Rob the Fiddler

As part of the layoff package, we get a job placement service. I suppose its more of a career management program. Its very comprehensive. They have a resume writing class, interview classes and all kinds of tools to help you find a new job or transition to a whole new career. I can even get a new phone number with a professional answering service that says “office of Mr. Stave” to make it look like Im not really out of a job.

The downside is that its in Addison. Man that town just sucks the life outta me the moment I get west of Preston.

On Wednesday I went to the introduction meeting. I was in a room with 20 other folks that were recently laid off. The scary thing was that I felt like I was on the B ark of the Golgafrincham.

For those of you who have not read the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Golgafrincham is a planet that found a solution to middle management.

“Its people decided it was time to rid themselves of an entire useless third of their population, and so concocted a story that their planet would shortly be destroyed in a great catastrophe. (It was apparently under threat from a “mutant star goat”). The useless third of the population (consisting of hairdressers, tired TV producers, insurance salesmen, personnel officers, security guards, management consultants, telephone sanitizers and the like) were packed into the B-Ark, one of three giant Ark spaceships, and told that everyone else would follow shortly in the other two. The other two thirds of the population, of course, did not follow and “led full, rich and happy lives until they were all suddenly wiped out by a virulent disease contracted from a dirty telephone”.

Everybody in the room were account managers, regional sales managers or played some kind of middle management role in either the tech or loan industry. (Except me of course…and a software tester)

What the Hell Is Wrong With You People? I HAVE PEOPLE SKILLS!

Ironically, there was a guy there from Nortel who apparently ran the project that was intended to offshore all of our jobs to China.  His position became too expensive too.

Still, I dont have a problem with that. Grunt programming is just that. If a global market place means that the bar is raised for my skills…well then thats what I need to do. Even without a job, I still have it better than most of the worlds population. When I was in Beijing, I saw what those folks were struggling to achieve. They were so happy just to have a job that they were more than qualified for. Good for them!

If it ultimately brings a bit closer my and my girlfriends dream of a robotic monkey that can bring us tea when we wake up…well…hey…its all worth it. I can always grow tomatoes and give violin lessons.

Dallas has a slow food blog

http://www.slowfooddallas.blogspot.com/

I have been on the mailing list for Barking Cat Farm.

Wish I could actually drive out to Rockwall to get the food. I dont, but I do get the mailing list with ranch reports. Good stuff.

Hey folks. I realize its been a long time since I have checked in with most folks. When I get more than 5 emails in a month checking on my pulse, I guess its time to update the internets on my goings on.

Mostly, things are good. My hand is recovering. Ten years or so at “Rockfest” I jacked my hand up so bad I had to get a plate and screws. There was no drinking involved or anything interesting…in fact, the incident was flat out dumb. It was friday night of rockfest. I was looking forward to a day of music with Matchbox 20, Jewel , Bush, No Doubt, Collective Soul, Counting Crows and The Wallflowers. It never happened. About 2am I was kinda just playing street hockey with sticks and fell on my wrist….breaking it badly. Never saw the show.

Fast forward ten years. Im on my bike with Spyche and had a crash. It was a pretty bad sprain, but the good part was that a creaky wrist that I thought was normal was really pointed out to be screws rubbing on my tendons. After displaying my wrist to every resident in the building as a bad example of how to go about caring for a wrist, it was suggested (short of at gunpoint) that I had to get the hardware out. A scan of my wrist showed some damage that could be scoped too, but they were not sure if it was recent or from a while ago…not that it mattered.

When it first happened, I had to cancel some gigs. I could not play. After two weeks, I could make some noise. I ended up canceling a gig at Adairs and still played a short set at Allgood. This resulted in the Boys Named Sue getting banned from Adairs for backing out on a gig. Kinda Sucks…but well…whatever.

So I ended up with surgery on my wrist. They took out the plate and screws, debraided my tfcc and cleaned my tendons. Had my wrist in a surgical cast for two weeks and got it out two weeks ago. I can play fine….dexterity is fine, but the strength needs to be rebuilt. wrist is a bit clicky though. It was like that before surgery, but now that most of the issues have healed, thats whats left.

Got a kitten…or…well…he got me. A week before the surgery, I had reports from my neighbors that my Jeep was “Meowing”. Turns out a kitten had holed up in the engine. So the day after surgery…a weekend of presumed “rest”, spyche caught the kitten and cleaned him up.

He has been at my house ever since. Sweet fella. Mostly well behaved. Likes twine. Very curious..but I love him to death. Called him Mojo. Mojo the Dubcat!

So…

From Dallas Observer

Boys Named Sue
Best Country/Roots, Best Song (”Honky-Tonk If Yer Horny”)

Once again, you readers have proven that while you may know little about country music, you certainly know a thing or two about having a good time—and if you’ve been drunk at a bar in Dallas in the last five years, you’ve probably had a good time or two with the Boys Named Sue. A BR5-49 for the Jackass set, the Sues drink hard and play harder, mixing classic covers, zany originals and goofy medleys into maybe the most entertaining train wreck in town. “With the Sues, we all say, ‘What is the stupidest thing we can do?’” says frontman John Pedigo. “Then someone will say, “Hey everybody! Watch this!!!” And then we all jump off the bridge.”

Take for instance DOMA Best Song “Honky-Tonk If Yer Horny,” which recalls the spirit of comic country classics like “Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother,” “Convoy” and “Up in Smoke” as it tells the tale of a truck-stop hooker named Clementine, “a guaranteed good time.” Leading off The Hits—the Sues’ proper debut—with a bang, the song proves once and for all that the Sues are the local kings of the beer-drinkin’ anthem. “The Hits was intentionally conceptual,” says Pedigo. “And by conceptual I mean we got together in one night with two cases of beer and a bottle of Tuaca and wrote the entire album and recorded it soon after. I don’t think we recorded a song without giggling.”

But it’s not all goofin’ off for the Sues, as The Hits also features some fine straight country tunes, from the easy shuffle of “Travelin’ Down” to “Amber Friends,” a tear-in-your-beer salute to the Sues’ favorite liquid therapists, all spiked with the lovely, lilting fiddle lines of the band’s secret weapon, instrumentalist Bobby Sue.

As for what’s next for the three-time DOMA kings of country, it’s anyone’s guess, but it will certainly involve alcohol. “The Sues will continue to reign supreme and out-drink everyone under the sun,” says Pedigo. “It’s funny to watch people attempt to keep up with us. Sorry, but it’s impossible. [Bassist Ward Richmond] and I alone ‘beat’ Australia and New Zealand and that ain’t easy.” And with drinkin’ songs as good as these, it’s hard not to believe him. —N.W.B.

Sunday I went to check out the weekly Uptown Cycles ride. It was a blast!
I had seen the article in Quick a long time ago, but never got around to doing it. Usually after Friday and Saturday with the Boys Named Sue, Im pretty shot, but this was the most fun and relaxing thing I have done in a long time. I have been in Dallas for 10 years, and never saw the city with this perspective.

The Photoset is on Flickr here.

It starts at Taco Diner in West Village at 6:30ish. Apparently it was a low turnout (probibly because of the game?), but it looked like there were at least 40-50 bikes. Some rentals were availible too. It was about a 10 mile ride (I forgot to set the Cat Eye until a mile in).

Gotta like the guy with a can of Sparks on the handlebars.

Double Decker.

The group went north to maybe Fitzhugh and across to Oak Lawn down to the Grapevine. Every bystander waved. Unfortunatly, there were some problems getting into Grapevine so we moved on to the Gingerman.

Got there just in time for the tip off and stayed until the end of the first half. Everybody was really friendly and there were plenty of the introductions on the road.

It was pretty dark as we rode downtown, but there is pretty much no traffic in Dallas that time.

The neatest part was when we rode around the fountain in front of the library. The weather was perfect.

Good times. If anybody ever wants to join me for a ride, let me know.

So its come to my attention that I have not been updating this sucker for a while.

You can blame Myspace for that. Man, that website is the worst for sucking up spare web surfing minutes. Well, its been fun too. in the course of 6 months, I have probibly met 50 or so people in Dallas. Really fun folks too.

Ok, so its also the ULTIMATE band promotion tool.

Speaking of bands, we finished the saga that was Trainwreck last week. It was probibly a ways coming. Not at all bad. It probibly opens more opportunites for everybody. Jd had the following to say.

It is with sadness but heartfelt resignation that I have to report that December will bring our final show as Trainwreck. This band has enabled the formation of some truly wonderful relationships, amongst members of the band - past and present - as well as with you, our friends. We’ve met so many great people along the way who have helped us in so many ways, inspired us, entertained us with incredible music, made us laugh, made us drunk, made us sober, made us better people. There are way too many to mention. You know who you are. But to try to name just a few… thanks to Lois and the staff at Adairs, Richard and the folks at the BarleyHouse, Cindy, Mike S., Chad, Brian and the guys at Woody’s, Gary and KBEC, KNON, Danny and everyone at The Ticket, Bruce and the crew at KHYI, NTNMF, Dale Brock, Chris McCullum for pics, Amanda (for the website and album design!), MarketNet for site hosting, Rob Hansen, Mo, Jake, Dave Mitchell, Speedtrucker, Beaver, all the folks in Wichita Falls, Stebby, Trae, Travis, Heath T., David Z., Dean Markley for the strings, anyone who’s ever booked us or come out to see us, and most importantly, thanks to our families and loved ones for putting up with all that comes with us musicians.

Its been a fun ride…and JD is still playing. In fact, we will be at Standard and Pours on Friday. Come on out!!!