In Reference to Previous Entry

 So here's the deal: I've decided not to leave the city, and not to quit The Revival. See, last night I was eating a pizza, watching a movie, minding my own business when my roommates came into my room and asked me to come join their party, so they could prove to their friend from New York that they knew the greatest guitar player in America.

             This was certainly flattering (though it was obvious to me that they were not, by any stretch of the imagination, sober), and I appreciated the invitation. So I grabbed the bottle of merlot I was quietly nursing and a guitar, and headed into the living room.

             It turned out to be a really good time (I won't say 'night,' because the whole thing started at 2AM), where we all played guitars and sang for several hours. It became obvious after only a short time that what these guys were doing was not so much boozing as snorting coke. They offered it to me and, for the first time in a good while, I successfully turned it down. This was a small, but impressive, personal triumph.

             So we made noise and they were high as hell, and I got to work out, with my very enthusiastic roommates, some melodies I've been struggling with (see previous blog entry) and vent about my frustrations with my own band and recent shortcomings as a writer. It took such a load off of my shoulders that I just stayed up with them, totally sober, until 7AM when they had to drive their friend back to the airport.

The most successful part of the whole experience was that I went to sleep happy. I felt lighter, clear-headed. It's been a very long time since I've really enjoyed myself, stayed up all night, and jammed so sober. So I decided that it wasn't time to go, that all was not lost, and that I could still succeed here.

And, in reference to my previous entry, instead of escaping the city, I've chosen to take a solitary road-trip to Chicago, blues Mecca and a place I've never been. It's going to take a little while to get my affairs in enough order to be able to go, but I know it's going to be worth it. I'm not fooling around with any insurance, or the clearing up of tickets, or anything like that. No, namely just replacing my missing headlight, changing the oil, and gathering up enough cash (which really isn't too much) to survive on the road.

             I’d say a new adventure is certainly in order and, no matter how manic I am (which, judging by these two back-two-back entries, I very clearly am), it's very exciting to be getting back out on the road.