the open mic tonight was packed. i can't thank everyone enough for coming out. rock on. hell yea.

i think i forgot to eat dinner. my stomach is growling.

hump day...interesting concept i guess. i am beginning to appreciate the other side of the hump in the week...the one that's closer to the weekend.

this is a really big weekend. friday, Timothy Dark's CD release party. Saturday an evening of the best looking/sounding men on the scene (with the exception, of course, of a small few) Breadfoot, Aaron WIlkenson, Paleface, JoieDBG and Cockroach Bernstein. Sunday, MY SONGWRITER'S SHOWCASE!!!!! with Dina Dean, Knot Pineboxw/Anders Griffen, and Cockroach and Scott Loving. (see gigs page for details under "gotta get it write").

Holy Shit am I going to be beat on Monday.

But it's all worth it. This is why I am in New York. For weekends like this one.

I'm sleeping in...both days.

you should too.

just not with me.

sorry.

-amy

feeling down, feeling fat, and my feet hurt. i think it is the return of the cold weather...in combination of course with the onset of the full-time job (which i actually really like), the corporate shoes, the need for housing, and the lack of cash flow. also...i miss my parents and although i live with my sister, i haven't had a conversation with her in a month or so. seems pretty silly. we get so caught up in what we think is important and then wonder why we get headaches and feel tired. priorities...

so...cool stuff in my life as usual. i am so damn lucky. the open mic this week was small, but really entertaining. Sparky the Dangerous Poet graced us with his beautiful words. it was his first trip to the big city from his home, Brittan, but no doubt, it will not be his last. thanks Sparky. also...Brer Brain has been kicking ass. Daltonlee made their frist appearance. holy cow was that great...and one can not forget the famous John Hodel...one of my all time favorites.

and it never fails that just as i am leaving to go home, some old friend or group of friends that i really want to talk to and haven't seen in years or some hot guy (in last night's case two) walks in and starts talking to me and then in amy hills fashion, i stick my foot in my mouth and act like an ass and leave...no phone number...no prospect of anything...dumb, dumb, dumb.

i hear hogan is sick. that sucks. feel better hoagie :)

i have a show tomorrow...straight from work. it will be great anyway. and then maybe i'll try to squeeze in some jared time. big weekend, lots of holidays.
although i am not jewish or fond of any organized religion, i hope that you take this opportunity to spend time with friends and family and tell them that you love them. i hope i do to.

have a good friday.

-amy

first...FIRST FLIGHT MUSIC totally rocks and may have found me a new old guitar. Along with just their overwhelming coolness, Dan (owner) and Doug (right hand man, incredible guitarist) have been really supportive since i moved to the city. not to mention that they have a place where you can post if you need or want stuff (from drummers to pre-amps, etc.)and every kind of pick, pedal, etc., that you could ever want. support the little man. screw sam ash.

second...dave o'neal said that i couldn't post stuff about him in my diary anymore so this is not me telling you that he had knee surgery and i went over and had lunch with him friday and played him my three new songs that he hadn't heard and had indian food and his homemade cookies and brownies talked about life and watched and listened in awe as he played and had a really great time. or that he has a killer view of manhattan and lives literally down the block from...

third...my friend earl who i got to hang out with three days out of the last four. ok, so here is the really cool stuff about earl...despite the fact that we have the same shoes and the same huge caffiene addiction...earl and i spent a little bit of today playing savannah..yea that's right. he was playing with me...on guitar...and it kicked ass...and i want more more more!!!!!

fourth...central park, sunshine, coconut popsicle, jared, shakespeare's garden, jared almost falling down the steps on his rollerblades, cute dogs, really cute dogs, more sunshine, the great lawn, and cold water down my shirt. thank whoever is in charge of the weather that it is finally spring.

fifth...i start my brand new full-time job tomorrow. holy cow. i can feel my life crumbeling beneath me. look...there it goes...wave...

sixth and final thought...i finished reading snow falling on cedars last night. it had so many really beautiful moments, but mostly it was really nice to read a book that had details of being in a fishing boat on the water. reminded me of home. i am going home in june, playing a show, going to the beach, smelling the mud, fishing with dad. it's gonna be great.

have a great day. don't forget i have a show friday at 7pm. check the gig page.

lots of love (behind a great big wall, of course)

-amy

love handles...

when someone holds them does that really mean they love you, or them, or what? did someone just come up with the term love handle because they were too lazy to do anything about the tire of fat around their waist or did someone actually develope an infatuation or "love " for the handle.

i am not going to the gym today. the weather is crap.

so is the state of the world for that matter, and the state of my bedroom, and my bank account, and my hair.

good things are on the horizon, however. there is the potential to spend some time over coffee or tea or stiff drinks with Earl Patrick. the possibility of dinner with my great friends hogan (?) and jon berger. the prospect of finding an apartment, getting a new job and paying my bills (not necessarily in that order). but, all of these things are good. very good.

i hope that amidst the crap in the world you can find good things to look forweard to in your life as well.

-amy

thomas makes the best everything bagels. i prefer them one of three ways. 1) lightly toasted with sun dried tomato cream cheese 2)medium toasting with plain cream cheese, sliced tomatoes, pesto paste and pepper, or 3) barely toasted with eggwhites and munster cheese.

today i opted for the sun dried tomato version and it was delightful.

what a great night at the open mic. paul trucked it uptown for the first time and played three songs. the amazing Nan Turner came up for some playing. Christopher Taylor and Joie DBG totally rocked. Danny Kelly has this amazing new song that was supposed to be a love song for karen (really great woman, totally deserving of such a great man) but ended up being a song about trying to write a love song in the midst of all of the crap that is going on around us. Earl came out, depressed, but still...did a prince cover and one of my favorite patti griffin songs. made me feel good. and a bunch of new people. so...numbers are increasing but wer're not there yet. need ten more people to come up to make things really interesting. it will happen.

the really, really exciting (and sort of surreal) thing about last night is that at the end of the evening, my entire class from graduate school walked into the bar. some sort of class trip. i really miss them. i had a great year last year in school, because of my friends ancd classmates. some of the greatest and most giving people i have ever known. see, i'm crying right now just thinking about it. it's funny how you have to hurt to grow, let go in order to take off.

anyway, tonight is the last thursday of the dance show which closes on sunday...this is me not crying...and today will be spent doing some boring paperwork and some party planning activities.

HOGAN'S BIRTHDAY PARTY IS THIS SATURDAY AT THE SIDEWALK STARTING AT 10:00.

I hope that everyone has a good day.

i can not thank any of you enough for all of your support and for your friendship.

-amy