Happy Birthday Julie!

Julie Slick, probably the most gorgeous twenty year old in the universe. Okay, so I'm prejudiced, but still...

Yep, Julie turns twenty today. A moment of silence while I recover from the shock of it all.

Alas, Drexel University does not allow time off for birthdays, so she is headed out the door with boyfriend Matt for a fun-filled day of classes and then we're going out to an early dinner somewhere in the neighborhood because Matt is taking her to the Franklin Institute at 8:00 p.m. to see the Bodyworlds exhibit, which is too cool for words. Go check out the website -- man, it's intense -- an anatomical exhibition of real human bodies. Here's a taste - it's called "Man Playing Chess"

Heh. Looks like something in a Neil Gaiman book, huh. Okay, that's enough Gaimanizing. I'm finally over it and plan to spend today calmly reading/memorizing the story I've written for the Community College reading tomorrow. Yikes, I found out I'm reading last -- there's only three readers -- but holy cow, I have to follow Randall Brown, who is one of my favorite short story writers. Oh, the pressure!

Wait -- hang on. Gaimanizing? I do believe I've just invented a new, wonderful word. I just did a quick Google search and I cannot believe it, no one has ever used it before. How is that possible? Hahahahaha - hey, if you saw/heard him in person, you would know just how brilliant this is and I think I should contact Websters and Wikipedia at once.

Right.

So as I mentioned the other day, on Friday Julie and I had our annual birthday lunch at Le Bec Fin. When we sat down, our waiter asked us if we'd like a glass of champagne. Okay, I'm a terrible mother, my daughter is not twenty-one and legal yet, but I said SURE, and this painfully handsome sommelier poured us each a glass and then the infamous owner, Georges Perrier, came over to our table and like every other man who sees her, gasped over Julie but then was kind enough to include me in his comment "To what do I owe the pleasure of these two beautiful women in my restaurant?" and Julie blushed prettily and I, ever the nervous bigmouth (see Gaiman post below) blurted "It's my daughter's 21ST BIRTHDAY" (I guess so as not to get arrested for allowing my daughter to underage drink -- oh my god, I really am such a dork it's pitiful)...anyway, he made a fuss, kissed her hand...I had insanely delicious salmon; Julie had some fish I've never even heard of...then we had desserts and I say desserts because we both had like five slices of each -- and here's a fun fact -- did you know that "stressed" backwards is "desserts"? In this case, it makes perfect sense, because when our waiter handed me the check, it was for $207.00. I blinked and tried to focus my eyes -- I thought I was seeing wrong; Julie saw my face and looked over and she almost fell out of her chair -- because oh my god, it turns out that our slender glasses of champagne were $48.00 (ha ha - I guess if you are wealthy enough to eat at Le Bec Fin, you don't bother to ask the waiter how much the champagne is when he offers you a glass)...but um, $207.00 for lunch is a little outrageous though Julie and I had a good laugh over what idiots we are...you simply cannot take us anywhere. Because after we realized we'd drunk $48.00 a glass champagne and how expensive lunch was, we sat there giggling uncontrollably though Julie did manage to gasp "Mom...seriously...please don't buy me a present, too - this lunch was my present" and I'm like, okay, right, sure, whatever...but of course in Julie's world, every day is her birthday -- she has both her father and me eating out of her beautiful little hand all year.

I will also give you a brief synopsis of this day twenty years ago. I went into labor, called my doctor, and you know, the contractions were coming pretty quickly and he said get to the hospital. It was the coldest day ever - it must have been fifty below zero, and because I'd been confined to my bed since October of that year because of all kinds of complications, I never bought a winter coat which would accommodate my pregnancy. So I wore this big old black coat with a huge beaver collar (arghhh...don't shoot me, PETA people, it wasn't mine) I'd inherited from my late mother and naturally because I hadn't been outdoors since October I had no gloves, no winter shoes, nothing available. Gary was like "No problem, Rob, we'll park in the inside lot adjacent to the hospital, you'll only be outside for a minute."

Cool, right?

Wrong.

We parked in what was the soon to be demolished indoor lot at Jefferson University Hospital in downtown Philadelphia. There were no available spots, so Gary kept driving up and up and up and up until we were like on the 17th floor of this thing and by now, the contractions are really coming hard and fast and I was starting to freak out. We get out of the car and head for the "EXIT" signs. Only one problem. Every door was locked. We then raced for a sign which said "Elevator"...only, the elevator had a sign "Out of Service". So then we tried to find stairs. Meanwhile, it may have said "indoor parking" but of course it was probably a hundred below zero in there; it was all open and we were up high in the wind...and I was in freaking agony.

We must have walked around that parking lot for a half an hour, me convinced I was going to die in there; Gary out of his mind altogether. Miraculously, we finallly stumbled on the one unmarked door that was actually unlocked and led to a staircase...only to walk down several flights to learn that the door on the ground floor was locked. Gary started pounding and screaming "SOMEBODY HELP US SOMEBODY HELP US!" At that point, we were both frozen solid and I didn't even feel the contractions anymore. Anyway, a pissed off looking attendant opened the door and said "What the hell are you two doing in here" and Gary started cursing at him about the conditions at the parking lot and I'm like "Um...I think I'm dying here" so we rushed into the emergency room and a couple of hours later, Julie made her appearance and life as we knew it would never be the same again and I swore she'd be an only child.

And six months later, I was pregnant with Eric.

In case you haven't guessed, I've adored being a parent and I've got a little sob caught in my throat right now as I realize Julie is no longer a teenager...and life is changing for me bigtime once again.

A little too rapidly.

Later...
xo

And I was worried about 2006 not being exciting (though I'm still cringing over the Gaiman incident)

Too funny - I found this photo online on some kid's blog. Yet another "the back of my head shot" at the Gaiman signing, where he is HOLDING MY PEN! I can add this to the collection -- I have a whole series of back of my head shots from England, where I made the mistake of entrusting my camera to my daughter and her boyfriend. Actually, in light of the photo below that Eric took of me the night of the signing and in light of the fact that everyone who meets me says "Oh my god, you are so much prettier than your picture" I guess from now on, it's back of the head or nothing.

And by the way, I also found a picture of the vampire who sat next to me. See? I told you he was a normal looking guy!



So yeah, I've been in a great mood except for the times when I'm cringing over what a dork I was that night. Because I was so sure I'd never be able to top 2005 and I started realizing that not only did 2006 start out with that incredible reading, I have a ton of really cool stuff coming up.

I'm reading at Community College Tuesday night at 5:15 p.m. and I've made my decision to go the humor route and read a brand new piece though I will talk about my book a bit.

And I've heard from my publisher which is great news because I was really starting to get neurotic about that and naturally assumed they thought my book was a piece o'crap. Anyway, they've told me that Another Bite of the Apple, which is the sequel to Three Days in New York, will be released shortly and in time for the RT Convention in Daytona Beach, Florida this May and yes, yes, I will be attending and what the hell, I'll even dress as a vampire. Wait, what am I saying. No, no I won't. Maybe I'll wear a corset, though. I've always wanted to do that, anyway. I just hope they have dim lighting. People really get into it at this convention - you have all of the romance people dressed as fairy princesses and the paranormal people in the aforesaid vampire attire and then there's the people like me in a black shirt and jeans who wonder what the hell they are doing there but Phaze does publish erotica and they lump us in there, too, even though I will once again say for the last time THREE DAYS IN NEW YORK IS A COMEDY though, okay, it does contain very graphic sex but I'm kind of poking fun at everything in it.

I've also written a couple of new short stories and have gotten a lot of good feedback on Embouchure, a story I wrote a few months ago which was recently published here. So that, along with the whole Gaiman "You must be Robin" thing, restored my confidence - hence my writing tear. Damn. I'm still kicking myself for not asking him how he knew that. I guess it's going to be one of life's unsolved mysteries.

In music news, Eric and his band Flamingo have a gig at the Knitting Factory in New York on February 7; he's got the April-May tour with Project Object which will take him all over the place and I'll be flying here and there to see his shows in selected cities...and he's got something really, really exciting happening this week which I will spill probably Thursday or Friday. It could be major. Meanwhile, Flamingo is busy recording their new CD and I've heard the rough cuts. It's amazing. Mind blowing, even. And this is without the vocals yet, which still haven't been added.

Tomorrow is my daughter's 20th birthday. I'll have a lot more to say about this momentous occasion then, as well as recap our lunch Friday at Le Bec Fin.

That's a pretty funny story in itself.

Later,
xo

You're tagged!

As stated yesterday, I've been tagged again but was first warned of that fact via e-mail. Ha ha - when I first saw that subject line I thought Holy crap, what did I do now? But it's all in good fun.

So here's the deal. Author Ellen Meister has tagged me for the below questionnaire that's making the rounds in writer circles. "Tell ten interesting facts about yourself". Most of you know everything weird there is to know about me, but I’ve dug deep into what’s left of my brain and hopefully there are a few surprises:

1. I’ve played guitar since I’m eleven years old but inexplicably I have only really mastered three songs in my entire life: The Girl from Ipanema, Jethro Tull’s version of Bourree, and Arlo Guthrie’s Coming Into Los Angeles. (Ha ha – I used to scream those lyrics at the top of my lungs. Look 'em up when you visit Arlo's above provided link and it won't be too hard to figure out why)=

2. My right eye is light green and my left eye is brown

3. I used to steal Barbie accessories from my cousin Annie because she had really great stuff and I had the five and dime knock-offs but I got caught when I tried to make off with her prize possession – Barbie’s pearl encrusted satin wedding dress for her marriage to Ken.

4. Speaking of Barbie, I once got in trouble for undressing her and Ken, taping them together naked, and wheeling them down the street in my (fake) Barbie car. Having just heard a rumor about how babies were born, I was hoping they’d make me a little Skipper or Midge doll.

5. I am an unbelievable cook. No, really, I am. I usually put myself down in every other area, but when it comes to cooking and baking, I rule. Therefore…

6. The Food Section is the first thing I read in the Sunday newspaper, not the book reviews or international news. You have my permission to shoot me now.

7. I have a fantasy that it’s my job to choose the music/songs for professional ice skaters and I can’t even watch the Olympics without picking out some obscure rock song in my head that I think would work much better with the choreography than the hokey songs they’ve selected.

8. And then there’s that other fantasy of mine to be a real rock and roll radio disc jockey…not the knucklehead Howard Sterns out there now but someone who plays great music and talks music and gives music history lessons and yes, I know, I’d have about five listeners but who cares.

9. I cannot do anything without listening to music simultaneously.

10. Not counting jeans, I wear only black clothing. There are no exceptions to this rule. I don’t even own a pair or shoes or coat that isn’t black.

**********

Okay, now you know all there is to know about me. I tag the brilliant and hilarious Lori Young and the beautifully poetic/prolific Kat Denza!

Be sure to check on their blogs later today or tomorrow for what is sure to be a fun and interesting read.

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In other news, I have a new piece up today in that favorite insane magazine of mine, Opium, which is part of a series of interconnected stories I've been working on for the past several years. And in case you didn't know, Opium is throwing a five year anniversary gala for themselves on February 4 in New York City. You'll see it advertised on their website, along with a list of the simply stellar authors who will be in attendance. Since Eric has a gig at the New York Knitting Factory on February 7, I'm seriously considering getting a hotel in New York for three days.

Ahem. Three Days in New York City?

Odds and Sods for January 25, 2006 (and Neil Gaiman is driving to Philadelphia?)

Eric Slick at the Digitech party in LA last week

Happy Hump Day.

So things are happening here -- looks like my son has an agent (and it's someone we all know and love and no, no, it's not me but I'm not saying another word until it's definite because I made that error with "that other band" with whom Eric was briefly involved and I've learned my lesson). There's a strong possibility that Eric will be out in LA again both before and after the spring Project Object tour in between going into the studio and recording some demos.

By the way, Andre of Project Object e-mailed me a mock-up of their updated website yesterday which includes Eric and I cannot wait to post the link once it's officially up. The group photo is absolutely hilarious and wonderful. But Andre does have the following in the "News" section already:

"Hey all. Hope u are well.....Stay tuned -we have a BUNCH of dates coming your way soon, the Spring Tour will be roughly mid-April to mid-May. AND -- a big change for us...Ta-da!! We have a new Drummer!! Yes indeed -- the wheel has turned folks....as with the REAL, actual Zappa band, occasionally we like to shake it up and get some new blood in there -- this time I have brought on board the incredible talents of ERIC SLICK - amazing Philly based drummer, some of you may have seen him sit-in at Philly shows, most recently at the World Cafe' Live , where he steered the band through the greatest version of 'King Kong' we have ever done. ERIC is also a graduate of Paul Green's School of Rock - and he appears in the movie ROCKSCHOOL about that great chain of schools. I've had my eye and ear on Eric's skills for a couple years now, but he had school and studio responsibilities that precluded the possibility of hiring him. Glenn Leonard will go on to other ventures, we wish him luck and thank him for his years of hard work in the band from 2002 to 2005. Stay tuned, you might even see him sit in on some tuned percussion somewhere....ALSO - this will be the first...100% PAUL GREEN SCHOOL OF ROCK STAFF TOUR!!! - Yes indeed, everyone in the band either currently, or in the past, has taught or attended the PGSOR..Besides Eric Slick's tenure at the Philadelphia school... I am proud to say I am now running rehearsals at the Bergen, NJ School, Eric Svalgard (KEYS/VOC) is a director/teacher, and Dave Johnsen (BASS/VOC) teaches, both at the Downingtown NJ location, Ike Willis (GTR/VOC) is at the Los Angeles school (with P/O alumni Carl Restivo)...special occasional guest Seahag/Robbie Mangano is at the NYC school..and finally Veteran Driver-Merch Goddess Laura Wilson worked at the NYC location anad still does some projects for them! WOW - Paul Green has..invaded Project/Object. Yikes!! SEE YA ON TOUR FOLKS!! more info soon...."
**********
All I can say is, Yay, Rock School! Yay, Eric! He made a ton of contacts at NAMM and it appears they're paying off.

I like how he casually mentions to me yesterday "Oh, did I tell you Ringo's tech kept coming up to me and telling me how great I was?"

Err...no, dear, you didn't, or I'd have posted a billboard immediately. Oh well, consider it posted now.
**********
In writing news, I was recently solicited by two separate publishers for anthologies -- one mainstream, one erotica, so I sent off two stories and I'm pretty psyched about that. More info as soon as I receive it.

I heard from Megan at Playgirl Magazine yesterday that my bio/interview will be in her next print column so you know I'll be screaming from the rooftops when that appears. Also, an excerpt from my novel will be on their website soon. Again, just listen for the screams of joy coming from the vicinity of the Art Museum area and you'll be able to figure out when that happens easily enough.

I also have a new blog with Phaze which will solely concern my projects with them. Here's the link to that but I don't have anything posted yet. Ha ha - Phaze doesn't know what they're getting into with me. I'm a serial blogger as you can tell. But the nice thing about having a blog at Phaze is that I don't have to mention Julie and Eric ad nauseam...I can simply promote my books there and not bother any of you with that unless...nah, scratch that, I'm still going to bother you.

Hey, speaking of writing, just a reminder that I'm reading at the Poets and Writers Festival at Philadelphia Community College on Tuesday, January 31 at 5:15 p.m. but of course I'll post more links and info on that either Monday or Tuesday morning. I have to decide what I'm reading...I have a few flashes which are funny and crowd pleasers, but I guess the businesswoman in me (ha ha ha what businesswoman? You mean this clueless baby boomer sitting here now in a faded black Who t-shirt picking sleep out of her eyes?) is saying I should try and find a PG-rated passage in Three Days in New York City -- there must be one in there somewhere, right? -- or one from the sequel. We'll see. I have fifteen minutes to read so I'll start fooling around with some things today, time myself, and make the decision based on that.
**********
Julie also has something interesting in the works but trust me I REALLY know better than to spill that until it happens. Speaking of Julie, the little darling turns twenty on Monday and I'm still in shock over that one. The celebration kicks off on Friday when we have our annual lunch at Le Bec Fin, Philadelphia's five star French restaurant. Wow. I just realized it seems like yesterday that I posted a photo of our lunch there this time last year. Anyway, for those who care, I've already pre-selected my meal. The appetizer will be the "Gambas aux épices et salade de crabe, mousse de pommes et de céleri, émulsion au curry", or to plebs like me, better known as "spiced shrimp and crab salad, apple and celeriac mousse, curry emulsion". My entree, unless they have a spectacular special, will be "Pavé de saumon rôti,topinambour et champignons en feuilles de brick", a/k/a roasted salmon, sunchoke and mushroom in brick dough, rosemary chicken jus. For dessert, they wheel a round a pastry cart and it's an all you can eat affair. Take a look at what's offered. I have threatened to simply ask for one of each. Julie doesn't believe I will have the guts to do it, but this is a prix fixe meal and at $54 a head without wine, tax, or tip, I'm betting on myself.

If only they didn't come around every three seconds with baskets of hot rosemary olive rolls and softened butter...that's going to sabotage everything!

Her celebration continues when boyfriend Matt takes her out to dinner on Saturday night at one of her other favorite spots, Chloe, and then on Monday, her actual birthday, we'll all go out to dinner as a family...hopefully to a restaurant specializing in nothing but healthy salads under 400 calories.
**********
And have I mentioned Neil Gaiman will be here tomorrow? I've had to swear one hundred times to Eric -- who is going with me to the reading reluctantly though I know he's going to have a great time because Eric is an awesome writer and artist as well as a musician -- that I will do nothing to embarrass either of us. Anyway, if you click on the link, you'll see that he's freaking driving here from Minneapolis! That's a 1,200 mile drive -- I know, because I looked it up. After going on Rock School tours with thirteen hour bus rides, all I can say is better him than me. But truth be told, it's such a hassle to take a plane anymore, I don't blame him. Besides, I read he's got the car of my dreams -- a mini Cooper convertible -- which he probably can't drive right now in icy Minnesota so he's probably looking forward to taking that baby out on the highway since at least here in Philly, we've been having Spring in January. How about last night, by the way? A thunder/lightning storm of truly magnificent proportions!

Anyway, I continue to keep to my promise to limit my online activities to about 1-2 hours a day while I work on my novel in progress...ha ha...my friends from Zoetrope will know why I put that in bold...sorry for the private joke, but I could not resist.

Also, speaking of my Zoetrope pals, I have just been tagged by my good friend Ellen Meister who was tagged by our pal Myfanwy Collins so now I know what I'll be posting tomorrow. This should be a blast. Make sure you check out Myfanwy's answers, too, and follow other links...like this link to the always fascinating Susan Henderson.

Later
xo

Eric Slick in LA - and now he's back -- and I'm torturing him and all of his friends for photos

But this one pretty much says it all:



That's Eric and Katie Jacoby, rock violinist extraordinaire (and thank you Katie and Esther, Katie's mom, for furnishing me with this first group of photos), and Eric's not awake to verify this, but I'm guessing they're at In-N-Out Burger and I wish to register a complaint: Why aren't there any In-N-Out Burgers on the east coast?

Actually, as I look a little closer, that's not In-N-Out Burger...that's...IHOP?

Hang on -- those aren't straws, they're chopsticks. Ah, okay, that's right. Eric told me that Paul took everyone out to dinner at this amazing sushi restaurant called Sushi Ya.

I'm going to put the "Eric With Celebrity" photos toward the bottom of this post so I don't have to shrink them down too much -- all of my links on the right hand side of this blog force me to minimalize my photos and I've never mastered that trick where you can shrink a pic and then click on it and make it bigger. Heh. Everyone please ignore any metaphors crossing your dirty little minds...

Here's a couple of Eric at Radio Station KLOS in LA where he did three songs on the Mark and Brian show. I just have one question. Where did he get those glasses?







Here's a shot of Eric on stage at the Los Angeles Knitting Factory:



Here are a few from the performance with the great Mike Keneally outside the John Lennon Bus (which will be available for you all to watch for free on the Lennon site in a few days and as soon as the link is up, I will post it):












Who wants some Zach Miller? Eric hasn't stopped raving about his keyboard wizardry!

Who wants some Zach Miller, Mike Keneally, and Eric Slick?


Okay, more celebrity photo time:

Here's Eric with Kenny Aronoff.


And Eric with his idol, Vinny Colaiuta, with whom he had a private meeting


Eric also hung out with Joe Satriani and I'm waiting for a kind soul to send me any photos he/she might have of that!

Anyway, I have a ton more photos on my photobucket site, and right now Eric is still sleeping...he'll probably sleep until it's time to leave for work (teaching drums today) at 3:00 p.m....so I'll probably get all the LA stories at different times during the week -- Eric was really fried when he got home last night and basically collapsed into bed. I'll report them as I get them.
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I also have some writing news, but that deserves a separate post later in the week as well. Have I mentioned Neil Gaiman will be in Philadelphia for a reading on Thursday and I'm making Eric go with me? Hahahahaha - someone has to make sure I behave.

Later
xo

Eric Slick in LA - continued

Eric took this shot of outside NAMM

ETA: Here's some celebrity shots for you. Recognize this dude? Ha ha - yeah, you've got it, it's Constantine. (I'm not a fan, but what can I say...he's at NAMM). Below Constantine is Nancy Wilson of Heart and Dr. Epi (who the hell is Dr. Epi? Did I mention I'm out of the loop lately?)




So I've heard from Eric but only sporadically and not since early yesterday morning, right before the appearance on the Mark and Brian Show. Thank god for my pals on the west coast, because I heard that the kids killed! No one could believe them - apparently they did a version of Neil Young's Down by the River which gave my friends the chills -- they also performed Heart's Barracuda and The Who's Baba O'Reilly which rendered most people speechless.

Yay, Rock School!

But as far as the show at the Knitting Factory last night, I don't know how that went over yet, and I have no shots of the kids performing at Digitech, either, but Eric did find time to hit a Starbucks and forward me a couple shots which will probably only interest the parents of the kids involved, but what the hell, who knows who reads this blog anyway....here they are....

First one up is Julia Ranier and, I hate to say this but I'm out of the loop, an All-Star I do not know so if anyone wants to identify him or the others I mention I don't know, go for it in the comments section.



Don't know who these Rock School All-Stars are, either, darn it! How depressing not to know their names after being an integral part of Rock School since its inception. But they look cool whoever they are...



Okay, this kid I know. Hi, Eric!



This is Sara Zimmerman, the best slide guitar player on the face of the planet other than Bonnie Raitt and maybe Ben Harper...



Oh, look, the obligatory photo of the clouds from the plane. Ha ha, Eric. Are you in competition with your father for "art shots"? Heh. What next, shots of the ceiling lamps? Better not - your dad has that territory covered already. (I have shots of the ceiling lamps from every Rock School show dating back to 1998. If you think I'm kidding...sadly, I am not)



All kidding aside, Eric is a very cool photographer and here's a few other shots he took:









Anyway, I'm hoping Eric calls me this morning or gets to a Starbucks before he performs with Mike Keneally on the John Lennon bus this afternoon...I'd love to be able to post some action shots.

That's it for now. I'm actually trying to limit my online time and stick to a strict writing in longhand schedule. I have to say that the other positive thing about writing in longhand is that it removes the temptation to visit cyberworld. I find it impossible not to go on line and play when I write, even though I tell myself I'm doing "research". And then there's that AOL thing that goes off "YOU'VE GOT MAIL" and god forbid I shouldn't check that right away.

The only drawback to writing in longhand is forcing myself to type it up and discovering it's not as brilliant as I thought it was when I first wrote it. Ah well. Baby steps, right? Better than nothing.

Where's Eric? And somebody, anybody...what the hell is a meme?

Eric Slick in Hollywood

BREAKING NEWS: JUST ADDED 11:42 a.m.

So after the Rock School All-Stars performed at the Digitech party last night, this guy came up to Eric, shook his hand, and said "You'd have done Ringo proud. You did some things on the drums that he only dreams about." (rim shots, apparently)

Or something like that.

I'm like, ohmygodohmygodohmygod "Eric, do you know who HE IS?"

"Oh yeah, I know," said Eric. "Yeah, a bunch of guys gave me their cards..."

Oh god. Nice to be so jaded, Er. Nice to give your mother heart failure as she sits here pouting in Philadelphia.

(I just had to sign him up for some daily passes for T-Mobile Hot Spots and he promises me he's going to be sending me photos and more info later today via his laptop. Apparently the Guitar Center gig tonight is cancelled so he's got down time to....hopefully go to a Starbucks and send mother an email and pics? Hahahahahaha - there I go dreaming again)
***********
(original post of this morning)

Okay, Eric phoned me late yesterday to let me know he was safe and sound in L.A. and was heading off to sound check for the Digitech party, and that's the last I heard from him, though he did give me the news that he's tentatively having breakfast this morning with Mick Fleetwood.

Yawn...

(Ha ha - yawn? Not really! I want details! I want photos! I want to be there, damn it!)

So while I wait to hear from my errant son, something I keep forgetting to put out there is...what the hell is a meme? And do you pronounce it me, me? Or is it pronounced, god forbid, like memo except mem-eh? Or does it rhyme with dream? You know, you become a Neil Gaiman fan and you not only come upon links to sites which show graphic horrors (heh) like a skinned, roasted rat that some dude actually ate for New Years Eve dinner, but you learn all kinds of new words and "meme" pops up with every google search. Like a million times. So I tried looking up what it meant and I'm not satisfied with the answers I'm getting. Is a meme a trend? Is it something intangible, like an idea? Why are memes and Neil Gaiman synonymous? And yes, once again, how the hell do you pronounce it because every time I've typed it here, I've called it something different in my head.

And by the way, there's a new Neil Gaiman store where he is asking his fans for suggestions as to what they would like to see for sale. On Tuesday, not being able to help myself, I wrote in the space provided on said site that I'd like to a black t-shirt with a lime on it. And what does Neil write in his journal yesterday? "Me, I want a t-shirt with a lime on it."

Coincidence? I think not!

Okay, okay. I'm delusional.

Meanwhile, where's my son and why hasn't he called? Gossip central here is reduced to watching The Today Show. Kill me now. Please.

But first tell me what a "meme" is.

Eric Slick in LA - Part One - The Riot House

So here's the hotel where Eric is staying in LA for the next five days:

"Just as The Rainbow was the meeting spot for the rock and roll elite, the “Continental Hyatt House” was where the party always ended up. The Hyatt House (now the Hyatt West Hollywood) was nicknamed “The Riot House”, and for good reason. The parties are legendary. Virtually every rock and roller who was worth his or her salt stayed at the Riot House at one time or another. Three reasons come to mind as to why the Continental Hyatt house became a central point in L.A.’s rock and roll sub-culture. They offered (and still offer) band rates on multiple rooms, it was within minutes of no fewer than 32 record companies and probably more importantly, the Hyatt was merely a short limousine ride (or drunken stumble) east from The Rainbow and the Roxy. Not much has been told of the goings on at the Hyatt House."

Tonight Eric and the Rock School All-Stars are performing at a very special party sponsored by Digitech where there's going to be a very special presentation and some very special guests and Eric said if I blab one word of any of these top-secret details this morning he's going to kill me and since he's got his laptop with him and can check, I'd better stop right now before the temptation is too great. But he's going to be in touch with me either late tonight (ha ha - he knows I wake up at 5:00 a.m. and he'll probably just be getting in at 2:00 a.m. LA time) or early tomorrow and your Hollywood reporter here will file her report as soon as she gets the okay.

Oh man, this is killing me. I wish I could give at least one hint.

But alas, that's all for now, darn it. Stay tuned..

Eric Slick invades LA again

So Eric leaves for NAMM among other things in California early tomorrow morning. The above is the poster for the LA Knitting Factory show this Friday night - Eric and the Rock School All-Stars are opening for Volto, which is Danny Carey's band. (Danny Carey is the drummer from Tool).

Anyway, I'm so jealous. Take a look at Eric's schedule for the next few days:

WED JAN 18
6AM- Meet at Rock School
8:45AM- In the air to LA
12:10PM- Arrive in LA
2PM- Go to NAMM
4PM- Sound Check for Digitech Show
7PM- Start of show
?- End, and back to hotel

THUR 19
EARLY- NAMM
4PM- Guitar Center Sound Check
7PM- Show at LA Guitar Center
8:30PM- End of show

FRI 20
7:30AM- Set Up for the Mark and Brian KLOS radio show
9AM- Live on AIR
9:30AM- Approximate end for radio show
1AM- At NAMM
4/5PM- Load-In/Sound Check at Knitting Factory
7PM- Doors
8PM- Show

SAT 21
1-1:30PM- Show at the Lennon School Bus

SUN 22
5:30AM- Arrive at LAX airport
4:10PM- Back in Philly

Now with each one of these events, there are pretty exciting details and I could do some serious name dropping here as concerns various rock stars/legends in attendance wih whom my son will be hanging out, but Eric is like, Mom, don't post anything yet, wait until they happen, I'll call you or email you every day. (I won't hold my breath but yep, you guessed it, when I don't hear from him, I'll ring him up and threaten him with sanctions (ha) if I get his voicemail.)

So I'm off to help Eric pack and then oh yeah, out to dinner!!

Random Highbrow

So I read about this little contest which interested me because I love playing with words (translate: love to procrastinate with internet writing games)...anyway, here's the rules:

Random Highbrow competition

Writers - your task is to take ten words and write a very short work of fiction or a poem (250 words maximum). All ten words must be used. The frequency of their usage is up to the writer.

This competition's ten words are from Machiavelli's The Prince.

intentions
circumstances
rapacious
proved
joined
patrimony
powerful
resent
single-mindedness
retaining

I mean, some of the words are easy but try and use rapacious and patrimony in a 250 word story without coming off like a total pretentious asshole and see if you can do it.

So here's the link in question which features my story as well as all of the other entries over at Grimm Magazine and please don't hold this one against me -- it was done tongue in cheek and is totally and completely politically incorrect but what can you do -- better that than a pompous piece of PPA (prose performance art -- my term for stream of consciousness writing where oh-so-hip authors string fancy words together to form artful, nonsensical phrases and we're supposed to "get it", stroke our chins and whisper in reverence "Brilliant! Simply brilliant!" Though in a contest such as this, I guess I'll tolerate a little PPA.

But only if it makes me laugh.