Excuse Me, Spider's Good Time Formula, & "Who Wants To Marry My Brother?"

1. The Excuse Me gig on Friday night went well. Out of a score of 1 to 10 I give ourselves a 7. Not bad for a first gig, but we need to be at least a 9 every gig. We knew our songs, but you can never predict what will happen at a gig. So we need tighten up and really work on what each of us needs to listen to catch our cues.

That said, I had a lot of fun. Actually, it was the most fun that I have had on stage in a long time. How could we not with the music of No Doubt. It's all about dancing and fun.

Also, Spider still has "it," and this time I wasn't getting checked out by midgets and grandmas! I got eyed up by some really hot women, and talked with a few as well. Granted, some of the conversation was vacuous as they talked, starry eyed, "Oh, you play guitar. . . ."

Yeah, getting attention from girls just because I play guitar can get repetitive. But I'll take it any way I can. I mean, isn't that why I swtiched from playing French horn to guitar in the first place? No girl goes for the French horn player. (Actually, they would if they really knew what was involved in playing the French horn. If you don't get that, email me.)

Our next gig is at the Pussycat Lounge on July 1st. That is going to be a fun gig. The second floor is the rock club where the bands play. The first floor is a strip club that you gain admission to when you pay the cover to see the band. Yeah, we know where Spider is going after he gets off stage! (And before I get on stage for that matter!)

2. I recently bought a new pair of shoes. So my left shoe squeaks with just about every step. It is really getting on my nerves!

3. I went to see a cover band on Saturday night in Hoboken, NJ with a really good friend. My friend, Tesser, was seeing this awesome cover band, Soulpatch, with my sister, Katie, in Greensboro at the same time. (I wish I was there for that show.) Anyway, I need to do that more often. I love seeing live music, particularly with good friends.

Let's see:

Loud Guitars + Good Friends + Good Beer + an Abundance of Good Looking Women = Spider having a real fun night!

4. I get the keys to the new place tonight. So excited!!!!

5. Dream Theater's new album Octavarium is excellent. They're my favorite band and I thought I'd give them a plug. I highly recommend it.

6. Talking with best friends on the phone at 4 in the morning is quite fun. Just don't expect much from me later in the morning.

7. I made my sister in Iraq laugh with the following. We had been talking through email about how she and my sister, Katie, are seeing people and I'm single. I joked that we should all be on a reality tv show called, "Who Wants to Marry My Brother?", much along the lines of "Who Wants to Marry My Dad?" I would go on all these dates and then the woman would have to hang with my sisters. And if they didn't meet Kelly and Katie's approval, then off the show they go. I said that I thought it would be hilarious to see Kelly and Katie's reactions to the various women, because you know they'll tell it like it is.

So Kelly writes that probably some of the women would be intimidated by her. I replied that I wouldn't doubt that. Though my sister is a sweetheart, she can be a baddass when she wants to be. And on top of that, she's an Army trained baddass! I think it would be hilirious if she were to come on the show in uniform and put the women through a "boot camp" to see who would be good enough to pass. I can just hear Kelly now, if full Staff Sergeant get up, saying:

"Are you crying, there little girl?!!! Did you break a nail!!!! Do you think my brother is going to give a shit about something petty like that?! He's a guitarist and breaks his nails all the time. Now drop and give me 20!!! Alright, the rest of you let's see what kind of bitch you are and see how rank up with the bitches of this family. Katie and Kristrina (our cousin), let's see what they're made of!!!"

(Explaining side note: All the women in my family are "bitches." They take pride in that. As a matter of fact, if you call me a "son-of-a-bitch" I take that as a compliment. I'll often counter with, "Oh wow, so you've met my Mom!" So any woman I do marry has to be be a "bitch" herself and be able to hang with the women of my family.)