on a sunny afternoon

the hand is slowly getting better, I can play guitar for a few minutes and I can type with all the fingers for a little bit. Still can't make a fist or really grip anything with it.

but more importantly, I'm hosting a BBQ at the casa del wolfdog this afternoon. it will be really nice being social for awhile instead of sitting on the couch (or here).

good people, good food, sangria and margaritas....I can't wait.

he came dancing across the water

today the therapist went easier on the wrap on the left hand, wanting me to get a little movement excerise in. but not to over do it, of course.

so, of course, i over did it.

i decided to see if i could fret any chords at all on the peavey. a couple. a little uncomfortable. so i knocked out a quick Neil Young song and then hit the vicodin and beer. ya, it wasnt too bright and it hurts like hell, but it had to be done for my sanity. I'll take it a little easier now.

I promise.

watch the world go by from my hole

ok, im bored with the whole cant use my hands/pain thing. seriously. it can stop now.

really now, something has got to give before i go batshit crazy and can no longer hide how frustrated, bored, and generally pissed off i am right now.

i cant even open a package of nutty bars right now by myself....aaarrrggh!

real live bleeding fingers

went to a specialist today, its gonna be a long heal. seems i managed to scrape it down to the tendons and bone. this is not for the squimish.

i cant even begin to think about how much this sucks. no driving, guitar, softball, etc.

i would write more, but this one-pinky typing is depressing me too.

not to ride on the factory belt

so i had an industrial accident. i will have more detail when i can use more than one finger to type. nothing is broke, or seemingly permanently damaged. but suddenly it is depressing me to think of all the things i am incapable of doing for the time being. time to hit the vicadin.

Summer...it turns me upside down...

So, moments before pulling the trigger on buying a new digital camera from Amazon, my wife takes a close look at the one I dropped and finds some plastic shavings blocking the mechanism to open the lens. After scraping them out, the camera works fine. Go figure.

And it's a good thing, since recently we had to buy a new pool for the kids since a family of squirrels decided to chew through the old one in the shed over the winter. Only one unexpected expense at a time for now.

I did manage to find time to go to First Ave and check out Ted Leo And The Pharmacists. This was a feat, considering 12 hour days and weekends are now getting to be pretty much mandatory at work. Hey, the money is good, but I'm gonna totally miss out on summer here.

But I have things to look forward to. A BBQ next weekend, Bob Mould at the Taste Of Minnesota over the 4th of July, a family trip to the Dells, and the yearly softball extravaganza in northern Wisconsin. Looks like I'm gonna cram my whole summer into the space of 2 weeks.

Which leaves me with almost no time to pick up a guitar. Except a brief session learning to play Ted Leo's Where Have All The Rude Boys Gone and Dolorean's To Destruction.

I watch my self fall apart, I watch the rabbits in my yard

I got the weekend off of work, and wasted it by being a complete Grumpy-Gus. I think I managed to destroy everything I touched and annoy everyone I came in contact with. (apologies to all involved).

I would post more pictures, but my digital cam was a victim of my destructive powers and I now need a new one.

I did spend some time recording, and still riding high from actually writing a song (for what it's worth) I did a couple covers that I like alot. You can find em in the usual place over to the right.

I think I might throw myself into some long work hours for a couple weeks, won't help the grumpy part, but at least I'll be getting paid for my time being miserable.

a long forgotten bookmark

Ok, I got tagged with one of these Meme blogger thingys. I'm new at this, so I'm not sure how to act. But shitchya, I'll give it go. Thanks to J.C. the Super-Genius for tagging me with this.

How many books do you own?

Hundreds, possibly over a grand. Seven floor-to-ceiling bookcases, plus misc. books stored in boxes. Many of which came from my late father-in-law, who was a book collector. Lots of leatherbound Easton Press editions from him.

What is the last book you bought?

Made a trip to Borders about a week ago or so, picked up Jacob Slichter's So You Wanna Be A Rock & Roll Star and Mark Dunn's Ella Minnow Pea. Both very good and read in the same night.

What is the last book you read?

Read The Stories Of John Cheever the other night. First time ever reading anything by him, very satisfying short stories.

Name five books that mean a lot to you.

The Lathe Of Heaven by Ursula LeGuin. Probably the first 'adult' themed book I read on my own during my youth. Goes beyond 'sci-fi', makes you reconsider your ideas on a 'perfect' society.

The Gunslinger by Stephen King. Epic, poetic, gritty, and magical. To the point I would hope they never make a movie out of this one. (unless David Lynch does it)

Mefisto In Onyx by Harlan Ellison. Hard to pick just one of his, but I always go back to this one. It's also available in his collection Slippage. An honest, in-your-face, character driven story. A style of storytelling that I cannot get enough of.

Das Boot by Lothar Gunther Buchheim. An extremely visceral 'you-are-there' account of life on a German U-Boat. Much more personal than the movie.

Concrete comic series by Paul Chadwick. Beautiful art, fantastic storytelling. A real anti-superhero story. A meek speech writer obtains a body of solid rock and superhuman-type abilities. But the 'real' world doesnt seem to have a need or a place for him. Very thoughtful and sometimes provoking.

Ok...I guess that's about it. I'll pass this along to my blogger friends. (as soon as I get some).

Endless Rain Into A Paper Cup

I had a little instrumental track I have messing with for awhile now, fruitlessly trying to graft words onto it. Then I was told a story of a 'tainted monkey' from a friend, and the idea just stuck in my head. So I hit record and words just started coming out. Some of them make sense, most don't...but I like the feel. Some parts of the sound are gonna change, but for now I'm ok with this.

So, with props/apologies to the Super-Genius, here is a first draft/pass/stab at Tainted Monkey (took the file down for repairs, will return).

oh crap. just listened to it again, and the whole solo/middle part has gotta go.

after a nap, that is.