Yay Holiday Weekend Approacheth

...though I'm not sure how much valuable and treasured "down time" I'll actually have... gotta hit the ground running beginning in the A.M.! Fortunately I have the day off from Job #1 at least, but the day will be well-spent. 1st we gwine to pick up my stepdad's pickup truck so we can 1. Use it to transport my new mattress I'm buying and 2. Borrow it 'til about Tues. as Jonn's car will be at the body shop's til about Tues-Weds and we've been trying to make do w/just my car and it's a little unwieldy, what with all my jobs and such.

Then Jon and I have a 2pm appt for our Houston oral history project interviews. (Yes, Enor is in charge and she has decided to focus on local blues musicians. I first declined her request for an interview but the more time went on and I saw who she was interviewing [or more likely, wasn't interviewing, as it was male-instrumentalist heavy and female-singer heavy] I decided to accept so that there would be an interview from a female instrumentalist perspective.) After which I will go to Job #2 and Jon will go to his gig up north and that night, I will head home and REST. And READ. And RELAX!

Because Sat. morn I gotta get my buns up to the sheriff academy for a damn class, but just 9-noon thank the gods. The rest of the day could actually be free! Meaning, Jon and I don't have anything on the agenda for once! Sunday however we do have a possible pool party at his partner Rich's house. I'd like to go, but Jon will decide which is fine w/me. Monday yet again we have "nothing" on the agenda, but I'd love to go to the shooting range.

Last night's gig was ok. I sang 2 songs and my drummer pal Nick showed up w/a present for me: cool sunglasses! I wore them while I played my set. Later this legend showed up w/his band just to hang out and I was tickled to get to meet him and he complimented me on my bass playing... aww! Tonight we may head back to the Big Easy for the monthly blues society jam, but just to deliver some of those deviled eggs and to see the opener band, whom we both love.

Beautiful Yesterday

We took it to the doghouse for Earl. Here's 2 clips of me playing but of course, there's clips of other musicians (incl. Jon!) playing too, ha ha.




Here's Jon and Earl's other "sons" doing a song just for him. Earl's wife is the cute li'l lady in front with the short orange 'do. She sent us home, as she always does for Jon, with his favorite deviled eggs, greens, chicken, etc.



It was a great day with all of Houston's best blues musicians and blues lovers out at the Doghouse. From all accounts Earl was able to watch from his hospital bed.

I'll be the house bassist for Jon again this Weds. night as Leroy's (the bassist playing in the clip above) Ma died this a.m. after a long illness. Jon will be a pallbearer at the funeral on Thurs. Meanwhile we're all just praying for Earl.

Tired, At Work on 3 Hrs Sleep

But I been having fun, so it's all worth it, yes? So anyway, long busy week and as always I must consult my Google calendars to remind myself what the heck I been up to these past few days. It doesn't help that I only got about 3 hrs. sleep last night b/c I'm a night owl, it was Friday night, Jon and I went to see our old friend play at the Big Easy, then we came home and watched Honeysuckle Rose, one of our fave flix ever. Then I had to be up to work at Job #1 from 9-5 today though I did get to take a nice break as today was our company picnic and Jon came and picked me up for it on my lunch hour. So lessee...

Weds. I picked up Jon from the airport and we went to the hospital to see Earl. He was asleep and we both prayed over him. It was bittersweet. June 19, 2009 was proclaimed his day from the City of Houston and the proclamation was taped to his front windows of the ICU. He's now refused the ventilator and is "hoping to make it to Sunday." Tomorrow we'll be doing this for him (nice pic of Jon!).They're going to livestream it on the web to Earl's hospital bed. I wish Earl could just come home, especially since he's off the ventilator. My grandpa Popo's death in November at home, surrounded by all of us, was just so wonderful and the best way to go possible.

That night I was the house bassist at Jon's jam and I've been working on my singing and I think I finally decided on my "voice." I always thought I was a power singer, then I've been trying this high, strong voice thing, but now I think I sound best as a soft-voiced singer. I recorded myself all different ways this past week and only the soft voice thing didn't make me cringe at myself. Anyway, the jam wasn't that fun b/c Jon was subdued (due to Earl) and he was making me nervous and I was feeling just a little insecure w/my playing. Anyway...

Unfortunately the night ended badly when we got to my house and coulda been quite tragic so thank God it wasn't. Basically we got to my house at about 2:05am and there was a suspicious guy inside the gate sitting on the concrete while there was a suspicious vehicle outside the gate with an occupant inside. Jon and I had to unload guitars, amps and stuff and I didn't care for any of this bullshit onlooking, so tough-guy cop me had to walk over to the character and talk to him (yes, with my purse on my shoulder and my gun in my purse) and then I had to call the police on the suspicious vehicle while shining my big cop flashlight on them as they tried to drive away. However--the suspicious vehicle turned out to be undercover police and the guy I talked to may have been a "lookout" for the armed robbery that was happening that VERY MINUTE across the street at the neighborhood bar. Yes, this all went down while I was playing neighborhood watch inside my gate, and suddenly there were police EVERYWHERE, even inside my gate, SWAT teams running here and there, K9's, helicopter's, the whole shmear. This is b/c that bar has been robbed 5 times in the past month (incl. last Weds. at about the same time Jon got home to my house from the jam) and the cops had it staked out. (Why it got robbed again this night while they were staking it out has yet to be properly explained.) Long story short, Jon and I decided the best thing to do would be to stick our butts inside and stay there and let the hunt go on.

At 3am we finally fell asleep. At 5am I heard BANG BANG BANG on my door, repeatedly, though it took me awhile to make my way downstairs to see what was going on. It was the police, wanting me to come I.D. the guy they caught that they thought was that "lookout" guy I'd talked to earlier. I came out to my street completely full of a million cop cars and the SWAT van and everything. I couldn't positively I.D. him (I'd kept my distance from him earlier and it was dark outside) so I had him say one of the sentences I'd heard him say earlier and then I was pretty sure it was him. However, I found out the next morning they let him go, as they had nothing concrete to hold him for--even if he was the lookout. And yeah, all this was on all the news channels the next morning.

This whole thing pisses me off, as I am angry that it's possible there's an accessory to armed robbery possibly living on my property, and it makes me mad that the armed robber GOT AWAY from the bar while the bar was under surveillance, and it makes me mad that now Jon is worried ("They know who you are now"). However, I keep saying it's a GOOD thing they know who I am, b/c guess what? Now I know who THEY are. And if they want to come jack w/me, well it will not be a happy ending for anyone involved, I guarantee it. I'm worried about them? No. They need to be worried about me. Still, I did just order a wireless camera surveillance system (the same kind Mudflap has at his house) and Jon and I have been spending every night at my house this week. I even forwent going out on Thurs. night so I could stick close to home and keep an eye on things.

Anyway, so Friday was National Ride Your Bike to Work Day and I was up at 6am for it. I'd brought my bike over to my house from Jon's so I could meet my neighbors who also work in the Med Ctr, as they ride their bike to work everyday and they offered to let me join them, which I was so happy to do! I have to say--it was FUN! We even picked up another of our friends/colleagues on the bike trail on the way, so it ended up being 4 of us. I was invigorated when I got to work, and not too sweaty as it was overcast and only in the low 80's. And when 5pm came, I was actually excited about the ride home! Now, it did take us about an hour to go 7-ish miles, but I have a mountain bike and they all had road bikes, so I was just slower than them. It was still so much fun and I look forward to doing it again by myself someday! It'll have to be a day when I don't go to Job #2 but I can certainly plan around that. I loved getting the exercise and I loved saving gas $ and I loved having my car at my house so it looked like someone was home all day, in light of the events on Weds. night.

Tonight is a night OFF. I am beat. I'm gwine go home, rest, read, relax, practice, watch some TV, blah blah blah. Hopefully Jon will be over soon too; we've got another busy day tomorrow. Before the Earl thing, we'll go to the world famous mega church in town for a service in honor of National Police Memorial Week, then we'll meet my mom and Fred and li'l bro for lunch, then head north to Earl's.

I also just found out I get to spend 4th of July weekend w/Jon, as he and Rich got a gig at a festival in Iowa and they're driving and I get to go! Yay! I love a road trip! And this is important to me b/c Jon will be gone most of July. After IA he only has a couple days free before he's gotta to back to OH, then he'll be gone for Italy the last 2 weeks in July. Fortunately Tito J. has offered to distract me w/a weekend trip to go party w/him in San Antonio, so I'm looking forward to doing that! But I'm so tickled I get to go to IA at least w/Jon.

Birthday Wind-Down

Whoo what a few days it's been. Well, to recap our birthday week(s):

My birthday

Friday the 6th: Went to Harlingen w/Jonn, Rich, and Rich's wife Lisa. Lovely time! 6 hrs one way and we stopped off in Corpus Christi to have seafood at this touristy kinda-lame restaurant, but whatever. Got to Harlingen around midnight, right at the official beginning of my bday! Got a decent night's sleep at our hotel.

Sat. the 7th: Went to eat at IHOP where I spotted a Room Rack Shoe outlet across the street at the mall. Lisa and I attacked it while the boys ran a couple errands before the show that night. I got ***9*** pairs of high heeled sandals, my favorite summer shoe ware, for ***$100*** and in all kinds of colors. Killer! Happy bday to me!!!

The show that night was great, and the weather was unfreakingbelievable gorgeous. Sunny, slight breeze, warm enough for me, awesome. I drank a couple of these Costa Rican beers I found in the backstage area coolers, and they were YUM. Jon told the audience to wish me a happy bday which was sweet... awww. I videotaped the whole performance w/the bassist's video camera, making sure to get all kindsa angles and close ups, etc.

After the show we tried to find something to eat but in Harlingen everything closes around 10pm. We went back to the hotel room and I decided I was just ready to walk to the grocery store 1 street over to get food and of course, cake! Coming downstairs to the lobby however, I was surprised by Rich and Lisa and cake and a green dragon pinata and presents and a card!!! Jon and Rich had taken care of getting all that while I was shoe shopping. I was touched and surprised! We ended up ordering pizza which was totally fine with me as everyone knows pizza and cake are my 2 favorite foods!!!

Jon's bday

Sat. the 14th: I had to run to the sheriff academy of course but I got out early which was awesome b/c I was able to go pick up the 7 dozen cake balls I'd ordered as a surprise for Jon. Dang, they were TASTY--I'd allowed us to sample a couple when I got to his house. Then we had a little time to relax before meeting his mom, 2 sisters, niece and nephew at Hinze's BBQ in Wharton TX. I drove and it was a beautiful sunny day and not too warm, a great day for a little hour-long drive. And boy, did we grub. We also ordered the rest of the pan of blackberry cobbler, Jon's favorite. It was a nice family lunch and we all had a great time.

Back in Houston it was time to get ready for the gig and I wore my blue denim jumpsuit and gold sandals, Jon telling me I looked "disco" but I didn't care! (BTW, I'd gotten Jon his bday gift a couple weeks ago; he told me he wanted and needed a new double gig bag, as his nylon one has been tearing in spots and just generally getting worn out, so he found a really nice leather one and we ordered it off Ebay. I tell you--that thing is NICE. And it was EXPENSIVE, but I was more than happy to get it for him b/c I know he needs it and he will use the CRAP out of it on his many gigs as well as travels.)

The gig was killer fun! Most of his family and friends were there and we danced and my friends were there (I'd actually had time to meet B. and T. and Catyaq and our friend Ron for dinner right before the show, and I ended up riding with them so I could just ride home with Jon at the end of the night) and drinks were flowing and I had my new camera and I was taking pic's left and right and everyone just had a lot of fun. Great, great night!

Sun. the 15th: Happy bday my sweet love! We went to Baytown to spend the day w/his family and he made us get there so early nothing was really going on yet so we went out on his mom's backyard patio and he played his National guitar and I sat in the sun and read. Soooo relaxing. Later everyone started to show up and we helped his mom get the food ready and his aunts came over and his sister and nephew and finally it was ready to eat and we grubbed. Everyone loved the cake balls! Later on his dad came over and I took a nap on the grass while the 2 kids made a grass blanket for me. And his mom made his favorite cake, yellow w/chocolate icing and put strawberries on it. We left late and were tired but totally happy.

So then I had to take him to the airport yesterday but he'll be back tomorrow from OH. I always miss him terribly at night, but last night I got a good practice session in. I'm the house bassist with him tomorrow night for the jam, and I still need more experimentation with my singing. Oy. Not sure what to do on some things, but I keep hearing that this process takes time. I certainly didn't become a decent violist or bassist in just a few months' time. Still, I am frustrated but know I just need to keep experimenting. It's just that you're so vulnerable as a singer! More practice and shedding will be done tonite.

Birthday Week... again!

So now it's Jon's bday week and we have major festivities planned for this weekend.

Well, he's runnoft to Baytown today to see his sis who's flown in from Chicago so not sure if he'll be joining li'l bro and me tonight for Alejandro, but his free concert tonight will kick off a fun-filled weekend. Then I must get to Jon's house for as well rested a night possible, for I will be getting my buns to the sheriff academy by 7:45 in the a.m. for a day of applicant testing. However, I've gotta beg off a little early by 11:30 so I can run and meet this cake balls chick for the batches of cake balls I've ordered for Jon's family get-together on Sunday, his actual bday. Then I've gotta whisk myself to his place in order to meet him and his mom and sisters so we can shoot on down about an hour away to Wharton TX for some of the best damn BBQ in the state, Hinze's! (Jon, Rich, Rich's wife and I ate there last Sun on the way back from Harlingen. Drool! And I'm not even a huge BBQ lover!)

Whew! As if that weren't enough then we gotta get on back and I gotta get to my house so's I can get ready for the big night: Jon and Rich's gig at the Big Easy. EVERYONE will be there! Well, most of mine and Jon's families, anyway, unfortunately Ma and Fred are out of town but Jon's parents, sisters, cousins, friends, etc etc will be there as it's also Jon's bday party gig. Aaaaaand, I've got the incomparable B. and T. coming down from Dallas for the show and they bringing Catyaq! So, yayyyyyyy! They're staying at my house which means I also gotta get the beds ready, finish tidying up, as I'll be staying at Jon's house.

Sunday it's family day at Jon's mom's house. I expect that to be a little bit of a relaxing breather--finally!

Birthday Week

So it's my b-day week and normally I am in full festivating swing for the whole month. This week however I don't feel so up. It's not even a "bad" birthday (though it IS an "almost-bad" birthday if you catch my drift). I had a Dr's appt on Monday that was upsetting, and then I had a serious discussion on Tuesday w/my stepdad about my mom's health and finances, both which are struggling. And basically I feel kind of powerless about all of the above and I'm not sure how to proceed in life. I mean, life will drag you along no matter what, but as everyone knows, ADELA IS A PLANNER. And right now it's hard to plan, based on the information I have to work with.

Today I went downtown to see Jon play the Blues N Burger concert and that was nice, as it was a beautiful sunny day and not as warm as it had been (so consequently I was cold in the shade but it was still nice out) and then we had a yummy lunch afterwards, outside at the cafe there. Jon knows I'm upset and stressed out this week and he's concerned, and frankly, he needs to be. He says he wants his happy girlfriend back but I don't know when that's going to happen. He could help out with that, but I'm not sure when he's going to be able to do so.

I'll be going w/him and Rich and Rich's wife to Harlingen TX this Friday as they're playing a blues festival down there on Saturday. I've decided I want to spend my bday w/my boyfriend, which is why I'm going and not staying here and participating in more I-Fest activities, as I did this past weekend and had killer fun doing. This past weekend was chock full o'fun, I have to say, though I missed Jon, who was up in the Pacific Northwest, touring w/Rich. But Phillipo, my bro, Enor, Bon, and all my other music/festival friends had a BLAST. Keb Mo on Sunday killed me. Robert Cray too. Kronos Quartet on Fri. night, who I've never seen was, as Enor put it, "transcendential." Saturday was Jimmie Vaughan, whom I've now seen 3 times in about a month. Fun, fun, fun. But I gave away my 2 extra I-fest tix as we'll be back from Harlingen on Sunday--I believe that's something like a 6-hr drive.

I don't even feel like going to the jam tonight. I am just riding such a bummer, I just want to go home, practice a little bit, maybe do some reading and watch one of my movies from Netflix.