It's soo fast...! /(slash) I play music.

Have I mentioned that we have broadband internet now?

Cause we totally do.

And it's like, soo fast. Totally.

ZOOM!!!

A widely know fact is, of course, that italics means a word is fast... It's as if the letters are bending--literary characters posing as the bending grass, curving earthward in the breeze of the passing verbiage.

: -| (Take that, guy who used to be on "Northern Exposure" as a dj, and then did some like, Ford commercials and then passed obscurely into the cold, clear night of forlorne and distantly-twinkling celebrity!)

In other news: I am playing music tonight. And not just in my basement with the door closed, like usual!

Tonight I get to play at the Windsor Road "Espresso Royale" coffee house, in Champaign. But don't get too* excited.. I'm not playing there because the owners of the coffee house heard me play and liked my stuff and heard I have a hot sister and is she involved with someone or can you maybe like, pass me her number? or something.. No, I am playing there because Greg rented the place out for three hours of "youth ministry volunteer appreciation night"**, and he wanted live music. I--being alive--qualified for the gig. Also, he asked everybody else, and they all said they were busy. I don't know doing what, specifically. I assume they needed to wash their hair or something.***

The cool thing is, before I agreed to it I needed to see if I could actually play enough material to pull something like this off. Turns out, I've got somewhere in the neighborhood of an hour and a half worth of tunes! I was shocked. I think it may be even more.. Also cool, I get to use cheat sheets, because it's not a "show"****--it's just me sitting around playing while people drink coffee.

Also on the expanding list of coolness, Deb is coming. We've got friends coming to stay with our kids, so we'll get to hang out with the Hunts (and unannounced others) for an evening of music and coffee-drinking and whatnot. I'm down with that! mhm.. tha's right..

On the negative side, I'm kinda nervous. Stupid, I realize. I mostly took the gig because ..well, because I want to help Greg out, 'cause I like him and stuff.. but other than that, I took it because I need to start taking opportunities to play when they arise. Even if that means risking possibly falling on my face. Sometimes you don't do good! Get over it! .. am I right here, people..? I thought so.

Also on the negative side, I've played so much heavy-stringed acoustic guitar in the last two days that I think I kinda hurt one of my fingers a little. But.. you know.. I've just got to play tonight and then I can heal up. No sweat.*****

* These italics do not indicate speed. "Too" cannot go fast. I was just trying to add emphasis. Get off my back.. legalist.

** Does this mean that we appreciate the volunteers or that we're volunteering to appreciate them? So.. confused.. just_play_guitar...

*** One of the benefits of being a musician is that it immediately lowers expectations in the area of personal hygiene. Don't feel like shaving..? No problem! No one will be shocked; they're just amazed you can dress yourself and walk around without weeping. ..too much.

**** Except for the offers of additional gigs that may come rolling in once we've cracked the lid on this bad-boy. It may end up that I have to cancel a string of dates on the eastern seaboard during my first tour in order to undergo what my publicist describes as "...a minor procedure to restore full function of the appendage, as well as a short break to recuperate from the procedure and the rigors of his demanding public appearance schedule."

Don't worry. All ticket-holders will receive a full refund.