Finally! Blogger has let me in . . . And now I'm 36. It feels like a year has passed since I last logged on.

Lots to talk about, but I won't. Must shave, eat, play with friends, catch a ferry to Orcas Island with Sarah! The sun is out.

The last two shows were tremendous--Bellingham & Mt. Vernon. I stayed at Robert & Chickadee's rustic cabin with no water or electric heat. They opened up both shows with their rootsy acoustic ditties. Again, I'm so blessed to have kind friends across the universe.

Tomorrow night I perform at the Doe Bay Resort & Retreat which is tucked away on beautiful Orcas Island: http://www.doebay.com/

They've made a deal with me there that they'll buy a large quantity of my CDs to 1) support my financial cause, and 2) use as promotional enticements for their establishment. It'll work like this: Anyone who visits and mentions my name will get a free Sandman CD and a FREE third night's lodging, if they decide to stay more than two nights. It's really worth it, too. Doe Bay Resort has clean outdoor soaking tubs, saunas, scenic beauty (Doe Bay looks out over the Ocean), super delicious and healthy food, kayaking and hiking opportunities, film and lecture series, and much more.

'Twas a jolly Christmas for Sandy Claus. My friend Sydney invited me to her house for a delish supper with her uncle and two daughters. Then I played a house party at Jasper and Tess'.

Tonight I've been invited to perform on Andras Jones' Radio8Ball radio show on KAOS. You can listen live starting at 7 p.m. PST.

Merry Christmas! I just hung out with friends Tyler, Froseph, Tiffany, Judd, and a few others. We made cookies, played games, and traded gifts. I'm blessed to have families in many states.

The recording part of my tour is complete. In the last two days I laid down twenty songs for my 2007 CD. Some of the ones we recorded today include "Michael Jackson," "Cowboy Ride On," "Rueben Benz," "Tsunami," "Buddha Chant," & "Pegasus." Nerviz is a great producer.

Today, Shawn "Nerviz" Parke and I recorded five songs for the new record: "Queen Patricia," "All the Things I Done Wrong," "Smoke & Mirrors," "Waterboy," and "Corpse." By tomorrow we hope to have ten more.

Winter's over. Winter's just begun. Happy Solstice!

May the lights in our eyes be rekindled. May our love for God be born again.

Though I wouldn't trade my primitive prairie hermit's life for the cosmopolitan traffic of the Northwest, I'm enjoying the Korean food. Seeing old friends has been nice, too.

Carl and I recorded all day. One song. We call it "Strange Medicine."

Life has never seemed so hyper-real before. Solar flares, hurricane winds, chaos. Just how I like it.

Greetings from Olympia, Washington. I'm subletting Timezone LaFontaine's apartment. The big winds had knocked out internet throughout the region, but now it's back up. This is my first blog on my new HP Pavilion PC.

Happy Hanukkah!

Excalibur's brakes are fixed. The drive home from Seattle was dark and daunting. A big storm had knocked out power along the I-5 Corridor. Thus, there were no open gas stations, and we almost ran out of gas. My drummer Garf departed a few hours earlier and almost blew off the road several times. I traveled with Nerviz. We both agreed that our odyssey had apocalyptic overtones.

Excalibur's brakes went out after last night's show at Sunset Tavern. Here's the tow truck. Gotta run.....

For the next two weeks I'll be subletting my friend Giles' apartment while he's in Nashville. The apartment is right in the heart of Olympia. I plan to focus all my earthly powers into two projects: (1) recording my best album ever, and (2) setting up my best tour ever.

Rain, traffic, and Thai food. Back in the Northwest.

THE GREAT EVENT

It's going to happen very soon,
the great event which will end the horror,
which will end the sorrow.

Next Tuesday when the sun goes down,
I will play the Moonlight Sonata backwards.
This will reverse the effects of the world's mad plunge into suffering
for the last two hundred million years.

What a lovely night that would be,
what a sigh of relief,
as the senile robins become bright red again,
and the retired nightingales pick up their dusty tails
and assert the majesty of creation!

-Leonard Cohen

Happy Birthday, Dad!

I love you.

Thursday, December 14th at Sunset Tavern in Seattle, WA, with the Moustaches and the Jesus Chords. This show will rock.

The Spokane show at Whitworth College was weird and good. About seventy college students came to watch me as I stumbled and juggled through my set. Thomas, the guy who set up the show, was awesome. He made a 20x30-foot banner of my big head and hung it from a balcony to advertise the show. Then he paid me $500.

The tour is goin' swell, and Excalibur is running smoothly. Three shows down, one to go. Then Seattle and Olympia for rest and relaxation. My only difficulty, so far, has been finding computers to check email and journalize. (Oh yeah, and I left my wallet at a Livingston truck-stop.) I'm in Missoula at the public library, about to drive north to have lunch with Grandma Herak and Bryher.