Time to take stock. First, sports: In baseball, the A's officially suck. In football, everybody's writing the Packers off this year and giving the Vikings a whopping #4 in the power rankings? When will these people ever learn that they're bound to disappoint so long as Tice remains their head coach? Not that I'm complaining. They got away with one in last year's playoffs. But since everyone's touting what a great offseason they've had, let's not forget Tice's little gambling problem. I'm not convinced Detroit is the team to beat in the North yet, either, because I think Joey Harrington is a total and complete douche.

Politics? I think the Republicans actually won when they stooped down in the gutter, threatening the "nuclear option." Time will tell, but they got what they wanted, didn't they? Owen's in, and we'll see who else. In the long run, we're dead, to paraphrase Keynes.

Work? I am now one of the remaining two employees from the original 17 of my former company before it was bought out by our current CEO. It's funny, I know more about the business we're in than he does. I wonder, at what point will he realize that he's about to lose a lot of money that will never come back? So long as I keep getting my paychecks, I guess I can't complain too much even if I'm dying on the vine in this stuffy office.

Music? Since Beulah disbanded I hadn't been doing much until the last couple of months, starting with a trumpet session up in Seattle for Death Cab for Cutie. I also did a bit for Abbey, former Beulah keyboard player, who brought over his 8-track to a barbecue recently. I also did a similar thing for Jay Underwood, former Beulah intern, for a record of his under the moniker: The Light Footwork. I'm digging that record, a good first effort, though I can smell, feel and taste the protools a mile away. Last week I did another trumpet session for Dave Gleason's Wasted Days, a part that resembled a little of that mariachi feel from Cash's "Ring of Fire." I've also agreed to produce and help engineer a record by a band called "The Bye Bye Blackbird," consisting of former members of my good pal Yuji Oniki's band back when he lived six blocks away. He now lives in Woodstock, NY.

So I guess that means I'm coming out of my musical slumber, if slowly and tentatively. I think I'll always find trumpet work, as I have a good feel and I'm quick and to the point. I doubt I'll get a lot of guitar work. They're a dime a dozen and my guitar playing, though rock solid rhythmically, is nothing special. Miles is working on some songs and he's coming along. He says he'll be sending something along sooner or later. I'm also going to travel south to borrow the old 16 track I recorded Beulah's second record, "When Your Heartstrings Break," with.

The book is coming along, I'm finished with draft three. I'm now also beginning to put together my website, where I'll likely be selling that book directly, unless someone latches onto it. I figure a simple paypal account ought to do it. I can design the printing myself with a little practice in Quark, methinks. Then it's just a question of finding someone to print it for relatively cheap in low volume. I'm not sure if that options exists or not, but I'll cross that bridge when I get past draft six.

The Beulah DVD has a release date: August 2nd, almost a year to the day after our final show in New York last year.

And finally, I've asked Eli, our old bass player, who's still in New York until 6/1, to form a one-off gig band to play some of my songs based on C# tuned acoustic guitar. The idea is to have avant garde players swirling around in dissonance while I do my fairly understated and straightforward acoustic shtick. Easier said than done? We'll see. I'll also likely record if the gig goes well. This is down the road a piece, probably this fall at the earliest. I'm thinking the Hemlock (though they don't know it yet). And if I do record something, I'll probably just directly sell that one at a time from my site, as yet to be named. Oh, and launch a record label: 1099 Records. It's the truth!