May 2008

So Diane’s coworkers at her new job got her a rolodex. She’s going to put it by the slide rule in the drawer above the abacus.

Follow the link to read the latest essay I have concocted for the LitTunes site.

The essay is kind of a “what the heck have I been up to for the past six months” so if you are wondering, check it out. For those Chris Knight fans out there, I most recently finished an essay about The Grapes of Wrath in which I referenced his song “Broken Plow.” The coolest thing in the world is that I got to interview Knight on the phone and some of that transcript is included in the essay. That was quite an honor as I consider him to be simply one of the best songwriters in any genre. If you would like to read the essay in advance of its publication, drop me a line and I will be happy to send a copy. I plan to interview and highlight other artists in the upcoming weeks and months.

chrisgoering at gmail.com

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We moved Megan and Andrew into their modern appartment in St. Louis today. Turning in now after watching Bull Durham, a Kevin Costner offering from 1988. I’d never heard of it before tonight and I have to say it was one hell of a good show.

I just had a fantastic time playing in Minneapolis. It was good to play a show with Jimmy Billinger again.

I have time for about five hours of sleep before we head for St. Louis.

The dolly is quite sufficient for the tasks at hand. Dad’s issue with the dolly was only that the tire was flat. I would much rather have my dolly than one with “toy wheels” (ever seen pneumatic tires on a toy?) any day of the week. I’m not moving engines around, and what I am moving around is much better treated by the gentle support of the pneumatic tires than the bouncing of the hard, solid tires. I know pneumatic dollies are much preferred in moving furniture and appliances because of the gentler ride.

Enough about transportation. The power hop joke was the funniest thing I’ve heard in a while. Better than the 13…14 joke on McClure’s MySpace just now.

I’m gtting ready to go load and eat before the trip to the wild west.

Simply airing up the tires on that dolly will not do the trick. It needs to have one of two things happen to it: 1) Replace the pneumatic tires with solid rubber tires; or, 2) Take the dolly and kindly place it somewhere people not lifting very heavy things (i.e. your speakers and amps) can use it and replace it.

The problem with the dolly is the design. It was made for light residential use. You know, like taking a trash can to the curb or wheeling a UPS delivery of socks from QVC inside the house. By airing the tires you may have actually created more of a problem as when the heavy speakers, amps, etc are placed on the dolly, they will inevitably tilt and tip to one side.

I staunchly agree with your father on this issue. The dolly needs real wheels instead of toy wheels…

Looks like Jim’s going to play the show in Minneapolis with me tomorrow. We haven’t played a show together in years. It’s going to be a hoot, that’s what it’s going to be.

I finally fixed the tire on my dolly today. It’s the one that G and dad always gave me a hard time about. I over inflated the tire, actually. Lucas says it’s going to hop a lot now.

Still making progress out here in sunny, ahem, Colorado. Yesterday it sleeted intermittently most of the afternoon. Today, they are expecting eight inches of snow up in the higher country. Brrrrr.

So far the critters have been pretty tame. I have been taking walks in the morning hoping for a glance of something cool. Today I did walk within ten feet of a deer. It looked dumb, like one of the deer which will probably end up in someone’s grille. I wonder what it thought of me? Hmmm. Fresh venison does sound tasty. Other than several of the aforementioned large hooved rats, I have seen a lizard, three ground squirrels, two rabbits, and several hummingbirds.

The writing retreat continues to be fairly productive as a whole. Currently, I am working on a book proposal that is due at the end of June. It seems I have more work than I remembered. Hmmm. Time for an ATB post, aka delicious distraction. Yesterday I worked on some songs including one I am co-writing with Effron White, a folk singer from the Northwest Arkansas area.

I am still hoping for a 2008 release date of my first cd, sort of a sampler of songwriting as much as artistry. If I could just play a Bm I would be set.

Back to work. Take care friends, g

I knew the Maddy family was big but had no idea they had their own COOP.

I took this picture yesterday in Montrose, CO on the way here to Ridgway which I misppelled in my post yesterday.

Today has been productive. I have two pieces submitted for publication and, if the internet holds out, I will publish at least one more here tonight when this post goes active. Aaron will probably get credit for it. Figures…since it is his band and all. I am the eternal offensive lineman.

I am on a regimented diet of exercises for the mind, spirit, and body. I read. I walk. I write. I watch. I listen constantly. I photograph. I dream. I play. I believe, I eat, I drink.

Is it Blake Shelton who has that song which says something to the effect of, “the more I drink, the more I drink, the more I drink” playing on the idea that drinking will lead to more drinking, etc. I have found this to be the truest thing…when it comes to writing. The more I write, the more I write, the more I write.

If I think back to some of the most literate times of my life, I was working on several things in several genres. Last night I wrote an ATB post and that will go down as the first of hopefully about 15-20 things I plan to accomplish during this trip.

One of those things is to get an up-to-date gauge on how my songs sound and more unfortunately, how not good at singing or playing the guitar I am despite doing it a lot. I swear I could do this music thing if I could only find someone to play guitar and sing my songs…but then I would be a hack.

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