Steve Vai - A god among gods.

Not only does Steve Vai's playing ability rival even the BEST guitarists, but his humility and understanding of the entire musical endeavor is just simply awesome.

Check this out:



I love you Steve. :)

They have arrived. Genuine Oakley Frogskins from the 80's.

I don't know about you, but I was alive and well in the 80's.

It was a time of coin-operated video games, crazy hair styles and these - the baddest ass sunglasses ever produced by any company ANYWHERE - The Oakley Frogskins.

And now I have a pair.

AND - they're the 'Collector's Edition' with special green Iridium lenses.

My level of coolness has just notched up a point or ten. :)

Chronicle of St. Patty's Weekend, 2012 on the 16th Street Mall

Well I should SAY! I haven't had a more pleasant 48 hours in QUITE some time.

This weekend has been lovely. Lots of great weather, some awesome fans downtown paying well for my music...and killer motorcycle rides throughout. What could HONESTLY be needed here?

Friday night brought some interesting douche-bag grade characters out of the woodwork. There were quite a few fights along the 16th Street Mall, none of which were particularly entertaining.

This one dude took off his wifebeater and screamed, "SHOOT ME NOW MOTHER FUCKER!" at some other dude who apparently got all up in his business.

I guess that *was* kind of entertaining, in sort of a "wow-look-at-that-moron-with-innumerable-personal-issues" kind of way.

Saturday night --- last night --- was CRAZY drunk night. All the drunkies wearing green were frenzied and, thankfully, pretty spendy. I made a nice chunk of change off them, and they danced around my tip case pretending to be leprechauns all night.

Twas pleasant.

Aaaaand tomorrow it's back to reality.

*sigh*

Like my new ride?

IT FIRES CLOWNS.

After I die, I would like to be reincarnated as a glasswing butterfly, please.

The idea of having transparent body parts is QUITE FUCKING AWESOME.

So yesterday I quit Facebook. For realsies.

This is very liberating.

Now, when I open up my trusty little web browser, I have to remind myself that going to 'www.facebook.com' won't really do anything for me anymore.

I won't be seeing posts from people I hardly know, about inconsequential bullshit that never affects me.

I won't be advertised to by Facebook's partners. Nor will I unknowingly advertise to my 'friends' on behalf of said partners.

And by the way, this is permanent. There is no going back, and that itself is really pretty fucking awesome if you think about it.

I think I had like 120 friends or something like that. Women I've dated, old high school friends, some family members. That's it.

The ones who matter won't mind my absence on Facebook. They will be quite pacified, I'm sure, to keep our communications to the old-fashioned methods of e-mail and the occasional phone call.

So long, Facebook.

You have been unfriended.

I will miss you, Hilary.

Yesterday I was informed that a friend of mine, Hilary Weimer, lost her battle with colorectal cancer.

She was in her mid 20's.

We knew each other for about 5 years. We had dated some time ago and while things didn't work out romantically, we stayed friends ever since.

I am not kidding when I tell you this woman was one of the most vibrant, energetic, optimistic and friendly people I have EVER come across in my short 32 years of life.

And she was so...persistently...IMMERSED in life. That's the best way I can put it.

It's like she woke up every day on an epic quest to satisfy this undying thirst she had in her soul - a thirst for new experiences, new people and new things to think about.

She was like an addict when it came to education. She wanted more of it, ALL the time. And she wanted to talk about it...to bring you as her friend INTO it, to share her exuberance for it, an exuberance which just over...FLOWED.

I won't ever forget the time she convinced me to go on a snowshoeing adventure with her. I was content with sitting at home playing video games that afternoon, but she insisted.

She was like that. She could tell that something would be a GOOD thing and she would pursue it with the vigor of a Romanian gladiator.

She showed me that real optimism lives and in fact thrives. It's in the smiles and hearts of all people who have faith in humankind and who are truly good beings. It's unmistakable in some people, and Hilary was one of those people.

Today, I am having a hard time concentrating on much. I can't stop thinking about the void of LOGIC at play here...the fact that Hilary - someone so valuable and grateful for life - would be taken from this world before ME?

ME??? A guy ambivalent at BEST about the worth of his own life?

ME?!?

What a colossal, cosmic injustice. It serves as proof in the pudding that there isn't a God with good intentions and an all-touching hand. It proves the opposite.

It proves that this life is what we make it, and the people in it are there to share the ride with us, to teach us and to love us.

I don't need a God to know this. I just need the warmth, openness and graciousness of people like Hilary.

May another person like her, or indeed many of them, find their way into my life again.

I will never forget you Hilary. Rest in peace.