Thursday, August 21, 2008

SHAK is coming to Australia!

Just in time for Spring. Just in time for breakfast. Just in time for lunch. Just in time for shopping. Just in time for me!

I miss my mommy.

Can't wait for her to be here and spend time with me. Us. Everyone. But mostly me!

Note: The adventures of SHAK and DWLJR are on another blog you might want to look at. If you're a picture person, the pictures are absolutely amazing. They have been in some incredible parts of the Rocky Mountains! (Just click on any picture on the blog and you'll get to the picture gallery on flickr.)

http://lloydvacation2008.blogspot.com/



Thursday, August 14, 2008

A Cold, Wintery Update

It might seem odd to my friends in Colorado that I'm cold today. The sun is out, the temperature is a crisp 59 degrees Fahrenheit, and the wind is blowing at 11 mph. My friends in Arizona and Texas will understand.

I'm busy with my candle business. This month my goal is to sell $11,500 worth of candles. In Olympic-speak, that'll be a PB for me. If I am successful, I will earn 23,000 points toward my trip to Hawaii next May. That means I've earned enough points for me to go for free. I can then focus on getting another 23,000 points in January, February, and March so that Alan can go for free, too. Oh la la. Wai Ki Ki... here we come!

Mogy and Copper keep me entertained throughout the day. Copper is really a good dog. He is friendly, silly, and a bit of a comedian. He takes discipline well and does what we want him to most of the time. He's too tall for our current television height and doesn't really understand why we tell him to move when he stops in front of the TV. His quizzical look is priceless as we both yell, "Go!"

We invested in a TiVo like contraption last year. It's nice because it pretty much stops us (me) from sitting in front of the TV watching crap. I record musical, funny, or interesting shows and watch them commercial free when I need a break. I'm much more calm about the TV because of that. Still hate to waste time in front of it. There's not enough time to do all the things I want to do in a day.

I donated to Barack Obama's campaign today. My first political contribution. As an ex-patriot I reckon I see things from a different perspective to most Americans. Without hesitation, I share with you that I believe Bush and Bush policies destroy peace, prosperity, cooperation, and joy across the globe. Political relationships are strained worldwide. Environmental problems are worse, not better. McCain will just keep us on that path. Don't let Republican versus Democrat be your guide in this election. Let change be your mantra. Because we need it. We all need it. It scares me that the race is as tight as it seems. It seems like it should be a slam dunk for Obama to win. Why don't I see any good arguments for McCain? I can usually see both sides.

My music playing has slowed down this year. I blame Keith. Keith Newman was the drummer for Little Big Horn, and he's moved to Perth (that's on the other side of this little island). He was the LBH agent and he got us most of the gigs that we did last year. Ben, on the other hand, is working more than I've seen him work in a long time. His gigs are coming in fast and furious. Lately, he's even been doing an occasional double gig (six sets in two different bands) at the infamous Scruffy Murphy's in downtown Sydney. He's got gigs in Woolongong, Balmain, Bathhurst, and Sydney this weekend. Moral of the story: practice enough and people pay you to play. Hmmmm. Perhaps I shouldn't be typing this blog entry right now.... :)

Anyhoo, as a result I've asked Angela to be our agent. She's awesome on the phone, understands the industry, and is arm's length (OK, maybe wrist length, but what do they know) away from the band. She can offer a duo, a trio, the LBH experience, or any combo really. We'll see. I hope to pay her a lot of money as our agent. Go Ange!

I think that's all I want to say right now. Going to pick up one of my guitars and have a bit of a play before I get ready for tonight's candle party. Have a great day yourself and I'll catch up with you individually whenever you want me to. What's up?