Hey, check out this great compilation of foods and herbs/spices that all have strong cancer-fighting properties: cancerisdead.com/

I wish I had more time to fluch out this post - I'll just try to highlight a few events from recent days:
1. Yay! I'm at work. Why am I happy? Because I have a goddamned job and it ain't so bad.
2. the kids have been cracking me up lately, although Henry has been waging an all-out war against the Christmas tree and train. I think I've used more superglue in the last week than I have all of 2010.
3. I used superglue to fix my torn thumbnail - torn from hastily ripping open a package of Christmas cookies. Bad? Good? Will the superglue give me cancer? I hope not, but I read somewhere that the medical product known as Second Skin, for burns, is basically superglue, so I'm at least happy to not have a chunk of the center of my thumbnail missing.
4. It's my Friday and I'll leave work early if I want to! Because I can.
5. No gigs or practice this weekend, but I'm looking forward to singing a secret song at the Guilty Pleasures event hosted by Dave Snider at Sam Bond's on January 8th. I can't tell you which song I'm doing, but you are going to flip when you hear it. Straight outa 1970's classic easy-rock hit radio, you are going to love my rendition of ________________ by ___ __________!
Okay, enough is enough. I must log out now and go live life. May the force be with you until next time.

Ed

Here's a pic of me and the boys playing at Sam Bond's last Friday as the closing act for Hot Drama's cd release. We had a great time, although our set was a little on the sloppy side - I guess that's what happens when you have to wait all night until your slot comes up, killing time by drinking too many beers (at least that was my case.) I think I've finally figured out at this stage of my life that music, for me, is not about wowing the fans with perfection but rather the joy of playing music, period. I try to always have fun at any show I'm lucky enough to be a part of because life is too short to worry about miserable shit, like missed notes or dropped breaks or sorry-ass solos that don't really go anywhere. Every night is different, just like going to work - every day is different with the same old shit, so why not enjoy?
I guess the converse side of that mode of thinking is that if you are too comfortable with life and several layers of your illusions have been stripped away from decades of living, you kind of lose that youthful ambition and drive that propels so many musicians and artists. What would Iggy pop have turned out like if he never became popular? Can you imagine him working in an office or selling you a used car? Or Jim Morrison, what if he'd gone through AA and became a volunteer at his local church pancake breakfast and drove his kids to school in a mini van? That's the story that no one wants to read - people much prefer our heroes to have sordid ups and downs, both in life and in the sack. Drugs, sex, violence, drunken misbehavior - these things contribute to our cultural mythology. Growing up, having the family and behaving nicely never seem to make it into the encyclopedia of rock, but I think there are a lot of us in that camp - maybe tens of thousands more of us than any occurrence of a Jim Morrison or an Iggy Pop or a Rick James. I guess that is why legends are legends - because a legend is a story that doesn't seem to happen in everyday life.
But life is so damn good, who's complaining? Fuck politics, war and negative thinking - up with coffee, family, vans, guitars, sex, wine, food, music and friends. That is the stuff I live for ;)

Start this post with a little shot of some of my favorite NY R n R - Dick Manitoba's Wild Kingdom featuring Dick and Ross the Boss from the Dictators. Shitty quality, I know, but at least the guitar cuts through.
Nothing to complain about in my sphere. I've been doing the regular life-thing - working as little as possible (too much for my taste but grateful to be employed), spending time with the kids, who are super-cute at this stage ( 11 mos, 3 years and 18 years), missing tina as she has been working a ton at her new job, bartending at Cafe Lucky Noodle and, of course, playing gigs with the Underlings, though at a somewhat slowed rate compared to our previous 3 years. In fact, we're playing at Sam Bond's Garage on Friday night with Tom Heinl and Hot Drama, so come down and kcik it with us for a beer or two if you have the guts to do so.
The holidays are upon us and I'm looking forward to taking a few days off near the end of the month. I'm always too broke to spoil the kids the way my parents spoilt me - does anyone else here remember remember waking up to massive piles of amazing presents and goodies, just joyful Christmas-anarchy-orgy-style? I can't for the life of me imagine throwing down enough money during the month of December to pull that off. Maybe I just have a habit of not thinking on a large scale, but I think mainly my family had more money when I was a kid and then they must have spent if all on Christmas because I think all the family money is gone now. Oh well, I have enough to buy some beer, champagne, some free-range wildebeast and at least get some pretty good stuff for the young'ns . P.S. Santa if you are reading I could really use a cool 1970's Chevy van with a Playboy Bunny bubble window and shag carpet inside, thank you very much, even though I probably haven't been good enough to deserve it.
I'm looking forward to possibly seeing my bro, Boner this weekend when he and his throat come through Eugene/Springfield. Otherwise, I will write at you all later. Happy end of the year to you all.

Ed