Wood Shedding

I been in the wood shed most of this week, in the evenings at least. Jon said to learn his CD and that's a tall order (check out the awesome insane buzz and reviews they've been getting! Heard of Downbeat Magazine, have you?) so I been getting on it. I play w/Jon and Rich tomorrow at Jon's mom's retirement party so it'll be a good test run for me. Jon and Rich are hard to please, very. Shit, they've only played w/numerous blues legends such as Pinetop Perkins, Hubert Sumlin, et al et al!!!

Last night's jam was way, way fun. These killer Memphis musicians were in town and I got the itch to get up to play w/them and we had so much fun. They were hella nice guys to boot. Video on my Facebook wall and on YouTube.

Jon's out playing tonite w/our harmonica frenemy; actually we're going to his wife's baby shower on Sunday at the Big Easy. Most of the Houston blues community will be there and there will be a jam, which is why we're going. Then I've got the Oscars that night! Too excited, as I always am! Hey, it's my thing. So tonite I'll be shedding some more and doing stuff around my house. Jon and I'll spend the weekend in Baytown w/his mom and see my mom on Sat. as well.

Nutty Times!

Oh helllll... Buncha stuff happened in the last few days! I got Botoxed in between my eyes and subsequently had a 3-day headache. Thursday night I got kicked out of my band b/c I refused to do this ripoff pay-to-play gig at the House of Blues next Sunday. Yesterday I didn't eat very much and then drank 1 and 1/2 tall Crown and Diet Cokes at the Big Easy benefit and played w/Jon and Rich and later Leo (no hard feelings) and ate this amber candy with a worm and a cricket inside and basically got kinda drunk and fell while dancing with the drunk club owner and Jon had to drag my ass home and acted so disappointed in me that I got bummed out and drove home and passed out on my couch, thereby creating the 1st night that we've slept apart since we've officially been together (excepting the times he's been out of town). Yayyyyy, Adela!

Today is a holiday, thank goodness, though here I sit at Job #2 for the $. Jon's at work at the guitar store today anyway. My phone died and the charger's at his house, but fortunately I have Job #1's iPhone. Jon and I spoke this a.m. and he said he's not mad at me, never was mad at me, just frustrated and he wants me to realize that I'm better than my behavior yesterday. I really don't know how yesterday spiraled so badly out of control so fast, but I should've eaten more and I really don't need to be drinking "talls" when there's a possibility I might be playing, too. The place was packed and it definitely was not my finest hour.

I took advantage of my time off today and practiced Jon and Rich's CD. Jon said I need to learn the songs. The 3 of us are playing a surprise retirement party for Jon's mom this Friday afternoon. And Jon is supposed to go back to Ohio for some music business in April and it turns out I might be able to go with him and play with him. His friend who is booking the stuff asked Jon if I'd like to come and play bass and I was like, HELL YES!!!!!!

So I don't know what's going to happen with me and Leo. We were both drinking and being all loving towards each other yesterday, but I have no idea if we have a future or not. I just cannot in good conscience do this shitty House of Blues deal; we would be a promoter's whore and I won't have that!!! I spoke to Rozz and Jon about it and I begged Leo to listen to reason but he is stubborn and seems to forget that I've been 100% right about not doing other shitty gigs. He's blinded by the carrot of playing on the big stage there but it's a crock of shit battle of the bands-esque cheesy gig that will debase us and I begged him not to take it b/c we are so much better than that! When he refused to listen any longer I said that I simply couldn't do it. And he said fine, I've made my decision which means, I've made the decision to no longer be in the band. Oh Lord.

I have to say, I felt a little relieved. Leo and I had played on Weds. night together at the jam and we discussed how we can get rid of George and get a better drummer. We played w/a drummer friend of mine on Weds. and it was awesome. I simply could not play w/George any longer. Leo and I have grown so much as musicians over the past year and George has not. If you play w/shitty musicians it's a danger to yourself! And I need to continue to grow--this is the year I wanted to become a bassist force to be reckoned with. But when Leo fired me/I resigned, I started to clear my calendar off and I was thinking, "Now I have time to read again! Now I have time to work on my bass playing! No more weekly rehearsals!" Sure... I feel a little sad. Leo was the one that got me back into music after taking 5 years off. But Jon says there's plenty more bands out there and that he sees greater things for me.

Yesterday Diunna, who'd also come to play the benefit w/Jon, called me out to her car before she left. She sent Leo to come get me. Jon followed me but she shooed him and Leo away! I was drunk so I don't remember everything she said but she said that she wanted me to know that she called me up to play bass w/her and Jon last week "not just because you're Jon's girlfriend." I thanked her and told her what an incredible performer she is and how much I enjoy watching her. Then she asked me what I was eating, which was that amber insect candy and I had to explain it to her! Ha ha! (Rich's cousin is an exchange student from Italy and she's been visiting them which is why Rich gave me and Jon the tickets to the Fat and Fluffy comedy show on Friday night. Anyway, Rich took her to the science museum where she'd bought that candy, and Jon had said his girlfriend--me!--would be brave enough to eat it which was true.)

Anyway. Saturday was nice. We went to see Black Swan and we both enjoyed it. Everyone knows it's my hobby to see as many of the Oscar-nominees as I can before the awards are televised. After the movie we went to a guitar store and I bought a used Virgen de Guadalupe strap--cool!!! Then we went to have Chinese buffet, to Pasadena to visit my mom, then to Baytown to see Jon's mom and dad where we stayed 'til midnight, visiting and playing Wii. Fun little day.

Sweet V-Day and Weekend Recap

Jon and I decided to stay in last night and get a Chicago deep dish from Star Pizza, watch a movie (Social Network), relax, and enjoy each other. I also brought chocolate-covered strawberries. He got me cupcakes, cookies, and a sweet card that he handwrote a message in. I got him an Amy Winehouse bio (he LOVES her), a DVD of the movie Sweet and Lowdown, and a French Maid costume for me to wear around the house. Chuckle!

This past weekend was pretty groovy. I'll probably hafta bullet-point it though b/c it was just crazy at one point.

• Friday evening birthday dinner in Pasadena for my dear Aunt P. We took li'l bro with us since he'd planned on staying in Pasadena the weekend anyway, keeping an eye on our mother. My uncle planned this surprise dinner and several of her and my dad's cousins were there and we grubbed seriously. I ate this $19 Pina Colada shrimp that was delish and had 2 margaritas. The sopaipillas were the size of a pancake. Yum! Continued onto Baytown where we were so full/tired we ended up passing out on Jon's mom's couch before she sent us off to bed.
• Saturday we slept late, getting about 10 hrs of much needed sleep for both of us. Leisurely breakfast, then we went to the backyard where Jon spread out a blanket on the grass and we lay out there like lizards for at least an hour. It was sunny and not too cold--bliss. For REAL. Makes me long for a backyard, which I haven't had since I was a teenager.
  
• Saturday afternoon: finally around 3pm we got showered/dressed so we could get to the Mean Gene benefit at a Baytown biker icehouse. Jon's mom decided to come with us, and Jon and Diunna were supposed to play from 5-5:30. We got there at 5 and the schedule was totally FUBAR. It was packed, crazy sardine packed. We saw a couple people we knew and several musician friends. I hate bikers, especially that Bandido trash (they are the sworn enemies of Harris County Sheriff Deputies!!!)! My Uncle J showed up, which was so sweet, then again he's a biker and loved Mean Gene so it was totally his crowd. I killed time by watching the bands and enjoying the bake sale, including buying an entire rum cake. Jon and Diunna ended up not going on 'til about 7:30--and I was just standing by, minding my own business when all of a sudden Jon told me to borrow someone's bass so I could get up with them. Seriously!?!?! OMG!!!! I've never played w/Diunna before and I never thought I would--but I found myself nervously and frantically borrowing my friend Thurman's bass (he has the exact same bass I do, thankfully) and getting up there and doing my best to keep up w/Diunna and Jon, who, come on, are a KILLER act. Oh Lord. As always, they tore it up, down, and sideways and had the joint jumping and I just tried to stand there and appear competent. I was nervous but I enjoyed it immensely anyway!
  
• Jon, his mom and I got the hell out of there asap and went to eat dinner at a local steak house. We were tired and cold and stank of cigarette smoke! Then it was time for Jon and me to get back to Houston and run by his house and get my bass/amp for my gig that night. We'd planned to go see his friends play at a jazz club before my gig but the benefit ran over so long we didn't have time, bummer.
• We got to my gig, where we were slated to play around midnight, closing the night out after a well-known Austin guitarist. I knew it was gonna be a shitty gig and for not much $ and after he played the audience began to filter out--LAME!!! None of us Leo Trio were on our game but it didn't even matter. It was a true gig from hell and even had the requisite drunk asshole repeatedly yelling "Play some Allman Brothers!" but whatever. I cut the set as short as possible and Jon, who'd been falling asleep at his table, and I were glad to get home and to bed.
  
• Sunday we amazingly only slept about 6 hours b/c Jon was hungry so we went and grabbed tacos at his fave neighborhood taco joint, then we decided to go on a bike ride. It was so sunny and pretty out, and he keeps his female neighbor's bike in his garage (along with his 4 bikes!) so off we went, and his friend Nate, who lives down the street, joined us too. I haven't ridden a bike in 14 yrs so my ass was sore within about 10 min., but it was still fun though I was totally wobbly at first but you know what? It's just like riding a bicycle! We did the local bike trail which was about 6 miles and ended at the neighborhood coffee shop where we ran into my cameraman friend B.B.
  
• Jon and I rode home, hopped in his car, and went to dinner at his fave local Mexican restaurant where his ex-GF's parents were eating. I ran into my music-loving dancing friend Bonnie there! Good times, good eats. Ended the night back at Jon's watching the Grammy's, which SUCKED.

My right eye has been twitching since the weekend. I'm either 1. Not getting enough rest, or 2. Uptight/nervous about something, or 3. Both. My sleep schedule could definitely be more consistent, but I have been going in later and later to work, like a lazy bum. It's true I'm concerned about my Ma, as she had to get a Cat scan today--li'l bro thinks she might be having mini-strokes. She is acting a little insane and isn't taking her meds right and is totally freaking us all out and not acting like herself at all. She won't go back to the grief support group that I found for her b/c it was too sad. She's been to 2 psychologist appointments. We just don't know what's going on and we don't know how to deal with it.

Here's what's going on for me this week: rehearsal on Weds., getting Botox on Thurs. afternoon (ONLY on the "11"'s between the eyebrows); and Friday night Jon was given tickets to see "Fat and Fluffy", the comedian Gabriel Iglesias so that's gonna be huge fun! Saturday is a rare free day completely off for both of us. I wouldn't mind sleeping in and going on another bike ride.

My Baby Daddy is Home, Cont.

So after we played I hung around w/Phillipo and we walked around and my li'l bro went off w/his friends and it was nice to have some down time before I'd have to run off to Baytown. People were tickled that I sang a song and that was encouraging to hear. Unfortunately Stefano had the nerve to come up and try to talk to me and rudely interrupting me while Phillipo and I were talking to a local radio DJ's wife about David Bromberg and Stefano totally harshed my mellow by tapping me on the shoulder and saying how well I'd played and I barely looked at him, muttered, "Thanks" and turned back around abruptly. But Stefano wasn't finished and he tapped me again and said "There's someone I'd like you to meet..." and his new woman began to step from around him and I didn't look at her at all and just said "Hi" and turned back around again, quite rudely I might add. I heard Stefano say, "Okaaaay..." but I didn't care, and went back to my conversation. The nerve!!!

But then after that I felt kind of bad. I asked Phillipo was that horrible and he reminded me of how petty and nasty Stefano has been acting. I also told Leo about it, also my brother but they didn't have much to offer in the way of opinions on my behavior, though my bro said Stefano and his woman are acting stupid and pathetic by coming to see my band play. Anyway, we went to see this band called "Come See My Dead Person" play and they were pretty cool (loud rock w/a fiddler and banjo) but then I had to run off to Baytown for Jon's mom's bday party. Li'l bro stayed behind w/his friends.

I got there about 5pm and the party was in full swing with lots of their relatives and they were all happy to see me and the chocolate covered strawberries. I visited with pretty much everyone, and Jon's ex-GF's mom and dad were there (they are considered family by Jon's family) and they were all tickled to see the copy of Texas Music magazine I'd brought Jon's mom as a present. I hung out for a couple hours and then attempted to go to Pasadena to see my mom but I left late and got turned around on the wrong freeway and realized I'd better just head to pick up li'l bro for the documentary film/concert if we weren't going to be late. So I headed to Houston, picked him up, we dropped off my amp/cab at Jon's house, and then got to the event just in time.

The documentary was ok. It kinda felt like a TV doc to me though. It was also short, barely lasting over an hour. The director took Q&A and there was also pie to eat; additionally my friend, the President of the Blues Society was there and he gave my bro a beer (I'd already had 3 drinks that day, exceeding my 2-drink max by 1, so I declined). Then the concert took place and it was a very nice, sedate, sweet musical time. Finally it was time for the last event of the day: seeing my friends' band play at a local barbeque restaurant. Er met us there and had a table for us, as she'd been there all night already. The HBS Prez ended up coming later as well, and there were several other folks I knew there. The music was good--but LOUD. Too damn loud! Anyway, my bro had a beer, I had a diet coke, and around midnight it was time to get on home and get some damn sleep!

Sunday I finally got to sleep late and get some stuff done around the house. I was hoping to go catch Black SwaI but decided to make sure I was ready to meet Jon when he rolled into town. Poor baby was exhausted, and I can imagine. I did the drive straight from Fayetteville, AR t0 Houston once (11 hours) and although I'd had about 4 hrs sleep I was kinda hungover but that was when I wore the clothes of a much younger woman! Anyway, we only got to visit for about an hour before I had to go get li'l bro for a visit to our mom's and Jon had to get to his mom's.

My Baby Daddy is Home

Jon and Rich left Memphis on Sunday morning around 6am, getting home yesterday around 4-ish. Unfortunately we only got to spend about an hour together b/c I had to go get li'l bro and head down to Pasadena to see our Ma, who's not doing well, health-wise. Jon had to get to Baytown to see his mom and sis. But we'll be together tonight, which'll be nice and sweet.

This past weekend was a hoot and a half, Baby Daddy being gone, besides. That Black Ice Friday was awesommmme, as I lounged around my house all damn day long in my thermals and fuzzy socks, hand firmly on the remote and ass firmly planted on the couch. However that evening my new girlfriend who is also a librarian and blues lover, Er (pronounced "air") texted me that she was gwine to Big Easy to see one of my fave harmonica players and that if I came out, she'd buy me a round. Damn my lack of discipline in the face of blues music and clubbin' and drinkin'!!! I put a hat on, got my face on, dressed warmly and headed out. We had a really good time and it was laid back and relaxed, and our drummer friend (the one that played the gig w/me and Jon last month) and our legendary guitarist friend (he was also in the Anderson Fair documentary that my pater familias is in) also showed up and he got up to play a couple songs w/the band and they dedicated Curtis Mayfield's "It's All Right" to me. Awww! And I was still home around midnight w/plenty of time to dye my hair and do my nails.

Saturday was nutso, as I knew it would be! First I had to go pick up 20 chocolate covered strawberries. Then I had to get to the luncheon by 11 and b/c we were on black folk time (which is pretty much the same as Asian time and Hispanic time) we didn't get going 'til 11:30. Lunch wasn't served 'til 12:30 and that's when I'd planned on leaving, so I stayed and ate my meal but had to skip dessert, blimey! Raced to Jon's house to get my amp; raced to li'l bro's house to get him; was supposed to be at the gig at 1:30ish but didn't get there til almost 2. Whoops! My bro said he was hoping Leo would take a swing at me but whatever. We had a decent set, just a few flubs due to not having played together in awhile, and we did my Taj song which apparently everyone loved! Phillipo came out, also Er and our drummer friend, also Stefano and his lady friend which was mildly annoying but again, whatever.

Whoa, time to get to Jon's house, will continue later...

Black Ice Day

Houston has shut down. We are covered with ice and the roads are nasty and slick and we have no idea how to drive in it. Job #1 shut down last night at 5 and both Jobs are closed today so I am sitting on my couch and I'm gonna stay there all day today! It's a great feeling, too. It's a treat to be trapped here at my house, for real. I've got lots of projects to keep me busy, from purging and organizing to practicing and catching up on my movie/DVR watching. Niiiiiiiice.

Tomorrow gwine be a heck of a day so I'll definitely need to rest up today/tonight. I gotta get up early to find some kind of outfit that'll work for the entire day's numerous events. Then I gotta go pick up an order of chocolate-covered strawberries. The rest of the day will go thusly:

• 11am: luncheon for Go Red Women day. This is at a nice event hall that I've been to many times before and it'll be a very nice event. I'm going b/c I was invited to serve on this organization's board and also I appreciate a good, free catered lunch!
• Leave luncheon early, go to Jon's house and pick up my amp/cabinet that have been there for weeks. Immediately go pick up li'l bro. Get to my gig at the Continental Club.
• 1:45pm: We play our gig, one set.
• 4pm-ish (hopefully): Me and li'l bro head to Baytown for Jon's mom's bday party. We're taking chocolate-covered strawberries. I also got her a copy of the Winter 2011 Texas Music mag b/c Jon's picture is on p. 21! (Got my mom a copy too.)
• 8pm: Li'l bro and I arrive back in Houston for the Gurf Morlix concert/Blaze Foley documentary event at Heights Live. I already picked up our tix and we are so excited!

Jon is staying busy in Memphis, although he got the night off from running the jam last night and he called me from his hotel room, glad to just stay there and rest and get some sleep, finally. He's trying to talk Rich into coming back home Sat. night after everything is over, but Rich wants to leave Sunday. Blah! For me Sunday is also going to be a busy day, as I've got to complete my home projects I've started, go see Black Swan at a matinee, and go for a run as I haven't been running since mid-December! And get ready to greet Jon when he comes home that night.

Waaahhhh! Last Night w/Jon Tonite

At least for the next few days. He gwine to Memphis early in the morning for the IBC's. He's a total big shot there, having won the whole thing of course back in 2005 in addition to having won the Albert King guitarist award. (He won a flying V which hangs on the wall in his 2nd bedroom!) His duties at the IBC's now are to run the all-star pro jams each night from Weds-Thurs. and this year, promote his and Rich's new CD. Rich is the one driving the 2 of them up there; they'll stop off in Clarksdale on the way to leave some CD's and meet w/some folks before landing in Memphis tomorrow afternoon.

I love Clarksdale and Memphis and kinda wish I were gwine too, but since the Leo Trio came in 2nd for the chance to represent Houston I really didn't want to be there as a "loser" and anyway, it's gwine be HELLA COLD and ICY in Memphis and on top of that we've got our gig this Saturday afternoon at the annual Rory Miggins Irish Stewfest Cookoff at the Continental, which we did last year and which is soooo much fun!!! It's also Jon's mom's bday party that night which I'd like to try and attend if I can. Last year at the Stewfest I got so fucking drunk and drove home drunk like a maniac where I passed out on my couch, then went out w/Stefano that night. This year of course I'm on a 2-drink maximum and so won't have the drunken issue, so it's just gwine be a matter of if Jon's mom's party is still going on by the time I'm ready to leave the Stewfest and head to Baytown.

We had a lovely weekend, absolutely lovely! The only downside was my gig on Friday night at a pizza restaurant/live music place. Well, 1st Jon and I went to see the Sly Stone documentary which was highly entertaining! Then we ran over to the gig and lo and behold, Jon's millionaire friends were there which was so sweet of them! Also Phillipo was there and later on Jon's other friends showed up, the married couple we went to have dinner with a few weeks ago. So the downside was this HBS (Hou. Blues Soc.) older woman who all of a sudden De-Friended me on Facebook showed up and I don't particularly care to see her anymore but whatever, and then this other chick who used to be my dancing friend but who all of a sudden De-Friended me too for no discernable reason (except she is a friend of Stefano's) showed up and then, amazingly, Stefano and his new lady friend showed up! Weird!!! And Stefano was clearly there to, what, torture himself or make a pathetic attempt to, what, get my goat? b/c I didn't even see him and his GF until our next to last song and I looked over in the audience at Jon and his friends and I thought I saw Steve's GF--who I haven't met yet but who I have seen on FB as she is totally ingratiating herself w/all the blues society people in a desperate attempt to suck up and make friends--and while I was looking at her Stefano LEANED AROUND THE PERSON IN FRONT OF HIM AND VERY OBVIOUSLY TRIED TO CATCH MY EYE.

Now, aside from his actions being very petty and childish and pathetic, frankly his new GF is also some kind of sad pathetic creature if she is going to put up with him bringing her to see my band play (and damn, did I look HOT that night--off the shoulder shirt/leggings/thigh-high boots/smoky eyes) on a Friday night. Because... why??? What is the point? To mess with me? Sorry kids, you gotta do better than that and be more significant people for me to be bothered by you. It's a mosquito in the ear man, and I just swat it away. But the really cool thing was that naturally the band we were opening for asked Jon if he would get up and play--b/c Jon IS the Houston guitar god--and Jon wasn't going to but then b/c of Stefano and his lady friend and their childish shenanigans, he decided to get up with the stipulation that I play bass with him. So when our set was done Jon got up and the next band got up with me on bass and Jon and I kissed onstage and then Jon did "Tramp" and then "Reconsider Baby" as a dig to Stefano and his friend. During "Reconsider Baby" Stefano and she got up and left. Bye bye!

Anyway, I gotta get home to Jon now so I'll finish the weekend wrapup tomorrow but the weekend only got better and better! Living well: it's the best revenge. I wish people would realize that and focus on living their lives as well as possible.