john novak's diary
6/08/08
Well ,again, it's been along time since I've posted. My weekends have been primarily consumed with my kitchen renovation. Things are coming along, but doing it only on the weekends really slows things up. Manboy Henry turned 15 on June 1st, and has been re-stocked with new t-shirts and music. He is in his final week of his freshman year, with a few finals left this week, followed by the school picnic. I'm hoping he has a stellar summer, he works hard at school and has earned his summer fun. Work has been busy to the point of near craziness, but this is good since the beginning of the year was lack lustre, and (since the economy seems shaky) the bottom could fall out at any moment.
After this it's upstairs to practice. I've been concentrating on Don"s newest piece, Get the Big Picture. At first it seemed impossible, but not so much so now. I don't yet have the big picture, but perhaps a majority of the picture.
After this it's upstairs to practice. I've been concentrating on Don"s newest piece, Get the Big Picture. At first it seemed impossible, but not so much so now. I don't yet have the big picture, but perhaps a majority of the picture.
april 26
Welcome to the world Grace Elizabeth Manion. Born 10 days ago to niece and nephew Betsy and Johnny. All is going well with mother and daughter(and I'm assuming also with dad), they're all back home so the reality of the situation is setting in. Sleepless nights and lots of love. I can't wait to meet her in person. That would require a trip to New Orleans, something I can always be persuaded to do. Best wishes and love to all.
Good friend Dave Adams came for a visit. it's always good to see him. It's been too damn long, and the visit was not long enough. He's one of those people who, even if you haven't seen him in years, things pick up right where they left off. I like that, I think that's the sign of a true friend. We were in the trenches together in Food & Money, a truly magnificent band, ahead of it's time and generally under-appreciated. It was good to catch up.
Work has gone from pathetically slow (in the beginning of the year) to almost overwhelmingly busy. I'll take the busy, you never know when the bottom could drop out.
Don't get me started on the political situation, I could easily morph from a diatribe to a manifesto. It's hard to believe that someone with a joint income of 10 million dollars can persuade people (and the media) that she is a candidate representing the "common man". I'm truly tired of being lied to ( I'm quite sure if I were in a foreign land with my only child , being shot at , I'd remember quite clearly). Every president during my lifetime (except for Carter and Ford) , has lied to the public (and Ford pardoned Nixon, jeesh). Even though I am an over fifty, college educated, blue collar, liberal , with a job, when it comes to the current state of affairs regarding the government call me bitter. I think I'll go cling to my guitar for awhile.
Good friend Dave Adams came for a visit. it's always good to see him. It's been too damn long, and the visit was not long enough. He's one of those people who, even if you haven't seen him in years, things pick up right where they left off. I like that, I think that's the sign of a true friend. We were in the trenches together in Food & Money, a truly magnificent band, ahead of it's time and generally under-appreciated. It was good to catch up.
Work has gone from pathetically slow (in the beginning of the year) to almost overwhelmingly busy. I'll take the busy, you never know when the bottom could drop out.
Don't get me started on the political situation, I could easily morph from a diatribe to a manifesto. It's hard to believe that someone with a joint income of 10 million dollars can persuade people (and the media) that she is a candidate representing the "common man". I'm truly tired of being lied to ( I'm quite sure if I were in a foreign land with my only child , being shot at , I'd remember quite clearly). Every president during my lifetime (except for Carter and Ford) , has lied to the public (and Ford pardoned Nixon, jeesh). Even though I am an over fifty, college educated, blue collar, liberal , with a job, when it comes to the current state of affairs regarding the government call me bitter. I think I'll go cling to my guitar for awhile.
April 13
The gig yesterday was fun. I have no idea what we sounded like, because we couldn't hear ourselves, but I enjoyed it. We got positive feedback from the groom and his father , so as long as people were happy it works for me.
Friday I felt like I was living in a sitcom.At the place I was working at the husband was home. I've done work there before, but never met him. He was a really nice guy, but was either over caffeinted, or hyper something.Every time I left the room I was working in to get something, or or throw something put he asked me what was up (with a very concerned expression on his face), I would tell him, and he would reply,"no worries". This happened probably 7 or 8 times, each time with him saying," no worries". It was like the most worried man in the world telling me "no worries". I had no worries, perhaps he was trying to convince himself.
Later in the day I took Henry to his orthodontist appointment. The waiting room was full of sullen teens and their bored parents. After a few minutes in walked a family who's youngest son was the human replica of Bobby Hill. For those who are not King of the Hill fans this means nothing. For those who are, you can appreciate how funny this might be. I looked at Henry and he looked at me, then we had to stop looking at each other or the giggles would have set in. I'm thinking that it's rude, not to mention dangerous, to start laughing at someone's child. One good thing, neither his dad nor his mom looked like Hank or Peggy Hill.
Friday I felt like I was living in a sitcom.At the place I was working at the husband was home. I've done work there before, but never met him. He was a really nice guy, but was either over caffeinted, or hyper something.Every time I left the room I was working in to get something, or or throw something put he asked me what was up (with a very concerned expression on his face), I would tell him, and he would reply,"no worries". This happened probably 7 or 8 times, each time with him saying," no worries". It was like the most worried man in the world telling me "no worries". I had no worries, perhaps he was trying to convince himself.
Later in the day I took Henry to his orthodontist appointment. The waiting room was full of sullen teens and their bored parents. After a few minutes in walked a family who's youngest son was the human replica of Bobby Hill. For those who are not King of the Hill fans this means nothing. For those who are, you can appreciate how funny this might be. I looked at Henry and he looked at me, then we had to stop looking at each other or the giggles would have set in. I'm thinking that it's rude, not to mention dangerous, to start laughing at someone's child. One good thing, neither his dad nor his mom looked like Hank or Peggy Hill.
3/9/08
This week was really good. I had a full week of work, as I did last week, so shaking the trees bore some fruit. Hopefully weathering this economic downturn/recession won't be as arduous as I once thought. However, I fear the end is not near. Yesterday, since the guitar circle meeting was cancelled/postponed, I got in a couple good hours of personal practice and ran the first coat of drywall mud in the portion of the kitchen that has been drywalled. It's really starting to look like something ( a kitchen?). Last night soaked the beans for chili, today I'm making the chili, practicing more, hopefully getting a second coat of mud on the walls, and having some family time. Too bad we lost that hour.
I recently got an e-mail from an old friend D. Adams. He and I were in the fast dance music ensemble Food and Money (also with Jim "Tooter" Troxell on bass, Pat Greenan on drums, and Bill Janssen on sax, when available). He, vocals/guitar, me guitar/some backing vocals. We lasted a few years, and came out of it with a few years of stories. A killer band, once described by the Illinois Entertainer as "far from legendary". It's always good to hear from him, he's one of those friends that even if you haven't seen him for years, things pick up right from where they left off. I like that. Hopefully we will stay better in contact, at least via e-mails.
I recently got an e-mail from an old friend D. Adams. He and I were in the fast dance music ensemble Food and Money (also with Jim "Tooter" Troxell on bass, Pat Greenan on drums, and Bill Janssen on sax, when available). He, vocals/guitar, me guitar/some backing vocals. We lasted a few years, and came out of it with a few years of stories. A killer band, once described by the Illinois Entertainer as "far from legendary". It's always good to hear from him, he's one of those friends that even if you haven't seen him for years, things pick up right from where they left off. I like that. Hopefully we will stay better in contact, at least via e-mails.
2/24/08
A pretty uneventful week, personnally. Worked a bit, although not as much as needed. Got a fair amount more done on our kitchen, mostly electrical.
Was upset this morning when I heard Ralph Nader had thrown his hat into the presidential race for the third time ( could he be becoming the new Pat Paulson/ Harold Stassen/ Wendell Wilke). In the last election the votes cast for him (exit polls showed if Nader was not running, his supporters would have voted for Gore 2 to 1) cost Gore Florida, hence the election was close enough for the Republicans to pull their shennanigans and steal the presidency, resulting in Dubyas reign of terror, resulting in the current state of the union, and muli-trillion dollar defecit, wars, patriot act, etc.. Suffice it to say that ,unlike in my youth, I'm not Nader's biggest fan. Hopefully history will not repeat itself, because I for one (being the father of a 14 year old) am not a supporter of the possibility of McCains 100 years war, or things in D.C. continuing business as usual.
Was upset this morning when I heard Ralph Nader had thrown his hat into the presidential race for the third time ( could he be becoming the new Pat Paulson/ Harold Stassen/ Wendell Wilke). In the last election the votes cast for him (exit polls showed if Nader was not running, his supporters would have voted for Gore 2 to 1) cost Gore Florida, hence the election was close enough for the Republicans to pull their shennanigans and steal the presidency, resulting in Dubyas reign of terror, resulting in the current state of the union, and muli-trillion dollar defecit, wars, patriot act, etc.. Suffice it to say that ,unlike in my youth, I'm not Nader's biggest fan. Hopefully history will not repeat itself, because I for one (being the father of a 14 year old) am not a supporter of the possibility of McCains 100 years war, or things in D.C. continuing business as usual.
2/17/08
I have mixed feelings about last nights performance. Technically there is much room for improvement, at least on my part. I felt really good after our sound check. I felt the first set was a little shaky, but we always managed to land on our feet. The second set was much better( at least feel wise), the crowd was much more alive ( I think mostly due to the belly dancing between sets). My friend Tom was there, he's not one to mince words (especially when it comes to music and art), and he gave us rave reviews, I tend to trust his judgement. I know he was enthralled with the dancing. The audience members that I spoke with said it was a good show, so I'll go with the notion that the customer is always right.
Another noteworthy event, the concert guy was there. The concert guy( I should have really learned his name) is a man the circle members have all seen at all the shows we go to (Fripp, Belew, Crimson, California Guitar Trio, etc.). Last night he came to Shimmies & Strings 3, so I feel more "on the radar" than before.
There's an old showbiz saying (I think attributed to W.C. Fields), when performing, never follow children or dogs. I'm thinking that following belly dancers is a good thing. It may not have been our most technically proficient show, but I do believe it was by far the most fun gig we've done to date.
The next undertaking is organizing the beginner's circle. So far we have 3 or 4 interested parties, hopefully more present themselves. It may take a "gentle nudge" on my part and some research, but I'm hopefully optimistic that more happy plucksters are out there.
On the home front, a good deal of progress has been made on our kitchen rennovation project. There is still a large amount to do, but most of the tearing apart is done, and quite a bit of reconstruction has occured. That's the upside of having work slow down, the downside, of course, is keepng the cash inflow at the level it needs to be. So if you (or anyone you know) needs a good carpenter willing to travel (reasonable rates), let me know.
Another noteworthy event, the concert guy was there. The concert guy( I should have really learned his name) is a man the circle members have all seen at all the shows we go to (Fripp, Belew, Crimson, California Guitar Trio, etc.). Last night he came to Shimmies & Strings 3, so I feel more "on the radar" than before.
There's an old showbiz saying (I think attributed to W.C. Fields), when performing, never follow children or dogs. I'm thinking that following belly dancers is a good thing. It may not have been our most technically proficient show, but I do believe it was by far the most fun gig we've done to date.
The next undertaking is organizing the beginner's circle. So far we have 3 or 4 interested parties, hopefully more present themselves. It may take a "gentle nudge" on my part and some research, but I'm hopefully optimistic that more happy plucksters are out there.
On the home front, a good deal of progress has been made on our kitchen rennovation project. There is still a large amount to do, but most of the tearing apart is done, and quite a bit of reconstruction has occured. That's the upside of having work slow down, the downside, of course, is keepng the cash inflow at the level it needs to be. So if you (or anyone you know) needs a good carpenter willing to travel (reasonable rates), let me know.
1/27/08
The gig in Angola seems to have gone well, a final decision will be made after hearing the recording of said gig. The audience was receptive, for the most part it seemed like an "older" group, so I didn't think Thrak-mo-tizing was appropriate. We did it anyway, and it was well received. So much for pre-concieved notions. There were shaky moments, but overall I feel we did a admirable job.
The ride back was uneventful. At some point Adrian nodded off, and was actual snoring in time and on pitch to the Wilko c.d. that was playing. Quite amusing.
I had a work meeting this morning at 10. Usually I don't like to do these things on Sundays, but it was necessary, work has been slow, and this lead to the homeowner telling me that I would basically be his punch list man. This is a role I don't mind taking on, you sort of end up being like Mr. Wolf ( Harvey Keitel's character in Pulp Fiction). At least it's fun to think so.
After the meeting I did some more work on our kitchen. During the week Susie has taken on the heroic task of removing the plaster and lathe from the walls and ceiling, so it's the least I can do to put some time in on weekends. I furred out some walls and put up some drywall.
Tomorrow it's back to work at R's apartment building. My phone has been ringing, so now it looks as if I back to trying to take care of everything as opposed to worrying about finding work. It is truly a business of feast or famine. I prefer to feast, and it looks like that's what it will be (at least for the next month), but it could always change at any minute. Republican economies tend to be rough on my line of work. Hell, I'm still waiting for my trickle down income (remember Reaganomics?). Something tells me that the check is not in the mail.
The ride back was uneventful. At some point Adrian nodded off, and was actual snoring in time and on pitch to the Wilko c.d. that was playing. Quite amusing.
I had a work meeting this morning at 10. Usually I don't like to do these things on Sundays, but it was necessary, work has been slow, and this lead to the homeowner telling me that I would basically be his punch list man. This is a role I don't mind taking on, you sort of end up being like Mr. Wolf ( Harvey Keitel's character in Pulp Fiction). At least it's fun to think so.
After the meeting I did some more work on our kitchen. During the week Susie has taken on the heroic task of removing the plaster and lathe from the walls and ceiling, so it's the least I can do to put some time in on weekends. I furred out some walls and put up some drywall.
Tomorrow it's back to work at R's apartment building. My phone has been ringing, so now it looks as if I back to trying to take care of everything as opposed to worrying about finding work. It is truly a business of feast or famine. I prefer to feast, and it looks like that's what it will be (at least for the next month), but it could always change at any minute. Republican economies tend to be rough on my line of work. Hell, I'm still waiting for my trickle down income (remember Reaganomics?). Something tells me that the check is not in the mail.
1/15/08
It was a very strange day at work. I was on the jobsite lowering a window 3/4 of an inch , at the homeowners request (reminds me of a joke, is anal retentive hyphenated?). There was a Polish crew there listening to the local Polish radio station. The news came on at noon (in English), I was only partially listening, when I heard the announcer say, happy birthday to Don Van Vliet aka Captain Beefheart, he's 66 today. Wow, the Captain has always been an inspiration to me. I remember vividly the first time I heard him (a truly humorous story within itself), and I've listened to him ever since. Happy Birthday Captain Beefheart.
Jan 13 08
Yesterdays guitar circle went pretty well. I was thrown off because I thought our gig in Angola is next week, when in fact it is in two weeks. In actuality it ends up being a good thing, because I practiced extra intensely this week, so if I can keep it up then I should be in good shape for the gig. We have another gig in River Forest (Feb. 16th. at Pineapple Dance Studio), so we have some momentum going for the new year. We practiced at the dance studio yesterday, I enjoyed the atmosphere there more than at our last rehearsal space. It appears we can utilize this space for performances as we choose, which will definitely facilitate more gigs. Yeehaw!
A true sign of old age. Last night Henry was at a sleep-over, Susie and I stayed home and had soup for dinner. I must be making up for it this morning, because I currently have Beavis and Butthead on the tube, and have actually laughed at a few of their antics.
A true sign of old age. Last night Henry was at a sleep-over, Susie and I stayed home and had soup for dinner. I must be making up for it this morning, because I currently have Beavis and Butthead on the tube, and have actually laughed at a few of their antics.
12/31/07
Well, it's been a long time since the last posting.In the interem I saw R. with the touring league. Worked two shows (Chicago and Madison). Both shows were inspirational. It was especially good to see Martin, Hernan, and Robert. There was quite a bit of catching up done. Robert gave the thumbs up to start a beginner's circle, now all we need is beginners. So far there has been one serious enquirer, two others said they were interested, but have not made any further contact.
We went to Penn. for Thanksgiving, first road trip in the new car. We drove straight through on the way back and didn't want to kill each other upon our return. The trip also yielded a new family inside joke...strombolis at Sabarros (it practically writes itself).
We had a good Christmas ( as my mother would say," there's no blood on the rug."). Henry got his new game system, and I've even been aloud to play it a few times (he must be bored).
Tonight rings in the New Year. Susie and I are not going out. Instead we're doing something equally foolhardy, hosting a (lack of) sleep over four 4 or 5 14 year old boys. Henry's 2nd. annual.
It looks like the new year may bring in a couple circle gigs in Jan. and Feb. so it's time to get my digits fit.
Same resolutions I make every year, gain 20 lbs., and start smoking.
We went to Penn. for Thanksgiving, first road trip in the new car. We drove straight through on the way back and didn't want to kill each other upon our return. The trip also yielded a new family inside joke...strombolis at Sabarros (it practically writes itself).
We had a good Christmas ( as my mother would say," there's no blood on the rug."). Henry got his new game system, and I've even been aloud to play it a few times (he must be bored).
Tonight rings in the New Year. Susie and I are not going out. Instead we're doing something equally foolhardy, hosting a (lack of) sleep over four 4 or 5 14 year old boys. Henry's 2nd. annual.
It looks like the new year may bring in a couple circle gigs in Jan. and Feb. so it's time to get my digits fit.
Same resolutions I make every year, gain 20 lbs., and start smoking.
The Guitar Circle of Chicago Diary of John Novak