:: big sky ::

I have just seen possibly the strangest movie I have ever seen: Punch Drunk Love with Adam Sandler. We both loved it... it was dark but not; didn't make sense to my left brain, but somehow did to my right brain; funny but also a little sad. It's a brilliant movie... I want to watch it again, because it's one of those with many, many layers. The scopitones alone are works of art, and the soundtrack is superb in its simplicity. Go to the website. Check it out... you can even download various mp3s and view some of the scopitone stills there. The website alone is pretty entertaining...

I should be in Colorado right now, but I'm home sick. Actually, that's not the reason I'm not in Colorado; it's actually because it just didn't work out for me to go, and coincidentally I've been under the weather for a couple of days now. I really miss Colorado. I need the mountains and the West. I need the Big Sky. Does the soul good. But it's okay. David and Punky wouldn't have been able to go, and I really want to do the whole trip out West thing with them. Maybe next year. Maybe we can drive all around the West... Do Arizona, Grand Canyon, New Mexico, mountains, Roswell, desert. But then there's also Wyoming.... Wyoming is delicious. I need to travel.

We're getting the record mastered on the 7th of July. We have the daunting task now of writing all the credits and stuff... I love that part because it's fun, but I also hate it because invariably someone gets left out accidently. We had it happen a couple of times last time: someone opens up the CD and reads the credits, expectantly looking for their name, and it's not there, and we see this cloud pass over their face. Ugh. Just stab me. What a yucky feeling. Anyway, if we leave anyone out, please know that it's not personal... it's just hard to list everyone in your whole world in such a limited space. I'm tempted to just thank "God and everyone else who's been nice..." or something like that, but then I think, "No, I need to name names..." Ach. It gives me a headache.

I'm going to start doing my morning pages again. I haven't visited my artist side for awhile, and I'm needing to wake that part of me up again. If you haven't gone through "The Artist's Way," (read Julia's "personal remarks" for a better feel for it) whether you think you're an artist yourself or not, do yourself a favor... get the book and go through it! It opened me up to so many things in myself that I had left behind... things that I was missing and didn't even realize... things that made me so happy and fulfilled once I got them back. Some of it is sort of "new age-y," but take what you can from it and enjoy the experience. I highly recommend it... I wouldn't be singing today if I hadn't found that book. Anyway, morning pages are coming back. Maybe I'll post a few here or in the forum. Heck, maybe we can get an Artist's Way discussion group going in the forum, if some people want to go through it together. That would be cool.

Okay, I'm all inspired now. Woo-eee!

Well, I'm off to design a new press kit. Time to start gigging again.

:: A'le'inn ::

Today is UFO day. Just because I'm in a UFO sort of mood. I stumbled across a website dedicated to Dreamland, AKA Area 51... very cool and informative. I want to go to the Black Mailbox. I do, I do.

Gosh, I'm sunburned. Went to Medina Lake with Punky today. He loved it. There's this little beach park run by a guy named Angel and his wife on P.R. 37, and he is so nice that it's worth going to his beach instead of the Bandera County public park. It was so amazingly hot today. It was very nice though... we've lived here almost 8 years, are 10 minutes from the lake, and have never been. What's wrong with us? So anyway, Punky and I went, and it was nice and quiet and tranquil. Until, of course, a huge truckload of about 15 people pulled up, totally invaded our area with their boombox full of rap crap and all their kids and their picnic trash. Some people just have absolutely no consideration for others at all. And when they left, they left ALL of their trash just sitting out on the picnic table. Pigs, I tell you. At any rate, it was still nice for Punky and I, and he's all crashed out now on the bed and I'm burned to a crisp. And it's supposed to rain and be cool tonight. Go figure.

Had a dragonfly land on me several times today to drink water from my skin. He was so pretty... all blue and iridescent. What cool little creatures they are. I heard that their lifespan is only 24 hours. Wonder if that's true?

I love Snopes.com. Love it. I have always loved urban legends, little known facts, news of the weird, conspiracy theories, etc. They just absolutely fascinate me. They are such a commentary on human nature and the desire to always want more, the insatiable need for "something else." This can't be all there is... anyway, I just found out that Mr. Ed (y'know, the talking horse on TV) was actually a ZEBRA! Huh? Apparently, according to snopes, the stripes didn't show up because of the way black and white TV operated back then... way too dang complicated to explain here, but go read about it. It's really amazing.

Nothing is weirder though that the folks over at Coast to Coast AM. Lizard people, crop circles, you name it, it's there. I listen to Art Bell on the way home from gigs late at night sometimes just for a good laugh. Once, he asked, with a straight face, for listeners to call in if they could fly or if they had X-ray vision. Rrrrrrrrrright.

Okay, I have to go make Chicken Cacciatore. David will be home soon. Dinner must be ready! Not because he demands it, but because I will look like a complete slacker if it's not ready.

:: Shaflow. ::

I forgot to post the world's scariest mug shot. Whoa.



Courtesy of The Smoking Gun.

:: Mint Juleps ::

I'm craving oatmeal raisin cookies right now. I just made some. I want them all. Must... control.... myself....

I just got royally dissed! I'm not one to chat online much... it takes too long and I'd rather email or pick up the phone. Plus, contrary to popular opinion, I have a life. But I just happened to have my instant message program on (first time in months) and noticed a friend signed on. Said "hi" and they instantly signed off! The ol' door slam sound and all. Yeah, okay. Maybe they got thrown offline by accident. Mmm, no, I got dissed. That's an ugly feeling. Oh well.........

Still dread-headed. Loving it. I'm probably the only person in a 40 mile radius that has 'em, and that makes for some strange looks at the grocery store from the old ladies.

David and I went and saw "A Mighty Wind" recently... what a great movie. I really want to see it again. What a great movie... I especially liked "Mitch and Mickey" -- Catherine O'Hara was amazing at playing the washed up hippie singer. And Christopher Guest's character was hilarious... especially knowing that the inspiration for his character was Noel Paul Stookey. Guest and his cast are so good at finding little nuances in a subculture..... stuff that sometimes only those who are living in that subculture would know about. We had some friends that saw the movie and then went out to the Kerrville Folk Festival the next week, and they said being at the festival was like watching the movie all over again. We've seen all of the Christopher Guest mockumentaries now... this one is my favorite after "Spinal Tap." It's a pretty dry humor though. If you liked "Daddy Day Care" and "From Justin to Kelly" this one's not for you.

File this one under "I hate it when that happens..." A truck carrying 520 beehives crashed in Missouri, setting millions of bees free on the interstate. Bummer.

All you Kazaa/Morpheus/Grokster/etc. users better watch out... after Thursday, the RIAA's gonna GETCHA! You know what? Like a friend of ours said, if the RIAA would actually PAY artists the money they collected for illegal downloading, I think people would have a much easier time dealing with their bullying. Yeah, okay, it's illegal to steal music. We all know that. But the artists will never see a dime from these lawsuits, and record companies will keep getting richer and fatter and more oblivious to life in the 21st century technological world. Anyway, for those of you who have like a zillion songs on your computer, watch out. Big Brother is coming after you.

David just got back from Nashville... he and Sinko finished up the mixing process of our record there at the Sound Emporium, and now Sinko is going to master it this week. I'm ready to get on the wagon again. We've had almost a year off and I can't stand it anymore. I need to work. I need to get this record out. I need to be an artist again. I just hope that people remember us and still like us and all that. We have very few venues left here in San Antonio to play. It's pretty bleak around here. Actually, I think it's pretty bleak everywhere right now... music is the first thing that gets cut from an establishment's budget. But I just know something new is going to open up for us. We just have to work a little harder to carve out a path for ourselves. "Jump and the net will appear..." has always been my motto... well, I've just taking a flying leap over the edge of the Grand Canyon. Still looking for that net........

:: knotty and knice ::

I'm in Dallas right now visiting my parents. Pretty cool, except I had to drive up here with no air conditioning because mine finally died. It happens to me literally every summer! It wasn't too bad until around 5:00 in pre-dallas traffic. Ugh.

So I'm now a dread-head! It took 4 hours, but I did it! It's a weird thing... sometimes I look in the mirror and go "What the heck did I do?" and get a slight sinking feeling, and sometimes I just LOVE them. My head is itchy. It's like the days when I used to get a perm, when perms were in style (c. 1986) and you couldn't wash your hair for like a week... Same thing. Only I did wash it because I just couldn't stand it anymore, and the dreads got all loose and soft. I re-waxed them and they're looking really cool now, but I WANT TO WASH MY FREAKING HAIR AGAIN! I have a feeling it's going to be weeks of this sort of high maintenance stuff. But I dunno, maybe I'll keep them. Just for fun. Because life is too short to not try something you've always wanted to try.

Okay, what is up with Jewel? What is up? I have never really paid much attention, except that my friend Sarah D. loves her and I respect her opinions, but what is up with the dance thing? Madonna? Reinvention for the sake of avoiding obselescence? Did I spell that word right? I'm too lazy to check right now. Anyway, I'm torn about the Jewel thing. Is she selling out, or is she just being an artist? What would LJG do? Heck, I guess I'm glad that someone who truly IS an artist like Jewel is out there among the 50 Cents of the world.

And then there's Evanescence. Again, I'm torn. It's just pop crap, I know, but I do like the song. She has a great voice. Thing is, I'm totally not into the whole, "We were Christian, then we got popular, and now we're gonna diss our beliefs" thing. That's so stupid and uncool and shallow. But whatever. I think I like the song.

Okay, I need to be fixing my mom's computer. It's all screwed up. Moral of that story: never buy an e-Machine. eeeew.

Word up.