This Desert Life

Once again, it's nearly Spring. And once again, I'm in Arizona.

Some good things have happened since I got here. Had a nice visit with Dad and the step-mom. Found them an estate planning attorney that was both reasonably priced and excellently credentialed, and hopefully really good. Saw the Angels pummel the D-backs. Got in some good runs, including one in Old Town Tucson, site of the filming of Rio Bravo and (ta-da!) The Three Amigos. Won $250 at the Indian Casino. Saw "The Palm Beach Story" and finished "Blink" and closed a couple of deals. I should get away more often.

But today is a day of mourning. Mandy Moore and Ryan "Gimme a Haircut and a Bath" Adams got married. We're just counting the days until this one comes to a fiery end.

On a similar note, Bristol Palin and Levi "Don't Call Me Stubbs" WhateverHisLastNameIs broke up. But she won't be off the market for long. Look at that mom. You know Bristol will age well, folks.

I had several goals for this trip. For one, I purposefully did not bring any guitars along. Because I'm sort of at a crossroads, although not of the Robert Johnson variety. I own a bunch of guitars. I check out eBay all the time to look at guitars and guitar parts. But I don't get that much joy out of it. It's like a bad habit. I play, and I like to play. I like to write and sing. But I really don't do any of it that well. I mean, I will make no one forget Joey Molland.

So I was scouring websites looking at interviews and webpages with frustrated musicians. And I recall the words of Robert Christgau: "Nothing to say and no special way to say it." He was (wrongly) describing Jules Shear. But really he was talking about me, musically. I think the only validity I have is that I'm a pretty good live guitar player, a pretty good bandmember. But that's about it. But actually, I'm a pretty rotten bandmember when I'm not playing guitar. Because I don't get along that well with other people most of the time. By choice. It's just who I am.

So I play guitar at home and think of getting more and different guitars, and recording and writing and maybe someday ... making someone else uncomfortable.

It's kind of pathetic being 46.