Kevin Smith and Paul Thorn

They are my two obsessions. I'm not really sure if that's the right word. Maybe they are a hobby. A curiousity. Whatever they are I sure spend a ton of time and money paying for tickets for their shows (movies for Kev and concerts for Paul). Then I spend more money on CDs, shirts, and any other related items (inaction figures, magnets, buttons, stickers, posters).

My dream is for Kevin and Paul to meet. It one of those things in life that I think has to happen. Both men are incredible story tellers. They know how to entertain an audience. They know how to turn their own life experiences, good or bad, into something that is relevant for many people and it's pure entertainment at the same time.

I have been reading, studying and watching what Kevin Smith has done ever since I first saw Clerks when it came out. Reading his words have led me to write my own for others to see. He makes me laugh, think and sometimes cry.

I was lucky enough to see Paul Thorn for the first time in concert about 17 months ago. Since then I have seen him perform 16 times in 6 different states. His shows are the best of seen. Paul writes one hell of a song (with the help of Billy Maddox) and the band (Doug Kahan, Jeffrey Perkins, Michael Graham and Bill Hinds) is top notch.

These guys could create something amazing together. Paul, as a character, would be great on screen. Kevin's words could develop into some cool lyrics.

If I knew of a way to get these two guys together in a room and shut the door I bet what they created would be great. Or at least it would be some of the funniest stuff you've ever heard. Someday I would love to make that connection. It would be a selfish act that I would share with the world.

Next time I have to write about Don Dixon. He's been neglected here and he's the man that started all of my fan girl antics in the first place.

Go see Clerks II and my name on the big screen

This was first posted on MySpace on July 21, 2006

This morning I ran (well I drove fast) over to Austell to catch the 11:00 showing of Clerks II. There were only 8 of us in the theater that early, but I didn't care. I have been waiting for this flick for waaaayyy too long now.

Unlike so many things in life, this was worth the wait. Joel Siegel can kiss my big white butt. He really missed one of the best, if not the best movie endings ever. From the jail scene to the color switch to black and white at the end I was in awe. So much raw feelings that were true, honest and touching. The whole film had funny moments, view askew jokes...but what it really has is heart. I saw pieces of my life on the screen. I saw the things through other sets of eyes to. It did get me thinking. But I was only thinking when I wasn't trying to avoid any urine leakage from laughing so hard.

You must go and see this flm. Go now. Don't wait. Everyone around you will be chatting about this flick and if you don't see it soon you will be the one on the outside of the cirlcle trying to nod knowingly when you don't have a clue about what is being discussed.

Another highlight of the film is Trevor. This kid was amazing. I am always suspect of new actors that join in on the View Askewniverse. Kinda like giving a second look to the one person that arrives late to a party. This guy pulled me in. He was fantastic. He made Elias come to life in a way where you want to just hug him, protect him and teach him. Brilliant Trevor. Brilliant.
Of course I loved seeing my favorite duos again--Dante and Randal--Jay and Silent Bob. Those characters always bring a smile to my face. I have my fan girl crushes on each of the characters and actors as well. Those boys could read the phonebook and it would be entertaining. The Becky and Emma characters were a great female balance to the rest of the cast. Kudos to Rosario and Jennifer. They pulled their weight and more.

This flick is worth more than one viewing. Which is what I plan to do.

One last thing...I was lucky enough to be one of the 10,000 MySpacers to get their name in the credits. It was so cool to see my name roll up the screen as the music played.
I giggled all the way home.

Now it's time for the Paul Thorn show tonight. What a perfect day.

I Have a Good Life. A Nod to Jennifer Schwalbach.

This was first posted on MySpace on June 20, 2006.

I have been reading a lot of info about the movie Clerks 2 that will be coming out on July 21st. I can't wait for the movie since I am a huge Kevin Smith fan, love everything Clerks related and have crushes on most of the cast.

Today I was reading an article about the movie and more about Kevin and what a lucky guy he is. He's a geek that gets to buy toys, watch movies and does all that while finding a good woman that can deal with it all. That got me thinking about my life and how lucky I am.

At the end of the day I can say that I go to bed happy.

I've got a decent home. It still needs a lot of work and it's not that big, but there's food in the frig, the air conditioning works and I have places to keep all of my crap. And since I am a pack rat I've got lots of crap.

I am able to work in two industries that I love. Music and travel. The music business (www.blessyourheartmusic.com) is not simple and easy, but it's fun and the rewards are great. I am lucky enough to have found someone that wanted in the business and had enough cash to do it. So I get to be the "music maven" and live a dream I have been thinking about for decades. The travel business is pretty simple and easy. It's just a matter of volume. I need to get more people to book their travel with me. I love to travel. Cruises are my favorite thing in the world. Now I get to work enough to travel for free, or close to it. You can't beat that.

My health is good over all. Yes, I do have some medical issues and those things work against me and make it a struggle to be thin and I still don't know if I can have kids. But I can get out of bed in the morning. I can live my life without having to depend on medication (I was on meds for 16 years and spent about two years getting off the stuff). Being able to start and end my day without prescribed meds is a wonderful thing. If I can't have kids of my own then there's a world full of kids that need a home and I'm sure that "my" kid will find a way to me.

Then there's the best thing. My husband, Mike. I don't know how he puts up with me and all my antics. He really is a prince. He takes care of me. He loves me. He's still attracted to me even though I'm about 45 pounds heavier than when he met me. He fixes things. He builds things. If I need a light in my office, in an hour I have a new light. He washes the dishes. He takes out the trash. Now don't get me wrong, he's got his quirks too. We've a basement that looks like Starfleet exploded. He loves his 1976 Nova that I have named the "white trash moblie". He hasn't cut his hair in many months. But with all of those little things he just loves me. He tells me every day. He shows me all the time. He makes sure that I know it. He's my geek boy and I love him. He keeps my laughing every day. He keeps me guessing every day. He keeps me safe. He doesn't get mad or freak out when I am out the door to another concert. I got to see Paul Thorn play 15 shows in 12 months and that wouldn't happen if I had a hubby at home blocking the door.

We've been together for 8 years and it has been an adventure. With all the challenges that life brings I know that I am lucky. It just makes me think that's how Jennifer must feel.Our men are geeks but they know how to love. I can look at what my hubby has done and I am proud and Jennifer must be too. Now if I can get Mike to make up shirts with my name on it...

King's X

This was first posted on MySpace on May 25, 2006.

I finally got a chance to see King's X play live. I have been wanting to see them for years and have missed them time and time again. This tour stop in Atlanta was not going to get by me this time.
I got the tickets for Mike as an anniversary present, but it was a bit of a selfish gift since I wanted to see them too. Before the show I was giddy. We did have to wait through two openers, but King's X was worth the wait. These guys played for two hours and the show got better and better. Seeing Doug, Ty and Jerry play together has to be in my top 10 favorite music experiences of my life. Some of that comes from the unique sound they have. Some of it comes from the fact they have played together for over 20 years. And the rest is that they are just great guys. No ego here, folks. Simply great musicians delivering great music. This is a band that I will travel to see. I am so mad at myself for missing their shows before. I can't even remember the things that I did instead of going to see them. Well, no more regrets...only more shows. If you don't know who these guys are go to www.kingsxonline.com. You'll be happy you did.

What I See at Shows

This was first posted on April 17, 2006

I saw some things at shows this weekend that has prompted me to write my first blog here.
OK, ladies, we all love our musicians, but you've got to give them some respect when they are at work. Yes, it may be a shock, but when these guys are one stage they are doing a job. While it may be fun to get a musician to touch you, there is a line between cute and obnoxious. When a man is trying to play guitar or even worse, when he trying to tune, grabbing your hand is not a priority. Give a man a break, and when it's a time when he can touch you and it's wanted, he will move closer to the edge of the stage.
I can't say I am completly innocent when it comes to this matter. I did spend three songs back in 1993 with my hands on the boots of Bryan Adams. But I did not grab at his hands. I just found a nice resting place at the front of the stage and his feet were there. I kept waiting for security to pull me off. Luckliy for me they were laughing at me rather than getting out the pepper spray. I guess they saw that I was harmless and I wasn't gonna mess up the man's playing.
Men aren't exempt from this either. There was a male fan at a James McMurtry show recently. He kept reaching out for James. Then when James broke a string the guy tried to grab the string---in the middle of a song!!! Good thing this guy had friends smart enough to ease him back into the crowd.
So, all I'm saying is that it's great to have fun, but keep in mind that these men are at work when you are having fun. They don't come to your office and shake you when you typing on your keyboard. Just be smart.

Getting blogs from MySpace

I've been blogging on MySpace for a while now. Since most of them fit the fan girl theme I am going to get my blog going again here.