Oct. 15, 2002
Le Chat et l'Oiseau

Thanks to everyone who wrote me with suggestions for living a less stressful life.  I have implemented several of your suggestions into a life plan which hopefully result in a whole new me.  Not only have I been going to the gym, I actually made it to the gym before work last Tuesday!

Now my big thing is not getting intimidated by how many musicians there are in the world and how many of them are better than me.  Not an easy task when you play shows with people like Greg Horne and Django Haskins.  I played an in-the-round show with them at Java House at the beginning of the month, and man are they great guitar players!  And great writers!  That was a really fun night.  I know Greg's CD is great 'cause I have it, and I can only assume that Django's CD's are as cool as he is.  Go buy their CD's!  Spread the love!  Go indie!!!

If you haven't been to IndieGate yet, go check it out now because Tales From the Fruitbat Vat is featured on the main page!  I love being a featured artist on IndieGate!  Go indie!!!

Sorry, got a little excited there.  Calming down now.

I'm busy for the rest of October, and I'm quite pleased.  Check out the gig schedule to see what I mean.  November's not quite as booked, but then, both of my choirs have concerts towards the end of the month, and that's also the start of caroling season, so it's probably good enough unless I can get those first two Saturdays booked.  Anyone having a birthday party they'd like me to play at?  Anniversary party?  Wedding?  Divorce?  (Most of my songs would probably be more appropriate for a divorce than a wedding, actually.)

Derek Sivers of the illustrious CDBaby introduced me to a new fun game.  It's a translation program on the altavista search engine called Babelfish, and, being a computer program, it's not particularly well-versed in the subtleties of language.  So, if you use it to translate something into, say, Japanese, copy that text, and then translate it back into English, high hilarity ensues.  You can do it with anything, obviously, but Mr. Sivers suggests trying it with song lyrics.  I only wish I had the time to do this with every song I know, but, since time is short and we must work for our living, I will give you only a taste.  I present to you the English-French-English version of "The Cat & the Canary," courtesy of Babelfish:

When me do you say that I am beautiful, I feel like the cat which ate you upwards, and I know I don't deserves you, but then, which? Thus I tell you this you're splendid until it encourages you to redden, until you must embrace me just to incite me to close upwards. My spirit is such a disorder that I can't just left you inside. It's a place that you wouldn't want to visit, even less phase, but I will save you the trouble to ask what laughing I'm. I laugh because I'm so full, satisfied cat. And when owe to you me in all your naked glory, how I am can preserve to eat you upwards? And when owe me to you and that you adore me, how I am say can preserve to eat you upwards? You know, you are really with good for me; you accept too much. In the return, you obtain thus little without counting that my love, thus I'll right open my mouth and close my eyes. Will you fly far, or will jump you inside?

What’s in my stereo at home: