Faith, and sex, and god in the belly of a black winged bird.

I didn't blog yesterday because I pretty much had the office to myself so I used the day to watch both Kill Bill movies and several episodes of Futurama. So, as you can see, I was busy.

Last night we went downtown for a Halloween party that our friend's company was throwing at a club. I don't thrive at parties but Leah loves to dance and its really cute to watch even if I don't feel like dancing.

Yesterday, on the radio, they were talking briefly about angels and more specifically, guardian angels. I remember hearing that the concept of "guardian angels" isn't scriptural, so I looked into it and its really not. A lot of people were calling into the radio station saying that they believe in angels and they believe everyone has someone watching out for them and other feel gooderies. Why do so many Christians think they've got guardian angels when their holy book doesn't even tell them that they have. It definitely mentions angels, but the concept of having one assigned to every person is something else entirely. We've all seen the "Don't drive faster than your angel can fly" bumper stickers. The notion is heavily present in our culture.

I get it, its comforting, but is it good to be comforted by things that aren't really there?

Once upon a time, I found myself with a lot of suicidal thoughts. I arrived at this place, largely, because I'd spent the lion's share of my time on the idea that god had a plan for my life and was involved to the extent that he was lending a hand to make that plan work out, and I was seeing for the first time that it was a real possibility that that was not the case. I didn't leave the faith immediately. No, that was just the beginning. I fought tooth and nail with reason to hold onto some form of the idea of a comforting deity. Now, years later, I look back at that time and realize that I didn't get through it because some guardian angel carried me, I got through it because those were the moments that I began to realize that I had to take responsibility for myself. (Also, I had great friends and family and a crush on a girl who would become my wife.) My life, my happiness, my failures, my successes, these are all things that are my responsibility. When I do something bad, its not because the devil tempted me, its because I can be an asshole. When I do something that's noble or selfless, kudos to me.

In my old age, I find myself taking issue with any religion teaching people that they are somehow inherently flawed from birth. "You're born a condemned person who can't possibly be good on your own, only our god can SAVE you." I'm, of course, not saying that people are perfect, but not being perfect doesn't mean that we're flawed in our design (for lack of a better term). No religionist would tell you that raccoons are born flawed and until they hear about Jesus(or Mohamed or Xenu) they're doomed. If there is a god, all the evidence points to the fact that he/she/it/they spent just as much time and care on the raccoon as they did on the human. To me, it just seems like an unhealthy way to think about one's self.

But...I could be wrong. What do I know?

"Losing my life to a whore with disease," I said, "Please... I'm a humble guy with healthy desires. Don't gimme no shit because I've been tired!"

I don't have much to say. Every new picture I see of Lindsay Lohan looks like there is less and less moisture in her body. Does she appear to be shrivelling to anyone else?

Got a lot of guitar done last night for "How Do You Do It?" and "Things You Already Know" for the new EP. Also recorded a guide track so that Jeff can lay down the drums for "If You Want," when he has the time. Its sounding great, thus far. Looking forward to a relaxing night at home.

I said, "Losing my penis to a whore with disease. Just kidding." I said, "Losing my life to a whore with disease." She said, "Excuse me, please?"

Today at the office there's a seminar about new software going on, so all the adjusters are busy with that all day. The pros: free BBQ from Rudy's. The cons: my boss's boss is here so even though he's an easy going, nice guy, there's always an added stress to constantly look busy. So that's why I'm blogging very quietly instead of shouting every word as I type it, like I normally do.

Tonight is our first focused recording session for the Songs For Staying In EP. I say "focused" because up til now we've just been recording little bits here and there whenever we had a free moment between shows and rehearsals. The result is having a depressingly small amount marked off on our "To Do" checklist. Now instead of rehearsals we've got weekly recording sessions, so we should have this knocked out in no time.

Cameron and I have started talking about a film project that I think could be very cool. We're talking about a documentary of sorts that would, essentially, be about spirituality in songwriting. We would document the making of the third Quiet Company record and interlace it with interviews with songwriters who often have spiritual themes. My goal is to get people like David Bazan, Tim Kasher from Cursive, Davy Baysinger from Bleach, Aaron Weiss from mewithoutYou, etc. So you see, people on both sides of the coin. I'd love to talk to David and Tim about their journey into dissolution and I'd love to ask Davy and Aaron some of the questions that poked holes in my faith. Not because I want to ruin their faith but just because they're both people/songwriters I really respect and I'm curious to know why they believe what they do. I don't know Aaron but I know Davy really well and a more genuine person you'd be hard pressed to find. Who we get would probably be less contingent on what I want, and more on who tours through Austin, though. What songwriters would you want to ask questions about their faith or their lack thereof.

"Let's go. Let's sit. Let's talk. Politics go so good with beer, and while we're at it, baby, why don't you tell me one of your biggest fears?"

Once again the weekend has come and gone and I'm back at my desk, staring at a screen for 8 hours. This weekend was seriously great. Our show at the Parish on Friday was about as good as we could ask for. Granted, it wasn't perfect. Tommy invited a lot of his coworkers from the gym and I'm not sure if they were just really drunk or just normally really obnoxious. They just screamed "Tommy" over and over, at the top of their lungs, at the end of songs, in the middle of songs, it didn't matter. The staff told them to keep it down, other people in the crowd told them to keep it down, Tommy shushed them once. I guess when your Affliction shirt looks that good, you don't have to listen to anybody. I just kept thinking, "Where do these assholes think they are?" because they were acting like they were at some frat party or a sleazy dance club. Their support was so abrasive it might as well have been heckling. So if you were at the show and your experience was lessened because of them, we apologize. In hindsight, I wish I'd just told them to shut the f**k up or get the f**k out, but I didn't want to piss off Tommy. Later he told me that I could've and should've said it so...now I know.

Anyway.

I want to say that all the extra musicians were amazing and we are so thankful for everyone helping out. I should also mention that Leah sang in our choir and apparently felt the need to orchestrate some impromptu interpretive dancing for said choir. Yeah, she's a keeper.

The next night we did a secret show at a fashion show that was also a benefit for PetsAlive which is a group advocating for all No Kill animal shelters in Austin. It was fun and there were topless girls covered in body paint and a fire dancer so Austin was keeping it weird. I'm not sure how good we sounded but I think everyone had a good time.

Now we're done with shows for about a month so we're focusing on finishing the EP. I'm really anxious to get it out of the way, but I do think its going to be pretty good, even if its composed mostly of leftovers.

Leah, Harper, and I were supposed to take family pictures tonight but the rain has put a stop to that. Rainy days like this are great if you can stay home, nap, and watch movies in bed; They're pretty shitty when you actually have to get up and go to work. I am looking forward to this cold front, though, and a night of staying in and relaxing with my two favorite females on the planet.

And she sighed "Aaahh." I said, "I wanna be a singer like Lou Reed." "I like Lou Reed," she said, sticking her tongue in my ear.

Tonight is the big show. The big spectacle. The big to do.

Once again, I'm convinced that my voice is feeling shaky and might go out, but this time, I'm also pretty convinced that my affliction is psychosomatic. There's still 11 hours til we play and I'm ready to get out of this office.

Sadly, I won't get to see my daughter at all today. After work, I'm going to get guitar strings and heading straight downtown for an early load in. I am really excited about the show tonight so I hope you'll all be there if you can. We're playing something like 13 songs, which is ridiculous to me, but we're playing some stuff that we never really play and trying to take good advantage of our "orchestra."

I had one of those really awful, realistic dreams last night where you wake up and think it really happened for a minute. I don't remember exactly what it was all about but Leah wanted a divorce so that qualifies as a nightmare to me. Thankfully, after I turned and saw her lying next to me I remembered that in the real world she likes me, at least, well enough to not want to spend the money on a divorce. Just kidding, she likes me a lot. Way more than she likes anyone else, and about as much as she likes Harper.

She said "I could tell you stories that will make you cry, what about you?" I said "Me Too. I could tell you a story that will make you cry."

This day is starting to drag. For lunch, everyone in the office went to eat at the Deluxe Chinese Buffet and thus we all made the worst decision that any of us will probably make today. I'm miraculously unaffected but I've watched all my other coworkers make trip after trip the the bathroom, all returning to regale me with stories of different odors and feelings. So it goes.

Tonight, one of my oldest friends, Casey, is in town and will be joining us for dinner at the house. Chicken, Sausage, and vegetables on the grill with cheesecake for dessert, it will be good times. Casey and I became friends in 5th grade and if I can say anything about him, its that he made my youth a lot more interesting than it would've been without him.

I set him on fire once.

It was his idea. We were in 8th grade and his brother was in high school where there was a chemistry teacher with a love of explosions and flames. Apparently, Casey's brother had come home once and shown Casey a trick where he applied a mixture of Ethyl alcohol and water to his arm and then set it on fire. The water keeps the fire from reaching your skin somehow, I don't know, I never took the class. His brother neglected to share the part about the water with Casey and so one day he grabbed some alcohol and some matches and told me he wanted to show me something. He poured alcohol all over his arm and handed me the match.

I said, "What are we doing?"
He said, "You, my friend, are going to light me on fire."

I said that I certainly wasn't going to do that and we argued for a minute or two before he had me convinced. So I lit him on fire. When he yelled "Fuck" and doubled over I got the impression that things hadn't gone according to his plan. He had huge blisters all over his arm for a while. They were pretty gross.

Despite how that story makes him seem, he's easily one of the smartest people I've ever known. He actually teaches a Sunday school class at the church we grew up in and a buddy of mine says its pretty interesting to hear your Sunday school teacher talk about how much he loves marijuana and advocate its legalization. Its just not what you expect in an East Texas Sunday school, you know? I think the next time I'm in East Texas on a Sunday I'm going to try and witness this spectacle.

1.2.3. She's a real left winger because she's been down south and held peasants in her arms...

Our final rehearsal is tonight with our "orchestra" and it is supposed to rain, so I'm not looking forward to loading in and out of the Music Lab. Oh well, can't be helped. The grass has to drink, too.

I've mentioned the Talk Origins Archive a few times, and because, somehow, almost every discussion on here about Atheism/Religion turns, in part, to Evolutionary Theory, I spent some time on there today. It really is a great resource and very easy to use/understand. Its fascinating to me because my education on the subject was so depressingly incomplete. I remember my high school biology teacher only mentioning Evolution once, saying "I don't mind if they teach it as a theory but I'm big on Creationism." In my high school biology was like history, always taught by coaches who wanted a little extra cash. Then I got to college. I only attended college for 2 years at a Jr. college in East Texas but I took biology again there. My teacher was really good and actually had an interest in the topic but it was still East Texas and while she clearly understood and accepted Evolutionary Theory, I don't remember it being part of the curriculum. My geology teacher that year talked more about Evolution than my biology teacher, which is weird.

I love learning about how unpredictable and chaotic life can be, even at the tiniest levels. Its really beautiful. I read about a new study the other day that showed how from just one generation to the next there are 100-150 mutations on the genetic code. ONE HUNDRED & FIFTY MUTATIONS just from me to Harper! That's crazy!

I digress.

I've watched Serenity twice in the last week, I'm really pissed that the new Kingdom Hearts game is only on Nintendo DS, and everyone should love the Pixies.

The Arby's $5.01 Gyro

Today I brought a Hungry Man dinner to work to eat for lunch. After a few bites I got up and went to Arby's, which is always delicious. I think my favorite thing I've said all day was when I told John that "They should rename these things 'Starving Man Dinners' because I would have to be to eat this shit."

ZING!!

I heard that Paranomal Activity sucks...

I had a pretty great weekend. Leah had weddings Friday and Saturday, which sucked, but the weather was perfect and Harper and I went for a lot of walks, which was lovely. On Saturday, Jeff and Angela came over and we grilled some chicken, squash, and sausages and watched Serenity. I love Serenity/Firefly. So fun, so underrated.

Sunday afternoon, Quiet Company played at the Austin AIDS Walk. It was really fun, and we were really thankful to have been asked to be a part of it. Between songs, a couple of people who were handing out condoms asked me if I wanted one, and, at the AIDS Walk, I said "No, I don't use condoms." I then proceeded to explain that I was married and that my wife is on birth control so I have no need of condoms, but everyone who's not in a committed, monogamous relationship should use them. I thought it was pretty funny in that way that awkwardness is always funny. It was Harper's first Quiet Company show, outside of her mother's belly. I think she enjoyed it.

Last night, we had a rehearsal with our auxiliary musicians and I must confess, it went a hell of a lot better than I thought it might. Really well, actually. There is a big difference between fake sampled horns and real horns, I can assure you of that. I'm pretty pumped to play with this lineup this Friday. Its starting to look like we may pull off a bit of a rock spectacle after all.


I'm a little disappointed in NPR for this story. Apart from the facts they got wrong about PZ Myer's "Crackergate" incident, they painted the Atheist movement in a wholly negative tone. At least that's how it read to me. I've read a few of the "New Atheist" books and I frequent Pharyngula so I think I'm pretty well versed in the message they're spreading, and I can totally understand why theists think they are awful, mean spirited, assholes. I really do. I'm still not really sure where I stand as far as whether or not I think this is a good approach. I think its easy to see that it is an effective approach though, and I'm inclined to say "it takes all kinds." I don't think I want to be a "New Atheist" (largely because I'm a Deistic Humanist) but its not because I think they're mean. Their message is "religion doesn't deserve our respect" and that is commonly misconstrued as "religious people don't deserve our respect." Its a fine line, and I'm at a loss as to how to embrace one and not the other. I do think that our culture has developed this weird relationship with religion that demands that "kid gloves" be used when critiquing and attacking it. Politics, economics, philosophy, etc, none of these have such a stipulation, but if someone says "Well, that's what my faith teaches. I just believe it." it signifies that any further criticism is unwelcome, and more unfortunately, likely to be ignored. The "New Atheists" say that non believers should be bold and honest, and I would agree (I think its good advise for people of all beliefs, actually) but I don't know if its possible to convince people that just because we don't respect your beliefs because we don't think they were arrived at rationally, it doesn't mean that we don't respect you as people. When people make those beliefs such a part of their identity they don't see the difference, and maybe the "New Atheists" need to realize that if they want to make an even bigger difference. Or not, what do I know?

PANIC!PANIC!PANIC!PANIC!PANIC!PANIC!PANIC!

Last night Leah accidentally washed her memory cards with the laundry. They had all three weddings that she shot last weekend on them. At first, they were just lost, so we were tearing through the house looking everywhere for them (I even rummaged through the trash). Eventually, they were discovered in the dryer and then the panic turned into "what if they don't work?!?!" All but two of them worked. But one that didn't was like the most important or something, so our nightmare persisted. I was all set to take them downtown to a data recovery place on my lunch break today but Leah called and said she was going to come by the office and try the cards one more time before we spent hundreds of dollars to retrieve the data. So she and Harper stopped in, which was awesome for me, and to our surprise, both memory cards decided that all hope wasn't lost and started working. ITS A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!! All that to say, we had a stressful night last night. People could've sued us if those cards hadn't started working. But all is well.

Leah's got another wedding so its me and the bug all night. The weather is amazing right now, so I'm looking forward to our nightly stroll before her bedtime.
I'm really glad its Friday.
AIDS walk Sunday afternoon, Quiet Company Orchestra practice Sunday evening, lots of perfect nothing until then. Peace.

A celebration of parents! Vol. II

A bunch of the guys in the office were just trading funny anecdotes about their fathers and how they accidentally punched their dad in the face, ran them over with bikes, etc. I don't think I've ever done any real physical harm to my father but it did remind me of a story.

A while back, I posted this blog about my mother. I figure my dad is past due for his tribute blog.

When I was about 14 or 15 we owned a Chevy Impala and we always parked it on the right side of the garage. I don't remember why I needed to move the car, I guess I was probably going to wash it. Now, I'd backed up the car for this kind of thing dozens of times, so I had no reason to suspect that on this day a little extra care would've gone a long way.

Anyway, as I backed the car up, I turned my head to look behind me and heard the sound of metal scraping and bending. The front end of the Impala is a bit longer than most cars and I had slowly but steadily run into the garage wall. There was a huge dent on the side of the car and a ton of scratches. I remember that enormous "Oh, shit" feeling that every careless child is doomed to feel a thousand times on his way to maturity. Oh, the dread. What would my father say?

Dad wasn't home at the time, but Mom was, so of course she found out pretty quick. I don't really remember what her initial reaction was. Probably because I was so nervous about Dad's reaction and overwhelmed with the shame of the thing. "How could I have been so stupid?" and whatnot.

Well, Dad did inevitably come home and see the car. In my infinite maturity, I avoided him. I didn't say anything about the car or anything else that night if I could avoid it. Mom noticed and reprimanded me in private, "You still haven't said anything to your dad about that car!" And I never did. The next day at breakfast though, there was no avoiding him. We both knew it. We both felt the awkwardness that that kind of boyhood shame creates. What he said to me was this: "Well, son, I think you may need some more driving lessons."

I said, "Yeah...sorry about that."
He chuckled.

And that was it. I know he was put out, or frustrated, maybe even angry. How could he not be? But where his sons are concerned, I doubt you could find another man in this entire world who is as selfless. I think he knew how ashamed I was, and it was more important to him to ease my anxiety, than it was to let out his own frustrations. My dad has faults like everyone else, but selfishness isn't one of them. The man has character.

I hope I remember this story the first time Harper messes up.

I wait all year for Halloween. The one day of the year that no one judges me or my "slutty clothes."

I can honestly say that I have never been trick or treating. As a kid, my brother and I weren't allowed to celebrate Halloween because for one reason or another, the holiday made my parents uncomfortable. I'm sure I probably wanted to then but after 27 years of not celebrating, I really don't seem to give much of a shit. It will probably be a lot more fun when Harper is old enough to enjoy it. She does look amazingly adorable in her lion cub costume.

All that to say, Leah is making me go to a Halloween party and dress up this year and I have no clue what to be. Any practical, yet hilarious, suggestions?

This Sunday, in Austin, is the AIDS walk. Leah, Harper, and I will be down there for a little bit, though we're not walking. I believe it starts at the capital around noon. Come on down.

Buying a house (or a car) is a pain in the ass. Why is adult life so needlessly complicated?

I'M FAMOUS!!!!

Its a weird sense of accomplishment when someone tattoos your lyrics onto their body. Weird, but ultimately pleasant. I don't know who this person is but I thank them.

Leah and I saw The Invention of Lying and ate delicious pizzas at the Alamo Drafthouse last night. Ricky Gervais is a damn genius. I don't think he's done anything that wasn't great. I guess the big controversy is that people think he's attacking religion, and I suppose he is. I didn't feel like it was malicious or anything but Ricky is an Atheist and its not hard to imagine that he feels that in a world where no one has ever lied there would be no religion. Anyway, I liked it a lot and would recommend it.

I had lunch with my friend Todd from Jets Under Fire today. We talked a lot about religion and it was good times. Its always really interesting to find out how much you don't know about your friend's beliefs. Most of the time I think we just apply a label and immediately start taking things for granted. "You're a 'Christian' therefore you must believe A, B, and C." Todd's very honest about his faith and I can appreciate that.

This year has opened my eyes to a lot of things that the people close to me believe (and don't believe) that I didn't know. I'm sure its opened a lot of eyes to what I believe and don't believe, as well. I hope that if anything good has come of it, that we're all a little more open with, and aware of, each other from now on.

Between the Youtube and Vimeo, we've gotten over 1000 plays of the video since we put it up about 24 hours ago. Thanks people.

The Night Man Cometh...

Leah's crazy 3 wedding weekend had her out of the house and away from her loving family for 3 whole days. If you're wondering if that sucked for me, it did. I am not built to exist away from her for any substantial amount of time. Its unhealthy damn it! Thankfully, Leah's mom's job has her in the area again tonight so my bride and I will be taking in dinner and a movie. I can't wait.

Its not like Leah would be much good in a fight, but I still found myself being a scared little child, sleeping alone in our bed for the first time. I kept imagining that I heard something and twice I stalked through the house in my underwear with a sword in hand.

Picture it.

I'm not a gun guy, so yes, I keep a sword by my bed. I read in the news the other day that a guy cut off a burglar's hand and stabbed him to death with a sword so...yeah. Useful.

In Quiet Company news, we're releasing the video for "On Modern Men" today on the internetz. Click here to put your peepers on it.

In other Quiet Company news, we've decided that our upcoming show at the Parish will be our last show in Austin for the year. We're going to take a little time to get serious about finishing the 2 EP's we're working on so we can release them at the beginning of next year. Go here to RSVP and maybe win tickets or something.

A little something for the letterhead of the New Tribal Democracy

"You see my kind of loyalty was loyalty to one's country, not to its institutions or its office-holders. The country is the real thing, the substantial thing, the eternal thing; it is the thing to watch over, and care for, and be loyal to; institutions are extraneous, they are its mere clothing, and clothing can wear out, become ragged, cease to be comfortable, cease to protect the body from winter, disease, and death. To be loyal to rags, to shout for rags, to worship rags, to die for rags — that is a loyalty of unreason, it is pure animal; it belongs to monarchy, was invented by monarchy; let monarchy keep it. I was from Connecticut, whose Constitution declares 'that all political power is inherent in the people, and all free governments are founded on their authority and instituted for their benefit; and that they have at all times an undeniable and indefeasible right to alter their form of government in such a manner as they may think expedient.'

Under that gospel, the citizen who thinks he sees that the commonwealth's political clothes are worn out, and yet holds his peace and does not agitate for a new suit, is disloyal; he is a traitor. That he may be the only one who thinks he sees this decay, does not excuse him; it is his duty to agitate anyway, and it is the duty of the others to vote him down if they do not see the matter as he does."
- Mark Twain

Watching the Simpsons makes me wish I was watching Futurama

Last night, the wife and I joined Tommy and Betsy for some gourmet cuisine and the David Bazan show at the Mohawk. The food was delicious, though the portions were small.

David Bazan was amazing. His show had all the energy and emotion of those powerful church experiences of my youth. Church for the non-believer, as it were.

I am so incredibly tired today though, and I won't see my bed til who knows when. We've got a show in San Antonio tonight so the boys will be picking me up in about an hour from work. Once again, I'm sure it will be great but I'm also sure I'd rather go home and relax with the wife and child.

Its hard to write interesting blogs when you're falling asleep at your desk.

The New Tribal Democracy

Recently it struck me that it is impossible for a national government to accurately represent and meet the needs of its people, simply because there are too many people, too many lifestyles, too many opinions.

I'm in the process of cultivating an idea; A new way to think about government. Right now, I'm calling it the "New Tribal Democracy," and the general idea is that the Federal government retains control of the military, environmental policy, and prints our money, while the rest of the power goes to the counties, or as we'll refer to them from now on, "Tribes." (Because a county is a place to live and a tribe is something you are a part of.)

All decisions in the tribes will be decided democratically by every member of the tribe. You must contribute to the tribe to be considered a member and to benefit from it, either financially or by way of community service. Our culture now revolves around an exchange of product, but the tribal culture will revolve around an exchange of energy.

Because the governments will be so small and localized, the elected leaders will be held more easily accountable and the people will feel more involved, not to mention better represented. Its a far more rewarding way to govern ourselves.

If the majority of the people in a tribe want universal health care and same sex marriage, then they have the power to make it happen in their tribe but the burden is on them to figure out how to make it work. If the majority of a tribe wants as little government involvement in their life as possible, then they are completely within their rights to make it so.

This would almost completely do away with state government (we'd still need highways, and the DMV) and 24/hr News networks but I don't think we'll miss them.

Its not perfect, but it allows people to be responsible for themselves, and I think that people would find that far more satisfying than the broken system that's in place now.

Any questions?

zzzzzzzz

We had band practice last night. We're trying to add a few songs to the set for our show at the Parish on Oct. 23rd. There is also a lot of talk about adding musicians (strings, horns, choir, etc), as well. That would be awesome, though I'm concerned for the amount of time we have to prepare and the amount of time we all have available for practice. We'll see what happens I guess.

A sleepy day here at the office. Stuck in the doldrums.

Lady Gaga & Madonna: proving that just because you make mindless dance club pop, that doesn't mean you can't be pretentious.

Thanks to my lovely bride, I feel the need to clarify something:

I DON'T like Lady Gaga. In fact, I actively dislike her. My wife thinks its hilarious to sneak onto my Facebook and post status updates, masquerading as a Lady Gaga loving Taylor. It is cute and funny, but scary because more than a handful of people apparently think that she really is some kind of guilty pleasure for me. Leah has a few lies she likes to tell our friends that seem ludicrous at first but she tells them so often and with such consistency that it does effectively plant that seed of doubt, causing my friends to question strange areas of my character. I can see it in their eyes..."Does Taylor really ________? I just don't know anymore."

You're.
So.
Funny.
Dear.

The show on Friday went pretty well, though I confess, we were all a little disappointed. The high ticket price kept all but a few of our fans at bay and Los Lonely Boys have a slightly older fanbase demographic than we expected. There was a lot of young people but there was a lot of people that qualify for cheaper movie tickets, or enjoy long walks around the mall, if you know what I mean.

What I mean is that they were really old. Not quite plastic hip old, but easily "I can't figure out this damned cell phone" old.

A pretty good show altogether, though. My voice held out and we played pretty well. I only stayed for about 20 minutes of Los Lonely Boys. I feel like it was 20 minutes of solid guitar solo though, so I'm not fussed about missing the rest of it.

Good times.

I wonder if Phil Collins ever feels this way...

We've got a big show tonight. ACL afterparty as direct support for Los Lonely Boys at Momo's. We had practice last night and I always hate practicing the night before a show but with all of us being adults with adult schedules sometimes you have to take what you can get. So just like with every big show my anxiety manifests itself by convincing me that my voice may very well go out tonight mid set. Its not exactly completely psychosomatic, as it has happened before. Its one of the reasons I prefer a shorter set to a longer one. I'm sure that just like always, when we get on stage and things are going well, I'll forget that my voice feels shaky and remember how ridiculously fun it is to make and play music.

Leah just came by my office with Harper and brightened my day. My wife and daughter are amazing and I miss them terribly throughout the workday. Next Wednesday, Leah and I are going on a double date with Tommy and Betsy to see David Bazan play at the Mohawk. I can't wait to see him play with a full band again. I've seen him a few times as Pedro the Lion and he's always a great time.

I've started reading A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court due to my resolution to read more Mark Twain. I've also brought along The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, which I've never read but has been sitting on my shelf for a long time. I suppose Leah has read it.

The Beatles are really, really good.

KA-YOOT ANIMALZ!!

CUTE BABY RACCOONS

CUTE BABY FOX

CUTE BABY HUMAN


Oddly enough, the only thing I've ever shot in the face was a raccoon. I went hunting once with my cousin and grandfather when I was a young lad, and my grandfather told me we were going to eat the raccoon. I had a science teacher tell me that raccoon meat was among the cleanest in the animal kingdom so I justified pulling the trigger. I'm not against hunting for food, how could I be? Still feel a bit like an asshole because the raccoon didn't do anything to me and my grandfather apparently never actually intended on eating the meat. So I was just a bully.

Practice tonight, big show tomorrow, and then I've got the child most of Saturday and Sunday while Leah shoots 2 weddings. I'm so ready for Leah to be done with these two crazy wedding months.