I have so much crap to do right now, which surprises me (though it shouldn't). I sent off our new album to the factory this week, why don't I get to sit back and do nothing?

Well, because I need to get the new stuff put into the Wonky store so we can start selling it.

That requires all kinds of Photoshop work, followed by a bunch of HTML work to get it into the site.

I'm experimenting with Flash to make a little player so people can listen to the album in advance of it arriving. I know almost nothing about Flash, but my history as a programmer who can figure stuff out makes me think I can do it. Plus, I bought a book about Flash. No problem.

I need to get Part 3 of our Web doc about the album going, but I don't have to finish it quite yet. There will be some footage I shoot when the discs actually show up from the factory. But when I do get going on this, I'll be using the super-bitchen but completely unfamiliar video editing software I just bought.

And then - well, then the endless attempts to promote the thing start.

We have a show coming up, I need to practice for that. I'm not happy with my current live guitar sound. I need to reorganize (simplify?) my pedal board. I need to remember all of the words. I need to make sure I can play and sing all the new songs at the same time convincingly.

I still have to finish the 12-minute student film score I'm working on. That's turned into a really difficult challenge.

Tomorrow, I start up with a new screen writing class. It's only once a week, but still. I'm sure there will be writing assignments for that.

I need to finish getting over this summer cold I brought back from Maine.

I need to not stray from the strict diet I'm on.

I need to find time to play tennis with my buddy who's nearly given up trying to get me to play. I even bought a new racket.

I did finally finish something late night - I watched the last episode of Season 9 of The X Files. So I've seen all of them now. You know what? Seasons 8 & 9 were darned good - it's too bad the characters of Doggett and Reyes got swallowed up by those of Mulder & Scully. And they left lots of room in the "ending"... enough to give me hope that the new movie they're gonna make could be really good.

A Kick In The Shin
Fair Use
Sublimeinal
10 PRINT

You can download MP3's of the first two, if you like.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN.

We should be taking orders for the new stuff sometime next week.

I can barely believe it.

Anyway, to all of you - thank you. I love you, too.

Luckily for us, we still have our other way-too-cute dachshund, Petey. One could argue that of all of us, he's having the hardest time with Bo's death. Since we adopted him from a rescue over 6.5 years ago now, he's had Bojangles at his side nearly 24/7. The poor guy is suffering some pretty serious bouts of separation anxiety when we have to leave him alone. He has a vet appointment on Thursday, we're hoping we can get some advice to help him through this.

Throwing out some news on the music front, I should be driving home tonight with the final master of Life Like Luster. We'll be listening to it for a few days, making sure all "i's" are dotted, "t's" are crossed. I'm heading off for a long weekend in New England Thursday morning, but when I'm back the following Tuesday, I expect to be making arrangements to get the album shipped off to the factory - and then it's all a matter of printing and shrinkwrap and all that stuff.

Talk to you guys when I'm back from the heart of Red Sox Nation.

And maybe, in each of those fleeting instances of knowing, right before you forcefully shoved those thoughts RIGHT THE FUCK OUT OF YOUR HEAD � you felt, you think you felt � what that day was going to be like. And maybe you reasoned, as I did, that maybe those fleeting moments, horrible as they were, maybe they were good in that they were creating some kind of defense for you, preparing you for that inevitable day. Psychic armor, of a sort. And maybe you thought, like I did, that when that day finally came, that maybe, just maybe you would be ready.

I was not ready for yesterday. Our beautiful Bojangles left us, and her passing was peaceful. For that much, I am grateful.

But I am heartbroken in a way that I have not been for a very long time. She was our little girl. And six months ago, we had no reason not to expect that she would be with us for many more years to come.

Then two months ago we found out she�d developed a heart condition.

And yesterday, Beta Girl and I held her, and stared helplessly into her eyes as she breathed her last.

I was not ready for that. I am not prepared for how I feel right now.

-Daddy