February, 2003. Western Mass.

I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by. -- Douglas Adams

Procrastinating is what school really prepared me for, and I've achieved excellence at it. I'm a bit late in releasing new music; I was traveling around so much this Summer that Fall took me completely by surprise and when I looked up suddenly it was the Holidays and now it's mid-Winter.

Mostly I've been working away quietly in the foothills of Western Massachusetts, recording and writing in the small studio in the attic. It's a sweet spot. We have a little vintage equipment and a little state-of-the-art equipment, the rent is reasonable and the landlord lives far away.

I've been traveling around a lot too, though much less than I have in the past. In the downtime I've been standing on the porch staring out at the snow and the snow and the snow, listening to old blues and new punk, wishing I liked smoking. It just seems to fit with the landscape.

This morning I got up around 6, listened to last night's work in the studio, then turned on the heat downstairs and read the news in the office with the big hissing radiator. I read that 500 original Beatles tapes, that were stolen in the 1970's, (including some never-released tracks) were found and returned. I read that Jesse Harris was nominated for a Grammy, alongside Bruce. And that Canada is creating 10 new national parks over the next five years, including 5 new National Marine Conservation Areas along the longest coastline in the world. These are all encouraging signs, that I will take as signs of Spring.

It'll be here before you know it.