We're all gonna die!

We finally got back to our recording sessions tonight, and we think we got a keeper track for Voices. After we finished the take, the expression on Patrick’s face was one of exaltation and triumph, complete with arms outstretched over the head and clenched fists waving in victorious celebration. After that, we decided to take five – which ended up turning into a thirty-minute break due to our convoluted discussions of planetary self regeneration, death, DNA mutations of disease (guess who brought that one up), the Old and New Testaments, Da Vinci Code style conspiratorial theories, and a little more death. Never a dull moment with these guys, either bending the strings or bending the ears.

We’re going to have to fit in Ritchie’s Gizmatchie into a song title or lyric somehow...

Eric has finally added some more bloggage. Make sure to check it out.

Remove head from sphincter if you please. Rinse and repeat.

It’s amazing how quickly you forget your vacation when torqued back through the auger of the daily grind, especially when set to a slow mince. At least this week went fast. More and more each day I realize how much we all become insulated from what is happening around us by the meshing gears of life. If one really paid attention and researched what the lawyers, politicians, and other such busybodies are doing to us, our community, our country, and our world, one would **literally** go insane. Take an intellectually honest listen to some of those so-called conspiratorial “crackpots” on the fringe of any frequency of the political spectrum, from the enviros all the way over to the militia types - you may gleam a smidgen of truth here and there, and you’ll probably encounter more truths than you are willing to admit. Sure, these folks may sound like nutcases, but it’s probably only because they actually did their homework, studied history, did research on their own, and then connected the dots. When one understands and tries to articulate how numerous, controlling, and toxic those dots actually are and depicts the maze of spider webs tethering them all together, one will sound like a conspiratorial wacko. But you know, my 401(k) is doing kinda OK, the infobabe on TV keeps on telling me about this supposed war for oil thingy or was it about the Vice President (whoever that is), March Madness just got started, I still have to do my taxes, get my Prozac, Zoloft, Ritialin, Lipitor, Viagra, Celebrex, Vioxx, Nexium, Paxil, and Ambien prescriptions refilled, make an appointment with my therapist because my favorite actress is getting divorced, and isn’t American Idol on tonight?

The grim assessor cometh for thee...

There's no place like home

Ahhhhhh. Back home again. Feels good. The kitties were very happy to see us. On the way home we finally experienced snow stormage through Idaho and Nevada (lucky us). Of course this affected our scheduled arrival time, which ultimately prevented me from catching the local Dream Theater show on Saturday. I’ll have to get the lowdown from my other band mates who did go to the concert. Oh well, next time.

Have you ever breathed? Here, try this new pink pill!

I went to the herbalist/shaman this morning. This guy and his wife are amazing. He works out of the first floor of his suburban home. I was awed at the quantity of vials, jars, and bags of extracts, raw herbs, and who knows what else. First, he used this machine circa the 1940’s to test my system. He uses this instrument to dial in certain resistive frequencies so he can determine various ailments, and then prescribe herbal and homeopathic remedies to correct the root causes and thus also cure the effects of said causes. His wife hooked me up to this other machine that also does similar diagnostics, but it can also use waveform frequencies throughout the body to eliminate certain harmful entities, such as excessive cholesterol. My understanding is that NASA utilizes similar technologies on astronauts returning from outer space. I can’t wait to start my new homeopathic regimen and begin to take better care of my physical body. I don’t want to fall victim to either my familial medical history or the great pharmaceutical juggernaut. Do you ever pay attention to the lawyer-speak at the end of those incessant drug commercials? All of those side effects! And I get the privilege to take these synthetic substances the rest of my life, no thank you! Funny that my blog mirrors what the Evil One has said of late.

Ka is a wheel...

Anyway, we’re beginning our long journey home. Can’t wait to see the cats and get back to the Timeline recording sessions.

I would have liked to have seen Montana...

Holy crap, Batman – Montana is simply beautiful! Mountains, lakes, mountains, trees, mountains, rivers, and more mountains, oh my! Montana reminds me of some of the more rustic areas of California, very similar to Lake Tahoe, Calaveras County, and Yosemite. We checked out our little 8.8-acre plot of land today. It’s seems very flat and should have excellent drainage. It shouldn’t take much to clear the foliage required for the initial construction. We still have a few more details to iron out, but me thinks, Houston, we have a go. The weather has generously cooperated with us throughout our travels - so far. Only a little bit of rain or snow here and there, not enough to be of any bother, which apparently was contrary to the predictions of the meteorological cabal of talking heads.

I’m also going to visit a local herbologist here who seems to have quite the track record for treating various ailments, including his liver cancer. No need to worry, I’m fine, I just need a little bit of a tune up (don’t we all).

Where are my Lincoln Logs?

As Master Evil noted, I’m on holiday with my lovely wife to remote destinations unknown. I’m currently transmitting from a top-secret installation deep underground. Not really. This week we drove up to the Seattle area to visit family and next week we’ll be driving over to Montana to check out some acreage we recently purchased near the Montana/Idaho border, a little bit southwest from Glacier National Park. We (and the in-laws) plan to develop the land with a lodge, cabins, RV spots, plus a few other structures. The idea is to build a rustic facility for corporate retreats, sewing retreats (for my wife and mother-in-law to hold), plus lodging for seasonal hunters, and parents who visit their children attending nearby boarding schools. A restaurant and a gift shop are also planned. Right now it’s completely covered with trees and it has a 20-acre section of state forest, a river, and a mountain range in the backyard. It should be a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. I’ll keep you all updated as things progress.

On a totally unrelated note, I quietly celebrated my 39th birthday a couple of days ago. Nothing overtly exciting to report, just a great meal and some mucho fino vino (duh).