Well, an update...

...but I don't know where to start...Gina and I are doing fine. We have our little squabbles and whatnot, but that's okay - couples do that. On the whole, we're really doing pretty well (6 year anniversary coming up - YAY!!).
Since quitting the band, I've been at loose ends, somewhat. I'm supposed to go over and jam with a friend sometime this week or next, in hopes of putting together a band or something...but I'm not sure if I'm feeling it...today while Gina was gone (to her friend Crystal's house for Halloween Decorating and such) I played on the GarageBand app on our Mac Mini. It's basically a virtual studio, and you can make mp3s and whatnot. I made an mp3 out of a song I wrote years ago. The mix is a bit wonky and I haven't yet learned how to program my drum machine (just let it play) so the drum track is a little skewed - well, okay, the whole production is a bit of a mess. But it was more fun and more liberating working on that song and having it come out the way it did than it was playing bass in the band the last year or so...even beforehand, really. I actually worked on two songs today. I 'finished' one (got a basic drum-guitar-bass guitar-vocal mix on it, anyway - the song is called 'Concrete Garden') and am almost done with the other (a song I've had lying around for about 20 years called 'Feeling Better') except for the lead guitar track...in every band I've been in, I've always had to struggle to bring the fruits of my creative labor to the table. Every time, however, that I work with one other person (my good friend Amy Clinkscales; or the redoubtable Jim Kelly of 'Concrete Rhino' fame, also a good friend of mine), I not only have better luck doing my own thing (so to speak), but I find myself listening more to her/him and putting forth more of an effort towards actually collaborating. As for my solo works, the only one that gets in the way is me (for better or worse).
More and more, I'm starting to think that a band w/any more than 3 people total is a bad idea...tomorrow I believe I'll work on 'Feeling Better' some more, and maybe another song after that...we'll just have to see how it goes...

Well, I'm out of the band. I kicked myself out. I simply had my fill of the crap. So I put my official notice in, and played my last 'official' gig with them last Thursday...of course, I'll still play w/them until their new bass player ( a fellow named Josh, who, from what I can tell, is a cool dude) has all the songs under his belt. I might leak details out later on in this blog; suffice it to say that I really thought things would get better, but given the chemistry of the band as it stood, I should have known better.

At long last, an update...

Well, it has been a while, hasn't it? I've been reading over my past entries and saw that my last entry was posted on 12/27/08...well, here's what's up...
First, the band. As it turns out, our old lead vocalist (let's call him 'Corey') knew (pretty much all along) that we'd been advertising on Craigslist. Which, I'm sure, prompted him to go audition with another band or two. As far as I know, nothing came of it. On our end, we were practicing on Tuesday nights and auditioning singers on Wednesday nights. This process went on for quite some time, and it looked as though we had it narrowed down to a couple of people...then it happened. No, Corey did not find out and get all 'chainsaw' on everyone...the 'it' that happened was this - our old lead singer came back into the fold. Here's the scoop for those not in the know - the band originally was comprised of K and Z (mentioned in my last blog), another guitarist (he was actually the driving force behind this incarnation - we'll call him 'Sam'), and a singer (we'll refer to him as 'Jake') who kicked ass. Jake and Sam really didn't get on too well, for myriad reasons, so we had a 'band meeting' (yes - every time we seem to have a 'band meeting', it means that someone is either gonna get kicked out or someone is in danger of it and we gotta address it) and decided that Sam had to go - he wanted to go into a different direction from us, and he wanted more control over the band than we were ultimately willing to give him. There was no animosity other than what had already existed between Sam and Jake (and they didn't HATEHATEHATE each other so much as the chemistry was , uh, volatile), and Sam went on to form another band that gigs in the Metro area and is readying a CD. Well, Jake was all set to go with us, but he had other coals in the fire as well. From what I understand, he had to get ready to move at a moment's notice - either to New York or L.A. (he's an actor by trade and does all sorts of voice-over work to pay the bills). So, we had to find a new lead singer. Hence the entrance of Corey into the picture. Well, after over a year and a half; Jake came back into the picture, after we'd been auditioning people on the sly (but only sort-of on the sly, as it turns out) for about 2 or 3 months. So, we took Jake back and K told Corey that he was out...which Corey more or less had a feeling about anyway. He could tell from our general vibe that something was up, and the Craigslist ads weren't as oblique as one might have hoped (they kept getting flagged for removal and K believes that Corey was behing it). We were gonna have one last gig with Corey if he wanted to, to say Goodbye once and for all to the band as it existed, but Corey nixed the idea, stating that it was best to just call it quits if that's the way we wanted it...so we got Jake ready for the upcoming gigs (many which Corey had booked), and we've been booking more gigs (we're booked until August)...The thing is, Jake wants to do originals. One of the reasons that the first incarnation of the band split the way it did was because Sam had all these originals he wanted the band to do. So we became strictly a cover band. This should be an interesting few months ahead...
Switching gears to the pet front - if you've been following Poo Corner, you should know that we have a new kitty! She's not new anymore, I suppose...we got her at PetSmart in December. She was sitting in the little cage they have, and she had a little mat at the back of her head, just behind her ear. I didn't quite think we were ready for a new kitty, having just dealt with the passing of Scout. It was a Saturday, and I told Gina,'If she's still there next Saturday, we'll get her'. Well, the week went by, and the little kitty (who had a penchant for doing the 'happy paws', much like Scout) would not leave my mind. I was starting to fear that we'd dropped the ball and that we'd go to PetSmart and someone else would have her. I couldn't wait for Saturday. Well, that Saturday did indeed come, and we did indeed go to Petsmart, and - she was still in that little cage...needless to say, we got her...she's been with us for about 5 months now. We gave her the name Mary J. (after the singer Mary J. Blige), and we figured out that her birthday falls more or less on May 1, so we gave a nice celebration for her involving cattoys, gushy food (for Mary J. and Bill) and angel food cake (for the humans in the house)...there is more, I'm sure, for me to go on about, but I'm getting blogger's cramp, so here's a good place to stop...I'll try to be more forthcoming with the blogs in the future...

We never should have settled for him, that's all...we never should have picked him - we should have been more patient and chosen someone with more style, more talent - someone who fits us better...but, no - we chose him. About a year after that, we 'had a band meeting' and told him he had to straighten up - change his hair, work on his timing, ditch the Springsteen wardrobe...and so he did...but he still has timing issues ("Mrs. Robinson" has never come out right as far as timing is concerned) and he's not really a rock front man...K and Z are now both wanting to kick him out, and an ad has been placed in Craigslist - obliquely, of course...here it is, end of 2008, and there's all this talk about kicking him out again. It seems to me that the time to kick him out would have been in March or April - hell, even May - "Well, we gave it one more shot, but it's just not happenin'"...now it's a little too late in my estimation...I suppose I get more worried about the fact that he set up the website and the MySpace and the Filesharing and does all the bookings and does all this work for the band because he likes it and what a shitty way to treat him after all this time..."We never really liked your style or anything, but thanks anyway..." - not even a gold watch...I suppose I don't like the ad in Craigslist either - the fact that K just went ahead and did it without asking (or at least giving me a head's up before he did, like he didn't want to bother with me or like my opinion in the band doesn't matter) and the fact that the ad itself is a bit disingenuous (no one is leaving town to my knowledge)...I just think that it's gonna get ugly and that there are gonna be a lot of hurt feelings...it all makes me wanna quit the whole fuckin' thing. I like K - quite a lot, in fact - but I don't like the way he approaches things sometimes...maybe I just don't like the fact that he treats this as though it's his band. In a very real sense, it is. But, in just as real a sense, it's the other fellow's band as well...and I like to think that I'm more than just a sideman. Honestly, I simply dread the inevitability of it all, and I want to go hide away from it; which I'm sure is where I get this feeling of wanting to leave the band. I suppose we'll see on Tuesday, when we have our next practice, what transpires...I know I'm gonna be one surly sonofabitch - to K and Z, for wanting to kick this guy to the curb, and to this guy, who really does need to be kicked to the curb but, because of his dedication to the band, deserves better...

Scout

For those of you who don't know, Scout is our little calico cat. The missus has had her for 11 years, and as a consequence, I've known her as long as I've known Gina (said missus). On Tuesday night we'd noticed a sore on Scout that we hadn't noticed before, on her right side. Well, after some deliberation, we'd decided to take her into the vet the next morning. Gina dropped me off at work Wednesday at 7:30 in the morning, and then went home to prepare Scout for her appointment at 9:30. At about 10:30, I'd called Gina on her cell phone to find out how our little Scout was.
Well, as it turns out, our little Scout has cancer and is going to die. It's mammary cancer, and has spread out into her lymph nodes. Needless to say, Gina took the rest of the day off.
To quote from Gina's blog..."The doctor said we could get it operated on, but then she'd have two weeks of recovery from the operation, and since it has spread to her lymph nodes, she would only gain about 5 months from the whole thing anyway. Two of them would be spent in chemo, which would cause the usual vomiting, hair loss and misery."...so we have opted to make the rest of her days here with us as comfortable as possible. The doctor have us a couple of antibiotics for the sores on her side (one oral, one topical), and she has one of those 'martini' collars on her to keep her from licking herself raw (and to keep some of that antibiotic on her). We take it off periodically to let her stretch her neck and to bathe. Our other cat, Bill, really freaked out when Scout came back from the vet, evidently. Even later that evening, when I was home, he'd hissed at her as if he didn't know who or what she was. I suppose if Gina had come back from the hospital with a big ol' collar around her neck and her head shaved and all smelling like medicine, I wouldn't know how to act either (I wouldn't hiss at her, though...probably kiss her bald head and welcome her home)...anyway, Bill has mellowed. He isn't quite as chummy w/Scout now, but neither is he so freaked out, either...
It simply hurts my heart. I want to cry, but sometimes I can't, and sometimes I simply won't. If I start, I don't know if/when it will stop. I suppose it never really does stop...

I took my wife out on a date last night - a real, honest-do-goodness date...we live in such a cool part of town that we can actually walk to movie theaters and restaurants and such, so I thought I'd take her on a walking date...we first ambled over to a restaurant called 'The Hornet', on 1st and Broadway. It's a little upscale, but not intimidatingly so...they have a few Mexican dishes, sandwiches and burgers, and some comfort-food favorites ...Gina had the Poblano Tamales and I had the Penne Creole - and it was good. I highly recommed it. We then went to the Mayan Theatre - on the opposite corner of 1st and Broadway - to see what was playing...well, we'd gotten out of The Hornet at around 7:30, and the earliest movie didn't start until 9:20...hmmmmm...so I suggested (for lack of actual planning) that we go to the Big Lots across the street to kill some time. Gina was skeptical - mainly because she didn't think that we'd be able to kill an hour and a half at Big Lots (of course she was dead on) -but I really didn't have to twist her arm (she found some cupcake cups there). I kinda thought that the date was steadily going down the shitter ("Hey, baby, let's go over to Big Lots and the Goodwill and get all crazy tonight") - indeed, we were headed in the direction of the Goodwill - when we stumbled onto a coffee shop/wine bar in between Ellsworth and Bayaud on Broadway. I forget what it was called, but it was set up to look like an old-time Italian coffee bar and not without a certain charm. The date was back on track. We went in and had some coffee drinks ( I had a Mocha, I believe) and just shot the bull for a while. We went back to the Mayan and saw a movie called "In Search of the Midnight Kiss", an indie film shot in black-and-white about a struggling screenwriter, recently moved to LA, who reluctantly (at the behest of his friend) places a want a on Craigslist. The woman who answers the ad...I won't throw any spoilers atcha, but it's a really groovy movie...we then had a nice, leisurely stroll home (we only live about 9 blocks away)...Date nights are fun. I recommend them for those of you who have potential dates...I suppose that's all for now - see ya soon...

My day didn't go to bad, actually...Me and the missus got up to the alarm, hit the snooze a couple o'times, and got ready for the day...I got to work, didn't have too much on my plate, and I created a spreadsheet for use in 2009...had lunch at my desk, finished out my day, not too bad of a day...when I got out to walk home, I decided I didn't really want to walk home, so I took the bus home...I caught the #6. The driver asked if I needed a transfer, I said,'No, thanks" and took my seat. I took the bus up to Corona and 6th, where I was going to connect with the #12, which goes down Corona, then crosses Speer onto Downing (the same street at that point). I got off the bus and began to cross Corona when I realized - I told the bus driver 'no, thanks'...I needed a transfer and I told the bus driver 'no, thanks'...
Aw, shit.
Well, I realized I had options. I could either walk home from 6th and Corona (not a terrible walk, actually), or I could get on the bus - and shell out another $1.75 for fare...I am now $1.75 poorer (I really didn't feel like walking home today)...
I've been looking for work via the 'net. I've blogged here about my current work situation, so you, my faithful readers (all five of you), know how much I hate that place...I do get scared that I'll leave a bad situation into something worse, and I realize at this point, I might have to work my way up (a little bit, at least) to my current wage. I am sick of caring. With all the backbiting and snitching that goes on there, I don't care anymore. Here's the latest shit so far...there are two full-time clerks - me and Doug (we'll call him Doug). Well, our team lead Annie (we'll call her...) had evidently come up to Doug and told him that she was checking out a rumor that one of the clerks was drinking on the job. According to him, he told him (I paraphrase a bit) 'Don't worry - it's not you - I just want to let you know - but don't you tell a soul or else!' Of course, he came and told me right away...as if I didn't need another reason to kiss that sorry place goodbye...Now, she hasn't mentioned a word of this supposed rumor to me, and I don't want to say anything to her, 'cause then she'll know that I let the cat out of the hat...so I've been eating lunch at my desk, to show her (without saying anything) that I'm at least stationary and not going anywhere during my lunch break to suckle at the rum teat. Of course, I theoretically could go take a quick nip in the stairwell or even slide a mini-bottle down my gullet at my desk while no one's looking. There's one flaw in that theory, however. That is, I DON'T DRINK ANYMORE! Since my PANCREATITIS attack in early May, I've maybe had 8 ounces of beer. 4 ounces at a band practice in late June (4 almost-instantly regrettable ounces), and 2 long sips of beer out of Gina's cup at a gig we had this weekend. Never mind that in the days when I did drink, I waited until I got home before enjoying libations. Until I got home. Whoever has the balls to drink at work or on their lunch break has got very huge brass ones indeed - about 10 of 'em...So, yeah, I'm a little pissed off at the work situation these days - in fact, today was such a good day at work, I almost forgot why I want to leave. Then I started blogging...
I love my iPod, by the way. I've been listening to it this whole time, and I've gone through Muddy Waters, Kyuss, Abba, Danzig, Ray Charles, Hank Williams Sr, and Zoot Sims, just to name a few...bye for now...