Sandman's Journal

Charlottesville, Virginia was an experience to treasure! I arrived in the early afternoon yesterday and strolled through the streets that bordered the University of Virginia and then checked out the beautiful, historic campus. Eventually I made it to the Stribling house where a house full of young adults welcomed me in and took me back to campus where we all snuck into the cafeteria for a free dinner. After a tour of some of the funky places around town by my wonderful tour-guide, Heather, I went back to the house and prepared for the show. I set up both racks of shirts and then waited until 11:30 pm before beginning. 20 or 25 folks showed up and the majority of them loved it. By night's end I'd sold ten t-shirts and seven or eight CDs for a grand total of $124! It felt awesome to have a crowd that loved my eccentric, random shirts (and songs) as much as I do; God bless you Charlottesville. : ) After two hours I had to call it quits so's I could make it to the radio station for my 2:00 am interview with Ramsey and Rich. At 3:00 it was over and after liberating 175 Krispy Creme Donuts from a dumpster Heather drove me back to the Stribling house where I collapsed in my sleeping bag and slept sweet dreams. At noon I awoke and joined Heather, Sara, and Elle for a delicious breakfast at a bustling, greasy-spoon restaraunt on the outskirt of town (they treated!). Sara and Elle are both breathtakingly beautiful, Middle-Eastern women with the warmest smiles and most generous spirits one could encounter. Sara is Persian, and Elle is Lebanese/Syrian/Palestinian. We talked a little of the ways that white gentiles use racism and anti-semitism to divide Arabs and Jews and Elle expressed frustration with people who bad-mouth Israelis... Yes!! And to top it all off, they said that my songs give them hope. Sara gave me a colorfully collaged CD of her music which I can't wait to hear. As I drove away I telepathically thanked Jonny Corndawg for talking me into coming here. Speaking of J.C., he left me a care-package of a CD, tape and wood-block-printed shirt which I'm wearing as I type this. Thanks again, Corndawg.