. That's awesome! I suppose gmail will soon follow suit. I have had my yahoo mail account for years. I also have a gmail account, but I prefer yahoo so far. Maybe it's a question of what I'm used to. I have everything set to forward to Yahoo anyway, so I suppose I have the best of both worlds. I do not use a desktop mail app. I don't see a need for it. Maybe there's something I don't know. If anyone can give me some advice about outlook or Thunderbird, please let me know the benefits. I have never used Outlook. Is it worth the time? Is it better than a web-based account?

Unlimited storage. Wow. Things have really changed.

Tangent

Wandering thoughts have always been my undoing. They sometimes take me where I don't want to go, and once there, I am sucked in by the undertow. Many times I go off on some kind of tangent and get all worked up for all kinds of useless and insignificant reasons. Despite the best of intentions, I seem to get muddled up somehow. I am truly my worst enemy. Of course, when in the depth of such thoughts, one can mine the ore of lyrical vision at the storehouse of imagery. Might as well bring something back if you're down there anyway.

Cool Comic strip!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day all you dads out there!

My daughter surprised me on Thursday with an early Father's Day gift. She got us a pair of tickets to the Ben Harper show at House Of Blues. It was absolutely awesome. Tom Morello, who billed himself as The Nightwatchman, opened the show, which was a great surprise. The place was packed, and the energy and love between the artists and the fans was incredible.

Great show! But the best part of it all was being there and experiencing it with Katie. Thanks Peanut!

Sopranos?

What am I to gather from the ending Sopranos scene?
Is it open ended?
Or is the blackness at the end to symbolize finality?
Happily never after?
Did the entire family get it?
Or Tony only?
I'm thinking everyone.
What do you think?

Upgrade

In lieu of being impulsive and ordering a MacBook Pro on credit, I decided to go ahead and give my little Compaq Presario a little makeover. I bought an extra 1g of ram, a high capacity battery to replace my old and defective one, and a wireless mouse. I am happy to report that the memory is installed without a hitch, the battery is in place and receiving its initial charge, and the mouse is ready to go and performing very well. I think I've made a fiscally responsible choice and I am glad I did.

I still want to get a Mac, but I have decided to wait until Leopard comes out and gets its bugs out. This gives me time to actually save some money. It is my intention (like my car) to run this little lappy into the ground. I've only had it for a year and a half, but gear lust gets a hold of me pretty bad.

This little pc has really been a good little machine. There's a lot of life left in it, and storage concerns are nothing that my external drive can't remedy.

Dave Ramsey would be proud!

Friday Afternoon

It's Friday afternoon. I'm home and blogging while sitting at the kitchen table and looking out the patio doors. It's really hot and humid outside, but it's nice. I am listening to Dave Slusher's Evil Genius Chronicles podcast. I love Dave. You should check him out.

I am looking forward to a nice weekend. Time to relax, and to do some music work. I need to get some mixes done. I have two songs left to mix for my CD project. Everything seems to be coming together nicely.

Tonight is Graduation at Myrtle Beach High School. Next year will be Katie's turn. Tonight she is there as a Junior Marshal. The kid amazes me. She's got a serious brain. Must run in the family!

Betsy and I have gotten in to the habit of renting a movie on Fridays. I don't know what we'll be seeing tonight, but I'll let you know tomorrow.

My Mom Is Moving To The Beach

My mom came to town today with my sister and niece. My mom came to look at a beautiful retirement community here in town called Eagle Crest. She will be moving to town in a month or so, and I am looking forward to having her close by. We haven't lived in the same city for a very long time, many years, to give you an idea. It will be lovely to hang out together and just be close again.

Time goes by way too fast. I aspire to live every moment in the now, and to cherish the people that I love.

Light and Shadow

Sometimes the world bums me out. When I see and understand how money is the motivating factor for just about everything it brings me down. Money, acclaim, fame, success. A glimpse in to the darkness of striving and envy and revenge. It all boils down to being noticed, loved, and affirmed as a human being.

Sometimes the sadness is a real crusher when I see what people go through. The things we all see on the same scale. The little heroics of day to day. The rising above the mundane. And all the silly things we do to numb ourselves or distract ourselves. Sometimes it's hard to face the cold light of day; the stinging glare of a reality gone so desperately wrong.

And then I see a flower...Or hear the laughter of a child, and I am reminded again of joy.

SAND SCULPTURE

Check out this cool sand sculpture. It was made in front of the newly renovated Imax Theater here in Myrtle Beach...

Katie's Pre Prom Pics

BEACH

Betsy and I worked a couple of hours this morning, and then headed to the beach to lay around and soak up some sun and fresh air for about an hour. Boy was that refreshing! I hadn't been to the beach in ages. I think I'll make a habit of heading down there on a regular basis. The fresh air was just what the doctor ordered. I breathed deeply and it felt great.

The bike rally is over, and things are returning to normal. It's actually quiet on the street again. Betsy and I worked straight through. Whew. It's back to work on the music this week. I'll let you know how it goes...

Tonight we're going to have some baked chicken (Betsy does a wonderful job of it, much to the delight of her family), and basically chill out. I rented Reservoir Dogs. I've heard about this movie for quite some time, but have never seen it.

Saturday Chime-In

It is a beautiful Saturday morning. Betsy and I are getting ready to go to work. It's pretty much the last day of the Bike Rally. People start heading out tomorrow. It's been a busy week. We're all looking forward to taking a chill pill.

I finally saw Dead Man's Chest last night. My niece lent me the DVD. I am now caught up in the series so I can watch the new one when it comes out. I found the saga quite entertaining. Afterwards, I watched Real Time with Bill Maher. I like him, but it's the same old crap. I'm sick to death about hearing of this stupid war. We have made a real mess of things over there. I'm still trying to understand why we are in Iraq in the first place (Oil? To clean up daddy George H.W's little unfinished business from the early Nineties?). I am convinced that the actions in Iraq have little, if anything to do with terrorism. As usual, it's all about the money.

It's the Junior Prom tonight. Katie and her friends are excited. Hopefully I'll get to post some pics before too long, as I'm sure everyone will be looking lovely.

Talk to you later....

Sick Stooges

I just got back from checking out my brother's band Sick Stooges. Let me tell you, these guys rocked. I had a great time, and so did the rest of the crowd.

Bike Week

Yeah, this IS bike week, but Rog must have got his lines crossed!

Mom's Cataract Surgery #1

My mom goes in to surgery tomorrow for cataracts. Please say a prayer for her. After this one heals, she'll go back in for the other eye. I know she'll be thrilled to have crystal clear vision again.

I had a long day at the store yesterday. Worked the full day. It was busy but it was cool. Bike week is progressing very smoothly. Today went smoothly. I worked with my brother. He has a gig tonight. As a matter of fact he will have a total of four gigs this week with his rock cover band Sick Stooges.

I am moving forward in my CD production. I nailed the solo I was working on. Recording is completed. Mixing is completed on all but two songs. I should have all songs mixed by next week. I will then be ready for mastering.

Progress is being made, and I am totally fired up!

A Quiet Respite

I am spending the evening catching up on listening to podcasts and scanning some blogs. The girls have gone to bed, as they will be up very early for their fitness boot camp. I am sitting at the dining room table with my stuff around me. Nestled in the corner of the room, looking out into the rest of the downstairs area. It is quiet. It is softly lit. It is serene. I love these types of quiet moments. Time seems to stand still at moments like this. I am going to my humidor to select a cigar… a Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Verona’s Court. It’s a mild and creamy smooth smoke. I admit that my tastes run to the mild to medium area of the spectrum.

Boy am I enjoying this.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Happy Mother's Day!

DAVIDOFF EVENT

The Davidoff event went well. Now we are into Bike Week, and it's going smoothly. I'll post any interesting pics, but this year I am primarily in the store, and not at any of the off-site events unless something changes.

Busy Times Have Returned

Should be a busy and fun day tomorrow. We have a Davidoff event in the afternoon and it should be a lot of fun. It will be interesting to see how many how it goes. I'm looking forward to seeing Raymond Schuerer, Sam Russell, and Steve Dickinson from Davidoff. The last time I saw Raymond and Sam was when Betsy and I were in the Dominican Republic. Steve is our sales manager and it is always great to hang with him. Our customers seem to be excited about the event, and if any of you that RSVP'd are reading this, I'll see you there.

It looks like tomorrow will kick off a couple weeks of BUSY! The bike rally starts Friday, and will run for the next ten days. It looks like the logistics are pretty well sorted out this time around. This will be the third year of the rally that we have done, and I have blogged about them each time. You never know what you will see at these deals. Some things interesting, and some things silly. Some things you just wish you could forget!

I personally will be glad when it's over. The constant rumble of hogs for me gets a bit tiresome in the end, but it is not without its fun moments.

MUSC

Katie has been accepted as a summer volunteer at MUSC, which is the medical University down in Charleston. She will have to drive down there once a week, all summer. I am not sure, but I think she's going to work with kids when she is on duty. Katie has got a real gentle spirit with the little ones, and I think she will be a hit with them. It should be a wonderful experience for her, which I believe will impact all parties concerned in a positive way.

I spent the evening doing some music stuff, doing some practice edits of a couple trouble spots in some songs of mine, to get my chops up. Seems I'm getting the hang of it!

567

Today's got one of those cool dates. 5-6-07.
I know it has no particular significance, but it seems cool to me , nonetheless. It would be a cool milestone for something, like the day that will never be again. Just like every other irreplaceable and unique moment of our lives.

Good Day

I spent the day laying down some tracks, editing, and generally tweaking some music. It was a good and productive day. When I am immersed in music, I tend to lose track of time. I had a whim to edit a certain song of mine, and after a little while, I got it nailed. I was wondering if I could successfully remove part of a verse which I thought was redundant. It turns out that it worked out very well. It was a learning experience, and it feels great to actually be taking the bull by the horns and figuring out how to master all this stuff. Onward and upward!

Chris Yale Podcast Episode 5

Episode 5 is live! Click HERE.

Mentions:

Dave Slusher

Zippo

Tinder Box

Rivertown Arts and Jazz Festival

Rocky Patel Cigars

Randall Bramblett

Spring Bike Rally

Davidoff

Raymond Scheurer

Liberty Steakhouse and Brewery

Music Appreciation

I am listening to some songs on Songramp There is so much good music out there. There is so much bad music too, but I guess it's all a matter of opinion. I love it when I am listening to a new or unfamiliar song and get swept away with the words and music. The atmosphere and instrumentation make a huge difference to the vibe, whether it is sparse and plaintive, or fully produced. But for me the most important thing is the voice. Mind you, it doesn't have to be a perfect voice. For me it's about the character and the delivery. That special something that puts the song across. Personality. The elusive "it".

The song is the thing.

BOSTON - Day Three

I copied this from my Moleskine...

Newbury Street is lovely. It’s a sunny morning and people are out and about. Katie and Betsy are going in and out of shops. I am out on the sidewalk and smoking my small Stanwell travel pipe with a lovely bowl of Tinder Box’s Chartwell blend in it. Now that we are out and about and the sun is shining, I have to say I like this town. It’s diverse and thriving. Yesterday was cold and miserable, but we were unprepared for the weather. Had we been more warmly dressed with better rain gear we would have faired better. This is a real city, folks. I could get used to being in the thick of things again. The vibe is so different. I am using a solar-powered trash compactor as a desk right this moment. Very innovative and forward thinking, I must say. It’s just so refreshing.

On plane to Charlotte…
I think we all enjoyed our short trip to Boston. I could tell that this is a city I’d love to come back and explore in more detail next time. Perhaps it’s time to get my act together and take it on the road.

Boston - Day Two

Today we went to Boston University. We took a walking tour of some of the Campus. It was rainy and cold. Bob Saget and his daughter were in our group, which I found quite random. I don’t think anyone recognized him except Katie and me. It was so rainy and hectic that Betsy didn't really notice him until Katie mentioned it. This was the second time I bumped in to the guy. The first time was back when I was working for Capitol Records in Hollywood. I guess he was setting something up for some sort of practical joke for a show, and he was using either our building, or the parking lot for his prank. It's funny how life is.

After that we ate lunch at a little Irish Pub called the Black Rose. We did some shopping at the Quincy Market. It was fun. My legs are sore from what walking we did. That tells me how much I need to get in shape. After we rested up back at the Hotel, we walked down Commonwealth Avenue to a nice Thai place called Bamboo. Then we ambled back up to the room and now we are chilling out. We were thinking of going over to Harvard for fun tomorrow, but I think we have decided against that in favor of sticking around here and doing a little relaxing. Newbury is the name of the area that we are going to explore tomorrow. We have to be at the airport by five, so our time is a bit pinched, as we have opted to ride the trains instead of renting a car.

Boston - Day One

The girls and I made it safely to Boston, thank God. We went on a tour of Boston College. I have to say it's a beautiful and exciting school. Tomorrow we are going to check out Boston University. The schools seem to have very distinct vibes. We'll know more of course after tomorrow. So far, this has been a very positive experience. Time permitting, we plan on doing a bit of sightseeing. I want to poke around in some historical stuff, and we'll walk around downtown. My daughter Katie has saved up a bit of cash and wants to do some shopping. I'll have some pictures up in a few days. Right now we're beat, so I'm going to say goodnight.

Morning Input

It's a nice sunny day here in Myrtle Beach. It's my last day of work for the week. Today we are getting ready to go to Boston. We leave super early tomorrow morning. I hear the city of Boston has wi-fi, but I hear it sucks. It should be interesting to check it out. Of course, only a complete internet troll would think about something like that anyway. Maybe I should leave the laptop at home. NAH!

BOSTON

The girls and I are getting ready for a quick trip to Boston. Katie is interested in checking out Boston University, and Boston College. This is the first college exploratory trip (not counting when we were in LA over the Christmas break; We had a superficial scope-out of UCLA) we have embarked on. We'll be there Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and we have a lot of things to cram into those days. I have never been to Boston or the Northeast in general, so I am keen to check it all out. I know there is a very vibrant music community up there, but I won't be able to see to much of that on this go-round. All I know is, if Katie does decide to and gets accepted by either of those schools, I'll have to sell a kidney or something! She is a fantastic student, so I'm sure things will work out whatever the case may be.

I'll keep you posted....

Absence

I've been absent a while. I suppose I haven't had much to post. I seem to have been in a bit of a dry spell creatively and spiritually. I feel like I am going through some sort of refining process in my soul. Things are being churned up, and I am doing a lot of reflection and re-evaluation amidst sort of partly cloudy emotional terrain. I am growing, and I daresay it hasn't been a walk in the park. But this must happen; this process must continue to take me where I need to be at this stage in the game. I need to take it one step at a time, one day at a time.

HAPPY EASTER

Happy Easter!
May the grace of the risen Christ be with you all.

20th

Betsy and I celebrate twenty years of marriage today. It's hard to believe it's been that long. The years seem to have snuck by very quickly. For dinner, we're going to check out a place called Rioz, which is a Brazilian steakhouse. My daughter went there with her old workmates for their holiday party, and she said it was awesome, with the extensive salad bar to die for. We'll see...

A side note. We finally have internet access at the store. As if I wasn't enough of a troll at home....