Adios 2010... Buenos Dias 2011

This'll likely be my last post o' the year. Here at Job #2 and then heading straight to Jon's so we can get to his gig 'round bout 9pm. Tomorrow I need to SLEEP seriously and I cannot wait. I only got 10 hrs of sleep total the past 2 nights. Tuesday night Jon was over at my house and we were lounging in bed, him playing his National Resonator and me singing. We were up 'til 2 am doing that and then I happened to check my Facebook and found out some terrible news about a musician friend of ours who had died suddenly a few hrs ago. Mean Gene gave Jon his 1st break into the local music scene and so Jon was pretty upset. We were up another hour after that, Jon calling/texting people about it.

Last night I went to the jam at the Big Easy and hung out w/LDB and his new GF and this cool librarian chick who is also a blues scenester. I didn't want to play though, and I didn't. I've been drinking wine lately b/c for the 1st time in my entire life my Process is not only late, it's 2 weeks late and yes, I took 2 pregnancy tests earlier this week which both came out negative, so that gave me permission to get back on the hard drinks last night (Crown and Diet Coke)--tall ones! Still not sure why the Process isn't working right, but I guess there's a first time for everything! Anyway, so Jon and I were up late again after we got back to my place and I'll sure be up late again tonight. Hence the need to SLEEP LATE tomorrow which I will.

Otherwise tomorrow should be a pretty sedate day; I guess we'll have to head to Jon's gig in the early evening but otherwise I got the whole day free and I am so gwine enjoy it though I bet it'll go by fast. 2010 was overall a pretty damn good year I have to say. I learned so much about myself and especially love and relationships. I am so grateful I got to spend most of it w/Stefano, who showed me the kind of love I really deserve, and showed me what a wonderful, healthy fun relationship really is. I miss him, I truly do but I guess he still hates me. Anyway, I'll never again settle for anything less than near-perfection, which is what Stefano was to me.

Ending the year with Jon is also near-perfect. We are an incredibly amazing match together and we love each other so much. He's already proven to be so good for me in so many ways. The 2-drink maximum policy he inspired me to initiate, and his gentle, loving calmness has been just what I needed. His musicianship has also been a huge influence on me. His family and friends are all great to be around. I can't wait to get our music project up and running, and in fact he already got us a gig playing at a friend of his' house next weekend, just the 2 of us probably sans drummer! I'm also looking forward to 2011 being a big year for us in every other way too, as I do want to start officially seeing if I can get pregnant or not mid-to-late 2011. (If I'm not already that is, but I don't think I am!)

So that's it. I've got a good station in life now and I have no heavy complaints--a far cry from 2009, that's for sure. Gwine move forward in 2011 and accomplish more great stuff. And always, strive to be a better me. Happy New Year to all of us!

Absolutely Delightful Christmas!

Aww, what a nice past few days. We didn't do everything on schedule or as planned, but big deal. It's the damn holidays.

So last Thurs. I went to Jon's gig which was pretty sedate, there not being a huge crowd there that night. I sat in the back by the dartboards and painted my nails, drank my 2 glasses of wine, and played "Scrabble" on the iPhone. And I had told Jon under no circumstances was I going to play! I said I'd play, but only if I got a taste of the gig, heh heh. I was off duty and ready to relax. Naturally the bassist, a friend of ours, wanted me to play and of course the answer was Nyet!

Fri. we slept in, way too late unfortunately b/c I only had time to rush home after we went out for breakfast tacos to make 2 batches of sausage balls as opposed to my 4 batches. But then we headed to Baytown a couple hours before evening church service to help his mom w/the food and cooking and whatnot. Jon put me in charge of shredding the chicken, just as I'd done at Tamalepalooza, hardy har har! Then his niece showed up and we headed to the church. After the service we ran into his aunt/uncle/cousins, then repaired to his mom's house for their Christmas Eve festivities. His sister finally got in from her flight from Chicago and his other sisters showed up and various other nieces/nephews, etc., plus Jon's dad at one point. It was fun and our chicken soup was a huge hit and it was just a good time. At midnight is when they opened presents and people finally started to trickle out. When saying goodbye to his aunt she told me to call her "Aunt Rosie" and his cousins kissed me and said "Welcome to the family." Aww! Jon's mom also had gotten me a pashmina of different shades of blue and a watch bracelet. I was touched, and I really really love pashminas and want to get them in all different colors! We didn't get to sleep until after 3am.

Sat. we slept in as much as possible, and fortunately I still had enough sausage balls leftover to take to my aunt's house, so I didn't have to wake up early and make more. Jon and I rushed to my house to get my presents for them and it was then that I said Jon and I could exchange gifts. I hadn't wanted to exchange gifts in front of everyone, I'd wanted it to be private. Jon handed me a big box and apologized for not wrapping it. It looked like a boot box. It WAS a boot box!!! He'd gotten me the beautiful red ostrich boots I'd tried on the day we took him to the Dr. a couple weeks ago. A couple of tears squeezed out, I was so surprised and touched. I couldn't believe he got me those beautiful boots! It was The. Perfect. Gift!!! (I'd gotten him 2 nice black leather-esque photo albums for his many print photos that he still keeps in Walgreen's photo envelopes [I know these things can be scanned and digitized but let's face it, that's a huge project and one that he's not likely to do anytime soon] and some Sensual Amber body butter b/c I have some and he likes the scent and he uses body butter on his dry skin patches. I also got him a gift certificate to the movie theater so we can go see True Grit and I also bought a very cute, very sexy naughty schoolgirl outfit for me to wear for him. I gave him the movie cert. at my aunt's house later that day and put on the naughty schoolgirl for him last night when we were finally alone at my house. [He LOVED it!])

We headed to pick up pater familias where he gave me my present (the old timey-Blues Calendar that he gives me every year that I love--it's my wall calendar at Job #1 and it also comes w/a CD! He also gave me a mix CD that he made and gave Jon a copy as well) and then we were off to my aunt's house. We ate, opened presents, took pictures, Jon dozed off on the couch for a few minutes. It was a typical Christmas! We were ready to head back to Baytown around 6pm and my uncle told Jon "Welcome to the family!"

Back in Baytown his mom and sisters and nephew were eating but I was too stuffed, though I did have some banana pudding, mmm! Jon and I then got out the guitars and began fooling around with a melody he came up with. Then I offered to show him the songs I'd identified for me to sing as he'd asked me to find. I showed him Taj Mahal's "I Rode Some" and he loved it! (I was nervous singing but I figured I'd better just get over it and pretend I wasn't nervous and just plunge right in and do it. Fake it til you make it, baby.) Then I showed him "Rock Salt and Nails" as done by Levon Helm. Then we did "These Arms of Mine" as done by Roy Buchanan. We also worked on "She's Into Something" as done by Robert Cray, Albert Collins, and Johnny Copeland. It was fun, if a bit nerve wracking, to work up songs sung by me, but Jon was nothing but encouraging and he wanted to play the Taj several times!!! He certainly has a lot of confidence in me!

Sunday a.m. Jon made breakfast for us, eggs w/the leftover sausage I'd brought for the sausage balls I didn't have to make. His sister had to go to the Galleria to make an exchange and Jon wanted to spend time w/her so I said we could forego the documentary at the MFAH. Jon's mom and other sister and niece also planned to go, but I didn't see how we could fit 6 people in any of their cars. Jon insisted we could, saying "We're Mexican!" and in the end, we took his car and I had to ride lying down in the back of his Dodge Magnum. Guess he showed me! (His 19-yo niece had offered first, and attempted it but she's 5'10" and I refused to let her when it was clear I'd fit better back there.) It was fine back there, I just lay down and played on my iPhone and the girls were complimenting me for taking one for the team. We dropped them all off at the mall and Jon took me to Crave Cupcakes for being a good sport! I got cranberry orange, yum, and then we ran by his house to get some needed items, including my iPod. After we picked them all up from the mall I even managed to catch a quick nap on the way back to Baytown!

The evening was taken up by going to the wake for his great-aunt that had died last week. I got to meet more relatives, and then we sat through the rosary. The rosary always makes me mellow--I get a lot of thinking done during it. Then we went to eat at a local Mexican restaurant w/his mom, sisters and niece and nephew, then back at Jon's mom's house Jon and I got out the guitars and practiced some more.

Monday we slept way in again--much needed!--and Jon made breakfast for us again. We got ready for the funeral and headed out to it. On Sunday Jon and I weren't sure we'd go to the funeral but then we decided to since if we hadn't his mom would have had to go alone. It was soooo cold all weekend long and Monday was no exception. At the cemetery we huddled with his aunt and uncle and his mom's cousin and I was wrenched between Jon and his mom! Then we went to the local community center for post-funeral camaraderie and barbeque. And dessert! I met way more Jon relatives, mostly cousins. Finally it was time to take his mom home, pack up our shit, and head home to Houston. It had been a really fun weekend and we ended it with a slow romantic night at my house last night.

Tonight I'm taking Jon to see True Grit since this is his only night free this week. He's playing Weds. night, Thurs. night, and of course Fri. is his NYE gig. He just found out their bass player is coming into town tomorrow and has been assigned to stay w/Jon at his house, so I told Jon to just stay w/me all week and he agreed. I'll enjoy that, not having to trade nights between our 2 places like we usually do!

Aaaaand It's ChristmasTime!

Although I prefer Festivus, what with the pole and the Airing of the Grievances and the Feats of Strength! Today I have a short workday meaning just Job #1, no Job #2, yay!

Last night was way fun. Jon and I had taken Mon. and Tues. nights off (although he had to run out on Mon. night to the House of Blues to attempt to sell some tickets to his NYE gig) b/c we knew we'd be out on Weds. and tonight. Blues jam last night of course, and Aaron, my guitarist friend that I quarreled with this summer, came out and we hugged and drank and all was forgiven. It was warm enough for me to wear a cute outfit: black tube top and long skirt w/cowboy boots, though I did need my sweater as the night progressed. I got to get up and play w/Jon and later, LDB came out and we got to play together too, for the 1st time in like 12 years!!! It was awesome. He's a really damn good drummer. After the jam Jon and I went to a park at 2:30am and then we went to Kroger to get warm scones and then we went to his place where we finally got to sleep around 5am!

Thank God these slow holiday days of work are here, and I've spoken before of how much I love them. Tonight since I'll be getting home at a decent hour for the 1st time in months and months I get to wrap the few Xmas gifts I got and begin making the sausage ball batches so they can just be thrown in the oven in the morning. Jon's playing tonight and I'll go out there with him, meaning I'll also have to be there from 8:45p-1am. And b/c I got so little sleep last night (this morning) and we'll be out late tonite also I'd like to get some kinda sleep in the a.m. before we hit the ground running. Our schedule for this weekend is shaping up to be:

• Fri: I finish making the sausage balls, get my stuff together, and Jon and I head to Baytown where we'll go to evening church service w/his family, then have Christmas festivities at his mom's house w/his aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. We'll stay the night, of course.
• Sat: Back to Houston, pick up pater familias, get to Aunt P's by 1pm for those Christmas festivities.
• Sat night: OFF?!?! I think so! Ahh bliss.
• Sun: 2pm documentary screening of Boxing Gym at the MFAH w/li'l bro and hopefully Jon's sister. Back to Baytown immediately following so we can attend the wake of his recently-departed great-aunt.
• Mon: Funeral of his great-aunt. Followed hopefully by lunch w/Tito J back in Houston before he leaves for San Antone?

Whew! Merry Christmas and a Happy Festivus to the rest of us!

Lovely Weekend!

So the gig on Sat. night was kinda lame, mostly b/c George is just not with it sometimes and that makes mine and Leo's jobs harder. Also we were on our 4th song of the set when the power source to my and Leo's amps went out. Ugh!!! I said to Jon, who was there watching us of course, "You see why I drink???" In other weird news, the last girl Jon dated before me was there, as she also happens to be an ex of Leo's. It only bothered me a little bit seeing her there, since although she is pretty and tall, she is a total weird bird and is very neurotic and was a major headache to Jon when they dated. They didn't even speak at all at my gig since she's such a weirdo. Interesting that she still keeps up with Leo, though. One fun thing is that one of Jon's best friends from way back showed up to meet me and see me play and I was so touched at that! Also Jon's friend from our coffeeshop visit on Friday came by too and that really meant a lot to me b/c he's a guitar magazine writer as well as being an incredible creative writing teacher and so I kind of am impressed by him. Jon later said he enjoyed sitting in the audience w/George's wife and Leo's girlfriend Mir, that he never gets to be a groupie/roadie and liked it. Ha ha!

So once we were done playing Jon and I scooted outta there to his friend's house party. It was a nice little party with nice people and I immediately started in on the vodka. They had party munchies and I ate 3 cupcakes. Jon's friend had even made MY sausage balls, the ones I always make! The strange thing to me about that party though was that, let's say there were 20 people there--well 18 of them were obese/overweight! Whoa. At one point Jon and I went to a spare bedroom to have some quickie alone time but we got freaked out when we heard what we think was a mouse or something in there, so we skeedaddled. I won the party game of guessing how many marshmallows are in a glass jar and I won the jar and also a rooster kitchen towel/potholder set. We finally left around 2am.

Sunday we slowly got up and tried to attempt continuing fixing my downstairs toilet. Ma and Fred came by to bring me my bicycle and a pool lounge chair. I had run out to get breakfast tacos and I ran into a girl I know there who I found out lives near me! I got tacos for everyone and back at my house we ate, visited a bit and watched the Texans lose before Ma and Fred left and Jon continued with the toilet. We gave Ma one of Jon's new CD's and she was delighted. Jon and I realized after yet another trip to Home Depot that I either need a new tank or a new toilet; so I decided to think about it. We headed out for the day, stopping by the Big Easy for one of our guitarist friend's going-away party. My crazy dancing girlfriend made me dance a song with her and I couldn't believe this, but Stefano was there and he walked right past Jon and me holding the hand of a pretty, dark-haired girl! Wow. Well, good for him, I hope she deserves him b/c not too many woman would deserve an incredible man like him. (I'm just surprised he has someone so soon, I mean he hadn't dated anyone for awhile before he and I started dating.) Jon didn't even notice them, I had to tell him about it after we left.

So after we made an appearance (20 min. tops) we snuck out and went to his good friend Jim's house. Jim has a beautiful home and his wife had been wanting to meet me, so we went up there and they took us to eat at a seafood/sushi place near their house. It was a nice dinner and we had a good time, Jim's wife and I drinking "French-tini's." Jim is a great, very funny, very cool guy and I always have a good time hanging out with him. We made plans to do Jon's blues jam this Weds. night.

Slow Saturday DAY

Because once I leave this quiet, sedate easy 9-5 shift at Job #1, I will be moving faster than the speed of sound! Well, once I do leave here I gotta swing by the Walgreen's photo and pick up the Christmas cards that Jon and I decided last night to send... then I have to rush home, get my gear together, shower/change into some kinda outfit that will work at both my gig tonite immediately followed by the party at Jon's friend's house. Whew!

So the last couple days have been nice and relaxing but I needed them b/c when I hit "publish" on that last blog post at Job #2, I began to feel bizarre-o. Not really bizarre-o, I knew exactly what was up and I was a-feared. I started to have body chills and aches. Shit! I got my damn flu shot in October! I texted Leo and said I was still willing to rehearse though--and I totally was!--but he called me and said let's call it off. I said well yeah, maybe we better, in case I have contracted some bug and therefore would NOT want to pass it on to him and George. I immediately went home and put on my furry leopard coat, put the heat on 77 degrees, took some zinc under Jon's strict orders, popped a mess of Ibuprofins, and curled up on the couch into a pitiful little ball. Jon came over before his gig at the Big Easy and brought me the rest of the Crave cupcakes, which I didn't even want so you know I was feeling poorly! He felt my head and tummy and sho' nuff, I had a bona fide fever! But I was determined to beat this thing, whatever it was, and by 11:30pm-ish, the fever had broke and I was sleeping fitfully. Jon came over when his gig was done and we were up 'til about 3am, hanging out and eating the cupcakes, at which point we finally went to bed.

I called into work on Thurs. though, seeing as how I had gotten very little sleep and now needed to recuperate and rest up in order to make DAMN sure I was well, or getting well. Jon and I spend the day together, going to eat at my local Teo (as opposed to his Teo near his house), doing a little shopping for parts to fix both my toilets, going to see his friends at his friend's little music gig at a local barbecue restaurant, and then Jon had his Thurs. night gig w/this annoying harmonica player that I played with this past summer. I stayed at Jon's house while he was gone, determined to work on my latest sheriff file, get some reading done, and make sure I was totally rested and relaxed and staying healthy.

I called into work again yesterday since I had to work the Saturday shift today, and just needed to make 100% sure I'd be well and rested up for it and as double insurance, stayed in bed w/Jon til noon. Then I ran home, ran by Job #2 briefly, then met Jon and a friend of his at a coffeeshop near their house where I also ran into my music-loving cameraman friend BB. Jon and I then headed to Baytown to see his mom. She made us a salad for dinner and Jon's real (biological) father (who he didn't meet until he was 25!) came over and we all ate and drank wine and had a nice long visit. Jon and I didn't even leave until midnight! But it was great to meet his dad who has a wonderful head of hair and is cute and charming so I keep telling Jon that I'll keep him since he got good DNA (chuckle!).

Good Lord, Where I Left Off?

Ow, it hurts to even think right now. I just came from the annual networking event of the African American Health Coalition, of which I am a faithful member, thanks to Job #1. I grubbed seriously and ate way too much b/c today is one of those long-ass days where I will have been gone from home ALL DAMN DAY (longer since I spent the night at Jon's house last night). I went from Jon's house to Job #1 to the networking event, now I'm at Job #2 for 3 hours, then straight to rehearsal. We got a gig this Sat. at one of our usual haunts and I managed to negotiate the time to be 7:30-10:30 instead of 8-11 b/c one of Jon's friends is having a party and he and I want to get there toot suit. You can bet I'm gwine try to actually close the gig down closer to 10:15pm! Shit, when I took this gig way back when I didn't know I'd be dating Jon and would have his events to add to my social calendar!!!

So anyway I promised to write about the magical event that Jon took me to a couple Sundays ago. It was at the home of one of our local favorite keyboard players, a man of 74 yrs young. This is the one that we played a benefit for a few weeks ago, along w/Jon's band and other bands. Jon is like a son to Earl; so is some of my other musician friends. I don't know Earl that well, to be honest. But we went to his place and his wife served up a crapload of soul food: pigs feet, greens, cornbread, cakes, ribs, etc. etc. I wasn't that hungry but I ate 2 pieces of her delicious coconut cake. As a gift I'd brought a huge bag of oranges picked that day by Jon from my grandfather's tree. Several of our other musician friends were in attendance by the time we got there, a couple hours late. (We'd stopped by Jon's on the way from Pasadena and got distracted for a little while.) Their instruments were already set up in the "doghouse" which is a groovy icehouse structure out back in the yard. Lots of neighbors/friends were there too.

Jon got ready to play w/the band, all white boy musician friends of ours. I watched and drank a beer. They were awesome, of course and the blacks were dancing it up. A friend of ours in attendance, the owner of the Big Easy, Tom, was watching w/me and he leaned over and told me how fortunate I was to be witnessing this; I knew he was right. At one point Earl managed to come to the doghouse from his home and since he was weak and on oxygen, he sat down right near Jon and Jon did the O.V. Wright song that Earl taught him and that I love love love. Earl broke down and started crying and we all freaked out a little bit and I totally teared up! (So did Jon, I later found out.) Tom leaned over and told me that Earl probably knew there would not be too many more of these doghouse events. Jon had told me that they used to do this every Sunday!

Then our bass player friend called ME to the band so I could play a few songs, along w/Tom who plays harmonica!!! Oh boy, was I tickled! I didn't think I'd get to have the honor of playing a few songs in the legendary doghouse! I did fine, I knew the songs they called out and people kept dancing. No one in the audience had suspected that Jon's little girlfriend played bass and they were all tickled as well to see me up there. After we played about 5 songs we took a break and went to the house to spend time w/Earl and I finally got to talk to him a little bit. He's played with all my favorites, from Albert Collins to Gatemouth Brown and he knows Stevie Wonder, ZZ Top reveres him, etc. etc. Earl's wife had made a special pan of cornbread just for Jon and she sent us home with that, plates of food, tons of the delicious deviled eggs, plus the rest of the cake! As I said... it was a wonderful, magical evening.

Anyway, so in other news, things have been great w/Jon. He had to go to Ohio last Fri. for an annual concert/recording session/master class thing he does up there for a blues charity for cancer organization. I drove him to the airport and it was a good thing I did that, as my car Blue Lou ended up being in the shop until Tuesday and cost... Ugh... $1,400 to repair. (Puke!) So I drove his cool black Dodge Magnum all weekend. I also slept at his house on Sat. night after my (lame) gig since we were playing right down the street from his place. Also I was supposed to have lunch on Sunday w/Jon's mom, cousin, aunts at a restaurant near his house but that actually ended up not working out since they were running an hour late from Baytown and I had muchas cosas to do.

I picked up Jon from the airport yesterday afternoon and took the last part of the day off from work so we could spend time together. Everything is really going well and we are totally falling in love. It's just EASY with him, I don't know how else to describe it. He and I are on the same page about everything. We have nothing but fun w/each other, even if we're just lounging around. I was going to take him to the High-spanic Health Coalition holiday party last night but he was so tired and I was on the fence about it anyway (I really just wanted the free Mexican dinner) so we ended up blowing it off and going to eat at our fave Mexican restaurant followed by a trip to Crave Cupcakes!

Weekend With My Baby Daddy

So me and Jon had a hell of a McCartney weekend. We are falling in love pretty damn fast. Everything is great. I'll have to bullet point the past few days though:

• Weds: Can't remember if I mentioned the holiday gig w/Phillipo at the St. Arnold's brewery? Anyway it was fun.
• Thurs: Justin Townes Earle show w/my bro. Awesome time. Me bro was wearing my fedora and a tie and looked adorable. He drank a double tequila w/a water back. I could only have 1 drink since before the concert I'd been at Jon's and since I felt like I might be coming down w/a cold I'd been drinking hot tea w/honey and Black Crown Royale. I had another Crown at the show and managed to sip it all night. Me and bro had a total McCartney time and JTE got a kick out of both of us at separate times. (He kept looking at me and smiling when I raised my glass (cup) to him and he loved it when my bro yelled out for a Lightnin' Hopkins song.) After the show I went back to Jon's since it was right around the corner.
  
• Friday: Worked from home. Well, from Jon's house. Jon put me on zinc lozenges and sinus rinses for my cold-fighting and I continued w/the hot toddy teas. I went to the periodontist 1st thing in the morning and he said my gum was better but that now I have to get cleanings every 4 mo's, dammit, for prevention! At least my new Oral B toothbrush arrived in the mail this weekend. It was time to get back on the ultra-expensive yet incredibly effective electronical toothbrush action. Jon and I had soup/sandwich for lunch, then we went to the Dr. for him so he could have a painful lump on his lower back checked out. (Turns out it is his floating rib??? Wild.) After that we went to see his friend Jim and then we ran around a little and then we went to have chicken soup at the One's A Meal where the beloved mean waiter John gave me the business as he always does. I said "This is my new boyfriend" and John said I changed BF's the way I change shirts! Then Jon and I went home for R&R night and we slept about 10 hours, much needed for the cold-fighting.
  
• Saturday: Tamalepalooza! Jon's family's annual day of tamale making. We went to his aunt's house in Baytown and I met more of Jon's family. I got along famously with all of them, as I've been doing with the rest of his family. I had to go to Baytown separately in my car w/my gear as I had a gig that night for a local incredible artist. He's moving to Paris and so we got to play for art, instead of money! I was pretty excited about that. Before though I had to shred a couple of rotisserie chickens for the tamales. Jon was having too much fun watching me in my apron in his aunt's kitchen. We ate fajitas since the tamales weren't ready before I had to leave. The gig was kinda lame but whatever. The artist's dad, who is a sweet cool guy, was dancing to us and he fell and broke his arm, ugh. We cut our set short, picked out our art (I got a huge piece priced at $2,600 called "Big Pink"!), and I headed back to Baytown and Jon and his family. We hung out awhile more and then repaired to his mom's house to stay the night.
  
• Sunday: Woke up, realized I'd successfully fought off my cold, yay!, spent a little bit of the morning w/Jon's mom, then we went to Pasadena so Jon could meet Ma and Fred and we could have lunch with them. Ma is not doing too well--they put her on insulin last Friday for the 1st time ever. After lunch we went to her house and Jon admired Popo's orange tree, so we decided to strip the whole tree almost. I held the ladder for Jon and he picked dozens of oranges that were actually pretty yummy! We had a nice visit but then we had to head to Houston for a truly incredible experience which I'll have to write about in the next post...
  

To Live is to Fly, Cont.

Ok, lessee, where did I leave off...

Sunday: Left Jon's, went home to get showered/changed for the benefit at Big Easy for a local beloved old black blues piano player. (He has emphysema, or as I made up on the spot on Sat. night when talking to my li'l bro and Phillipo about it, "Black Key Lung." Guffaw!!!) We'd gotten the gig just a few days before and I was totally tickled to be involved in this huge day, also b/c Jon would be running it and playing as well. I promised Leo we'd play much better than we did on Sat. and we did! We also all dressed in black, it being warm enough again outside for me to wear a short, cute black dress. Jon watched us play and it's a good thing too b/c the stupid backline amp went OUT on me during our last 2 songs and Jon had to run up there and bang it--annoying!!!

Anyway... it was a great time and although Jon and I had planned to NOT debut as a couple in front of all those blues scene people and musicians, I was hanging around him enough for people to figure it out anyway. His friends came out to see us, including his ex-gf and her husband and 2 kids and I ended up getting along really well with all of them and even dancing w/the 14-yo boy in front of the whole club while Jon and his singer were playing, and she made up lyrics about us on the spot. Hi-larry!!!

After the long day of music and merriment and drinking (my 2-drink maximum in FULL effect--and shorts, even! Not talls!) Jon and I repaired across the street to attempt to get some Crave cupcakes but alas, they were closed, so we went and dropped off my car at his house and had a nice quiet dinner nearby. Then we ended w/a cozy relaxing night at his place.

Monday night I had my monthly sheriff meeting and Jon ended up meeting us at dinner since we always eat at this Mexican restaurant that happens to be right around the corner from his house. Mudflap was telling war stories all night, but later on that night when Jon and I were in bed he sent me a text saying he likes Jon, that Jon seems like a good guy. Which is funny b/c Jon couldn't even get a word in edgewise all night and I barely could!

Tuesday night Jon came to stay w/me at my house; I'd left my extra gate clicker in his car accidentally on purpose over the holiday weekend as I'd deemed him "gate clicker-worthy", so he let himself in after he was done stuffing envelopes w/his new CD that just came out. I'd just that day gotten a last-minute gig w/Phillipo for Weds. night at the St. Arnold's Brewery, a company holiday party and I was trying to find a drummer. After I'd struck out with like 3-4 drummers Jon made a couple phone calls and got me a damn good one! He rocks!!! Then the next morning he even loaded up my gear to take to his house so that I could go straight to the gig after work instead of having to go down south to my house to get everything.

The other momentous thing about Tuesday night was Jon told me to my face that he loved me. He said it a lot. He also said he wants to be with me forever! I told him I loved him too, and I do. He knows I've been crazy about him since Day 1. I think we all knew. I gave him my house key the next morning. (I've already had access to his house all this time, via the key he keeps in his mailbox for when he accidentally locks himself out, hee hee.)

Something else significant happened on Tues. night and that is that Stefano and I had a really great, therapeutic phone conversation. We talked for awhile, each professing how much we both still love and care for each other and how we want to continue to be in each other's lives. Stefano apologized for the harsh words he had for me last Friday but I maintained that I deserved them. He played a song for me on his guitar that he'd written about this whole situation called "Yellow Rose in the Wind"--since I love yellow roses and he bought them for me often. It was so sweet and touching. I cannot WAIT to begin hanging out with Stefano again. I've really missed him and I know he's missed me.

So the gig last night went fine. I went to Jon's beforehand to get my gear and change clothes. It was awesome to be gigging in the brewery although the acoustics were horrible since it's a warehouse, but it was a nice little party w/decent food. The pumpkin cheesecake was great. I had 2 of the Christmas ales which were sooo yummy! (Just 2!) And the songs went well and the drummer, who is a FB friend of mine and who I know from years ago, did wonderfully. A real pro! Our party songs ("Blue Christmas", "Kiss", "Johnny B. Goode" etc.) were fun and cheesy but whatever. I made an easy 3 figures (Phillipo also tipped me for finding a drummer--I'll use that $ to buy Jon breakfast this weekend!) so that'll go towards paying off the new amp and I'm also looking to buy a 5-string bass as well. Killer! I got home around 10:30pm and Jon let himself in around 2am after the blues jam was done.

Rehearsal tonite, followed by Justin Townes Earle in concert! I'm gwine w/li'l bro, and then I'll stay at Jon's since he lives right near the club. Working from home tomorrow--well, working from Jon's. We can't get enough of each other. Was it Confucious or Barry White who said, "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Baby?"