pale beneath the blue

Road stories and more from singer/songwriter, pale beneath the blue.

Wednesday, August 31, 2005

I'm overcome

Just seeing the people on the streets begging for food and water down South--it's tough. I don't really know how much longer they can survive the conditions. Apparently, Patrice has a sister in Mississippi, who contacted them, but they haven't been able to reach her since. I feel guilty having a fairly good day today. I wrote a spoken word piece around midnight, I went swimming (with my wetsuit on--it was freezing), went shopping and out to dinner, I even went to get a few dollars worth of gas then found out that it was still $2.69 at the pump instead of the $3.09 that was advertised--of course, I filled it up instead. I spent $28.00 on a new outfit which I'm now taking back and donating the money to the Red Cross. I'm also going drop off all the stuff that I've been planning to take to Salvation Army. You can donate through the Red Cross or Salvation Army. Or, if you've got a bus, just drive down and pick some folks up--there's plenty of space in shelters up this direction.

Also, I've been quite the activist over the past couple of days. On Monday I wrote a letter to the editor of the Cincinnati Enquirer regarding our fuel situation and it sounds as if they are going to print it. Tonite I saw a Verizon commercial on TV depicting a guy with a guitar as an annoyance and emailed the company voicing my concerns. It's not that I'm bored, but someone has to do it, right?

I always try to encourage folks to do what they have been created to do, so if you haven't gotten the speech from me, just make sure that you use the time you've got wisely. You never know when things are going to change.

God bless,
Rhonda

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

My trip to Evansville

Amazingly enough I left on time even after stopping to fill my gas tank. It's amazing I didn't just drop dead then and there--it was $50. I drive a mini-van, not a Hummer. Anyway, what a cool space Synchronicity Art Gallery is. I told them that I wanted one just like it. I haven't been to a poetry reading in a while so it was a lot of fun to meet all these new folks and hear the kinds of things they are doing. Bill Sovern is amazing. I didn't get to hear the whole experience with the band, but I certainly got the gist. Very cool stuff.

Also, Lars and the Garvey Tones was a very interesting experience. My favorite part was obviously watching Larry play the saw with a plastic hammer. I really wanted to hear him do something with that conch, though. All in all a great night.

The drive home was very strange. My windshield kept fogging up until I realized that it wasn't fogging up on the other side and moved my promo posters and whatnot in front of me to block the airflow. It's a horribly long drive and oh, my gosh, the songs on the radio were putting me to sleep. I heard Kelly Clarkson and a bunch of guys who rap and that was about it. What I don't understand is why can't they change things up a little and put in a real chorus instead of just repeating themselves a million times. It's really boring and it's too slow, not like you can dance to it or anything. Anyway, I was really struggling to stay awake and decided to try the Push Stars. Thank God for the Push Stars. I was awake the rest of the way home even when I was struggling to see through the fog. Then I almost ran out of gas because apparently, no one is up in KY at 3:30a. I pulled off at least 3 times and couldn't find an open gas station. The fog was not helping the situation. Good times, oh and I walked without the crutches a little! What a great night.

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Gas prices jump again

Okay, so it was just a week ago when I didn't want to fill my tank entirely for 2.38 per gallon. A few days later, I reluctantly filled up at 2.49 per gallon when everyone else was at 2.55. Now, it's 2.68 and I don't know how long my checking account can take this. I guess I'll be making better choices about touring, and I'll continue to save money for that Toyota Prius I've been wanting.

On a lighter note, I started writing a song last night with words from a poem given to me at my last Borders gig, by fan, Mark. I think I'll go ahead and do that

Thursday, August 11, 2005

Investing time to Read

yes, i'm very slow this week. i had great time with all the folks at Borders in Dayton, OH last Friday. it's one of my favorite places to play because the crowds are always so friendly. and also in Canton, OH at Muggswigz. A big thanks to Mickey Perez for being there and ready to carry equipment as well as to Mike, Sabrina and Alycia who helped out in Dayton. One of these days we'll get Alycia to get up and play some songs with me.

Anyway, this heat is nearly unbearable. Thank God for the pool and A/C. I don't know about you folks, but it wouldn't be summer without having a book to read by the pool. I force myself to finish at least one book each summer and this year it was "Casino Royale" by Ian Fleming. I guess it's going to be the next
007 movie, so I thought I'd catch a glimpse early to see if my song, "In Reference to James Bond" would be something I could pitch for the film. It's strange how different the books are from the movies so I don't know that I still have much of an idea. Good book though, I'd like to read the rest. Instead I'm reading "Rich Dad's Guide to Investing." I don't really care about being rich, just need a plan to keep the stress of it all out of my daily life.

Also, in case you don't know, there's a national sales tax plan that is gaining support on Capital Hill. The idea is that it would replace April 15th--no more tax day! This is wonderful for me since I loathe making decisions in my business and life based on our tax laws. I'm sure it's mostly because I haven't figured out how to capitalize on the deal yet. Anyway, check it out and let us know what you think.
www.fairtax.org.

So, what are all of you doing this summer?

Monday, August 01, 2005

toyotacamryismynemesis.com


what? yeah, in case you missed it, i put together a new journal that delves into the wierdness that was my accident. here's a self-portrait from shortly after my june surgery. check it out: www.toyotacamryismynemesis.com