Stay of Sexecution....I mean, Execution

Okay, I'm over yesterday's angst. The blog lives on. Long live the blog!

Wow. I'm really overwhelmed by the tons of emails I received yesterday urging me to "stay open". I heard from total strangers and a couple of emails really blew me away altogether -- like those from Cindy and Luis Urrea. Luis is a writer, Cindy is his wife -- and in a Twilight Zone moment, they have a son also named Eric who is 17 years old and plays the drums. It was just so, so cool to learn that they enjoy reading my blog every day. The emails were written by Cindy and it was a lot of fun to meet a kindred spirit...she's a writer, too (former newspaper woman, now research assistant, scheduling person, all around right hand woman to Luis) and a groupie mom for her son who seems to have the same intensity about his music that my son has. I laughed at her tale of driving all over the place to see her boy play. Oh, what the parents of drummers really have to endure. Contrary to popular belief, we love the drums and the "noise" doesn't bother us...but think about it. Every time our kids play a show, we have to transport those things and they aren't exactly small and light. Eric's dad had to get a big, ugly, yuppie gas guzzling SUV just for drum chauffeur duties. The minute the lease is up next year, if I know Gary, he'll be at the car dealership at 9:00 a.m. that morning so he can trade it in for a mid-life crisis two seater convertible because by then Eric will have his own wheels.

And while I'm on the subject of drummers, they're always the most wiped out after a performance but always the last to leave the venue...the drums have to be taken apart, stacked, carefully arranged in the car...arghhh....back in the old days, when Eric was younger, the other Rock School parents with their wussy guitar playing kids were already home asleep in bed before I'd even left the club. My standard line to Eric: "Why couldn't you have played the flute?"

The best was when he would pull this one: After a show, he'd want to go out with his friends. So he'd look at me all doe-eyed.

"Can you take my drums home for me?"

Yeah, like that was easy. Load the car, unload the car. Double park outside, take them in, one piece at a time; bass drum, snare, etc., cymbals, cymbal stands, double bass pedal...up the steps, down the steps. By the time I was done, I'd have to pass out on the sofa for an hour before I could make my way back upstairs.

I wouldn't trade it for the world.

And like I said, if I could get to every city he's playing on the Project Object tour this April/May, I would. And might!

Anyway, back to Cindy and Luis. Naturally after getting their email, I immediately went to Luis' website and what's the first thing I read:

"Luis Alberto Urrea, 2005 Pulitzer Prize finalist for nonfiction and member of the Latino Literature Hall of Fame, is a prolific and acclaimed writer who uses his dual-culture life experiences to explore greater themes of love, loss and triumph..."

I almost fell off my chair.

Wow. And Luis and Cindy like the way I write. I seriously blushed all afternoon.

I've put an Amazon link to his book, The Hummingbird's Daughter, on the right under the lovely Susan Henderson's Motorhead, and hope that you'll check it out.

And please notice I've also placed an Amazon link for David Niall Wilson's "Deep Blue" on the right hand side, too. This was a great read, especially for music lovers with a dark side. Wait. What music lover doesn't have a dark side? Of course I'm talking real music lovers here, not Jesus Take the Wheel pop crap fans.

You know, I don't think that I've ever loved anyone who isn't a music lover with a dark side.

I'm sure that will come as a big surprise to all of you.

So again, thanks for the kind words and encouragement yesterday and yeah, yeah, I'll keep this journal going after all. I mean, come on, if I delete it, I'll lose Neil Gaiman's post where he gives me fountain pen recommendations and we can't have that!

Hmmm, speaking of Neil, I could use a twisted moment. Susan of Motorhead fame, which one do you prefer -- what I now refer to as the "classic" with the blue glasses or the new one with the beard? Or the one at the desk in the writing cabin? Or, as I am adding now as per your post in today's comment section, Neil in glasses?

Damn if I can decide. I know, let's have an orgy...I mean, let's have a vote in the comments section or something. Here are the candidates:





Yeah, cast your vote and maybe we'll email him the results. I'm not digging the one on his journal now and it's on every page of his newly designed website, which I really love other than that photo. He's so much better looking than that in real life.

Ha ha - speaking of a real life, I should get one, huh.

Right.

In other news, it pays to be a friend of Playgirl Magazine. As I broadcasted all over the universe, I was in their December, 2005 issue and I've got an interview coming up in a future issue as well as an excerpt from my novel. In today's mail I received an interesting looking padded envelope addressed to me from Trans Digital Media. Hmmm, what was this? It felt like a DVD and I knew I didn't order any DVDs but ooh, ooh, maybe someone sent me a gift?

Yep. And it was a DVD alright.

The promo lines on the cover say "Private Pleasures. Every Woman Has Them. Maybe You'll See Yours In...PLAYGIRL PRIVATE PLEASURES."

It came with a note:

Dear Robin:
Please enclosed find a note from your friends at Playgirl. Private Pleasures is the first Playgirl TV DVD available for home use. I hope you enjoy this complimentary copy and....

Yep, you guessed it. I got a free DVD called PLAYGIRL PRIVATE PLEASURES (and by the way, the guy on the front cover looks like Johnny Depp) and they want me to watch it and write a review.

Oh, I think that can be arranged.

My son saw it on the coffee table and said "Ewwwwwwwwww"

I took it away from him and just put it upstairs next to my bed where it belongs.

(Now you can really say "Ewwwwwwwwww", Eric)

Ha ha.

Love,
Mom