Want to see what happens when you put a Pringles can, gunpowder, and a match all within my reach at the same time?

I also threw a few new pics on the Friends Photo Album

And once again, the website has served to re-unite me with someone from the past. A month or so ago, Lisa Ruth, the former singer for my first band who had gone AWOL back in 1996 found me because she was doing a search on her name and Google so graciously pointed her in my direction. Then, just last week, I received an email from someone I hadn't spoke to in over 10 years. We had met in the Wisconsin Dells way back in 1989 or 1990 or something like that. Adam Reynolds and I were out there for vacation and a 4H group from southern Illinois happened to be at the same hotel. We hung out for the few days that we were there, and I took a group photo before we left. I put that photo on the Friends Photo Album way down at the bottom under the Vintage Photo section. Well, low and behold, I get an email from one of the girls in the group, Jennifer Boien (who coincidentally was the only person who's name I could remember in it's entirety!). Her friend had done a search on her name, and guess who's website popped up again! How freakin' cool is that!

And what do I have to say about it? If you're asking that question, you've obviously never met me. (which is ok... perhaps it may even be a good thing for your sake!) So here's my take on the whole deal:

Why we ever managed to let Iraq escape certian destruction back in 1991 is beyond comprehention! That little sand pile in the middle east should have been turned into a self illuminating glass parking lot 12 years ago. But buerocratic bullshit prevailed, and the war was called off just short of it's objective. Now, 12 years later, young Bush has the opportunity to finish what daddy Bush started. I'm 100% behind kicking Saddam's ass. Go George. Go Armed Forces. Go France (to Hell, that is).

Which brings me to another point... France: Next time you have a foreign military regime led by a madman standing at your doorstep and you want help (as you did in World War II), I suggest you call Iraq... or what's left of them. Because WE DON'T GIVE A DAMN...

YOU UNGRATEFUL SONS OF BITCHES!

Whoever came up with the idea to crossbreed a convertible with a 4x4 was a freakin' genius!

The weather turned nice for a couple of days, so I just had to take the top off and go cruisin'!

And I had to drag a few friends with me.

Brian surveys the indecently exposed jeep

Nothing but the clear blue sky above!

But, of course, I had to put the soft top on as the day wore on. It still gets pretty damned cold out at night yet!

And the finished product:

November 30th, 2002

Yes, I know. This update was long overdue, but better late than never!

FINALLY my life seems to be returning to some semblance of normalcy. The shit-streak that I thought would never end did, but not before raining a bit more shit into my life, and the lives of those I hold dear.

As if the death of my friends Laura and Joe wasn't enough in July, Laura's father passed away in October. I can't imagine how their family has managed to hold it together after everything that's happened. And I'd have to say that spending the evening at a wake was not how I expected to celebrate my birthday this year. Of course earlier that day, my friend Tricia called me and instructed me to send my resume in to the South Newton Elementary School for a computer tech job. It appeared that they were going to be interviewing soon. Al least something good came out of that day!

Then 3 weeks later the clouds finally parted, and a ray of sunshine burst onto the scene. I got the South Newton job. I hadn't had a decent, steady job since December 31st, 2001. So far, I've been working there for nearly a month, and the job is just fantastic! It feels good to be playing with Novell again. Everyone has been incredibly friendly and my qualifications seem to match the needs of the job perfectly. Things are finally looking up.

Unfortunately, a little darkness still creeps up every now and then. A week or two after I was hired, my friend Tricia, who was significantly responsible for helping me get my job, was struck by tragedy. Her father passed away suddenly from a heart attack. He was only 43 (I think). I had never met him, but judging by the NRA - Vote Freedom First bumper sticker on his truck, I'll bet I would have liked him! Nonetheless, it made me sad to imagine how she must have felt.

I sure as hell hope that is the last of the bad news for this year. As my buddy Dimitri said, "This year has been so shitty that if absolutely nothing happens next year - nothing at all, it will seem like the greatest year ever!" I tend to agree.

It also seems that my automotive mishaps have returned to their usual status. My suburban decided to eat it's own wheel bearing a couple of weeks ago. As if that wasn't enough, it had to spew pieces of the destroyed bearing into my rear brake drum, causing irreperable damage to the brakes. Not only that, but the brakes had become permanantly engaged and as a result, the brake drum overheated. Then my tire melted and subsequently exploded off of the rim. All in a day's work!

Check out this tire! Notice the discoloration of the inside of the rim. It was white once. The brake drum had gotten so hot that it was glowing bright orange. The paint on the rim didn't take well to the heat.

You should have seen the size of the truck they had to use to tow that suburban! I need to get one of those!

Oh, and lets not forget the party after the Jackyl concert last week!
I had to whip out the guitar after the concert. I was inspired to play by the incompetence of the opening acts.

Justin making himself at home in front of the laptop. There aren't to many places to sit in my house that aren't in close proximity to a computer!

Now we know why cows are sacred in some countries

And what party of mine would be complete without someone ending up in handcuffs!

Well... that's about it for this update. The moral of the story is... shit's finally lookin' better. Justin even said recently that my guitar playing sounds happier! Things must be getting better. The guitar never lies!

August 7th, 2002 - Not finished with the Road Trip Writeup Yet!

But that's certianly not going to stop me from starting another! I'm on my way back from my second trip to Arizona. As I'm typing this, I'm seated on an US Airways Airbus on my way to Philly, then a 1 1/2 hour layover, and then back to Chicago.

I had to laugh... I purchased a set of headphones for $5.00 from the flight attendant, and what's the first thing I heard when I plugged it in? Sweet Home Alabama... a song written and performed by a band who's frontman was killed in an airline crash. How ironic is that!

Well let me start from the beginning. Adam and Lisa had decided to leave "da' region" and move to Phoenix, Arizona. Can't say that I blame them! I've been in love with this state since I first saw it last June. Thier original plan was to rent a tow dolly and tow Lisa's Sebring Convertable behind Adam's already weighed down Ford Explorer. They asked me if I would be willing to drive her car instead, and they would give me the money that they were going to spend on the tow dolly rental. Then to get back, Adam was going to give me a plane ticket that he had earned through a US Airways frequnt flyer program. Seeing as I was convieniently unemployed at the time, I accepted. Not like it took a whole lot of convincing. "Hey Dave, would you like to make a couple of bucks and drive a convertable through some of the most incredible scenery and weather that this country has to offer?" You bet I would!

Our departure date was still up in the air. Firs, we were leaving abruptly on Wednesday. Then we were going to wait until Saturday afternoon. Then we were leaving on Sunday morning. At that point, I made plans for Saturday night. Then they wanted to leave on Saturday. Then my Saturday night plans were cancelled unexpectedly due to an incompetent fourth party. By this time, it's already Saturday and we've decided to leave that evening. That's it! That's final! I helped them pack, and we were on the road by 2:00am. (Ok, so we technically left on Sunday. As far as I'm concerned, they day doesn't change until I go to sleep and wake up again.)

On the road again... it's going to be a long trip. This picture was taken by Lisa while we were traveling at about 50 miles per hour through Illinois. The best part about this picture is how the camera ended up in Lisa's hands! Adam and I matched eachother's speed while Lisa hung out the window and I handed it to her. I must admit, I was a little nervous handing a $600.00 digital camera across two moving vehicles at 50 mph!

As Usual...

I didn't have enough time to finish this writeup, so I'll just give you a link to the rest of the pictures, and I'll finish writing this one up later. See ya!

Click here to see the rest of my pics from Arizona