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I don't know why I've been so lax with blogging lately. I feel like I've been really busy and haven't had time to do anything, but I also feel like I've not been very productive, either. Here's random updates as they come to my mind:

-A week ago yesturday Holly and I opened for Kelly Jones for a concert at her church. She is such a great person and great singer/songwriter. I'm so proud to be her friend and to have produced her first 3 CDs. Her husband, Aaron, is also a great guy. Whenever we see them, we all say that we need to hang out more, but they're busy too. She's saying that she's about ready for a new CD and assures me that I'm producing, so I'm looking forward to that.

-played at US Pizza last Wednesday on the patio. It was too freakin' hot! 3 hour gig on the patio and by the time I was done setting up the sound system I thought I was going to melt. It's amazing how much energy I CANNOT come up with to perform when I'm hot like that. I booked another gig there, but it's not till late September. Hopefully it will be cooler by then.

-last Friday, played at Teatro Scarpino's with 3 other songwriters: Effron White, Sarah Hughes, and Justin Brasher. I was pretty apprehensive about how it was going to turn out because it was $5 to get in the door and I didn't know if anybody would come out. It was AWESOME! We had a GREAT turn out and had lots of fun. Thanks to anybody who might be reading this who came out! I know that everybody involved was really pleased with the evening, so I'm sure that we'll be doing it again sometime.

-Last weekend I got a call from a music minister in KC who was getting ready to go on vacation and whoever he had scheduled as his sub fell through at the last minute. He'd asked my friend, Rustin Smith if he could sub, but Rustin couldn't get out of his sunday am responsibilities and he suggested me. James said that he'd cover for me at NS, so we left for KC Saturday night and led music at this big E. Free Church for two services. People were really friendly, we had a great band, and we sold 17 CDs! Afterwards, the minister invited Holly and I to eat at Chili's with his family and we had a fun.

-I finished the Calvin Becker trilogy while I got Holly to drive on the way to on Saturday. Again, I think they're funny and pointed in illuminating the hypocrisy and absurdity in some christians' thinking. However, I'm a little disappointed and a little disturbed that in the 2nd and the 3rd books, that none of the ridiculous antagonists (basically all of calvin's family) ever come to realization of just how evil their actions are. I don't know how to talk about this without somebody actually reading the novels, so if anybody reads them, email me, I'd like to know what you think.
-I finally got a copy of the new John Irving novel "Until I Find You" (see title link of this blog) from inter-library loan. I'm not far enough into it to really know anything, but I've read some reviews and I LOVE John Irving, so I'm excited about it. I'm also glad to have something right after finishing the calvin trilogy.
-I also got into a 4 day taste test that pays $150 walmart card that starts today! I'm thinking that I might use the $150 to buy an MP3 player, but I haven't decided yet.
-Speaking of music, I received my copy of the newest, independently released CD of the Choir called "O how the Mighty Have Fallen". I got it in the mail right before we left for KC, so I got to listen to it a couple of times on the trip. If you don't know, I've been listening to the Choir since about 8th grade. I've probably mentioned this on this blog before, but shortly after Vagabond Dancing came out, a Nashvegas guy, who at the time ran an independent music web-site and eventually became an a/r guy for word said that Vagabond reminded him of the Choir. He was referring to the music, but I didn't and still don't really agree with that. However, his remark made me start looking at the Choir again and realize that I think my lyric writing may have been influenced by this band more than anybody else. All that to say, along with U2, the Choir are way at the top of my list and this CD delivers like all the rest. Just listening through it the first couple of times, I am so thankful for this band. They inspire and encourage me with their honesty and their artistry. You need to check them out.

Whew! So, I guess I've been gigging and reading. I've been trying to write some lately and have made some very tiny breakthroughs on a couple of songs I've been working on, but sometimes that's just more frustrating. Ok, so that's the update.