If It Takes A Lifetime...Random Thoughts...

- The new Cheap Trick CD is absolutely awesome. It is called "Rockford" please buy it. Since the late 80's Cheap Trick has tried to blend whatever was popular at the time into their recordings and the results were disasterous or mixed at best. Cheap Trick is just a rocking, melodic power pop band, plain and simple, and electronica and keys just did not belong. On the new recording, they ditched all of that and went back to what made them famous and the results are amazing. This is easily the best CD since "Dream Police" and I guarantee you will enjoy it.

- I am currently in Montana, and the scenery is nice, but, have you ever been to Alaska? Alaska is absolutely breathtaking. The mountains and bays combined with the abundant wild life is just unbelievable. I strongly suggest you visit our 49th state. Be prepared, food is EXPENSIVE!

- Why do people leave dated bumper stickers on their cars? OK, you voted for Kerry in '04, he lost. It is not a badge of honor, it means you voted for a guy that could not take down an unpopular President (and you had the majority of registered voters!). For all you "W '04" sticker wearers...OK you won, now, why am I paying $3.00 a gallon for gas? Why are kids dying overseas with no end in sight? You won, but you have nothing to be proud of. Maybe I could offer you a "Skid Row Rocks" sticker to complete your outdated set? Maybe a "Don't blame me I voted for Perot" sticker.

- World Cup Soccer...the premiere tournament in soccer decided by penalty kicks?!?!? What kind of shit is that? They play until someone scores. End of sentance. The day the Stanley Cup is decided by shootouts is the day I give up hockey.

- The new Cheap Trick CD rocks.

- The first two CD's by Better Than Ezra, are still great CD's.

- I am jonesing for a Posies, Redd Kross or Cheap Trick show. I need some power pop in my life right now.

- I love being a dad. I can now hold conversations with my son and he is just the center of my world. I would not trade this life for anything.

- Last and definitely least...My old company in San Diego is pushing hard to bring me back into the fold. They need someone who can fix both of their branches in Riverside and San Diego. They have no infrastructure in place to support their technicians and therefore can't keep them. They want me to pull together a training course and implement it, and then help recruit and retain good people. I would be given the freedom to fix payscales, offer incentives and build teams as I see fit, but, I am not sure I want to leave Washington quite yet. We have a brand new house that cost us under $300K and I have a job that I currently love. The San Diego job would definitely get me into the six figure range, but is all relative to everything else. A house in a regular neighborhood is still $700K. Gas is still way above $3 a gallon. The pluses would be proximity to family and friends. I don't know at this point, but, I will do whatever is best for my family.

I've been handed a curse...

I don't believe I ever have told you about my curse, have I? It is an odd one, I don't know where or when it started, but I noticed it a few years back (around 2000-2001). I have shared it with Gabi and a close friend or two, but, to prevent the spread, I have kept it encapsulated within that group. I was thinking about it the other day and decided that I would share it here...I am cursed by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Yes, the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynrd. I grew up in upstate NY. Very close to the town of Woodstock, Bearsville Studios and Bard College. "Classic Rock" or at the time I was growing up "AOR FM Rock" was king. 60's acts that crossed over into the 70's like The Doors and Stones as well as all of those 70's arena bands were the ONLY thing the kids at my school listened to. While I enjoyed some of that, I found myself leaning towards other bands that were not popular, or popular yet. I liked Cheap Trick before they broke with Budokan. I loved the Bon Scott led AC/DC. I was very into the first wave...Jam, Pistols, Pretenders and Cars, which did not allow me to fit in with my classmates on some levels. Right up there with Zeppelin and Aerosmith, the kids loved Lynyrd Skynyrd. I loathed them, I don't like the south in general, but southern rock, to me, really blew...fast forward to 2000...I started to notice Skynyrd in my life. Not just the occasional song every once in a while, but some reference to Skynyrd every single day!!! I started to notice not a day went by without something Skynyrd. A song, a photo, a story about them, someone talking about them, Muzak in the store, a reference to them from a comedian or on TV or even a kid walking down the street in a Skynyrd shirt! It was uncanny, I could be on the road, tuning the radio and I would, without fail, hit a Skynyrd song. When I finally shared this with my BSI replacement, Kevin, he at first dismissed it, but then noticed when we walked into a bar, it was only a matter of minutes before "Gimme Three Steps" or "Sweet Home Alabama" would play on the music system. He started to notice where ever I was, Skynyrd soon followed. As of today the curse is still with me...Everyone that knows the curse always stares me down when there is a random Skynyrd reference. As funny as this all sounds...it is true on every level and I have learned just to accept it. So, from Skynyrd central...have a great day! (and please, give me three steps, give me three steps mister...)