My new guitar!

For a while I'd been wanting a new Telecaster and in particular an all rosewood one like George Harrison played on Let it Be. Fender reissued that guitar last year but $4200 was out of my budget. So, I went the custom route which i think is cooler anyway. 

The body and neck were built by these guys;

www.warmoth.com

The parts came from these folks

www.allparts.com

The pickups came from 

www.peterflorance.com

And the build was done by the one and only Tom Oatley.

Political sickness

I don't know who the next President is going to be. I hope that someone other than the current frontrunners emerges, not likely though. I am continually bothered by the political scene these days. I'm fairly conservative but I play nicely with people of all perspectives because that's what my Faith calls me to do. To be Jesus, not God. I like the Constitution a great deal too. I like to think that we have the power as the voting public but... honestly I'm not sure how much power we do have. Howard Dean said something so disturbing to me today, it was not about politics so much, but rather about the electoral process. That is, since the race between Hillary and Obama is so close, the DNC might not have a candidate before their convention. According to Dean, this is "not good news". Why? Because the Dems would loose time fighting the Republican nominee to time fighting each other over Hillary and Obama. That makes sense that it's not good news. Seems less than ideal for sure to have to wait, but isn't that ok if the race is that close? Shouldn't the process allow the voters the chance to work it out? Seems like it to me. But Dean went on to say this. "I think we will have a nominee by March or April but if we don't we're going to have to get the candidates together and make some kind of arrangement". 

That is blatant disregard for the voters. "Make some kind of arrangement"??? How's about sticking with, letting every vote count, giving power to the people or all the other things that politicians pretend to believe in. Bastards. 

tonight i play music

and i'm looking forward to it more than anything i have in a long time.

and tomorrow we go to mexico for a beach wedding and that'll be fun too.

does anybody feel like this all the time?

Tuesday January 8, 2008

I had a dream on Saturday night. A dream that I remembered more than most. Perhaps it was the medicine I was on for my stomach issues. 

Claire and I were at a beach, I'd say like a New Jersey, very crowded beach with lots going on. I was reading the newspaper and found an article about Bob Dylan being in town. And the photo was one of him kiteboarding. I showed it to Claire and said we should keep an eye out for him. 

Just then we saw him grab a surfboard out of the sand, run out into the ocean and paddle out like a 20 year old. When he came back on shore I had my acoustic guitar and asked him to sign it. I was holding it, facing him and couldn't see what he was writing but he wrote for like 3 minutes. 

I turned the guitar around and he'd signed his name and then written three classified ads for musical instruments, two of which I can remember. The first went as follows, all handwritten in madman handwriting.

Early 1900s Violin

(then there was a little drawing of a violin and a bow)

|($1010)| 

American Made.

Sounds Great.

It's 100% OK! by me.

then a phone number, which i really wish i could remember.

the other ad was:

MYlon NYlon Guitar

($100)

Made cheap, sounds neat.

Call Sally!

And then he'd drawn a picture of Sally's head.

So then in my dream I was in the old fellowship hall at the church I grew up in. This hall doesn't exist anymore. Bob was playing a black Stratocaster, my dad was sitting on his left playing an acoustic, someone was sitting on his right playing bass that I didn't know. I was running the sound from the behind the 20 folding chairs and dozen or so people that were watching. Dylan's amp was a little battery powered blonde amp that my dad couldn't hear. He kept switching it on and off throughout the show. 

The last bit I remember was my dad trying to take a picture of me and Dylan. Dylan wouldn't look into the camera, he was wildly looking around the room. It was not unlike trying to get a dog to look into a camera or a baby or a dreamgenius.

Monday, January 7, 2008

I don't like working on Monday either. 

Sunday, January 6, 2008

I don't like working Sunday. Not for money. I don't mind working on my house, or in my yard. But not at the office. It's not good for the soul. You should spend Sunday's with your family. Wife, kids, dogs, guitars, etc. Bow down to her on Sunday. That's all I'm saying.

Saturday January 5th, 2008

I once had a stomach bug, or should I say it once had me. 

Yuck. I was going to have to work today, which likely would've been just as unfun. But instead I spent all day in bed wishing i could speed up time to tomorrow to see if I felt better. I take my body for granted. It is God's temple and it needs a serious remodel. 

Claire is/was a great nurse today. The dog just slept.

Friday, January 4, 2008 part 2

Just had a beer.

Friday, January 4, 2008

I ate too much at lunch. But I haven't had a beer since New Year's Day. That's pretty good; 3 days and 3 football games passed. I'll probably have some beer this weekend. Maybe not but probably. I'm trying to write a new song, actually i've had the first couple of lines for a couple of years.  Here's all I've got so far...

On the broken banks of the bayou

The trumpet vines play jazz

And I slowly stop to stoop

For a stone no man should cast

I once put a lot of guilt on people that I cared a lot about. It was unfair, but at the time I felt like it would help protect me somehow. They stuck around, and I think the guilt is mostly mine now. Everybody must get stoned.