to do list

build a gate
finish the garden
finish replacing the trim on the house
paint the house
tune up and get the John Deere running again
fertilize the yard
kill the weeds
design the new deck
gather stones
replace the screens on the porch
put new baseboards in the dining room
paint the dining room
turn the property into a botanical garden
lose all body fat
tattoo a third eye on my forehead
write the best song ever
earn a million dollars

A Good weekend in the disaster area

Lots of folks got flooded, and lots of bad things happened this weekend. The county is an official disaster area….but….. We had a fun weekend anyways. The rain stopped just in time for us to play at Springfest on Saturday. Not a lot of people out, but it was fun. A cool magic man named Jack entertained us at Grubs. He turned little foam balls clenched tight in my daughters hand into a big foam ball. He made coins disappear and reappear while we scrutinized every move he made. He sweated profusely even though it was 65 degrees, and he made us all laugh. Right on Magic Jack! Triceratops played the theme from Rachmaninoff’s piano Concerto #2 at her recital this Sunday. It was beautiful…even Sergei would have been proud of her. My mom got to come up and hang out with the family.
I mowed a soakin wet acre.
I wished Zenmaster a happy birthday.
I hung some hog wire.
I bask in the glory.
Life kicks ass.

Wasabi

Mmmmmm, I just ate a rad sandwich.....it had sharp swiss, 2 slices of veggie pastrami (dam good stuff) on wheat bread slathered with wasabi mayonnaise. Feel the burn.

The band is playing Springfest this saturday. I think we'll be on the stage by the train station at 2:30. Dickson street will be shoulder to shoulder about then, so it's gonna be a blast. The energy level of our songs is dependant on the venue; sometimes we play the restaurant versions, sometimes the nightclub versions. This weekend though....we're breaking out the super badass Arena versions. I'll have room to run around, and climb stuff, and bite my lip while rocking with total abandon. I even got some fresh Ernie Ball super slinkys for the occasion. Pants are optional, so I won't be wearing any. Also, I think I'll give myself a mohawk.

Thunderhead

Last night I got a call unexpectedly from TomGost, who told me he was headed out to see a Rush tribute band. A Rush tribute band? I’ve never in my life paid good money to go listen to a tribute band. I hear there are some good ones out there, but the concept always seemed a little cheesy. I mean, how could self-respecting musicians find themselves in the position to do this? I mean, hey, I’ve been obsessed with certain bands in my life, but that was when I was a teenager, and teenagers don’t tour the country playing clubs night after night. Then again, it was a RUSH tribute band! Rush is only 3 guys……3 guys who are masters of their trades. 3 virtuosos. I figured that if someone is going to be in a Rush tribute band, the following rules must apply:

1. if you’re the drummer, you have to be one of the best drummers in the world
2. if you’re the bass player, you have to be a super-good bass player who can stop playing bass
and start playing the keyboards without ever skipping a beat, AND you have to have a painfully
high singing voice
3. If you’re the guitar player, well, then you just better kick tons of ass, because if you don’t, then
you’re gonna ruin the whole thing.

So anyways, I decided to go, and it was pretty damn good. They had a great set list, they were good musicians, and they kicked some butt on the songs that really mattered. The highlights of the night were Tom Sawyer, Xanadu, YYZ, Subdivisions, La Villa Strangiato, Red Barchetta, Overture, Jacobs Ladder, Freewill, and The Spirit of Radio. Their were some stanky low points too, but who cares..... I had fun, and so did they.. I checked out their website this morning, and it looks like they just play a couple shows every few months, so this is just a hobby. They do it just because they like it. That being said, I realized my pre-conceived rules were overblown and incorrect. Here are the only real rules for being in a Rush tribute band:

1. You had to spend countless hours playing Rush songs over and over again when you were a kid.
2. You must have lots of equipment.
3. You have to love Rush
4. You have to forget about money or chicks, because you won’t get either in a Rush cover band.

disclaimer

sometimes I write things
sometimes I dont write at all
sometimes just haiku

T-Ball

First the daffodils, then the pear trees, then the dogwoods, and finally, the T-ball season blooms. My little sweetie, Triceratops, played last year, and though she wasn’t the most uncoordinated player on the team, she had a few issues. This year’s another story. She showed up for practice with her new glove, and stared chucking fast balls at the coach. She hustled around and caught the ball with the unmistakable “pop” that accompanies a baseball hitting the pocket correctly. When they got the kids into position on the field, they sent her to first base. On the first play the coach threw a grounder to the pitcher who scooped it up and threw it to first….Triceratops reached right out and caught it. I couldn’t believe my eyes. For my birthday this year she gave me a brand new baseball mitt. Yesterday we went out and played catch, and it was a blast. She was catching and throwing great. Anyways, the girl has grown up a lot since last year, and I look forward to a fun t-ball season for her.
It was a big weekend for Triceratops; she got a new easter dress, a new haircut, and I took her to see Home on the Range Saturday night, we had a blast.