Jenny and Tyler and...Aero!

Since the last post, there's been so much happening. Work kept getting busier and at one of the gigs I was managing stage for, I discovered what could possibly be my favorite indie band of the year, Jenny and Tyler. I'm not claiming they're changing the way music works, but they are the real deal and there is a priceless charm about their music. I hear dozens of terrible bands every day, every week, all year long, but these guys had me pushing my ear closer. Check them out at http://www.jennyandtylermusic.com/. My personal favorites are "Nashville" and "Season" but the whole project is great for a mild summer night with coffee.

Speaking of work, I guess I finally reached my limits. A couple weeks ago I was finishing at a gig and driving home when a pain shot up my arm and hit me like I had never felt before. I got home, tried to sleep, and the pain got worse as it got harder to breathe. I fought the night to wait for the doctor's office to open up where I was able to get in at the last minute where she promptly sent me to the hospital and then to a couple labs for blood work, x-rays, etc. The overall diagnosis: too much work, lack of sleep, excessive physical exhaustion and stress. There is one more test waiting to be done by a specialist if/when an attack returns to pinpoint exactly what it is, but the one thing that was made clear to me was that it was my body's alarm telling me enough was enough. I'm on light medication therapy now to ease the symptoms and trying to take things a little easier. I say this as I'm looking at two 12-16 hour days ahead, but at least I'm just trying to be more careful.

I wired my bed with a Bose audio system to whisk me away to a more comfortable sleep, trying to end the nights at normal (or as close as I can get) hours and with light reading and tea. We'll see how things go, I'm trying to accept the fact that as much as I love work, it isn't worth dying for...literally.

Last weekend, I drove to Baltimore's Inner Harbor to meet my good friends, Chuck and Kirsty Hornbostel. That ended up a story in itself. Just miles away, they had a tire blow and were stranded. I tried to get a tire jack and a way to get to them, but the crowded streets slowed that down. Meanwhile, they fought unhelpful locals and technical problems with the spare tire. Long story short, hours later we meet up at Arundel Mills at Damons for a brief dinner (after all that we had to make it worth something). This was the last get-together before they moved to Macedonia for Chuck's work.

Fast forward to tonight and I get home after a long day at work and see a package from whom? The Hornbostels! And what is inside? My favorite UK candy bar...AERO! THANKS SO MUCH CHUCK AND KIRSTY!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And now, time to wind down and try and get some sleep before an insane weekend of work.

Until we meet again,

-Rod