April 2005

Have you ever had one of those days?

I played in Lawrence last night. I put my ducks in a row ahead of time and left crazy-early so I could listen to an audio lecture on the way. I set my cruise at 55 mph, even though Highway 24 has a 65 mph limit. I was going rather slowly anyway, so I disengaged the cruise without breaking in Rossville and puttered through town at what I believed to be a prudent speed. Paying more attention to the audio lecture that to the observance of posted speed limits, when I looked over and saw the Shawnee County police cruiser that we'll probably sell someday at the Purple Wave, he was already turning to shut me down.

I was set up by 7:30p for a show that would start at 10:30p. I killed time at Gumby's and by driving around and stopping multiple times at the same gas station for more of that new Budweiser energy drink.

I love Lawrence. Just driving around and I found a protest in progress; about 50 people were protesting one of the hundreds of protestable things our fearless leader has done. I think this was about war or some trivial matter.

Dusty Feighner and Mason Powell showed up shortly before I began playing. They were part of a packed house. Actually, I think I remember everyone who was there.

Dusty Feighner
Mason Powell
Mason's friend
Carl the singer
Heather the manager
Heather's boyfriend the bartender
Four other people whose names I can't remember

I looked over at one point and saw Dusty and Heather. That was the point at which I decided that, even though I was having a great show vocally and instrumentally, I was playing to the wall. No offense, Dusty and Heather.

That's about it. We shut down before midnight a show that was supposed to last until 2:00am. Dusty and I just sat around and drank with the staff. Great people at Harbour Lights. While I was playing, someone invited me to what Dusty tells me is a rave. I guess it's at the drive-in, though I don't know when. Perhaps someone can help me.

On my way out of town, I had one thought to relish. I had been dreaming of my traditional Lawrence Burger King fat-burger all day. I've been to Lawrence quite a bit, lately, and each time, on my way out of town, I drive through BK and get their new double-fat, double bacon, double-fat, double cheese, double-fat, double whopper. It is quite truly one of the modern marvels of the world; the greatest sandwich God (and Burger King) ever made. Burger King was closed.

Sorry about not bloggin in awhile it’s been a rather crappy month. So guess what you lucky people get to hear about it now. Let the crap ranting begin. First off I’M BROKE!!! DO ya here there credit people!! I HAVE NO MONEY SO QUIT CALLIN ME!! I will pay ya when I have money or when student loans come in again, whatever happens first. Also I’ve got a ton of papers due. More strange and crappy things have happened to my parents then I care to think about. A concert that I have been working on for the last 3 and a half months got shut down by the University that I pay WAY to much money to so I can attend it. The band’s drummer is injured amongst other things. As Aaron mentioned already Beefapooloza got cancelled, at least till fall. Nothing like spending three months working with everyone I could to coordinate to make sure that everything. Really I felt like everything was ready to go then the week before the concert. BAM! The university steps in and kills the whole thing so I have to spend that week canceling everything. To all the bands and organizations that I had to cancel with I am Truly Sorry!! So what have we learned from this little adventure? Don’t tell anyone ANYTHING! Just plan it out with the people who need to know and throw it! Too many administrators in the planning cancels the concert. Also Mason said that his wrist is screwed up. He said it’s been a continuous problem and comes and goes but has been buggin him for over a week now. Basically he can’t play the drums right now. This is bad because that’s what he does. This is a very serious. He’s waiting to hear from the doctor on what it is. Traffas and I sat down and also diagnosed him. Well Traffas did I just watched cause Traffas has the animal science degree. After some discussion he decided that it would be best just to put Mason down. Aaron did the deed while I held his cry wife; she was taking it rather hard. Aaron took him out for a drive, he told him that they were going to the music store to look at the new drums, he was so excited. Aaron said that when they got to the destination that mason was really excited and running around then he looked up at Aaron’s big head with a big smile and then it was all over. Aaron said it was one of the hardest things he’d ever done. A few days later Mason’s widow came to visit us apparently the problem had been that mason has stranded his wrist and that it would have been better in a few days. With this new information on his aliment we know we had done the right thing.

It that was bad enough Wayne has competition for the site’s webmaster. After about a month of an uncontested campaign, an opponent has appeared. Apparently Lucas has decided to run for the position. He is quite capable but isn’t geeky enough to truly handle the site. After all who has watched more episodes of Star Trek then Traffas? Wayne. Who is the bigger E-bayer? Wayne. And who plays as more counter strike then Traffas? Of course Wayne again!! Remember Vote Wayne for webmaster. If Wayne wins He’ll buy the kegs for those who helped him get this position.

Also my father showed up the other day because he had some conferences in town. We switched vehicles so I now have my sis’s little eclipse, while he tries to find a new bumper for my jeep. I’m going to be driving that for awhile. Well till next time. Remember as Boland once said “Flying ain’t nothing, but falling with style.

I just got back from running miles
Okay, perhaps 1.5 to 2
But I haven’t just run in about two years
I bought new shoes, new pants, a new sweatshirt
Figured if I spent money on the project I’d actually go through with it
I haven’t hurt this much in a long time
Nor felt this fantastic

It was my personal punishment for the shenanigans I pulled at the party the other night. I listened to the recording with my head in my hands and was in a piss-poor mood. I wanted to quit, so I ran. Now I want to die. Or feel like I will, anyway. In any case, I have new shoes.

Dusty and I were up at 6:00am
The morning after a Goat House party is always classic
Thanks to everyone for coming out
Blaine and Dusty and I had a hell of a good time
So did a lot of others
The cops shut us down at 9:30pm
They wanted us to beat the rush at Bob’s Diner

There’s nothing like a nice, luke-warm Diet Coke after drinking luke-warm Diet Pepsi for the last few days. The Beefapalooza fiasco in Topeka scheduled for Friday has been cancelled, leaving me a free Friday night in M-town and an easy, no-pressure setup for Saturday’s Day of the Goat.

Wow

What a week
Gallivanting around the state

Burgess is a bad influence on me
So is Dusty “Pavlov’s Pants” Feighner

You know what else is good?
Rum

I put the pictures up from the Buster’s show. I said gallivanting, damnit.

Partied last night with Blaine at Rusty’s
I’m glad I’m not Trevor
Heading back to 95 degree weather
It must suck

This is the cutest thing I’ve seen in a long time

Sitting here, relaxing, watching Alias, crying like a baby. I normally don’t cry at movies, much less TV shows, but I just watched the computer geek save Jennifer Garner by digging up the grave in which she was buried alive while her father watched on the overhead satellite thermal imaging feed.

I need to get out more. Actually, on second thought, “out” hasn’t been too good to me the last five nights in a row. I ended up somewhere in Kansas City/Lenexa on Friday night after Bleu, found myself at Goob’s Guzzler in Frankfort Saturday night, hit Lawrence and Topeka on Sunday night, went out with Burgess on Monday, ran into Bryn and Dawn in Fat’s last night at about 1:30pm after going out “for a few” with Rice at 9:00pm — it’s been a long time since I enjoyed a night off as much as I am right now.

3 minutes later…

Laughing my ass off. After the CPR that every computer geek knows, she woke up and said “thanks”. You have to see it, I guess.

Thanks to everyone who came out last night
Thanks to Jo and Dusty, who had already paid to see Cory Morrow, for deciding to stay

Thanks for nothing. I wanted to shut down early so I could go see the rock show, but no, y’all had to make me have a damn fun show last night. See if I tell you where I’m playing next.

Just a quick reminder for any of you in the Manhattan area who happen to check the log between now and tonight…I’ll be playing at Bobby T’s, hopefully starting around 9:00pm. While I’m aware of the competition, it should be a fun show nonetheless. If nothing else, come have a few drinks with friends before you head to the cramped bar in the ‘ville.

Last Tuesday, the Religious Right of Kansas demonstrated overwhelmingly that they felt that homosexuals could do more damage to the institution of marriage than heterosexuals are already doing. While “gay marriage” is already illegal in Kansas, they felt it was important to be damn sure that civil rights would never be granted to civil unions. Just in case anyone didn’t read the news.

Personally, I think the effort and advertising dollars would have been better spent providing public counseling and assistance to troubled couples, but singer-songwriter-farmer-auctioneers don’t dictate public policy. That’s probably a good thing.

We’re still running the band naming contest. Submissions go to band@aarontraffas.com. We’ll be posting the submissions sometime within the next few weeks.

Big week of music this next. You’ll hear from me.

The money that I had ear-marked for a new Fender Hot Rod DeVille guitar amp went to a new radiator instead. Josh Quillan still hasn’t returned my Brougham. He must have become hooked on it. I’m sure you can find him cruising to Solomon in it; hell, he might even be pulling a trailer.

I think our new name is going to be “aAr0n and the 1337 h4×0rs”. That was submitted by Captain Spectre. I’ll be posting more submissions as I feel like it.