Just South of Nowhere

Photo**Ashley and Scotty J on The Blaze last week!

Random rants today!

*Camping + Mod Maid = BAD ,
*Prescription Dramamine + Mod Maid = Passed out for 14 hours camping
*Free food for strangers + Thanksgiving = No mashed potatoes for Mod Maid and family,
*3 dogs + 3 days in RV = unhappy camping Mod Maid.
*Quad + sheer drop straight down = panic attack Mod Maid
*Sloan on ipod + first time in sand car = kick ass ride for Mod Maid!
*Sand car + acceleration to 11 second monster = similar ride to Mod Maid's beloved Big Red=Happy camper!

** "Christmas is coming, it's been a long year, I wish you were here." Yet again, neither Dan nor I are in the spirit at all. Mom just made it special, neither of us have it in us to do it up the way we used to. Once again, the only house in the cul de sac without lights, the house that used to be Chevy Chase's.

**I hate itunes with a passion today. I can not get it to load songs and each time I try it freezes my computer so bad, I can't even re-boot. Just plain lame and frustrating.

**Sweet JEW version of "Last Christmas" is on The Blaze right now..I soo loved this song growing up, absolutely Top 5 Christmas song along with "Do they know it's Christmas?", "Another Christmas time without you" - Michael Damien, "Christmas, Baby please come home" - U2, and "Rudolph" - Corey Hart

**I found a journal from my freshman English class, as much as I look back on my years at Eastern with such fondness, if you read this journal I sounded like a tortured soul. Freshman boy problems of course. I think my sophomore year was better based on the calendars and being mainly with the Pre-teens for the year!

**The president of ASU, Mr Crow, is starting a blog and office hours. It just struck me as LOL funny. He is just the typical business guy trying too hard to connect with the kids.

**Today is last day of class for the Village kids. They have a Christmas karaoke party next week. Guess who is hosting, he's already practicing and getting nervous.

**I have been kinda sucked in to the SMB lately. I talked to my pal from there the night before I left for the Dunes. It is nice to have some others to talk about your fave bands with. I was on the Posies list for years, met lots of great people on there.

**I started a flickr photo account, stole the idea from the Matt Good site again just like using this blogger. I need my computer pals wise assistance to add the account to the side of this blog. Sometime, after I get this dumb itunes problem solved. For now

**I didn't get to write while on camping duty. I managed to write 4000 words Monday night but on Monday's I am so tired, it turned out rather disjointed. I will fix it tonight. I know I need to wrap it up, but I am now experiencing the difficulty of finishing. Pulling everything back together is tough. Writing about bad things is hard. I know that is such a simple sentence but I am having the worst time getting to the life altering moment. I guess I have enjoyed writing the sweet, nice stuff as a release to reality. Writing about painful events is just a reminder of my own. It becomes less of a release and more of a heart wrenching experience. Don't get me wrong, I need to do this, and I love it but I am struggling right now, I am quite aware of it.

**OK now The Blaze is playing a cover of "Christmas, Baby please come home" Funny since I just mentioned it. It is Death Cab for Cutie doing it, very sleepy version but I like it, first time I have heard it.

**I heard a great song on my ipod today, Happenstance by Gladhands. Happenstance is a good word, the song was adorable. I got the riot act again Monday night from Dan about not knowing every song on every CD I own. Actually it was my weekly Sloan riot act reading. I told Dan I could switch and become a Tea Party freak if he preferred (NOT!) On our drive home from the Dunes, we listened to my Top 25 most played on my ipod (What a great feature, especially from a girl who used to rate my Top 10 favorite guys in 8th grade) Anyway, you can imagine who was on that list. Dan admitted to liking a few more songs from CPAJ....

**Tony is bugging me to get some work done..hehehe..he loves to give me shite too..

Imperial Sand Trooper

Sand car- FAST and FUN!

Papa trims the turkey out at the Imperial Sand Dunes - Gordon's Well

Della loves her momma...

Cute kid alert! Hunter and I laying around the RV playing Wario Ware!

INXS vs Gin Blossoms -vie for Mod Maid's heart in 1989!

Scotty is on The Blaze right now and just said it looks like Gin Blossoms are going on tour with INXS next year... Hilarous...I literally went from my devotion to INXS in 1988 to my life being a Gin Blossoms fan in 1989...now a tour??... More later! Leaving for Dunes in a few hours..

Little Terror - Matthew Good

Last night was a "Calgon take me away" kind of night. First the Dairy Queen screwed up my o so nutritional meal. Then the home computer was crashing as usual. I finally settled into writing around 8:30pm. I listen to my ipod entirely too loud and don't notice Brendella throwing up her just fed meal all over the living room. Finally I hear her right below my feet just as both my cell phone and the house phone are ringinig at once. I am shoving her out the door, the house phone is Dan telling me he is sick. Then I go looking around to find she also threw up in the bed...UGH! Bassetts are barfers too, be aware before you ever look at those sad eyes and fall in love with one at the pet store. (Not that the little Corgi hasn't killed my carpet) Dan says my anniversary gift is my new wood floor for the lodge room, I can't wait. I am so sick of shampooing the carpet. Oh boy, domestic bliss. I really never got very far last night as I kept running out side with Della. I was determined to get some writing down so I stayed up until 1am. I am suffering for it now. Little Terror is a song Matt Good wrote originally as a song about his dachshound so I dedicate it to my big girl hound Brendella...truly the definition of "Little Terror"
I was driving home from my hair appt last week and saw a billboard on McDowell for Cingular and itunes - it said "Talk INXS" Wow...if this works, they are the come back story of the year, of the last few years! The new CD with JD comes out a week from today. I haven't really heard "Pretty Vegas" here in town, only on BOB. I also caught a half hour of their videos on the request hour on VH1 Classic. They are playing requests people paid for to help Hurricane Katrina victims, so somebody must have purchased the half hours worth. (their label?) I know they are putting out yet another Hits video and CD collection. Unfortunately sucker complitists like me fall for that crap.
How about a list of things I am thankful for on this Thanksgiving week:
*My add a links bracelets, who else do you know that has Sloan and Eye Eye links on the same bracelet
*Internet radio- I live in my fantasy land everyday thanks to it.
*Chris Murphy's "She says what she means" opening bass line
*Guest Speakers for my classes, love the break from teaching every few weeks
*Green Apples
*Four Peaks lunches
*Tony Tony Toni! Phat Tony my oh so sensible Blaze station manager
*This song on the radio right now, produced by Dave Genn "Bang" by Armchair Cynics. Not my usual style of tune but the chorus is turn up good!
*The sound of Big Red, Dan fired her up over the weekend, that sound of open exhaust gets me every time. And shakes the photos off my hall wall-heehee
*Casa Grande folks - I love my Casa pals! Diane's boyfriend Seth won his class at the IHBA world finals this past weekend! I think there was divine intervention there, I can see Mom watching over Seth making sure he was safe!
*My Pro track champ Ryan - Ryan is so consistant in calling my cell weekly to keep me excited about drag racing even if I haven't been in my car in 2 months.
*KBM - She's always so patient to listen to all my rants, read them too. I liked how you tried to tempt me with your big screen TV and Sloan videos again.
*Ms Scotia - Now that she has email, I get daily reports from Mich. So in addition I am grateful for email so I can keep in touch with Nova and plan our trip to the source of her DJ name.
*My puppies, despite the carpets, I am lost without them.
*Patrick Pentland's "Everything I've done wrong" The words ring so true in my own life so often.
*Eye Eye on Switchback - Watched it Sunday night, Bill Wood was so amazing looking on that appearance...that show inspired one of my favorite scenes in "Bay Window"
*Sloan being on the radio right now...."Rest of my Life"
*The fact that I am in 80 degree weather most of the winter, it is a blessing..
*The great group of Village kids I ended up with.
*My Blaze Directors this year and a couple from last year (You know who you are)
*"Prophecy" - Remy Zero
*My basement office that allows for such total wastes of time like this ;)
*My sis in law Missy, the chances of the two of us being so close would not have been something anyone would have bet on. I have to be the oddest person she has ever met let along the fact I am closer to her mom's age than hers. And while I'm at it...Travis and Hunter too. If I had no Collins family, I'd have no family at all. Mom and Pop Collins too... Marriage doesn't always mean you are accepted to the family, but they have so my thanks is there.
*That hubby of mine who didn't want me to drive to the dunes by myself so is making the 3 hour drive back to Mesa to get me on Wednesday. He came up with a new name for my band in the novel because I have never been happy with Nome. God bless him for even understanding this bizarre need to write, his patience has been incredible. He would easily tell you that patience is not his strong suit. I love the fact that he trys to sing my favorite songs on Karaoke even though he doesn't know them. 6 years in a month, I am most thankful for my Daniel.

What, usually you're my type

Was watching The Alternative last night and Dan pulled out the Blossoms DVD Outside looking in. Apparently I own it but have never watched it..such a shock. How many CDs do I own I have never listened to?? Don't answer. Dan used to pull out 6 CDs out of my closet and put them on to quiz me if I knew who they were. He nailed me a few times with obsure KUKQ bands I saved the CD for one song I liked. So we watched a GB show from Chicago, looked like circa 93-94. I need to ask Scott this week when he comes to The Blaze why they never recorded "What" or "Everywhere". The Blaze directors had to announce at their meeting today that they met Blossoms, it was a big event last week. BTW, Robin asked me where The Blaze was, I answered, same place you always used to skateboard to see me. That is how we got into the conversation as to why the station was no longer KASR but KASC.
I think it is the right week to pull out the Robin tour reports. Should make for some good memories. I am bachloretting it for 3 days so I can spend it reminising again, only this should be much less painful.
I had a pretty quiet weekend, which was needed. I even baked cookies! I spent the weekend getting Dan ready to leave for the Dune Sea. He is on the road as we speak. He is going to come get me and the dogs on Wednesday. Oh boy, three days camping...I am not a camper...even with a fully stocked RV.
I wrote Saturday night until around 2am I think, I was on a roll. I laughed, I cried, and I woke up Sunday not sure what I wrote. I am so unconscious when I do write, I surprise myself the next day when I read it back. No I swear I am not drinking. I liked a sweet little scene I wrote about Elise buying her wedding dress. I jotted down some notes for the next few scenes, there is just not that much left. I didn't write last night despite having plenty of time. I think I am sad to finish so I am trying to extend my time with it a little longer. I will probably work n it the next two nights since I will be home alone. It is really weird how some nights things just come out better than others. Some nights, I just don't have a good flow, ones writing is sorta like our bio-rhythms. I guess I need to work on the sequel but I swore to myself I would try one of the other stories first. Will it be the story of Jim and Andi or the yet named bracket racer girl who meets her top fuel driver of her dreams?
OR will it be the tale of the campus radio station advisor who finally cleans her house after 6 months of ignoring it to write a novel?

C'mon, C'mon

I couldn't believe my ears yesterday when I heard Cmon Cmon by the Gigolo Aunts on a commercial for the Food Network. Their Cmon, Cmon and Sloan's Cmon Cmon are both songs I sing all the time. Both pure Power pop at it's best. Yeah for the Aunts making some extra $$$. Wonder if they are still together, their last record was brilliant, seems like that has been about 2 years ago now.
So is there a full moon, or some cosmic weirdness in the earth's core? 2 weeks ago I spent two wasted days reading my journals that anguished on about two certain guys and then two weeks later I see them both one day after the next? What are the chances? I have yet to leave the house today, too scared who I may run into next.
Scotty J agreed to meet with me yesterday to help answer some music business questions I had for the novel. It was mighty kind of him to respect that I am serious. We're old pals anyway so I was glad to just hang for a few minutes and hear his demos for his solo record anyway. I figure if I ever were to get published, I would never want any of my musician friends to read it and say "that would never happen" I want accuracy in my fiction. Well, you know where this is heading, I walk out of Mayberry and there's Robin. It is always so wonderful to see him, I certainly don't run into him enough. He came and sat down with the Blaze kids and I at lunch, talked college radio and why KASR is KASC now. He brought up the Romantics, told him I loved them, he does too. After he left, my two girl directors were busy oggling that they met two Blossoms. I wasn't sure if 18-19 years olds would still be impressed with that but alas..a rock star is a rock star right? One said-"We were all about them at my elementary"... old I am, OLD...Blossoms are older though ;) The Blaze kids also toured the studio which they loved.
I am not shy abut my years adoring Robin because I know it was always so innocent, I never pursued it and eventually told him, never affected our friendship, etc.. Hopkins used to rail me about it so hard...it was a precious morsel of knowledge for him and he teased to no end...he had a happy go lucky side..not many remember that. His favorite line to me was "get over it" Since I am reminising, I recall we had only seen the Blossoms once, the infamous first time we stumbled into a show (Jesse was still the lead singer at the time, we kept saying to each other, "They should let the other guy sing more") Any way, I was on a guest list to see a band called Love Tractor at the Sun Club. We were just hanging out and Robin walked by me and smiled and nodded. I didn't know him, not sure why but I turned to KV and said I was hooked, that was it....I knew he was from the band we saw a few nights earlier. I plotted out with her my plan to tell him I was the PD of KASR and ask him if they want to come by the station, my big lure to get to talk to him. The best part of the story was not that fact that I did, that I gave him my little hand stamped card but the fact that Doug was standing behind us the entire time, listening to my plot. He was alwys noisy like that as we later found out but we didn't know them all by face after only seeing them once. By the way, we went to see the GBs a couple days later. Robin didn't remember me-heart break! After that night, we probably didn't stop going to see them weekly until they got signed and left on tour.. An era was born at Love Tractor at the Sun Club.

So beyond me - Sloan

Last night we finally made it to Rockeoake, better know as the common man's chance to sing with a rock band. Since Dan works so early in the morning and it's on a Thursday night, we have yet to get to go until last night. Unfortunately they had an opening rockabilly band form out of town that would not stop playing. Dan got frustrated at how late it got and didn't end up singing. As pictured, Marcus did! He sang "Bang a Gong"- T-Rex. He did it so awesome!!! (Btw that's my Division qualifier hat Dan is wearing while looking at the song book)
I had a reminder of my past in the way of running into someone I hadn't seen in a good many years. My days in the Tempe scene may be good fodder for a novel but the whole scene is now So Beyond Me. It was also an eye opener for me that I am forever grateful that the correct sliding door opened for me to get beyond that scene. It was important for me to see, that was not the way I would have wanted to go, nor would I have ever been able to deal. Despite my initial panic over confronting my past like that, it was probably the world's best timing for me. I have been thinking so much about all those experiences, and then I see that I definitely would not still like to be in it, I moved on. I think I moved on when I bought the race car. I had a defining moment last night, it was very important even if I can't describe it properly.
Timing again! Scotty J from the Blossoms just called me, says I can interview him today for the novel!!! He's gonna stop by our table at Four Peaks. Am I crazy? I am doing research for something I started as just a recreational exercise, now I am planning trips to Nova Scotia and interviewing real people for accuracy. Commits me to do something more with it doesn't it?
I may be writing about "girls and bands" but I know now I don't want to relive it. Once was enough. I can go be fan for a show, meet my fave musicians but I am so beyond living in the scene ever again.

Fashion in her eyes

LOVE. Noun
A temporary insanity curable by marriage
Ambrose Bierce

One of my students in Cronkite Village put that quote on the blackboard in our classroom. So glad to hear our youth are optimistic about marital bliss.
Pix of Jian aka Jean from Tall New Buildings. Nina sent me an email about a show he hosts on the CBC called National Playlist. www.CBC.CA/nationalplaylist His solo LP is on my ipod and I always enjoy the tracks when they come up, thoughtful and sweet. I notice in all his Bio stuff, he never mentions Tall New Buildings. Renounce the 80's right? I love those two 12 inch singles I have of theirs. Accept that the 80's happened...It's OK to love the music of that time! Speaking of which, I need to have a talk with Andy Ryan and Paul MacAusland about re-mastering their 80's contributions to my life, every time Haywire or Eye Eye come up on the ipod I have to turn it up. Can somebody get me in touch with those guys, I promise I won't stalk them; they missed their chance to marry me.....
Let's review my ipod this morning shall we, it was a warm glowing way to start my day:
"X-Ray Eyes" - Eye Eye- The song Hall and Oates gave to our Toronto heroes. It really doesn’t match the rest of their material but it's a turn it loud sing along in the Denali. I must look ridiculous when you pull up next to me. "I (I) can see through your heart of stone because I (I) am the one with the X ray eyes"
"You and I" - Boulevard - I am discovering this song more so lately, I like BLVD back in the day but this song has been a fave lately because I think it would work great on the Bay Window Soundtrack (available now on ModMaidProductions records and tapes)
"Virginia" - Gin Blossoms - such a sweet little song from Congratulations.
.great version of Blossoms style Power pop
"Cruel to be kind" -Nick Lowe - Who doesn't love this song? Which reminds me, another female singer I like is Kay Hanley from Letters to Cleo (they did a cover for 10 things I hate about you)
"21 and over" - The Romantics - From my fave LP of theirs National Breakout. Old Detroit faves!
"Worried Now" - Sloan - I think I understand why every girl on the Sloan message board complains about Patrick's rock songs, they want him to do these soul baring sentimental numbers. My tendency is towards the ones I can turn up loud and sing along to(as mentioned above) but this song made my heart melt the first time I heard it. It screams "don't hurt this fragile soul” It also screams Bay Window.
Oh sure, I am writing this and listening to FM96 in London, they are giving away tickets to Sloan. Of course I have yet to hear Sloan but I can call in and win tickets right now...If I win tickets, will that convince Dan I should go to London? Does that include the plane tix to get there?
OK back to the ipod, couple more I want to mention:
"You're gonna lose that girl" - The Beatles - My fave Beatles song. My parents used to have the "Love Songs" 8 track they would play in the van on the way to boat races. I nearly fell over the first time I saw The Best David Swaffords in the world do this song as a cover. I had seen Robin do Beatles covers at his Biff Del Monte shows but full band, one of my fave songs of my youth...yeah!!! Gotta get out some Swafford bootlegs out eh?
"Sweeter Love" - Athenaeum - I knew of this band from playing them on The Zone but hadn't really explored their music that much. I put their Cds on the pod to explore them and this song is an utter emotional rollercoaster. I would say it's my favorite discovery of the past year. A demo version on their B-sides Cd is even more emotional and raw. Their singer should have been recognized more, just stunning!
"One simple Thing" - The Stabilizers - This song was something I heard for the first time on the radio in Phoenix before I moved here (On The Storm I think) I was here for the Spring drag boat race the summer before I became Music Director at WQBR. I went home and sought out the record to add to QBR.


EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKK FM 96 is playing Snowsuit sound now...ok I'm not mad at them anymore!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Apparently it's snowing in London, they just did a theme set to win Sloan tix which included:
"Sweater song" weezer
"Boots and Hearts" - Tragically Hip
"Snowsuit Sound" - Sloan
YEAH!

Now you've been tantilized

I just heard myself on the radio, didn't recognize my own voice. Weird, I know. I called Milky on BOB to play One to One for me. I have had "Angel in my pocket" in my head for the past week, it's such a sweet perfect little pop song which makes me smile, makes me think of hearing it on my bedroom clock radio. It is funny because all my friends know that I pretty much hate female vocalists but Louise Remy is an exception I guess... I do have a few exceptions, Luba, Pat Benatar...hmmm...have to think on this more...The singer of K's Choice, can't think of her name....hmmm..Have to get back to you on this one.. Anyway my phone call sounded decent, like I had a voice for radio or something-hahahahaha...not trying to sound conceited, radio is about the only thing I have ever done right in my life. We all have our insecurities but it's the only thing I think I knew truly how to do...are we allowed to have more than one talent in our lives? I certainly wish I could be a better bracket racer, a better teacher, a better wife, a better house keeper, and yes...I wish I could have as much success with my writing as I did with my radio career. I guess I wonder if we are meant for just one success in our lives or if we could be so blessed to do well at something else. I have already been blessed with a second career, but a third? Could I be so fortunate? Just something I think about.
Sunday night I was writing, enjoying the chapter I was working on. I made a reference to The Church and not five minutes later "Tantilized" came on The Alternative that I was listening to on the TV. I actually got off my A$$ and ran into the TV room to watch the lord guitar god Marty Willson Piper..oh man...I would have to say The Church are one of my favorite overlooked bands. I mean I love um, always have but forget about them sometimes...then I hear and see um...Love them! When I was PD at KASR I had a poster of Marty up in my office, we wrote love post it notes to Marty on it-hence the title "Lord god Marty" It's well known that I have travelled to see bands like The Posies, GBs back in the day but I also travelled once to go see The Church! Around the time I was in full Church mode, it was well known they had a bad experience in Arizona when a show they were supposed to play was cancelled. I wanted to see them so bad, I flew with a few pals to LA to see them, I wanna say in Ventura. I remember they were incredible live, that we stood in front on Marty's side. I didn't get to meet them but we spotted Marty looking out a window above the club and we shouted to him to come out. He never did. I think I was about 21 or 22 at the time, went with Carrie with a C and a guy named Rob who was a listener friend we had met. We drove back to the airport and slept in LAX until the flight back the next morning. They have never come back to AZ, even these many years later. So yet again, ironic I make reference to them in Bay Window and there they are-am I the only one who thinks this is too weird for words, they don't exactly show The Church on The Alternative every week.
So I did some productive writing over the weekend, I am realizing I have very few upcoming notes left which means...I am almost done. I am getting sad, never thought finishing would be depressing. I guess I will welcome the chance to go back and fix stuff once I am done. That one lady who did the critique with me said 90% of writing is editing anyway. I am quite sure I could write another set of adventures for Elise, so a sequel is quite certain but for now...I need to close this one and try something different for a while. I plan to write up two treatments for the other two stories I have in my head to help me decide which one I want to tackle next. I am too addicted to writing now to just stop after Bay Window is done. I know I will appreciate these blogs to remind me where my head was during the writing of it. I told Dan I have a harder time writing about bad times, I am in the midst of the big conflict and I struggle more with being fluid about bad things. It's all tharapy for me obviously....
One more big thing to mention, Friday I got confirmation that I will be going Super Street racing! I have made that my goal with the car for many years, it means I will be able to race at NHRA national events like the CSK's here at Firebird! My dad is smiling upstairs big time over this development. Travis agreed to trade me my motor and open trailer for his motor. Dan is going to put it in the car before the Dec race and I will be runnning 10's!!! Yikes! Probably around 125 mph... I am ready!!! I will not make the total switch until the 2007 season as I want to race one more year in Pro before switching to Super Pro. It is unbeleivable when I think about my old days running 14 seconds and wishing I could run 12's. All in good time right? Ryan was sweet and said he predicts he will be sitting in the stands watching me go rounds in Super Street...I hope so, I don't want to be a duck anymore!
BOB played Eight Seconds today and The Spoons along with my One to One request...a good day reliving my youth here in my basement office of Stauffer...Is that one does in their 30's, relive their youth?? Or just me?

Gnome is a band from the Pacific Northwest

Weirdness ensues... I had to go to the neighbors because their handy man left his cell phone in our yard while fixing the fence. By the third try stopping by and ringing the doorbell, I realized the lady had lawn gnomes all over..then I think oh of course...Nomes....(for the uninitiated Nome is the name of the band in Bay Window)
I am exhausted today, I read until midnight last night and then decided I needed to write a scene..was up until at least 1am.. At 4 am, Dan is telling me to get up, turns out, one of the dogs had thrown up all over my freshly shampooed living room carpet...I mean all over... I am exhausted cleaning it up, then have a tough time falling back to sleep. No shower even, I crawled out of here this morning. So tonight, my usual Thursday productiveness is nil. I decide to keep reading the book by Semisonic's drummer. I want to write but too dozy. The drummer says his hair dresser sugested he dye his hair blonde. His hair dresser? Mimi.... I know these things happen, little ironic things I notice, but again I see them as glaring signs pointing at me saying "Yes Leah, you are doing the right thing."

The past is gone but something might be found to take it's place

Perfect photo considering yesterday's blogging topic. Reading the journals made me miss Hopkins so much, what an experience being friends with him was. I wish I would have kept even better accounts of the times spent with him. I plan to use one time I remember as a scene in the book. One night Doug came over to KV's house and the three of us got into this huge long discussion over the first promo photo taken of the Blossoms. It had 4 out of 5 of them in flannel(which was pre-grunge days) We argued with him over why the photographer let the pix happen with them all looking pretty similiar in the photo. He agreed with us eventually but it took several hours of arguing that it was not how they normally dressed. I don't think I can properly describe Hopkin's unusual style of dialect and way of expressing himself. He had his own language, his own phrases that half of the Tempe musicians copied. I have never seen someone so idolized as he was in the local scene, he did no wrong even though he had times when he was the bastard he called everyone else. He had such a distinctive deep voice also, it always warms me to listen to an old interview. I had an interview with them on KUKQ the night before a Qfest. I had it labelled the Blossoms interview from hell. I listened to it a few months ago, I am guessing it was the first time I did. I was so ticked at the time because I was newer to my full time shift and had worked hard to get ready for the interview. Several things were bound to happen, first off, 4 out of 5 showed up, too many in the studio, second, They knew me too well so trying to act all professional wasn't being taken seriously. Robin wasn't going for it and giving me all sorts of heck on the air. The reason I bring it up was the best discovery I found by listening to it again 16 years later was that Doug was trying to help me get things back on track, he recognized the value of acting professional on the air. Much as I loved Robin, that was not a good night. Of course later, Robin ended up doing tour reports weekly on the air with me, all of which are an incredible chronicle of the early days of the Blossoms (ding ding ding...suddenly a lightbulb appears over Leah's head...get out the tour reports for research!..I saw the compilation I made for Robin in the shoebooks I found the travel tapes in)
I must report about last night's BBQ with the Dean for the Cronkite Village kids. There were only little snafus,like the Dean being late but no biggy problems like I feared. I have to just mention I had a nice warm feeling after, partially because I put together a successful event but also because I bonded with a few of them I hadn't yet. One in particular whose last name is ...ironically Sloan. She and I had not had much of a chance to talk. Turns out she loves to write, we got in the conversation of her writing a play her high school plans to perform. I mentioned I was writing a novel. She asked me if I had it all plotted out and I said I did but sometimes thing head a differnt direction. She said exactly what I feel, the characters lead you sometimes, not you leading them. I was so impressed how she had experienced the same thing, it was even incredible how she expressed it, she made it sound as mysterious as I find it to be, it's impossible to explain how it happens. I saw it in her face when she brought it up. The same group started talking about which director jobs they wanted at The Blaze which also made my heart warm. I will be pleased if some of my first CV kids end up running the station a few years from now. I beam with pride again over both my groups of kids.
I didn't listen to CFOX today, shocking eh? I heard "It doesn't really matter" on BOB this morning along with some Colin James. Today I have been fine just enjoying The Blaze. Thinking I will listen to London for a while to hear adds for the show I can't go to.
Product review of today are Le Nature Dazzlers (couldn't find a photo) Dan has been working there for the last few months. He brought home a bunch of flavors to try. They are plenty sugary like koolaid, no skimping on flavor. I don't deal well with Splenda so I avoid those but the raspberry, lemonade and orange have been stellar little bottles to grab as a drink on the way to work. The green punch and grape were not as impressive to me. Maybe the grape reminded me a little of the might "Funny Face" brand koolaid - legendary stuff!
Oh sure....Blaze is playing "London Calling" of course..... The right time to see Sloan again will present itself...but I love London..sniff...

Smoke and Ashes - 13 Engines

This will probably be a quick blog as I have to go to Sam's club with some of the village kids to get the items for their BBQ with the Dean today. I am quasi nervous about it, scared something will not go right.
I was just looking at yesterday's blog and thinking that I love the image of a guitar player with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. Now this is an intersting yet very conflicting thought... I hate that Dan smokes, I was just telling Karen and Marcus that I could smell smoke all over my clothes while I was in Michigan. Dan knows I wish he would quit but I don't pressure. And let's be totally frank, smoking killed my mom. So, I looked at the picture again and do you know what I saw?...I saw Doug Hopkins and I could almost see his swaggering leg over leg movements while sucking down his cigarette, putting it in his guitar and doing his perfectly timed guitar kicks. It was all part of his image and it worked. I was still thinking about it and walked by my Blaze music director standing outside smoking. It suites his image... Shouldn't I be a huge advocate of how smoking will kill you? I guess I lived with it all my life, understand addictions and bad habits. Why do I find it attractive on guitar players? It's all in image I guess but it is a big contradiction in my life personally.... Does my main character in Bay window smoke...what is your guess?
I ran in to Scotty Blossom last Friday at Four Peaks..oddly speaking of Blossom guitar players. He told me the Blossoms got signed to a new label run by the old president of A&M. Makes sense, they turned down Universal for this label. They are heading to Memphis soon to record with John Hampton again. They are not using those demos they did last year, just starting over. I asked him if I could use his knowledge of the industry for research for the novel. He was very receptive and said I could call him and interview him anytime. I need to work up some questions. I want everything I write to be feasible, not too far fetched. I thought he could shed light on some things I am kind of forgetting, some of the process they went through. I have been reading a book by the drummer of Semisonic that has been a good guide also but I think Scott will help me smooth out some items. I also talked to Guido, Philly Blossom last week. Why is a whole 'nother story but I guess they kicked him out again, sad to hear that. I told Phil that I should search out all the old "Blossom" girl fans and see if I could compile a book of journal entries done by their fans while they were playing the local scene. Could you imagine the difference between say, my take on a certain night and another girl who went to the after parties and rolled in bushes with them. I read some of my Blossom nights, so sweet, so innocent, I don't think I ever realized they did any drugs, drinking etc.. I was like "Oh Robin called me and requested The Sidewinders" Next night, Robin told me he heard me play the Winders for him...
OK more later...

She's come undone

"So what now? That’s the big question. I do have to make a record next year, as I owe Universal one more. I find myself in a new and strangely exciting position, one that I am somewhat unfamiliar with. Sitting here I know that I cannot waste this opportunity, that I must take the sort of chances that I once did when sleeping on floors and playing coffee shops was routine. Hopefully I will do just that, and to the utmost of my ability. I owe both of us no less." Matthew Good (11/7/05)


Nov 27 - Sloan London, Ont The Drink

OH sure...I spend my morning doing work and while I am working, Matt sounds like he's quitting the music business and Sloan goes and schedules a show in my fave Canadian city Thanksgiving weekend. I should have known it was a Canadian music kind of day(umm..which days are not?) BOB this morning played Harlequin(which you know why that amuses me today) "Boy in a Box" and Plat's "Contact, each of which I have never heard on BOB. I do my daily switch to CFOX and as I flip "Underwhelmed" is on CFOX and then Neil is yakking about Chris Murphy's b-day yesterday (And he knows that because of...?) So I finish my work and decide to read the Sloan message board for lunch. I was on the Sloan official site yesterday and no dates mentioned yet today, after seeing a clue on the message board, I see a London date. Nina has been hinting for me to come to Mich for t-day since I was there Labor Day. I dismissed the idea figuring I would be a family outcast if I left AZ for t-day. This idea is more so true now since I have my own quad. Ok, there will be more Sloan dates to look forward to, I will have to let that idea go. BUT it doesn't sound so great for Matt dates, hmmm, what is he up to? I hope he is not thinking of going acoustic, the acoutic versions on "In a coma" drive me nuts, not so great-Andrew agrees...
Today on Apache Blvd, cops and immigration vans were at three of the old 'motels' as I drove by. I love the old style motel signs, have a book about the old days of like the 50's when people discovered motels. The signs for the ones on Apache are classic but of course they are run down houses of sin now-wink!
I have a student going after me because she is unhappy about her grade in my class. This is one of the reasons I dislike teaching, the kids these days don't own up to things, they just try to fight something they don't like instead of admiting they are not doing what they are supposed to. UGH!
Funny item from the weekend, I heard the neighbors behind us gossiping about our dogs. I suspect they are the ones who called the cops on my barking dogs. I think you call the cops for crime, not dogs who go out about 4 -5 times a day and occasionally bark at cats who come in their yard. I heard a kid say "Mom, they got a new one, it's black and evil" The mom says something like "the brown one is barking all the time again" I went inside before I got too angry and started mouthing off. Jasper(the brown one) has discovered 2 kittens living in our yard and it's been a pain in the behind to get him in the house. If you ever think about getting basset hounds, think twice, stubborn mules they are! I am now calling Della "the black one" our evil dog-hehehe. No gossip about Wicket, hehehe.
At target this weekend I bought a nice sweater that has fur around the neck. Total splurge as it was $30, Missy and I are hoping for some type of work Christmas party the boys have to go to so we have a chance to wear our new Christmas clothes. I call it my Mimi sweater! (Mimi being one of my favorite characters in Bay window, she dresses in fur, feathers and outragous stuff all the time)
Speaking of, didn't write last night. I am always too tired on Mondays but tonight looks promising. I am inspired today, kinda feel like working on it now but I need to pack up and head to The Blaze..see if they are burning down the place or anything. I did work on the website, I am working on getting the site revamped (with Jon's help) so it can have articles added like a blog, make it easier for others to contibute and save it before my home computer completly crokes, which it is about to.
I am pushing to race this weekend, missing racing..but Big Red needs fixing still. We'll see.

Ride on baby ride on - Gigolo Aunts

Observations on a Monday:
There it is, my new atv, knew it was going happen eventually, can I ever say no? I lasted over a year resisting. I see it as a fine pit bike at the track, right? Will tow Big Red back to the pits when she conks out on me...Told Dan I wanted scenic trails, not boring dune seas. I certainly loved my snowmobile growing up, live in AZ, you ride sand instead of snow right?
Got Neil on CFOX to mention it as Chris Murphy's b-day today on nooner. Then he played Matt Good...ok...
Dan lured me to ride to Arizona City with him on Saturday to pick up his camaro. I am excited that he is finally going to build his car. I wanted to stay home and write but he tugged me in by promising Cracker Barrel, gotta love the restaurant with yummy food and shopping too.Which btw, I got a lot of Christmas shopping done this weekend. (not at Cracker barrel)
Last night I watched the last NHRA race of the season in Pomona, sad the season is over. It was a race full of drama, plenty of me yelling at the TV. Was so bummed that Dick LaHaie is retiring. It will be a bummer not seeing Claudia at the races when they are in AZ. Jeggy retired too, not expecting that one. Funny thing about that was I missed him saying it because I was drawn into reading this harlequin romance.
So let me tell you about this book versus what I am doing. I had grocery shopped and picked it up for two reasons, to see if what I am writing borders on harlequin and second, it was about a girl radio DJ. First of all, I have never read one of these in my life..so I was seriously laughing out loud. I mean I haven't laughed this much in ages..Admittedly I was amusing myself but seriously...How come they can't cuss in it but using the word cock is ok? Holy crap... By chapter two our radio girl is in bed with the radio afternoon guy. He tells her his dad died and he's from California and she thinks, oh...he's opening up so much to me, I'll screw him... I'm over 150,000 words and my main guy is still spilling all his neurosis and they finally had some awkward version of intimacy...hello am I not supposed to write about real life here???? So I decided I could easily write Harlequins, it's so ridiculous...wonder how much they make? It's slutting for writers, isn't it? Does this mean my main character can't cuss?
Oh I was thinking my novel is not the first time I was inspired by a band to write a story about them. Back in college, here at ASU, I wrote an A short story for my fiction class about two girls going to school at York in TO who both go out to a bar, fall for two different guys. The story chronicled how each dealt with these guys they met, one with happy ending, one tragic ending. The one girl met the lead singer of Tall New Buildings. I knew very little about the band, just had seen the video for "Breaking her walls" and was charmed by their singer. So I wrote a story with him in it..not him obviously but a character fashioned after an image I conjured by the video. Funny thing about him is that not too long ago I found out what ever happened to him...occasionally I go on ebay looking to see if Tall New Buildings ever put out an album and I couldn't understand why it said Moxy Fruvious in the title on ebay. Turns out Jean from TNB is Jian from Moxy Fruvous...It was a huge discovery because not only is he now a famous broadcast journalist for CBC entertainment stuff...but worse......I saw Moxy Fruvous...and didn't know it was him....(was probably looking for Robin at the club) So yep, Jian was the first musician I built a fictional story around..although I think in the story he morphed into Mark Holmes.

Generation X Wing

Watched "Revenge of the Sith" last night. Not sure if it is my mood this week but I disliked it. This coming from a sworn Star Wars fan club member. I hate how Lucas made Padme such a withering frail creature in this flick. He starts out with his females being so strong then softens them too much by the end. Leia was almost the same near end of Jedi but not nearly as much as Padme looking out on the patio the entire movie. Something bugged me about Ewan's performance last night too...His scences with Anakin never made me feel the bond they supposedly had. Like I said, maybe my mood but I just didn't enjoy it on my third time seeing it.
It's Friday, the salute to Matt is because he is playing in Vancouver tonite and tomorrow. Sadly not going but I will see him again, I'm sure. Sounds like the weather is horrible in BC anyway so maybe it is best.
Been thinking about TO for some reason, mainly for Bay Window reasons plus Karen gave me a TO book last week. I really want to find those travel tapes. I heard "Not in Love" - Plat and "Tell no Lies" - The Spoons today so they both make me think of TO too. I think Nina and I went in search of the old City Hall where Plat filmed that huge concert that broke them. I need her to confirm but I think that is when her and I almost got locked in the subway as they shut down around 2am. Bad full memory on this but I think we were looking for the city hall area. I also looked up flights to NS again yesterday and it had an overnight layover in TO...long enough to do some record shopping???!!! I'd love to go to thet Sam's again! Or find Bill Wood??
Random thoughts:
Hate that the hoilday season is approaching, I can almost feel the tense family situations brewing already. Dan wants to go to Dunes for T-day, hearing his parents don't want to..I can't go anywhere until Thursday because I have few vacation days left.
I did work before I blogged, I just want that in print.
Commercial about the Hip boxset on the radio right now.
Dan wants me to get my own quad tonight. I must be strong and say no. I will post a picture of it next week. (that was a joke, but we know it's true)
I haven't wrote much this week, kinda in one of my writing funks again, not confident, not sure where I am going, threw myself off track last time. So many emotions for something that will probably just rot in my closet.
Had lunch yesterday with the Get Out crew, great to see them. Was fun working there for the short time I did! I am not a journalist, but I work for a bunch of them! ;)

Crazy Frosh Halloween party

The two contest winners, A tetris piece and a voodoo doll plus the rather creative boys who dressed as their favorite sport.

Blazin through the Cronkite Luncheon

My Blaze directors clean up nice... Haughty touhgty freu-freu dessert at the AZ Biltmore also shown...raspberry something..was yum yum!

Push just a little too late

This blog is titled Maple musings.. I just had a maple musing as I was flipping the TV channels after watching the Alternative on VH1 classic (fave vid tonight-"I don't know why I love you"-House of Love) Turned to MTV2 and there was David Usher singing..threw me for a loop! Turns out it was Beavis and Butthead making fun of the video for "Push" Hello! How happy 90's am I to see Moist on my TV..maybe I should watch TV more often! Of course they were making fun of them, said David Usher sang his words funny (he kinda does..) Neil on CFOX said he lives in New Jersey the other day. Apparently he did not want to live the rest of his life in Canada..hehehe. At least OLP Raine moved to Malibu, why would any Canadian move to NJ? Must be for a girl. Speaking of attention misplaced, I actually saw Moist back in the day, at the Gold Rush (or Electric Ballroom, not sure which name it was at the time.) As I recall, I was selling merch for Dead Hot Workshop and was way more intersted in talking to a certain guy I had, shall we say a "deadly" crush on. Do I remember Moist's show? Maybe I remember thinking, "Oh here's the hit" Only Silver was out at the time. I just want to hit my self for not paying attention to some of the shows I saw...Did I pay attention when I saw The Replacements the first time, no I was too busy watching Robin, Did I enjoy seeing Toad when I first saw them, no I was too busy watching Robin, Did I really pay that much attention when Jellyfish played Qfest, no I think I was looking for Robin. Wait I hear a trend here... Anyway, my point is, crushes on boys took it's toll on my complete attention span to the loads of bands I saw in the day. Heck..I probably saw Sloan in 1993 for all I know, I was probably looking around the club to see if Robin was there... hahahahahahahaha.

Must have been some kind of kiss

So funny...my station manager at The Blaze thinks the version The Blaze is playing of "Enjoy the silence" is yet another cover. BUT it is really Depeche...so many covers that these youngsters don't recognize the orignal.
The salute to the Crew is because I saw one of those I love the 80's shows on VH1 this weekend and they used "Died" for their De ja Video feature. They did their usual ridicule of the song but found little to make fun of. My heart fluttered hearing it. The late Kevin MacMichael was a Scotian. One of my favorite stories in my music discovery is this: I used to listen to a show on CKLW called On the edge. Everyday I would write down everything they played. One of my very favorite songs I ever heard on the show was called "Tears on your anorak" by The Drivers. For some reason they only played it for a short amount of time, a couple weeks maybe. Never knew anything else about them until I was in college reading an article about Cutting Crew in Music Express. The author revealed that Nick Van Eede was formerly in the The Drivers who were on tour with Kevin's band Fast Forward in Canada when the label dumped them and left the Drivers stranded in Canada. Then of course, magic struck, Nick and Kevin formed the band who would go on to craft my favorite song of all time. I think CC was considered Can Con...I played on the maple minutes but a few of my friendly detractors gave me heck for that. I don't have them in my Canadian section in the closet. Does anyone else in the US have their music library divided by Canadian then everything else?
I am not gonna lie, I had a rough weekend. I should have not gotten the journals out, it was too difficult to read, too difficult to relive. As the Crew says, I should have walked away... from so many things... I guess I will leave it at that.
What always perks me up, writing these days. Jon emailed me the link for the National Novel writing month, I read a book about how they do that, you write a 50,000 word novel in a month. I was very interested in doing that before I started Bay Window, in fact some people have asked my why I don't just use it for the contest but the rules say you should start from scratch. I thought about starting another for it but I am so close to finishing Bay window, I can't start something else right now. I have had my mind buried in college radio, bands being signed and places kids hang out in Halifax..I don't feel like shifting gears yet and researching another topic. I did get over 5000 words written over the weekend. Finishing 50,000 in a month for this contest would not be a challenge. As we see from these blogs, shutting me up is the problem. Last night it lead me again, I did something I absolutely wasn't planning in all my notes. I feel like I am not being disipline to my notes by letting these things write themselves.
The radio kids are in rare form today. And Tony wonders why I can't get work done here. The CV halloween party was a big success, they had very creative costumes to say the least. My freshmen..crazy kids. Afeter dressing up in various forms of narcotics they got up early Monday morning and got their picture taken with their namessake Walter Cronkite. My pride and joy, my frosh-hahaha! Yesterday was the Cronkite Luncheon. I can never go to the AZ Biltmore without thinking of meeting INXS there. The award recipient was Dave Barry, who was hilarious. I have never had a subscription to a newspaper with his column but am intersted in checking out his books after hearing how humourous he was.
A photo or two from the Cronkite luncheon to follow. I am going to attempt to work...I know that is as funny as Dave Barry.