Toys

In the wake of canceling my cable TV, I have purchased AppleTV. It is amazing. In just three months of no cable TV it will pay for its self (aside from what I spend on TV shows on iTunes). I can watch movies and TV shows and music videos and listen to my music from iTunes on my widescreen TV. The slide show features are awesome as well. I like buying toys. Apple makes good things. I now have 7 Apple products.

Also, updated pictures from the UK found here.

Fuckin Stupid Computer

Sooooooo a lot has happened since the last time I wrote something for all of you faithful readers. I slept, I woke up, I cabbed to the venue in London. I walked around the stage during soundcheck and I got my own midget. Shall I explain? Ok! Hanging out on stage doing my thing. I turned to walk up the stairs to the side stage to talk to Buffa and damn near trampled a midget that happened to be standing there. I turned around to kinda go "holy shit!!" to myself when all of a sudden I felt a tap on my back. "I'm here for the dwarf tossing" said the little man with handles made of tape on his shoulders. It didn't take long for it to click... Bex had bought me a midget. I just started laughing, hard. I laughed so hard I was sweating and I couldn't breathe or talk. I laughed for, forever. Since my camera was lost (but has since been recovered) I couldn't get a picture on my camera. Someone else got one for me and I will get it from them soon and post it for all of you. Seriously awesome and totally one of the funniest things to EVER happen to me. Props Bex, mad props. Later on I saw another dwarf on the street. Buff thought I should have played the lotto that day.

Next day was tourist day for me. Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Parliment, Piccadilly Circus and Hyde Park. I took pictures but they are all on my computer which isn't working right now.... grrrrr. I don't want to talk about it. I'm just happen I can use someone elses. I also went to see James Taylor here in London. He is my Jesus. Chill bumps like wicked mad. Late night breakfast with the band and Bex and bedtime at like 4am.

Today was uneventful until about 5:40pm when my eyes saw this....

Metric or Standard... pick one people

Another day in London. Wake up and meet the guys and gal at some place for their interview and one song. Tori Amos is there and she looks like shit. She was doing an interview in another part of the building. I walked around Camdem alone for a good while. Lots of goth shops and tattoo places. Nothing good for me. I found a small pub and went in (about 3pm) and had a few pints. There was an old dude in there (im talking 85-90) who when he didnt have a beer, cussed at the cute bartender and beat the bar with his cane. A little tipsy I cabbed it back to my hotel for a short nap. I talked on the phone. I went with Bex and had dinner.

Next day was an early ride up to Manchester. The gear was in when I got there. Soundcheck went faster than typical. I had wireless internet. I made more phone calls. I told people about Tori Amos looking like crap and the man beating the bar.

The show was good. Upon loading out I discovered my camera was missing. Bummer. Hop in the car and head back to London despite it being like midnite. On the way back we got a flat. Next thing I know we are dancing in the street while the driver changes the tire. I helped him a little cus he was wearing a suit and I didn't want him to get too dirty. Back at the hotel at 4:30am and tah fuckin dah.

More England

I finally posted some pictures...
A very small amount of pictures.

Newcastle. Got there after a solid ride from Glasgow. The weather is beautiful in the UK. 70 degrees and sunny. We didn't get to Newcastle until a little late in the evening. I pretty much just went to the bar and got a Newcastle. It was good. A little smoother than in the states. Even from a can it was pretty good stuff. Watched some 30 Rock with Bex and then called it a night. I walked around a tad after soundcheck and saw a good amount of Newcastle. It's a nice place. After the show it was back to the hotel bar. They have TVs that show boobs. In the bar at the hotel, boobs. I also had a heated towel rack and free internet. See ya later Newcastle, I'm off to Birmingham!

Birmingham was also a cool city. No river in this one. The venue was right around an outdoor shopping mall that was HUGE. Just toured around the streets for a couple of hours then went back to the show. I had three horrible hot dogs and some crappy wontons. They looked more like fried puddin' than hot dogs.

Last nite I parted ways with the crew and hopped in the sweet ass double decker tour bus and headed for London. That bus was freakin' awesome. seriously. You can't stand up all the way on either floor but who cares, it has two floors. I woke up in London and went right to the radio station where I just kinda hung out while the guys sang on air. Short trip to check in to the hotel and get lunch and then to the tv station . They played on a show called Loose Women which is a UK knock off of the View. Now here I am in my room with my free internet. Sweet jesus Im tired.

Glasgow

I got to Glasgow a little late in the evening and was just wicked tired. I spent a lot of time on the phone (Skype rules) and then just went to bed. The show was a typical day of work and rock. I provided the work, they provided the rock. I used the phone some more, I went back to the hotel after the rock and then went at some beer like a retards fist to his own chest. I got hammmmmmered. I spent much time talking to my bartenders. They were the most understandable people I had met in the city and one of em was cute. Once they closed us down me and a few of the other crew stayed up in the lobby being hammmmmmmered. I did a cartwheel and laughed really really really hard when Buff told me a story about Ozzy Osbourne had locked a midget in the bay of a bus once. I also brought my room phone downstairs to show everyone how evil it was. I took a picture but blogger doesnt want to let me upload it. After all that I went all by myself to some late nite food place and got a burger and made friends with some kids who made me drink Irn-Bru. they called it the official drink of scotland. it was nasty. i hung out with them for about a half an hour then went to bed. i slept til noon and then me and some of the guys walked around looking for lunch. its a good lookin city on one side of the river. we were on that side. whew. there was a cafe that had eddie from iron maiden painted on the front window which was awesome. it was nice to finally get out and see a little bit of the place.

in newcastle now. gonna go have a "newkie brown"

Last day in Ireland

So today is my third and final day in Ireland. A few more things I noticed.... they dont use washcloths. There are hand towels in the shower and full sized towels in the shower but not washcloths. crazy. Also they dont really like people in t shirts coming into bars. Most all of them have dress codes and I think thats really retarded. I just want to drink beer. We finally found one and I didnt drink guiness. I dont like it at home so what makes me think i will like it here. everyone says i should have tried it cut i think thats kinda stupid.

a beautiful woman told me i had nice pants and shoes. that made me smile. i got called wolverine a few times. you dont have to tip here. everyone i have talked to thinks americans are silly for tipping. that kinda takes the sting of expensive beer away. i know im being shitty with the pictures, i just havent had much time yet. the first day was spent getting bags back and adjusting to the time change and the second day was all in a club. maybe today. maybe today.

sheesh

im in ireland, dublin to be exact. let me tell you a few things about this place, they dont use ice and they dont have air conditioners. they dont have any paper money smaller than 5 and that means that you always have like 398475 coins in your pocket. everything is twice as expensive as at home. a beer from a bar is basically ten bucks. crazy. ill keep the tip thank you very much.

im glad to be here. crazy though, for once in my life im the one that talks funny.

sure wish i had some hair product

i carried two bags with me two the airport yesterday. one of them had all my clothes and stuff and one had a guitar tuner and a power cable and a power strip and some velcro straps and some other lame crap that i cant wear or wash my teeth with. go figure that the one the airline left behind in one of the three cities i went to yesterday was the one wish my underarm protectant. a late nite rendezvous with the world of sam walton was certainly in order. i stopped by and i got some underwear and some socks and of course a movie. i am staying with my pal and tour manager who has spare toothwashers for me so i didnt need to get one of those. sweetness. hopefully my bag will show up today and i will be able to put on a clean nipple concealer and a set of wang dang doodle guards.

one of freakin ten dollar locks broke too, damn it all. if there was a midget next to me id nudge him a little out of anger for the airlines and he would understand because he signed a contract saying nudges are ok.

Airports

So today I picked up a novella of plane tickets from UPS. there is like 8 of them all stacked together in a little book with all the details i need to know in order to get to all the places i am going in the next couple of weeks. Thats a whole lot of time to lose things. Important things. I also picked up the hard drive that was fixed (remember the one i sent back a few months ago?). Hopefully once I get to tulsa tonight i will be able to play around with it and install it on my computer. Yes, my computer. I got that back too (did i mention that already?). it came back fixed but with an extra scratch on the screen. fucking awesome. i didnt want to send it back right then cus i wanted to have it with me.

my friend tara wants me to talk about her in a blog. hi tara.

Strong Enough to Watch it Again

Right this second I am watching Strong Enough to Break for the third time since I have been off the Hanson boat. No one has a problem with suggesting they watch it with me. I am okay with letting them. In case you haven't heard about it...

Here is the info

Please, if you're going to start a band, don't sign to a major label.

Coffee gets added to the list.

It was only about 14 months ago one of many tours with Pat McGee Band ago that I discovered coffee. Every day we would stop and everyone would run in to Starbucks and get something to drink. Just cus I was there I would get something with lots of caramel and whipped cream and milk. Something that had coffee in it but tasted nothing like coffee. Hello new habit. Just over a year later here I am at home drinking black coffee with a bit if sugar at 7pm.

I can't even begin to think about how much money I tossed over a counter in NY during the Hanson rehearsals on espresso. Back here at home, Starbucks every morning. At $4.50 a drink I should either smack myself in the head or end up drunk. So I went shopping. I have always had a little coffee pot. Just something I figured everyone should have. I added to it, a grinder. It's a good little guy. Mr. Coffee with a bunch of buttons on it for auto grindin'. I also got a few bags of whole bean. A french roast and a regular old house blend from Starbucks. Holy christ it is sooooo good. The colour is just awesome and the aroma makes me want to buy a midget and hug him. I can't stop brewing it. I even double brewed one pot but that was like, well lets just say I got a little buzzed. It's a good thing. Kinda like boobs.