Long time no sea..

And I mean it. I need to get my feet into some salt water, and I mean soon! It's shameful that I live so close to the ocean but never spend time in it. Also, it's been a while since I posted, obviously. Sorry for the cheesy play on words, but folks come to expect it of me.

The past nine months have zipped by ridiculously fast. I helped a friend out by letting him stay with me for a few weeks.. that turned into 6 months. Much awkwardness and no hilarity ensued. My mother was diagnosed with Celiac's disease, and my grandmother with COPD, nonsmall cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the lung, and stiffening heart valves. They're both doing ok for the most part, all things considered. Dad and my uncle are in relatively good health.

Lil' Mama's Red Pepper Squirrel has closed their doors since my last post.. the owners have a bit too much going on and have decided to sell it. I've been having some issues with my girlfriend over the past several months, a good part of which is due to my own inherent instability. Or maybe it's fear of commitment. Or maybe I want too much and am not willing to give enough. Bottom line, I'm trying to be a better person. Hard. To. Pull. Off. Mainly because being a shit just comes easily. But I'm trying, and progressing, I think.

I talked to a really good friend of mine from way back this afternoon, and that was really refreshing. It's nice to have the sort of friendship that maintains like that.. seems that no matter what's happening in either of our lives, when we talk it's just like it was back in the day. And that sort of stability speaks volumes. He's got a local band together that gained a lot of popularity, and I couldn't be prouder of that. I'm proud that he's pursuing his talents, and I'm proud that he's found a way to express his beliefs in a way that can touch so many folks. Check out www.solidgroundministries.com sometime.. you won't be disappointed.

While I'm still thinking about music, I'll mention that I may have a little something developing around here. I've been in touch with a local guitarist about possibly putting together a small group, and I couldn't be happier. I've loved playing music for over twenty years now, and I've been really jonesing to find someone with similar tastes to practice with. Hopefully we'll be able to hammer out some tunes.

In other news, I'm stopping painting pretty much altogether. I'm sad about not working for myself in that aspect (did I ever mention on this blog that I did interior/exterior contract painting?), but it's probably for the best. I never really made much money at it, and I blew out my knee today for the last time while stepping off a ladder. No more climbing for me! Really, I haven't been taking many contracts lately, so it won't be a huge change for me I suppose.

Move on.