Really, it's been how long? Mid-September? Geez, I'm surprised that any of you remember where this thing is... or else you are terminally bored and the cable is out. So, to fuel your ennui, here's some of what's been going on in my world:
Divorce
Probably the biggest thing that happened to me last year (and to some extent is still happening) is that Paula and I divorced after almost 18 years... and yeah, divorce sucks. There's no two ways to put it. I really feel that we were both ready to take our lives in new directions, and it was a mutually amicable divorce; but still, it sucks. If you've been there, you know what I mean, and if you haven't — well, it just sucks, take my word for it. After all the legal stuff is done, there's still the moving out and the dividing of stuff and who gets the dogs, and a million other details that no one ever thinks about till they are staring you right in the face. No one ever gave me the "divorce" speech, either — you know, like the "birds and the bees" speech or the "it's time to move your lazy ass outta the house you bum" speech or the "hey look what I found underneath your socks in your dresser, how long have you been smoking this" speech... it just isn't one of those topics that parents seem to talk to their kids about. Now mind you, I'm not blaming them - the big "D" in our house was not an option, and my folks are still going strong after 42 years. Just sayin' that invariably there are certain things that one must face with little-to-no preparation, and you can learn a lot about yourself in how you deal with those situations.
Goin' to the country...
I am moving in with my girlfriend, Dawn... waaaaay out in BFTX. Okay, actually just a few miles northeast of Seward's Junction, near Liberty Hill, but you get the idea if you check out the map. It's 9 acres of Hill Country, and I love it! It's far enough away from the city that you can actually see stars at night and hear the neighbors in their backyard, half a mile away – yet close enough to main roads to allow you to make it to South Austin in 45 minutes to an hour. I love not being able to see any of our neighbors from the porch, and since we are not part of any housing addition, there are no HOA's, restrictions, etc. — no crazy neighbors to call the cops when the dogs bark or I want to put an antenna up. The only real drawback is that there are very few options when it comes to network connections... and brother, I mean few! In another year or so, there will probably be fibre pulled out there, since the area is growing fairly quickly, but right now the options are: dialup (gag); wireless DSL (okay, but the local provider has a lock on the market and knows it - and charges accordingly) and satellite (HughesNet) - which sucks for anything other than email and some browsing, since there's a huge lag built into the system due to the distance to/from the satellite in geostationary orbit 36,000 km above the planet. Try playing Quake with a 1/3-second lag time built in, on top of the normal lag... teh sux0rz.
Suffice to say that I am suffering thru 'Net withdrawals... but, the benefits far exceed the discomfort :)
How much wood...
Its a good thing that this winter has been mild thus far — we haven't had to burn an excessive amount of wood in the fireplace, although it's probably a bit cooler in the house than we'd like it to be. I'll trade that for skyrocketing electric bills any day of the week, though! Plus, I love the smell of a nice wood fire...
CAUTION: Bike Season Ahead
Thanks to a fantastic Christmas gift (a bike repair stand), I was able to finish repairs on my mountain bike (see this post) and just in time - I really need to get myself ready for the Muddy Buddy event this May, if I hope to be ready in time... guess I'll just have to ride in the cold. As long as it holds out like it has been, I should be fine. I am really ready to get back on the trails, and there are plenty of good places to ride out here, if you don't mind sharing the road with folks that drive 75mph on roads built for 30mph...
Where's Godzilla when you need him???
The Humiliators have been taking some time off for family, but we did manage to almost play a Halloween party with The Whoremoans (the music got shut down by the cops before we got on stage... ask one of us sometime), and we got to play a Christmas gig with Grub Dog, "The Island of Misfit Toys" at Trophy's... another fine night of hilarity and music was had by all! Look for us at mile 25 of the upcoming Austin Marathon — we were chased out of our Mile 1 spot by Steeler Jacket Dude from last year, before we even had a chance to play! Some folks just don't want to rock, I suppose. We have some new material in the works, so keep your eyes on the band website for upcoming show dates.
-- To Be Continued
