Sit-in

You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave...

--From the song "Hotel California" by Don Felder, Don Henley. and Glenn Frey of The Eagles. 

The 5th Floor is inescapable. Biology writes its name in blood. 

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A couple years ago I met this guy. People told me I'd like him, which is something funny that people say sometimes. 

"You're gonna like this guy!"

If I don't like him, do I get money back?  

Plus, I like everybody, so what's the big deal?

He plays a great cello. Makes a mean cranberry and tonic. Asks direct questions. Asked me about my loneliness. Did I answer simply because he asked? Would I have answered another stranger with such depth and transparency? Was it because of his training as a therapist? He just graduated from Loma Linda University, Phd. In Clinical Psychology. 

photo by Austin Bacchus

After listening to my fears, why in the world did he and his wife come over that Sunday, laden with food and good company? What made them sit with me when I was so painfully uninteresting? I was empty and they sat with me. 

I had the divorce leprosy. We don't know what to do with that. How do we treat these living dead? They're not single. They're not married. Are they contagious?

I fell asleep and they were still there an hour later when I woke up. How rude of me! They said they were glad of the opportunity to help me relax. 

He lives far away and I may not see him for a while. But I think in the few encounters we did have, I found someone I'm connected to by geography-resistant ties. 

Blood, they say, is thicker than water. 

The Biologicals are coming.

A single phrase to describe my cousin Derek Bacchus: He sat with me . . .

Editor

http://www.freeimages.co.uk/

Behind Guitar Center, up one block, one block west, up another block, is a  street lined with those trees with the gorgeous purple flowers. Such an amazing, vibrant color. We used to walk up that street every day at lunch-time. 

First time I met her, she was a customer. By the time she came to work there, we were already friends. 

Gear-head. I don't think that's a mean thing to say about her. She'd probably say the same. I admire her fascination with equipment and levels and processes. Loves to set up studios and run tracking sessions and label stuff and mix down and tweak this and balance that. When she worked in Hollywood, she'd get hired to consult on studio design and setup all the time.  

There's a podcast in the works for Sounds Like Humans. Her idea. It's a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the album, some of the conversations between me and Suren and Mike, some of the sessions at the studio, some of the challenges and the triumphs. 

We hung out a couple hours last night. Which sort of violates my whole not hanging out with women after dark thing. But technically, this was on Ichat and she wasn't really in my office; she's 300 miles away. Videoconferencing has been our way of meeting the last few months on this project. 

Basically, she's got me taping my whole life. With this many things to check off today's list, it's hard to remember to drag the camera and tripod along as well. 

Speaking of the camera...when we first talked about this podcast a few months ago, I said, "yeah this is a cool idea, but I can't afford a video camera right now. It's taking everything I've got to just make the music."

She said, "what's your address?" 

A few days later my video camera showed up in the mail. With instructions to film everything and send her the tapes. She'll edit the footage. Qualified for the After; she was there for the Before.  Seems right she should be part of the storytelling of  God reconstructing my life. 

Been a while since I walked up that street. 

Jacaranda. 

That's what those trees are called . . .  Jacaranda. 

photo by Truth

A single phrase to describe my friend Truth Knox:  Tweaker of Visuals

Video Bromance

I've never registered for stuff before. Say you're getting married in a few months, like November-ish. You can go to the store and make a list of stuff you want and if your friends like you enough, they'll buy this stuff for you! 

I am not making this up. Seriously!

Ok, I realize this isn't news to most of you, but apparently I've led a very sheltered life...

I went with my friend and his fiancee' to register at Macy's. It's too much fun. They give you a scanner and turn you loose in the store and whatever you scan goes on the magic list. 

I was like, "you get all this free stuff just for getting married?...seriously?"

Shoot, I was about to propose to the next woman that walked through the department. Then I remembered I'm already in love with somebody. Whew, that was close. 

Wednesday night we went to the Icehouse in Pasadena for an evening of stand-up comedy. Good times. 

Sunday morning to the studio for a tracking and mixing session. After the studio we went home and played video games. You don't understand. I do NOT play video games. Heck, I don't play games.  Seriously. . .

It was crazy fun. I don't even know the name of it. Just some racing game where you go as fast as you can until you crash full speed into the side of a mountain, or get bogged in lava and melt into nothing with hardly a whimper. 'Cause you're just that tough. Or maybe 'cause you know you'll be back at the push of a button. 

photo by MariaNoel

Between video games and pizza he had a prop-design project and I had to review some notes on the computer. He worked his project; I worked mine. Still counted as hangout time. Conversation comes when it comes. It's perfectly alright to just be in the same space and not say anything. 

I've never been more proud of him than watching him prepare for marriage. It's not a game, and he knows that. There's no reset button, and you can tell he's taking it seriously. 

Day after tomorrow, bright and early, we're going off-road to capture a photo for the single "Smoke and Alcohol," posting to my website first of September. 

Single phrase to describe my friend Sean Amlaner: 

My brother, seriously... 

No, seriously!