Goodbye to Me

16:47

Shelter me from the powder and the finger Cover me with the thought that pulled the trigger _Neil Young

Today is day 48. Tomorrow is day 49. Back to Spain. Hard to believe

Great moments of Summer 2010

Spain wins the World Cup
That blonde chick tapping me on the shoulder and then kissing me after the WC Final
Kayaking in VT and CT
Rage 11 in VT
Smithstock 2010
Jenny the Sasquatch
Little Awesome Annie
Road tripping with Frippy
Raw Oysters
Rush at Jones Beach
Cape Cod with the Tyners
My 5 summer families; Mom, Tietjens, Smiths, Sheridans and McFaddens


The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved. -Jeremiah 8:20

Fried chicken for lunch from Big Y. How American!

Songs of Summer 2010

• What have we sown - The Pineapple Thief
• In the sun - Peter Gabriel
• I just dropped in (to what condition my condition was in) - Kenny Rogers & the First Edition
• Another Tricky Day - The Who
• Arriving somewhere but not here - Porcupine Tree
• Rainbow in the Dark - Ronnie James Dio
• Stargazer - Rainbow
• Mary - Robert Fripp
• Powderfinger - Neil Young
• Brunch with the RiverMan - Wayward Platypus

21:32

Jay not so good with electricity. Tried to change a light fixture in Mum's hall for 2.5 hours to no avail. Time to call an electrician.

Toyota's (Uncle Blackie) trunk cleaned out and parked in Mum's garage.

One little victory -Rush

Time to scour myself. Laundry in progress. Then finalize my package. Mum still at HRC Golf Outing with Seester.

I am conflicted. Psyched to go home. Sad to leave home.

I bought some Logitech speakers for my computer today. Sweet mother of pearl! They sound awesome. Ridiculous! $29!

America been berry berry good to me.

Okay scour. Then more fried chicken

Day 49 1:55

Sleep. Pack. Plane. Spain. In that order.

Sr. Tres Mil (Mr. 3,000)

Good bye Motherland, New Jersey; street smart whoor of the continental 48, our lady of constant smells, bold and densely populated, home state o' mine.

Saw my Great Aunt Nunnie yesterday. I took her out to lunch. She is 89 and completely kick ass. Still very sharp. She loves Stephen Colbert and writes. She is awesome. We talked for four hours.

Then Mike and I watched a Black Sabbath with Dio concert. Awesome.

I've now topped 151,000 miles on the Toyota and 3,000 for the summer. Ridiculous.

Megan, 6, said this yesterday;

Megan: (Robot voice) I am a robot, I only eat people named 'Jay.'
Me: What good luck for you!
Megan: Yum yum yum yum yum!

Tomorrow at 2:45pm, The UEFA Super Cup, pitting Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan (the respective 2009 EuroLeague and Champions League Winners).

Aupa Atleti!

Smithstock

(NYC from the Toyota window)















Bright images passing by
Like windshield's toward a fly
-Rush


Great time at Smithstock '10 this weekend. We jammed, the children played, all involved ate a lot/ Pulled pork! Yum.

I saw many old friends; Kathy DC and Johnny Diamonds are not often seen but much missed.

Children still growing. Thinking for themselves. Frightening really.

In a week i will be gone- like i never existed. Well, i guess you'll know i was here cuz i'll still have some of my crap at yer houses.

Wed - to Jersey, to see my great Aunt Nunnie. Then Mike and Mima's. Then Thurs back to CT for the duration.

The cars hiss by my window
Like the waves down on the beach
The cars hiss by my window
Like the waves down on the beach
I got this girl beside me
But she's out of reach
-The Doors

the motherland

so many things i think about
when i look far away
_Rush

Here in NJ with Mike and Mima. Lots of miles behind me this week. About 600 miles since Sat. Keep rolling.

Mike and i took Megan and Lindsey to QUE PASTA in Saddle Brook, close to Lodi where Sue and i lived for 6 years. Awesome pasta.

Annie is the cutest thing ever. Inexplicably, she appears to be crazy about me.

This drives her mother bonkers to no end.

and i just have to laugh...
it seems with can't be parted
from the other half
-Wayward Platypus

home to Mum's tomorrow. That'll be good.

Home.

thanks for borrowing Frippy.
Frippy was playing with his brother, Mug-a-lin! (she meant Mulligan, but it was a valiant effort)
-Annie

I am road weary. But it's been blast..., and this journey ends soon. Summers rock.

Smithstock 2010!

363 Miles to Vienna

Hello! I haven't written lately i've been constantly visiting with the only folks on the planet who actually read this. Since we last 'spoke';

• Rock and Roll Rage 11 took place in VT, with much jamming, including Wayward Platypus
• Mark, Jim and i recorded some stuff
• I saw Tripp and Christa on Cape Cod
• Other miscellaneous stuff

The ride to Sue and Annie's took 9 hours. I started towards the GW Bridge and had to detour to the Tappin' Zee Keg Bridge. Both crossings had blood curdling traffic. It took 2.5 hours to get to NJ from Wilton. There was more traffic at exit 8 on the NJ Turnpike. Had to take the Commodore Barry Bridge to avoid bone crushing Delaware Bridge Traffic, It was Fripp's first time in PA. Mind numbing traffic on the beltway. Had to cut thru DC. I had to take every alternate route i knew on the same trip. But Fripp was a trooper. He slept on the passenger seat, listening to Rush, Floyd and Rainbow, swaddled in one of my t-shirts (he hates AC and i keep it icy so i don't fall asleep/crash/die). And he ate his crunchies on the passenger seat too. Sleepy time now. Well deserved.

Soft White Trash Underbelly

Well, i spent both Thurs. and Sat. night at the One-Eyed Pig in Newtown, CT. The Adults hosted an open mike on Thurs. and then had a gig in Sat. I jammed with them on thurs. for about 7 tunes. The bar reminded me of the Mos Eisley cantina from Star Wars, but not in a bad way. Girls with big hair, gray haired drunks dancing, individuals with denim vests and cowboy hats. It was interesting. Jim had always told me about the red neck undercurrent of Newtown. I had just never seen it. But now i have seen. And I believe! I believe!

I am awash in logistics. Phone calls, plans within plans, wheels within wheels.

Stick a fork in the Mets. They're done.

Sometimes i feel so uninspired
-Traffic

Stick a fork in me.

Keep swimming. Keep swimming.
-Dory, finding Nemo