I've been in a bit of a funk lately. Life seems to have caught up with me, and my usual optimism has been completely veiled by morose expressions and quick displays of frustrations. I think all I seem to say to people right now is, "I'm sorry. Ignore me. I have to work through this." For four weeks, now, I've been sick with food poisoning, a cold, and some chest funk that WON'T GO AWAY. I can't run, and I so need to run. I can't sleep at night. Throw into that mix a breakup and a few unfortunate and quirky dates that have me wondering if there really are any decent men left. Let me enjoy the darkness and solitude of the bottom for a bit. I'm restless and irritable here, but I'm here nonetheless. Yesterday, while driving home along US27, I stopped on the side of the road to take some pictures. I've eyed this spot each time I've passed, and I finally stopped because I needed to do something a bit spontaneous. (And let's just say that ...

If there's one striking characteristic about me, it's the fact that I can be...well...a bit obsessive about things I like. I tend to operate in two modes: all or nothing. My parents and siblings know this all too well. When Amy Grant's "Lead Me On" album came out in 1988, I forced them to listen to the song "Saved by Love" over and over despite the fact that doing so meant I had to rewind the cassette tape each time. I think it was more than a year before I listened to any of the other songs on the album. Some things never change. I still find myself getting stuck on a single song and playing it over and over. (The creators of the iPod had no idea what the repeat feature would one day mean for me!) I mentioned the Spanish group Lori Meyers in my last post, and I cannot over emphasize how much I love their music. From the moment I heard the first chord of one of their songs, I knew I had found my soul's music. All week I've listened to their song,...

I spent a few nights this week searching for flights to Europe. Pearl Jam is playing there this summer, and it seemed like a really great idea to fly over for a few days to be part of a music festival. I mean, that's right up there at the top of everyone's priority list, right? I'll actually be in Peru for the bulk of PJ's European tour, and the three dates that would work for me are in Bilboa (Spain), Venice (Italy), and Lison (Portugal). That trip isn't going to happen (even I won't pay the kind of money it will take), but in the process I discovered some new music groups: Lori Meyers and Amaral . Both are from Spain, and both are fantastic. (The Spaniard also introduced me to some great ear candy: Amy MacDonald .) Unfortunately, finding music that is popular in Europe isn't always easy here in the states. I did buy a Lori Meyers CD from an Amazon seller. iTunes doesn't carry anything. In the frustrating process, though, I did discover a gem of site:...