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11 August 1999:
So I headed down south for a little time off from the Birmingham scene. It was a good thing, got to cuddle with a kitten, cuddle with my friends, do some serious chowing at the Porch. It was a lot different this time than the last visit to Mobile. Last time I guess I tried to make it a big deal, a milestone, a turning point. I tensed up. But you gotta stay loose. You're never gonna know quite what life's got to throw at you, and it threw me for a loop last time. Things were different (of course) and I had it built up in my mind that it was some sort of homecoming, that I was coming back to what was there before all this. This was, of course, completely wrong and misplaced. So I got hurt. It sucked. This time I stayed loose, just took things as they came, rolled with the punches, bent with the wind. It works a lot better that way. Consequently I spent the time happier. I wore myself flat out, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. You've always got to test your limits.
Now I'm back in B'ham, back into this routine. Just got back from clinic. Things are still cruising along nicely, I seem to be healing. It's a damn slow process, but the progress is measurable. I was worried about some stomach pains, worried that it might be graft vs. host disease, but it looks like it was just gas. Sheesh.
So what did I do while in Mobile? Spent a good amount of time at Dogwood, actually put in some hours working on the Milliken Tablelinen site. Had a GREAT time playing bass with Ray N and Ray F, our audio guys. Had Ray N kickin' the beats on the MIDI drum rig while I fiddled around on the bass, and ya know what? It was the first time I ever felt like I was really playing, not just plucking strings by rote. Wasn't anything incredible by any means, but it sure was fun! Ray F took over on the keyboard and Ray N grabbed a six-string and we made some funky noises... I'm not gonna try and tell y'all it was music, but it had a beat and we could dance to it! That Alesis keyboard is a monster, and Ray F was workin' it. We had fun.
I met my godson! That's him above, the little guy. His name is William Andrews Mathers, and he's gorgeous. Squirmy little thing, cute as a button. His proud poppa JB is the big guy.
You can see more pix of him here, on the Dogwood site.
For you cat people out there... I went to my apartment Thursday to pick up Christy for lunch. Walked in and scooped Lilu up in my arms and told her what an amazingly gorgeous lady she was ('cause she is) and settled down on the bed to talk to Chris. Lilu promptly curled up between my arm and leg, threw a proprietary limb or two over me, and proceeded to just preen away. She was such a show-off! I've never seen her like that. Normally she's a very reserved and dignified member of royalty, but she was all into snugglin that day. Every once in a while she'd lean up and grab my arm in both her claws and sink her teeth into my arm as if to say "I love you dearly, BUT WHY'D YOU LEAVE ME ALONE FOR SO LONG?!?!" Ouch, Lilu. Stop that. She'd bite just hard enough to hold onto me and roll her eyes up to look at me, make sure I got the point. Then she'd go back to being sweet and loving and purrrrrrrr. Chris and I eventually got up and went to Los Rancheros for some groovy Mexican. Chris was looking yummy in a tight white tanktop that clearly showed off her pierced right nipple, and a funky little black skirt. Yum.
So, let's see, what else... went down to Denson/Reed, hung out with Cathy for a while. Saw Tad for about five seconds. He was looking hurried, gear cases over his shoulder. He took a few seconds to mess with my bass guitar - the boy can play - and then he was outta there. Missy took me downtown for lunch at Wintzell's Oyster House, and believe you me, chilluns, if you ever get down Mobile way, you need to stop and munch at this incredible seafood place. I had a shrimp po-boy that was fab.
Did I just say 'fab'? Woah... medication must be kickin in... anyway:
Saturday was spent sitting around, being hot, getting stoned, listening to music and reading a book. Totally took my brain off the hook. It was a good thing.
Sunday we had a cookout at the Porch. Kristen and Sean came down (from some netherhell in the Midwest... they seem to like it there. I think Sean has corrupted Kristin. She WAS a good southern gal. Dammit.) and Laurie and Pat showed up after the munchin' was over. Pat bought himself a little Phillips Velo, so of course I had to whip out the Newton and compare the two a bit.
Oh, I'm sorry, did I forget to mention what we ate? Yes, yes, eating is in fact a favorite passtime. We had... hamburgers, hot dogs, sausage dogs, vegetarian hot dogs, grilled chicken and grilled shrimp. The shrimp rocked! I've got this thing for shrimp lately... anyway, had a huge bowl of fruit salad, some baked beans and two, count em, two flavors of Zapp's chips. I told Kristen she was spathic and Rob almost lost it. Spathic, in geologists' terms, means 'having good cleavage.' Rob and Joel worked on building Joel a microphone with which to record his dijiridoo. Joel's headed to Austria at the end of this month. Little bastage. He says it's to work on a research grant, but we all know it's because his girlfriend lives there.
Ok, I'm tired again. Damn, I get tired easily these days. Feel like an old geezer pecking away at his big cast-iron typewriter. So I'll leave y'all for now, catch up with you later. Take it easy, enjoy your days and nights. See ya soon.
Myself and the newly engaged Laurie and Pat. Laurie is Rob's sis. Pat's just a guy with a Phillips VELO. Hehehe.
Rob with what I think is charcoal starter fluid, and Siddy messing with the shrimp. It was HOT in that kitchen. I mean HOT. Like... HOT. Anyone who doesn't live in the South might not quite understand what I mean when I say HOT. But it was HOT!!
Nick looks enigmatic...
Sean, his spathic wife Kristin, and my brother Joel.
Sean's leg, Christy and Rob, working on a microphone he's building for Joel.