End Of Week Ramblings

Sunday August 26th, 2007 - Lake Villa, IL

678.9 miles on the Cougar today. That’s kind of cosmic but I’m not exactly sure what it means in the big scheme of the universe. On a small scale it means I have gotten more than my money’s worth out of a great auction car. I’ve already made about four times the price I paid for it and there’s no sign of it slowing down anytime soon. On the highway it’s very smooth and I can’t help but feel like a proud papa every time I come back from a gig in it.

I really should have flown to Memphis and next time I probably will but this was how it worked out so I went with it. I was planning on leaving right after the shows last night but I stopped back at the hotel to check email and then I got some calls so I decided I’d stay and sleep since it was getting late. I don’t need to nod off at the wheel in Arkansas just to get back to a basement in Lake Villa. I thought it over and know made the right decision.

I woke up and read a little and caught the sports scores and my Milwaukee Brewers are pretty much done. I was cheering for them because they have stunk so long and started the season red hot but now they’re really sucking canal water. It looks to be over as they can’t even beat the last place San Francisco Giants. It’s too bad it had to end like this but it sure doesn’t look good. I’ll take it as a positive though. It will be one last thing that gets in the way of comedy right now. I had a good week in Memphis and am encouraged about going to Salt Lake City this coming week. I do well out there too and I should have another nice showing. I am improving all the time and have a ton of new ideas to work in so I will be in a work mode the whole week. I am going to shape and reshape my act and that helps keep my mind off bad things. I really felt like I was in a good space this week and I’m excited.

I heard a rumor from a friend that the Loop fired some people this past Friday including the overnight guy Crazy Ray. Max and I met Ray when we did our audition. He was a nice guy and he has a wife and kids to feed so I’m always sorry to hear stories like that about a radio axe taking someone out at the roots just because of budget cuts. I’ve been there too.

Maybe it was a good thing Max and I didn’t get the job. Last time there was no way any of us could predict that the station would be sold and we’d get fired and it wiped us all out and still hurts us now. Getting back into that grind again offers no guarantees and maybe it would just break our hearts again or maybe not. Who knows? I heard it from a reliable and trustworthy source so I have no doubts it’s true. I feel bad for the people who got gassed.

I heard from Max on the way home telling me his father in law passed away on Friday. I was sorry to hear it but he’d been sick for a while and it wasn’t unexpected. I’d met him at the Loop years ago and then last Thanksgiving he was at Max’s house and we watched the late football game together. He thought I was funny and I made him laugh a few times that day and I’m glad I was able to do that. He’s lived his life and now all his laughing is done.

Max moved back to the area so his kids could know their grandpa in his last days. Now that’s over too. Max is a good man for doing that and I respect him to no end. Like me he is trying to find his niche also. If we ever do get back on the radio look out. We’ll nail it.