Playing with Zach

Zach is Craig and Jeannie's son, I love them like family. Here I am playing with Zach a few days after Christmas. He is a very bright young man. We had just played football on his new PlayStation 3, which I found to be pretty absorbing. The graphics are really cool and I am generally not interested in video games.
Not being near my sisters and nephews and great-nephews is felt. I see the pictures of them online and the boys (my great-nephews) are growing so fast and I haven't even met them yet. I'm so glad to have Zach in my life, his whole family actually. It can't replace what I am lacking in contact with my own family, but I feel so privileged to have them near.

Reflecting back on the year

It's not the end of the year yet but I am at home Christmas day thinking about all of the things that have happened this year. It has been an incredibly alive time and so much has happened I forget. Here are some pictures to refresh my memory.
Going to Europe was such a dream come true. Especially since I did as a band member on tour. Something I had begun to think I could not achieve. In the picture below I'm standing outside a gas station in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Playing in Stuttgart, Germany
with tour manager Ollie in Maastricht, The Netherlands
Playing at the Botanique in Brussels, Belgium. The picture was taken during our sound check.
Another highlight of this year was when both of my sisters came for a visit. I love them so much. In the first picture I'm with my older sister Stephanie.
With Adrienne and Stephanie
Friend and former bandmate Maureen made a surprise visit from France. Her son Leslie was the real surprise and I bonded with him immediately.
I have been blessed with seeing my friend Jane on three occasions this year. She lives in Phoenix but has been in town for a variety of reasons and is here now for Christmas. Jane is the woman in my life to be upfront.
to be continued...

I'm digging Opeth

So I am currently listening to Opeth repeatedly. There is such beauty as well as power in their sound. I've known about Opeth for a long time and have listened to them without really connecting. I recently bought 'Blackwater Park' because Steven Wilson produced it. The album blew me away. I've gone back to their beginnings and to my ears they started sounding special around "My Arms Your Hearse' and 'Still Life'. Right now I am playing 'Deliverance' a bunch. I like trying to learn the guitar parts as well. Really awesome shit.

Maybe

I had started to write my inner most thoughts to reveal and then wondered why I am compelled to do that. I already know that one is never quite understood. People will think they know you or understand who you are and you'll be knowing it's just not true, and you just bear with everything because you understand that people mean well. Everyone does not know the same thing or perceives information quite the same. But what a person knows defines life for that person. Does anyone have any idea what I'm trying to say?

Today

Visited with Frank yesterday and he had good news. He's recovering really well and the stint in his heart is helping it work nicely. He is not looking at further surgery at this point and I am so happy for Frank.

Finally

Been concerned about my friend Frank who had a heart attack about three weeks ago. He's finally starting to recover since having two surgeries. It was really good to talk to him after not being able to for it seems forever. I love Frank like a brother we have done so many things together. For the record, I have been to more excellent concerts with Frank than any of my friends and that is a distinction. I love music and the live music experience. Frank is so much fun to see a good band/show with.

Breaking the Silence

Funny how I start a blog and then I never post. Well here goes one.
Tonight I attended the annual fund raiser for the organization I work for called Community Alliance. Our guest speaker was Steve Lopez, the author of the book The Soloist that was recently adapted to film. He was very inspiring. I have worked at this mental health agency for 24 years now and the impact the work has had upon my life and countless others cannot be stated simply. The Alliance is a community based mental health rehabilitation service for adults. Like anything the business has its flaws but overall the agency is known in the midwest for being very reliable and effective. Steve Lopez was the perfect guest speaker for us. He could have easily gotten away with talking all night about how cool it was to have a movie made of his book with such great actors but he didn't. He told the story of how he met Nathaniel Ayers and how it transformed both of their lives. He spent much of the time talking about the devastating effect mental illness has on so many people. He talked about how upside down society is, how he learned about classical music and Shakespeare from a homeless man on skid row, while he himself lived in the hills in a nice house. Steve showed himself to be a man of integrity, recognizing that he has an opportunity to do something helpful by sharing his story and information about what can be done better.
It got me to thinking about how I left my job about a year ago to go on the road and play music and work on film crews. It was a wonderful time but practical need sent me back to my full time job. But even before I left I was aware of the impact the work I am part of has on my community. As much as I would really love to just be an artist I am very proud to be involved in work that attempts to heal. My older sister was in town awhile back and when we talked about this she simply said that it is obviously your path. I accept it. Mr. Lopez' words reinvigorated something in me tonight and I am thankful for it. Of course I still want to be a self sufficient artist but very clearly I recognize the value of my job and am feeling appreciation for it right now.