Parrothead cruise
Current mood: happy
Category: Travel and Places

Just now catching my breath after four very busy weeks – busy and fun!  First question everybody asks me these days is, "How was the cruise?"  My answer is always "FANTASTIC!"  It was a great bunch of Parrotheads bent on having fun and cutting loose.  Really was a great bunch!  As "Parrothead Rendezvous" says, "party with a purpose."  This cruise is a great example of that.  They raised over $59,000 for breast cancer research!  It’s the most fun I’ve ever had with my clothes on!  Now wait a minute!  Were my clothes on?  I can’t remember.  So anyway, thanks again to Dana and Mark for their help with sales and, of course, to the head cruiser, Brent Jones, for organizing a great event.  You should go next year!

7:36 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Technology
Current mood: frustrated
Category: Travel and Places

I'm heading to St. Augustine, FL in just a few minutes for a corporate event.  After that I'll be in Nashville for a couple of days working with my producer, Jim Allison.  Then it's on to Pigeon Forge, TN to join up with a bunch of great Trop Rock artists for Trop Rocks The Smokies 2!  A lot of time on the road and here's my frustration.  Went out & fired up my Tom Tom and it's NOT WORKING!  If you don't know, a Tom Tom is a GPS system.  All this technology - laptops, iPods, cell phones, Tom Tom's - is GREAT when it works, but what's the average person do when it's NOT working?  Calling "customer service" is USUALLY, not ALWAYS, a joke!  Send them an email?  That takes a couple of days.  Take it in for warranty work?  I'd end up like the lady who took her laptop to Best Buy.  They LOST it!  It had her life on there!  They tried to buy her off with a gift card & now she's suing them for millions!  Just had to vent my frustration.  Am I alone on this?

8:45 AM - 3 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Cruise
Current mood: adventurous
Category: Travel and Places

Well, it won't be long until I'm going on my first ever cruise!  You get a lot of different opinions about cruising.  Most are positive, but you get a few people who really don't like it much.  To me it's just a great opportunity for a wonderful paid vacation!  The Atlanta Parrothead club and Brent Jones have hired me to come along.  It sounds really exciting although having never cruised before, I have more questions than answers.  I'm just going to roll with the flow, play my gigs and make some new friends.  Oh, and hopefully sell a butt load of CD's!

1:03 PM - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Growing Old Gracefully
Current mood: thoughtful
Category: Friends

Just got back from Phoenix, AZ where my parents live.  They're having a tough go of it.  My mom just turned 85 and my dad is 88.  My brother, Hank, and his family are basically taking care of them.  They go in the morning and cook all three meals.  Although, it's a little tough for Mom & Dad to get around the house on their walkers, they still have a really great attitude.  My mom's a little frustrated with the inability to get up and go, but no real complaining.  She realizes what a great life they've had and how lucky they are to have family around to look after their needs.  Even in their later years, they're setting a good example for me.  They are truly growing old gracefully and they are very aware of how much the people around them love them.  We should all be so lucky.  

1:46 PM - 3 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment

Mardi Gras

Well, it's that time of year.  Carnival season that is.  Tomorrow I'll be on the Orange Beach float as I have for so many years.  It's ALWAYS a lot of fun watching snowbirds knock down small children for a Moon pie and a cheap set of beads!  Hopefully, the injuries won't be severe this year and the children not too scarred.  Last year, the Michigan Snowbird Club marched in the Gulf Shores parade.  As they marched toward the beach, my only thought was, "They're going the wrong damn direction!"  Oh well.  March will be here soon!

Brent

2:09 PM - 3 Comments - 3 Kudos - Add Comment

Czech Republic
Category: Travel and Places

Well, it's been about a month since i got back from the Czech Republic.  It was GREAT!  My daughter-in-law, Pavla's family treated us like royalty.  Never met nicer people.  Her brother, Peter and his girlfriend, Yanna, acted as guides and chauffeur.  We visited Auschwitz, Bratslava and Prague.  I drank homebrew with Uncle George and cousins.  Had coffe every morning with Nadia, Pavla's mother.  It's a beautiful part of the worl and the people are just as beautiful.  

10:39 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Vacation
Current mood: anxious
Category: Travel and Places

A week from today, I'll be on my way to the Czech Republic!  I've got so much to do!  Yesterday, I had to go buy myself a warm jacket.  I'm a flip flops kind of guy.  Buying a big heavy jacket just didn't seem right, but I understand it will be COLD there!  Why the Czech Republic you ask?  My son and I are going there to visit his in-laws.  My son is married to a lovely young lady from the Czech Republic.  Her mother was here this year, but this will be the first time to meet her dad.  I guess my son wants some moral support!  After a week there, we'll head to Phoenix to spend the holidays with my folks.  They're up in years so I feel it's important to spend as much time with them as I can.  I'm sure with all this traveling, I'll be blogging about air travel again!  Wishing all of you the happiest holiday season.  Thanks for your continued support.  Talk to you in 2008!  

10:30 PM - 2 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Flying
Current mood: annoyed
Category: Travel and Places

I know I have bitched about this many times, but people need to train before they fly!  I recently flew back from Phoenix and a middle aged couple took 4 or 5 minutes to rearrange their overhead luggage several times.  The people waiting in line watching this (I was already seated) were P.O.'d and I don't blame them.  Like many things in life, we need to consider how our actions affect others and always ask ourselves one question, "If everybody did what I am doing, would the world be a better or worse place?"  If everybody took 4 minutes to put 3 bags overhead, planes woul never leave the ground.  I think we should give flight attendants cattle prods for these individuals unless of course they're elderly and then they can just use a bullwhip!  JUST KIDDING!  But you get my point.  Happy flying!

Brent 

12:19 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Key West
Current mood: happy
Category: Parties and Nightlife

Just got back from 2 weeks in Florida!  Visited some of my favorite places on my way to Key West for the biggest Parrothead event of the year - MOTM (Meeting of the Minds).  Started at Eddy Teach's (St. George Island, FL) then on to Rapscallions (Land O Lakes, FL) then to a Sunset Serenade with Sunny Jim (Nokomis, FL) then to Woody's Waterside (St. James City, FL) then to the Nav-a-Gator (Lake Suzy, FL) and on into Key West!  What a trip!  MOTM was ...MOTM!  Lots of fun, lots of friends, lots of GREAT music!  There's so much going on that it's impossible to do it all!  Thanks to Bill of the Parrothead Entertainment committee for having me play at MOTM registration and to Jeff at the Run Barrel for having me play on Thursday & Friday.  A BIG announcement was made Wednesday night at the Bull & Whistle.  Brent Jones and the Atlanta Parrot Head Club have invited me on their "Trip Around The Sun" cruise March 8 - 15!  This is going to be a great time!  Bob Karwin and The Boat Drunks will also be onboard to keep things "lively"!  The cruise is SOLD OUT but you can get on a waiting list and/or buy a raffle ticket to try to win your way onboard.  Visit www.parrotheadcruise.com for details!

Seems funny to be talking about next year already, but here's a heads up on a couple of other great events.  January 17 - 20, Jerry Diaz has invited me back to Pardi Gras in New Orleans.  This is ALWAYS a fun event.  Go to www.pardi-gras.com for the details.  February 29 & March 1 will be the 2nd Trop Rocks The Smokies in Pigeon Forge, TN.  This is a chance for all us beach bums to pull out those sweaters and coats and head to the mountains!  It's a beautiful setting for some HOT music.  Visit www.troprocksthesmokies.com for details on this!

I'm off to Phoenix now to take care of some family business.  Talk to y'all when I get back!  Keep livin' the life!

Brent

7:08 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Spat & Shrimp Festivals
Current mood: happy
Category: Music

Just got back from a great weekend on St. George Island, FL.  Spat Fest is a new festival, but the folks on St. George did a great job and their hospitality was fantastic!  It's nice to make new friends from far away places.  Larry, Sharon, Terry, Charlotte, Joe and of course, Rick Plessinger from Oyster Radio, THANKS for a great festival!

This week it's time for Shrimp Festival here in Gulf Shores, AL and the weather is going to be perfect!  I remember the days when the Shrimp Festival was a little hit & miss, but these days, it is really done well.  When you consider it's done by an all vounteer group, it's amazing.  It doesn't just happen on its own.  These people love the island and give tons of time and energy putting on this premier event.  My hat's off to all of them. 

2:05 PM - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment