Hello my Callista's,
I hope this finds you well. It's been a little over a week or so since I posted. There's just been so much going on, it's been tough to keep up. I will try to give you a run down, and let you know what's happened since we last chatted, what I am expecting in the next couple days and basically, where I am going from here.
My last posting was on the 18th and my friend Steve was not expected to live out the week. He passed on the morning of the 20th surrounded by his wife and loved ones. While I am glad that he is no longer suffering, I hurt for his family. He was young by most standards and had a young daughter. He will be missed greatly. I also hurt for his friends. We loved Steve. He and I had been friends since the early 90's. Although we didn't see each other more than a couple times a year in recent years, we were still in touch via email. He wanted to write more songs and do some recording. But I don't think Steve was naive in what was in store. From his email to me on April 17th.
"So I'm exited about the radiation, I can deal with the rest, just not that pain! If my retirement's going to be short, it's going to be fun." "I am in good spirits...I'm so lucky I live in a bright, cheerful house, with a bright, cheerful family...we can even joke about it sometimes, what a comfort!"
Rest in peace my friend.
I have a new Grandson. He's just over 2 months old now. I have been spending as much time with him as I can because he changes so much from day to day! When my Granddaughter was born back in 1996, I wasn't in a position to spend a lot of time with her because I worked two jobs and sometimes three. Then when the baby was just 6 months old, my Daughter moved out of state for more than a year. So my Granddaughter was 3 years old before I had the opportunity to spend some real time with her. By then, the damage was done. While she and I have some time together now, it's never been as close or as much as I have been able to spend with my Grandson since he was born in March. Trying to make up for lost time is tough. I know now how important it is to stay close to my kids and Grandchildren. I hope they learn how important it is to stay close to me. Hope. lol
On Friday my band played at Paradiso's Restaurant in Alexandria. It was a great gig. We had a smallish birthday party for Liz. Liz has been battling Esophageal cancer. F*ck cancer. I can't believe this pariah has not been slayed yet. Liz was diagnosed last fall and so far she appears to be holding her own. I don't know Liz really well, but we share a group of friends, many of whom I have known for 15 or 20 years. I can see what she means to them and in the past several months as I have learned more about Liz and the kind of person she is, I have grown to love her myself. Resistance is futile. So doing the only thing I know how to do, we tried to raise a lot of awareness about Esophageal cancer and a little bit of cash for Liz. With the help of many wonderful folks, we have done that and plan to continue having events in the future. Sending lots of love and healing thoughts to Liz and her family.
On Saturday, we played at Brittany's in Lake Ridge. It's always a good time, but hard to tell what the crowd will be like each time we play. Bob and his staff are always good to us, and because it's a pretty big room, the guys like to play there so they can get loud. LOL. This was one of the rare times when there really wasn't anyone in the room that we knew. There were folks who had been there when we've played before, and it was really nice to see familiar faces, but that was it. The local crowd was lighter than normal, but they stayed til the end and there was dancing to be had!! Great fun with the folks who started dancing on the second song and kept going til 1am!! The highlight of the night for me, was when my Daughter and her friends showed up around midnight. Unbeknownst to me, My daughter's friend Amy was related to a friend who came to see Dave the bass player. It was a fabulous connection! My daughter also honored me by bringing me a dozen roses which were beautiful. It was just nice to see them especially since this weekend I seem to be feeling a little at odds, but the roses were over the top. When the kids were little, I never gave much thought or expectations about how things would be when my kids were adults. I certainly never expected to sit with them at a bar where my band is playing, chatting about their day and catching up on the friends lives. I had given music up for the biggest part of 35 years until the past 6 years. So I couldn't have imagined a night like this. Left me feeling warm and fuzzy inside.
So what's next? Well, I have a trip to Tennessee in a couple weeks. I am looking very forward to this trip. I am going with some friends. One friend I know well, the other two I am looking forward to getting to know. I haven't been to Nashville since 1981. It's time I go back to see what I've missed. I'll also be attending "Fan Fair" or Fan Appreciation Week as it's called now, for the first time since 1969. Looking forward to the meet and greets and the concerts. It's going to be a blast!! I will post pictures and stuff when we go.
I have a lot more to say, but it's time to close this installment. It's late and one of the things I am trying to change is my failure to get enough rest. I tend to be a night owl. lol I will write more later.
As time goes on, this blog may turn a little dark as I am dealing with some personal challenges and issues that have roots in my childhood. Not a pretty time in my life. You may learn more about me that you ever wanted to know. There may be times when you lose your respect for me, become angry with me or pity me for revelations that might come out of these little chats. I will apologize in advance if you feel this way, but in order to resolve the issues I have today, I have to go back and put the old issues to rest. Hoping I have the strength to pack those bags and donate them. Need to clean out the attic anyway.
So til next time...one bag at a time, I'm moving on.
Calli
I hope this finds you well. It's been a little over a week or so since I posted. There's just been so much going on, it's been tough to keep up. I will try to give you a run down, and let you know what's happened since we last chatted, what I am expecting in the next couple days and basically, where I am going from here.
My last posting was on the 18th and my friend Steve was not expected to live out the week. He passed on the morning of the 20th surrounded by his wife and loved ones. While I am glad that he is no longer suffering, I hurt for his family. He was young by most standards and had a young daughter. He will be missed greatly. I also hurt for his friends. We loved Steve. He and I had been friends since the early 90's. Although we didn't see each other more than a couple times a year in recent years, we were still in touch via email. He wanted to write more songs and do some recording. But I don't think Steve was naive in what was in store. From his email to me on April 17th.
"So I'm exited about the radiation, I can deal with the rest, just not that pain! If my retirement's going to be short, it's going to be fun." "I am in good spirits...I'm so lucky I live in a bright, cheerful house, with a bright, cheerful family...we can even joke about it sometimes, what a comfort!"
Rest in peace my friend.
I have a new Grandson. He's just over 2 months old now. I have been spending as much time with him as I can because he changes so much from day to day! When my Granddaughter was born back in 1996, I wasn't in a position to spend a lot of time with her because I worked two jobs and sometimes three. Then when the baby was just 6 months old, my Daughter moved out of state for more than a year. So my Granddaughter was 3 years old before I had the opportunity to spend some real time with her. By then, the damage was done. While she and I have some time together now, it's never been as close or as much as I have been able to spend with my Grandson since he was born in March. Trying to make up for lost time is tough. I know now how important it is to stay close to my kids and Grandchildren. I hope they learn how important it is to stay close to me. Hope. lol
On Friday my band played at Paradiso's Restaurant in Alexandria. It was a great gig. We had a smallish birthday party for Liz. Liz has been battling Esophageal cancer. F*ck cancer. I can't believe this pariah has not been slayed yet. Liz was diagnosed last fall and so far she appears to be holding her own. I don't know Liz really well, but we share a group of friends, many of whom I have known for 15 or 20 years. I can see what she means to them and in the past several months as I have learned more about Liz and the kind of person she is, I have grown to love her myself. Resistance is futile. So doing the only thing I know how to do, we tried to raise a lot of awareness about Esophageal cancer and a little bit of cash for Liz. With the help of many wonderful folks, we have done that and plan to continue having events in the future. Sending lots of love and healing thoughts to Liz and her family.
On Saturday, we played at Brittany's in Lake Ridge. It's always a good time, but hard to tell what the crowd will be like each time we play. Bob and his staff are always good to us, and because it's a pretty big room, the guys like to play there so they can get loud. LOL. This was one of the rare times when there really wasn't anyone in the room that we knew. There were folks who had been there when we've played before, and it was really nice to see familiar faces, but that was it. The local crowd was lighter than normal, but they stayed til the end and there was dancing to be had!! Great fun with the folks who started dancing on the second song and kept going til 1am!! The highlight of the night for me, was when my Daughter and her friends showed up around midnight. Unbeknownst to me, My daughter's friend Amy was related to a friend who came to see Dave the bass player. It was a fabulous connection! My daughter also honored me by bringing me a dozen roses which were beautiful. It was just nice to see them especially since this weekend I seem to be feeling a little at odds, but the roses were over the top. When the kids were little, I never gave much thought or expectations about how things would be when my kids were adults. I certainly never expected to sit with them at a bar where my band is playing, chatting about their day and catching up on the friends lives. I had given music up for the biggest part of 35 years until the past 6 years. So I couldn't have imagined a night like this. Left me feeling warm and fuzzy inside.
So what's next? Well, I have a trip to Tennessee in a couple weeks. I am looking very forward to this trip. I am going with some friends. One friend I know well, the other two I am looking forward to getting to know. I haven't been to Nashville since 1981. It's time I go back to see what I've missed. I'll also be attending "Fan Fair" or Fan Appreciation Week as it's called now, for the first time since 1969. Looking forward to the meet and greets and the concerts. It's going to be a blast!! I will post pictures and stuff when we go.
I have a lot more to say, but it's time to close this installment. It's late and one of the things I am trying to change is my failure to get enough rest. I tend to be a night owl. lol I will write more later.
As time goes on, this blog may turn a little dark as I am dealing with some personal challenges and issues that have roots in my childhood. Not a pretty time in my life. You may learn more about me that you ever wanted to know. There may be times when you lose your respect for me, become angry with me or pity me for revelations that might come out of these little chats. I will apologize in advance if you feel this way, but in order to resolve the issues I have today, I have to go back and put the old issues to rest. Hoping I have the strength to pack those bags and donate them. Need to clean out the attic anyway.
So til next time...one bag at a time, I'm moving on.
Calli
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