It's been a little bit, but not too much has been going on. We had a week or so off, so all I really did was sleep on Gary's couch. Not very exciting. I'm really happy to be back on the road now, though. I'm loving life on the road. Being in a new town every night. Meeting new people. Hearing great music. I can't help but think about what it's going to be like come December and January when we're off. I'll go home to Orlando for a couple months and feel out of place. It's like letting a friend borrow a shirt for a long time, and when you finally get it back, it never fits quite right again. Maybe that's just me though...

We've hit Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Springfield, and Omaha so far.

Pittsburgh: We are truly sorry we were so late and had to play such a short set. Please come see us in Erie next week? Mike Torti, you rule.

Indianapolis was amazing. Kids were having so much fun. They'd stage dive into just 2 of their friends and nobody ever really got hurt. I know that if i were to stage dive into 2 of my friends they'd move out of the way and let me hit the floor. I have scars on my back to prove this.

In Indy we played with a band called Hercules out of Omaha. They ripped. Reminded me of Iron Age, which is never a bad thing. They're out on the road with a band called Battle! from Florida. Check them out if you get a chance.

The vibe in Springfield was a little weird, in my opinion. The kids mostly seemed to be there to see the local bands that they're friends with. That's completely alright, of course. It's great to see a scene supporting itself. Oddly enough, another Long Island band called Kills and Thrills jumped on that show last minute. They were very tight. The lead singer was playing guitar. It's not often you see hardcore bands without just a frontman these days. I couldn't help but wonder what they would be like if the singer just sung and they got another guitar player.

Omaha was the first show of the Gig Afterlife tour we're doing with Four Year Strong, Fireworks, and A Loss For Words. It was my first time meeting any of these guys, and they're already all awesome. This next week or so is going to be so much fun. Four Year Strong's trailer could EASILY fit Four Year Strong's van inside it. I'm going to try to convince them to attempt this by the time this is over.

Gary said Metallica sucks. I'm not sure how much longer he and I can be friends. I listen to Kill Em All at least once a week.

We're at a hotel in Omaha right now, and the shower has the shortest shower head I've ever encountered. I hit my head on it. It was difficult trying to wash my hair, as hotels generally have poor water pressure as it is, but having to crouch down as well was a pain in the ass.

Everybody keeps talking up Fargo, ND. I'm so curious as to what's there. When I think of North Dakota I think that there's nothing there. I think of the Badlands. And Buffalo. And cowboys, for some reason. I had a friend that lived in North Dakota, years ago, and she used to tell me that there are areas where you can just drive as fast as you want, because you won't be in danger of hurting anyone but yourself. Apparently bands do really well in Fargo, however. So this should be interesting.

Can I just take this moment to comment on the corn production in this country? Over the past month or so, we haven't really driven on the same road/highway more than once. In that time, I have seen so much corn growing that it is literally confusing the hell out of me. I mean I understand, it gets used in corn syrup, ethanol, chips, etc. and isn't just plain old corn. But for the past 3 days, I've seen nothing but corn fields as far as the eye can see. Both sides of the highway, for miles and miles: corn. It's intense. And the stalks form these amazing neat lines that if you're looking at the fields just right you can see roll by as you pass.

There's still another month and a half until I get to see the west coast for the first time in my life. I'm not sure what to think about that yet.

Other than that, I'm still reading books and comics, still drinking, still trying to stay up to date on True Blood, Entourage, Weeds, and Hung, and I'm still happy to see Crime in Stereo play every night.
 
So bring me more books and come by a t-shirt. I still have a handful of CIS/JFS shirts left.

-Spickly