Okay, I'm back in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. Long story... Both Iowa shows got cancelled as did one in Rochester, WI. I'm making the best of it, though; I'll explain more asaic (as soon as I can).

I can't wait to catch up. Right now I am in Winona, Minnesota about to go to a beer-b-q. Craziness and gaiety shall ensue, to be sure.

Chicago is gloomy today. Last night I made it to the town of Hobart, Indiana. I spent an hour meandering the backroads in search of a cheap hotel and finally found one for $30. The last few days I have been collecting t-shirts to bring home and silk-screen and this morning I found a great Salvation Army with .84 cent shirts. I bought twelve, and two days ago in Canton I acquired around twenty more. Lil' Joe is starting to get filled up again! My old Montana friend, Julie Baker, is outside smokin' a cig-- she hooked herself and me up with a pad for the night at her friend's, Natalie and Eric's, house. Julie lives in Buffalo, NY, but took a train here yesterday to see my show tonight and visit old friends. I've known her since 7th grade! Although I have to leave for the show soon, I'll begin recounting my last few days... starting with Indiana, PA. The town of Indiana is a mid-sized college town where my 1st-cousin-once-removed, Mary Eilleen Hastings, resides, with her husband, Howard, and kids, Karel (17) and Dori (21), and cats and dog (Eddie). to be continued.

Uh oh. I've reached the point in the tour where the snowball is pickin' up too much speed to keep track of it all. The partying is replacing the journaling for the time being, but stay tuned anyway, dammit ; ).

To sum up, though, I'm living the good life and making lots of friends. I leave Canton, Ohio today and play Chitown tomorrow. (By the way, I have 14 shows to play in the next 13 days.)

Today I head to Indiana, Pennsylvania. Go, li'l Joe!

This computer I'm using keeps crashing down (and the mouse is damaged or clogged); no worries, though. Today and yesterday were spent like a couple of 6th-graders might on any given weekend. Vance and I hiked around a pond and sculptured a life-sized sand woman, played frisbee, hiked and fell asleep under a shady fir next to a brook, went to the movies (Bend it Like Bekham), rented another (Pinero), played lots of pool, ate cereal, surfed the web, snacked on raisins and sunflower seeds, went downtown for pizza, and philosophized about nothing in particular. Yesterday a lot of Amish folks were out in their buggies; the younger ones rode bikes. At the pond a couple young Amish men swam, fully clothed, while the women ran, giggling, in a group through the trees in their home-made dresses and bonnets. It was Sunday and the weather was perfect.

It's nice to be with Vance. His mother recently, and unexpectedly, died and I've enjoyed looking at pictures of her throughout the years. Even last Mother's Day she radiated beauty and happiness and I regret never meeting her. Vance, for those of you who don't know, was my roommate in 1994 on 804 Adams St. Olympia. I met him through my first fiance, Marie Smith, in 1992 while they both went to college in Arizona. Jen Grady then went on to meet him independently in 1999 while working at a Boston hostel and it was discovered that they both knew me (although, at that point, Jen had never officially met me yet, I don't think). Anyway, that's Vance. He's a born healer, too, and has been teaching me about flower essences.

As for the days before I reached Lewisburg, Pennsylvania I will try to be brief. Last Sunday, at the East Hampton open mic, I met a woman named Plum who let me crash at her mom's house. The next day I washed clothes, sent off some press-kits, and schmoozed with the owner of a local record store. That night I hooked up with my Olympia buddy, Joe, and we went to a W.S. Merwin poetry reading at Smith College. I stayed at his cabin and drove to Binghamton, NY Wednesday afternoon just in time for my radio interview on WHRW.

Binghamton is a town straight out of a Bruce Springsteen song-- working class and broken down. The fellow I stayed with, Michael Yungman, is quite a character himself, and we became good friends off the bat. He's an engineering student whose hobbies include Bicycle motor-cross riding, bar-b-q's, homebrewing, making potato guns, and I can only assume weight-lifting as his biceps are probably four times the size of mine. Oh yeah, and radio dj-ing with his friend, Chris, who's also an engineering student. I played and talked for an hour-and-a-half which they recorded for me.

Michael's roommate, who reminded me of Vance, is named Travis, and he, too, is an engineering student. I taught them Texas Hold 'em poker and we played a few rounds. The next day was spent hangin' out and cruisin' around town on a BMX bike with Michael and Travis. Friday was spent preparing for a bar-b-q party (and the show). Around 5 pm, Michael's Persian-Slovakian childhood friend, Samrad, who who had to drive four hours, arrived. Samrad's another great character (and, you guessed it... engineering student) who started drinking immediately and didn't stop until he fell asleep at 6 in the morning and then started up again when we all awoke at 11 am. Alcohol does not seem to faze him, much though, as by night's end he appeared the most sober of us all (except for me, the designated driver).

Back to the show, though. We drove to Cheers Pub an hour early so's I could set up my merchandise and at 10:30 I began my hour-long set. Michael, Samrad, and Chris, who are all big dudes were in front and were all wearing "Sandman" shirts and cheering me on which made me feel indomitable. I felt like I could say anything, and did! They reminded me that they had my back as I tore into the current political shytstem and railed against our idiotic thug "leaders". They hustled my shirts and CDs afterwards and I ended up having a lucrative night. I've always wanted a posse, and I couldn't have chosen a better crew.

Before concluding this Binghamton chapter, I ought to record why I ended up going there in the first place: Somehow, about six years ago, Samrad met someone who had recently been in the Northwest and had bought my first CD, Roll Out, Cowboy. Samrad made a copy, I guess, and shared it with his friends who included Michael. This became one of his gang's favorite CDs and they memorized most of the songs and brought it out in the woods, and drank beers, and sang along, and always wondered who the hell I was. One of the group's members, a guy named Shane Saagas, surfed around on the web last year and tracked me down and bought all my CDs and a couple shirts which he then distributed to his old friends. Michael got a shirt and soon contacted me and told me I should let him know the next time I'm on the East Coast, which I did, and there you have it. Good times.

Alright, y'all. I am in beautiful Lewisburg, PA about to visit my old roommate/pal Vance Reynolds! I've been computerless for a few days and you know nothing of my adventures in Binghamton, NY... Tomorrow I will attempt to reveal these secrets.

Woke up yesterday in North Hampton, drove to East Hampton and played an open mic, and spent the night in South Hampton. (Apologies to West Hampton, if there is one). Things are definitely happening but I am not having time to record it all. Soon, very soon, you'll have all the details. One thing-- Nima got mugged yesterday in Boston, but he's okay. Troy Byker got mugged in Oakland soon after I left there, too. Hmmm. And two women I stayed with along the tour (Bridget and Jessica) gave birth to babies on the day I arrived in their towns. What does it all mean??! Maybe it's just a cosmic post-post-modern snap-shot of love and war on the U.S. frontlines.

It's a rainy day in Beantown... What's most disturbing is the dead, black cat on the sidewalk outside the gate. It's been here for the last few days and it's eyes are taking on a moony glow. Creepy. On the upside it has been a true pleasure to spend time with Nima and Amanda. I'll miss them when I leave tomorrow. Two nights ago I played at the very excellent Zeitgeist Gallery in Cambridge. An old Olympia buddy named Jeff Stern set it up and though, underattended, it went great. I did get a little sick beforehand from indulging in some cookie-batter ice-cream, but pulled through. Tonight is the big house concert so I better remove, or at least cover, the cat and it's cloudy, bulging, phosphorescent fish-retinas. Tomorrow I head West!!!

Here's a link to the flyer advertising the Northhampton show on Sunday.

My new CD, The Long Ride Home, is officially in stores across the nation today!! This is a big deal to me, because up until now I've only sold my previous releases to people I meet at shows and to friends. I'm hopeful that they will sell quickly, but nervous, none-the-less, that I'm not well-known enough yet. I guess that's what this tour's about; reviews are starting to trickle in, too. Here are a couple that I've found via the internet:

Sandman / Long Ride Home / Billed as something of a cross between rap and country, I would disagree. This is stripped down singer/songwriter music and it is haunting and beautiful. It most immediately reminds me of Lou Reed back in his bad old days. This is a really great disc that tells a story and tells it so well that you will listen to it again and again. (MK) Impact Press (http://www.impactpress.com/articles/aprmay03/musicr4503.html)

All Music Guide Review
While the release of multiple albums has made Sandman known as somewhat of a cross between hip-hop and country, don't let that fool you. Yes, there are certain hip-hop elements on this 15-song album, but anyone who is familiar with the K Records sound and their branched elements won't have one bit of trouble accepting this. That's because the urban elements are kept to a minimum and never override any one song, instead taking their place like an obedient schoolboy. No, Sandman is through and through alt-country on The Long Ride Home, with a capable croon like that of Matt Wignall of Havalina and twangy guitar reminiscent of Woody Guthrie. The big skies from which he emerged have served Sandman well, as his sound is a nice accompaniment to the atmosphere that envelops one who has been to Montana and the surrounding states. An accomplished, established album that shows a gentle artist starting to come into his own. ~ Kurt Morris

And just ten minutes ago someone from West Coast Performer called to ask me a few questions about who produced, engineered, and mastered The Long Ride Home. She told me that one of their top reviewers, Rob Thompson, really liked the CD and would love to do an interview the next time I play in the Bay area. The review will appear in the June issue.

By the way, today I'm in Boston, or more precisely-- Jamaica Plain, at my good buddy Nima Samimi's place. I arrived at midnight after getting lost for an hour. Nima and Amanda greeted me warmly and we all had a slumber party in his room. I spent yesterday mostly in Vermont recording a couple new songs with a producer named Justin Galenski who I'd met at the show. First we did "Underneath the Grief" and finished with "Thanks for the Sex". Both songs feature vocal experimentations and have multiple layers of me singing, grunting, and whistling. I plan to send these to Bret at Knw-Yr-Own for use on a new Summer compilation CD. By 6 pm I'd bid adieu to the Tomlinson family and began my drive to Boston. Tek, sent me home with a sturdy box of his Tektonic Palates Ethiopian pastes. I encourage everyone to visit his website, 'cause he knows how to make sauces and pastes.

While I'm at it, here's another link you should check out: ?!!

New England!!! I'm feeling randy in these hills of New Hampshire-- you'd have to see it to believe the beauty that surrounds this mountain farm! I showed up two nights ago (at 2 am) after my long drive from Philadelphia; Senayit and her mom, Sally, waited up. A fat, orange moon lit the dirt road to their cabin and slid me into a cozy bed. In the morning I met Senayit's Ethiopian-born father, Tekleab, who is a 70-yr.-old who looks 45. He and Sally own 240 rolling acres filled with woodpeckers, moose, beavers, and black bear. I saw a monster-sized wild turkey in a field. This is the New England people might fantasize about. (On Golden Pond was filmed forty miles away). Tek and Sally also have a family of friendly animals: two dogs, three cats, and two horses. Eventually, Senayit and I crossed the river into Bradford, Vermont and prepared for our show at The Middle Earth. By 8:45 Senayit was singing and playing on her 12-string guitar and my ears danced. I ought to mention that this venue was definitely one of the nicer places I've ever played. It was built to resemble a British pub out of Lord of the Rings. I followed Senayit and played for over an hour. The seventy or so people who came were enthralled with my unique style and I sold more CDs and received more compliments than at any other show so far. The owner, Chris, wants me to return and play an official (non-rental) show in the Fall. Most the money made at the door went to pay off the rental of The Middle Earth, but I did receive $30 after expenses. After me came the jazzy Ordinary Magic who had what it took to make the people dance and the kazoo player was rad. After them I was asked to play again and I did for another half hour.

Today I took two long walks and a horseback ride through the trails with Senayit, Sally, Sedalla (Senayit's sister), and Dan (Sedalla's friend). Andromeda, the appaloosa mare I rode (bareback), pulls to the left just like my car. She trots good, but my groin is sore anyway. Now Tek is preparing a huge Ethiopian feast with the spongy bread and everything and I'm ready to eat it.

Still in New York. I need to get back to Philly to get my car so I can drive the seven hours to New Hampshire today. Last night I stayed at the famed graffiti writer, Shoan One's, apartment. He, I, and his Serbian friend, Petar, walked about thirty blocks for no particular reason except to maybe view beautiful, ancient Columbia University at night. Earlier in the day I lounged around Mush's East Village apartment and had lunch at a Venezuelan restaraunt. Perhaps I should rewind to my last hours in D.C. where I spent the day with Heather Jones...

...and what a tour-guide she was! By day's end I'd seen the Pentagon, White House, Capitol Building, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, the Viet Nam and Korean war memorials, a bunch of musuems, and other famous landmarks. The museums were the most amazing as they were filled with art that blew my mind-- original statues and paintings by all of the most famous artists of the last fifteen-hundred years. To gaze deeply into one of Van Gogh's self-portraits, for example, is unexpectedly chilling. Warhol still confuses me, but maybe that's his point. After a day of this, I was zoned out; plus the temperature was over 80 degrees. I drove to Philly and arrived at Jessica and James' by 11:00 pm. Jessica had given birth to her first baby that morning: a long-limbed boy named Aiden. I spent the next day doing nothing and the morning after that I walked around with my friend Jan Brottman, who also lives with Jessica along with her boyfriend, Michael. (I'm cutting corners now since I need to run catch my train soon... In fact, I better leave right now.)

I'll try to sneak in a few words, though I'm about to hit the town (I'm in Manhattan). Gotta go.

Still in D.C... spent the morning meandering the streets of the El Salvadorean district, had lunch in a Guatemalan cafe. I'd meant to see some museums and monuments, but plans with my friend, Heather Jones, who's visiting from the West Coast, fell through. We'll do it tomorrow instead, before I head North.

Yesterday was spent relaxing with Nana, who currently has a sinus infection. We ate Thai food for dinner with her friend, Ton, who is Thai. Ton is a great, light-hearted, genuine guy and I hope to stay friends with him.

Saturday Nana worked so I spent the day with her roommates and roommate's friends. We went to the Arboretum and played frisbee next to the river. The weather has been around 70 degrees for the last three days which is a relief after the cold days in North Carolina and Virginia. Nana, who is Ghanian-American (she left Ghana when she was four), took me to a Ghanian restaraunt which was a revelation as I've never been to one. The taste of my rice, fish, and plaintains was highlighted by the dance-hall reggae and Nana's presence. I was in heaven! Someday perhaps I'll go there. At midnight we met her friends, Kadd and John, for a screening of Donnie Darko. Saturday had been the night I'd planned to go to Brooklyn, but I just could not bring myself to go; I needed rest.

Friday was the day of the show. Between 80 and 100 people showed up and deposited $254.00 in the tip jar. $100 of it went to pay for the keg and I got the rest. I also made $85 in merch sales! The show itself was a challenge as it was difficult to be heard above the roar of revelry. Those who cramped themselves into the living room to listen were all smiles and gratitude, though. I was fortunate to be able to use the amp and microphones from the band that played before me-- Nude Afternoon. They were a cool jazz/rock quartet with keyboards and stand-up bass and a singer with a voice like Jeff Buckley. For those that showed up late I played a few more songs out on the porch. These D.C. women are flirtatious, lemme tell ya; one of them almost walked off with my black hat! By 4:30 a.m. I was asleep.

Now I'm in Washington, D.C., five blocks from the White House at my friend Nana's office. I've never been to this town before, so I'm kind of excited!!

p.s. For those who read my journal earlier today, I just fortified the last entry with a couple more details.

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.

Now I'm in Durham and I just played two shows. The first one was in a restaurant and flopped... I now realize that I don't make the best background music. When people finally catch onto my words they tend to lose their appetites. I played 4 songs and then told them I had food poisoning and had to leave (which made them lose their appetites even more I think). I made $2 in tips. My friend Laura is the waitress there. After the show I went to her house-party where I commenced to do show #2. This one started out uncomfortably with a bunch of folks wanting to jam. In all there were five instruments: accordion, banjo, mandolin, and two guitars. A picker named L.A. Fernandez, and I, swapped songs for about an hour or so, with everyone else following behind, until he and the accordion player left. Then I played another hour or so just entertaining the remaining folks. I hit it off well with Laura's boyfriend, Al, who also raps some, and gave him a sampler CD. I gave L.A. one, too, who says he might be able to help me set up another show here in the Fall. It's unlikely I'll return that soon, but would like to if I can somehow pay off my credit card debts by then.

I wake up in about five hours.
It's cold and raining outside.
Go, li'l Joe... keep on keepin' on.

Hi. I'm in Asheville, NC. Last night I was in Black Mountain, NC for a wild show at The Town Pump. All sorts of crazy characters showed up and seemed to like me just fine. They paid me $65 and I was given a place to stay by Camo's old girlfriend, Kendra, who I've been hearing about for seven years now. This morning I slept in and eventually made it to the house of Bryan, Brigit, Stephanie, Wilde, Parker, and as of yesterday morning, Wise Emmet Freeborn, who just hatched!! He's a long-limbed little mammal with a twinkle in his eye. It was good to meet his beautiful sister, Wilde, who was born two years ago, too. My old friend, Sierra, flew out from Colorado to help out as did many of Bryan and Brigit's relatives, so needless to say it is a busy household. They're all asleep now as I type this. Soon I'll head back to Kendra's. Earlier this evening Sierra and I hit up the Grey Eagle open mic which was a good time. There's a lot of talent in these hills, that's for sure.

I played two shows in Nashville that I haven't mentioned yet. They both helped to earn me some more rent money. A special treat was running into my old friend, Matt Steinke, who played at the Red Rose Cafe in Murfreesboro before my set with Baby Stout. He's married now and creates musical robots.

My stay with Camo and Asher was a gift. I love those guys. We played takraw (a Siamese wicker ball is used as a hackey-sack), watched movies, reminisced about the Workhorses of Yesteryear, and talked about various women we love. Rapping along with Camo's beatbox was a highlight, too.

I'd better be gettin' on home now. G'night.

Joe's getting maintained at the mechanic's right now so I walked to the library. Camo's probably wondering where I ran off to. Last night we played a show at Bongo Java; and Reverend Asher joined us for a couple songs. A fellow named Jonny Corndawg, opened for me. He's a seriously crazy 19-yr-old country/punk Southern-boy who drove from Charlottesville, Virginia on his motorcycle; poetry dripped off him in every way. He wore a pink headband and a Christmas-flavored sweater. In fact, the whole audience of six people came mainly to see him. I managed to sell 3 CDs. I met Calvin's girlfriend, Kristina, at the show. She was just in Olympia visiting him. Chris Davis was there, too. Tonight I play with Baby Stout in Murfreesboro!

I'm here... Nashville. 319 JOE is running sublimely! Asher and Camo are playing video games right now. Today their band, Baby Stout, won a "Got Milk" battle-of-the-bands competition at the Opry Mills Mall; they got $200.

Southbound again... I'm about to roll out of Missouri and pay a visit to my old home: Music City, USA (aka Nashville)! My stay in Columbia was good. The show at Central Tap went really well as lots of people came and let themselves be captivated and bought my merch. I traded sets with a New York folk-singer named Greg Klymer-- we swapped road stories and found out we knew some of the same people. The owners at Central Pat were enthusiastic about bringing me back. Columbia is filled with great potential venues and is a funky, progressive town in a myriad of ways. I wouldn't even mind living there for a while. Elise, Ben, and River treated me kindly and I met many of their wonderful friends. This morning I got a much-needed massage from a healer named Ana Duff and last night had pizza with a fellow named Terry who plans to come to Olympia in June and play a show. He's just out of high-school and is in love with the K records scene.

What else? I'm a little under the weather, perhaps because the weather has been cold. It snowed a little yesterday, but today the sun came out I feel ready to drive.

Greetings from Columbia, Missouri. It's a good thing I came a day early because it turns out my show at Central Tap is tonight and not tomorrow. My stay in Lawrence, KS last night was semi-painful. First, I couldn't track any of my old friends down and secondly, the hotel walls were paper-thin and the couple next door were alternately fighting and having sex until 5 am; sometimes I couldn't distinguish which. Twice I put on my clothes, went outside and knocked on their door and asked them to tone it down.

I'm sleepy, and happy to be here; public libraries are doing me good on this tour! My friend, Elise, set this show up and I just paid her and her partner, Ben, and son, River, a visit. River's 18 months old. The library is closing now-- bye.

I'm in Wichita, Kansas; pretty much smack dab in the center of the USA. As I was driving from Oklahoma City to here it was hard to read the US map as I-35 is in the crack of the Rand-McNally atlas between pages two and three. The wind blew so hard along that stretch that it actually corrected my steering problem and at times I was able to let go of the wheel-- (cheap thrills)! I liked Oklahoma-- still lots of poverty... friendly people, $1.2499 unleaded gas! The 70-yr-old toothless maid, busted into my $25 hotel room this morning as I was watching Iraqi war-coverage and gave me her unsolicited opinion about it-- something about how George Bush, Sr. was maybe alright but how his son is an idiot putting poor people's lives at risk for the sake of making some money. The hotel advertised with a big, red banner that the owner is a war veteran. Woody Guthrie and Will Rogers' (and even Merle Haggard's) ghosts remain.

Once in Kansas I had to pay a toll-fee to use the highway. I think I'll mosey to Lawrence tonight and try to find a friend or two. (Oh, by the way-- my time in Santa Fe was titillating. I played 4 hours and made $285 at the Cowgirl Cafe, hiked and re-befriended Rachael, philosophized and had visions with J.R. and Kristina (and met her mom), slept in a lot, ate good food, and generally had a blast! What more can I say?) Thanks for everything J.R., Rachael, Randy, and Wendy!

To recount: On March 19th I played Lestat's Coffee House in San Diego with Bunky, Jen Grady, and Red Pony Clock. Due to the start of war the mood of the musicians and audience was sad. A good-sized crowd came out, though, anyway-- perhaps to avoid the idiotic media reports. (Thanks, Liz, for setting it up!!) I stayed with Jen and her sister, Erin, who lives in San Diego. Jen and I (who really do love each other) spent the next day walking around various beaches and she showed me the hostel where she used to work. That night I played on the UCSD radio station with The Blow, Angela Correa, and Anna Oxygen. There was a crowd of 20 or so who came to watch and it went well. I was especially impressed with Anna and the Dr. Groove beats she programmed!! You'd have to see it to believe it.

On the 20th I left Jen and cruised east on Hiway 10 towards Tucson. I arrived with 30 minutes to spare at the warehouse/ housing co-op called The Captain's Table. I could go on and on about this place and its inhabitants, but won't. I'll just say that most Olympia anarchists, punks, and artists would love it here. Dawn and Kee, who set the show up, are twin sisters who also play in the band, Sugarbush. Once again, you'll have to see it to believe it. They played and after them, I sang and rapped to an audience of about fifty. After me was Liberty School, also terrific. I made about $100 in merch and $86 from passing a hat. I spent the night at Maggie and Mike's 150-year-old house in the heart of "old" Tucson. They treated me to breakfast in the morning and by noon I was off to Corrales where I am still. Tonight J.R. and I will drive to Santa Fe and party with my Olympia room-mate, Kristina, who is visiting a Chinese medicine school.

New Mexico, ahhh yes... I'm in a town near Albuquerque (Corrales) in Wendy and Randy's big, beautiful adobe abode and it bodes well for my bod after 9 hours drivin' from Tucson. Rather than try to sum up the last three excellent days, I'll wait until tomorrow and now go hang out with my great, great friend J.R. Morgan. G'night o' blogspot.

I don't have a links page, but if I did-- one website I'd recommend is: www.somesuch.com. My genius friend, Chris "Goose" Kirk, has created it in the last couple weeks and it's funny, pleasing to the eye, and insightful. Please drop him a line if you get the chance give him feedback. He updates it daily so it's a good one to add to your favorites.l

Here's a quote from an old German...

"Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, a parliament or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger."

Herman Goering,
Nazi Reichmarshal and Luftwaffe chief at the Nuremberg trials.

Today was like any other day except for the chocolate-barf-contest. I awoke late and had my first meal at noon in West Hollywood with my ol' pal Andras Jones. We had yummy, cheap sushi and then drove to his movie-/rock-star comedian, ex-roommate Andy Dick's house. Andy is perhaps the most famous person I've spent time with until this date-- good guy, too. I helped him and Andras begin writing a song called "I Suck". I'm sure a web-search would come up with something on him if you haven't heard of him yet; probably www.andydick.com. Tonight I spent a little time with my former Olympia friend, Yolanda, at a bar called Akbar.

I'll now catch you up on the last few days, so listen closely with your eyes...

The San Luis Obispo show was pretty lame because I didn't have a p.a. system and thus no one could really hear me. I did sell three shirts for a total of $20, but no CDs. I slept in my car that night on a cliff overlooking a field. All night the rain pissed and the wind rocked Joe while I tried to sleep. In the morning cows were practically swimming through the pasture below-- a surreal scene. I drove back to Linnae's Cafe for my promised, free breakfast and then headed south to L.A. Once in Hollywood I was forced to get drenched to the bone in an attempt to unload my car at my friend's Andy and Sarah's house. Apparently that rainstorm was the second wettest 24-hr. downpour in L.A.'s recorded history. That night Andy and Sarah took me to two house parties. Both were small but I ended up selling over $200 worth of CDs which helped make up for the previous two shows. My friend Sharzhad came out for the second show! I love seeing old pals as I ramble 'round the World. It's especially good to hang out with Andy and Sarah as they are so loving and welcoming to me each time we reconnect. Yesterday Andy and I climbed the Hollywood hills. Later Sarah joined us and we drove to Venice Beach for clam chowder and waves and sand...

Wow, I just lost another journal entry... I hate when that happens.