nostatic at all...

Another day, two shows, no waiting. Well, maybe a little waiting, but after all, it's show biz...

Beware the military industrial complex.

-Eisenhower

Never underestimate how many people you need to talk to in order to reach an understanding. And as usual, email is a fail, phone saves the day. In person would be best, but sometimes you just can't do that. So time to reach out and touch someone...

hey, I got two hands...

Supposedly the start of a week vacation. Instead, hours on the phone dealing with squabbling employees. Festive!

Well, day two of vacation off to another bang, with a 1000 mtg that ran until about 1600. This "day off" stuff is highly productive!

And on to day three of vacation week, starting with a trip to Camp Pendleton to go over changes for the next iteration of our training system. Then back up to planning meetings for a video shoot. Hey, at least home before 1700. Woohoo!

No work. About time. Well, maybe checked email a few times. PCH was gridlocked so a ride wasn't in order. Instead some bun for lunch and a trip to the guitar store to check a few options. And offloading one of the .22LR rifles as well. A least a little more space in the safe...

Gotta get outta town. So north to Solvang. Why? Why not...pack up the bike and off we went. And who knew that Ocean Bl would actually go to the ocean (and Vandenburg AFB).

While walking around sassy Solvang, one logical task is to figure out the dinner spot. Being a typical Danish tourist town (?!?), there were mostly places you'd expect. Then we happened on a place that looked like it was dropped out of LA - root 246. We went in, looked at the menu (mmm, Maytag blue cheese souffle), and asked about reservations. Openings at 5:30 and 9:00. Hmm, must be popular...we picked 9. Arriving on time, we were warmly greeted (guess they didn't know that I'm nobody, although maybe they read st's recent reviews of her HK show), and he said we had a choice of two tables. The first was in the kitchen. Now I know that is kind of an old sitcom joke about being a really bad table, but this is a shi-shi place. I immediately said, "we'll take it." They walked us around the place showing the various dining areas, then we went back to the kitchen where there was a single square table with settings for 2. We had a view of all the action, and the head chef was there tonight calling all the shots. Kinda like being in our own Food Network show. Bon a petite.

view from the table, Flying Goat pinot noir, '06

Both me and the boy, traveling different roads that eventually end up at the same place. A theme that will likely (hopefully?) be repeated many times.

No, not me. My shots are behind me. Instead evidently the boy made quite an impression on a Hollywood type. If he ever finds his boundaries and pushes forward, look out world...

Is just play some music. Unfortunately there is this pesky work thing. And tendonitis of the elbow. And maybe some arthritis of the fingers. And some other odd aches and pains. *sigh*. Do you quit for awhile and hope that it heals (ha!) or just do your best to play through it. I'm going for the latter. Thursday I'll walk off a plane and head to a 4 hour rehearsal. Then a pair of PIF band gigs sunday, followed by IDC rehearsal. Then PIF gigs Tuesday, then again on Saturday, then IDC rehearsal Sunday. That is a reasonably busy two weeks for someone with a crushing day job and travel schedule heating up. If not now, when? Answer...now.

ok, how many times do I have to modify this modification?

Off into the wild blue yonder yet again, this time towards the AZ desert. I'd tell you where but then I'd have to kill you. No, really...this is serious stuff.

Another turn-and-burn trip, this one adding insult to injury due to some no-shows for the meeting and Southwest changing their schedule. As a result we fly x number of miles and stayed in a hotel, yada yada, all for a VTC with two other people and one person in the room. No one else showed. I could have phoned this in instead. *sigh* And of course we can't get done in time to make it to the airport for the 1pm flight, so it is sit, sit, sit in the airport waiting for the 5:10pm flight. Well, could be worse I suppose...I could have to haul ass home, drop my stuff, pick up my bass gear, and head to rehearsal. Oh wait, I *do* have to do that. Well, could be worse than worse I suppose...

Ok, so 3 bedrooms should have more room than 2 bedrooms. But as always, the devil is in the details...

So some beef leftover in the freezer - sounds like burrito fodder to me. As usual the process was an experiment, but the result a win. May seem weird, but the "meat side" was beef, salt, pepper, orange bell pepper, red onion, cinnamon (?!?), cocoa, and Blue Moon beer. Then the "topping" was avocado, red onion, orange bell pepper, salt, lime juice, cilantro, and tabasco. Fold the meat side into the tortilla with black beans and white cheddar, then fold and top with the topping. Eat. Yum.

As has been said here before, life is short and you're dead a long time. So play as much music as you can. Today, two of the PIF gigs in Glendale, then IDC rehearsal. In all, about 6 hours of playing time. Much impromptu at the PIF shows, in fact half the band didn't make the second one (got lost). Luckily the rhythm section made it, so we jammed our way into getting some of the folks up dancing. Then a luscious dinner at Fatburger on Lankershim. Overheard a comment from two guys ordering some huge custom burger.

guy one: She says, how do I know you love me?
guy two: you say, I took you to Applebys and bought you hot wings.

While often people do their best work at a young age (especially in sports, and often in science), consider that Louis Kahn didn't hit his stride until his 50's, and built the Salk Institute when he was 58. Interestingly enough I worked at Salk Institute while an undergrad circa 1986. So I suppose at 48 there is still hope for me...

As usual, the simplest explanation is often the correct one. So forget the stroke or the brain tumor, and embrace the agitated sinus.

Another day of PIF gigs, this time on guitar and dodging rain drops. I never think that the rock tunes are the right thing (at the Lutheran place?!?), but invariably I somehow pull off the King, and today turned Mustang Sally into Camaro Debbie, Challenge Sue, and a host of others. Harkening back to the old days...

Long time not shoot...

Guitar Center, west LA, 8pm friday night

Down to SD to see "grandpa" (the boy's, not mine), then back north to catch Emerson and Lake at the Orpheum. Interesting show and a cool venue. The Moog was in full force, and the stories from the guys were cool. But another work week beckons...

Having moved the funk band rehearsal from Sunday to Saturday to facilitate the Emerson Lake show, I had actually cancelled out of tai chi for today as a contingency for having rehearsal. And just to show that the planets continue to align on the music front, the Steely Jam pinged me about doing an audition. So off to NoHo and walking in cold to crank out Home at Last, Josie, Peg, and My Old School. On fretless. And why the hell not?

Deja vu all over again. Down south to Pendleton to interview SMEs. The fun never stops.

Well, somewhat of a merry go round on the bass front. The Sadowsky Experiment ends, deciding that 17mm is my friend. So another Zon heading towards me. Never should have sold the last one but unless one does the experiment, one never knows.

Well, this time pretty much on my own accord. Turns out we left a mic kit down at Pendleton, so I hopped on the bike and headed south to retrieve it. Beautiful sunny weather, though a little bit of Santa Ana winds to deal with. No worries - a good diversion from work contracting BS for a couple hours.

After flirting with a new $4K Zon, I happened onto a $1500 used one. Not bad for 1996. A few tweaks to the action, and it cuts like a hot knife.