There are too many cool/awful things that have happened in the last week or so for me to pass on a post.  Enjoy it while you can.

Nate’s last show in Anderson was bitter sweet - because of Nate’s farewell and the unfortunate amplification situation.  I was worried that we were going to have to send Nate off with a set of tunes where the keys and vocals were both inaudible.  Thankfully we took a break, John worked his magic and got the system to behave, and we finished strong with some intense head banging and stage antics.

From Anderson we headed to the (uncomfortably) sunny state of Florida.  We had a great time with Steph’s family.  On our way back from our “camping” trip though, our Jeep was being towed and blew a tire.  Normally, blowing a tire would only be mild nuisance to your schedule and wallet.  In this case, the tire shredded, the pieces (basically) destroyed the front of the car, and the next two days were spent on the phone with repair and insurance peoples.  Thanks to Steph’s Dad we were able to get the car fixed and the insurance situation squared away.  I will post pictures soon.

Next we moved from the Tampa area to Orlando where we got to spend some overdue time with our friends Dana and Andrew.  We surprised them (like everyone else on our trip) by having our puppy with us and, though they were gracious, Andrew is allergic and we felt pretty bad.  They still love us though … we think : )  Andrew is an amazing cello player and we spent a few hours the morning we left recording some sweet cello parts for The Fire Tonight album.  Can’t wait for you guys to hear them.

When we arrived home (at 11:30 after a 10.5 hour drive) we discovered that our home was infested with fleas.  SUCK.  Thankfully it turned out to only be our kitchen area but we’ve spent the entire day spraying, waiting, vacuuming, spraying again, waiting some more, vacuuming again, bombing, waiting, etc.  I don’t much like the paranoia associated with tiny little bugs.  Every time the A/C blows on my excessively hairy limbs it feels like a flea.  Again, SUCK.  Anyway, hopefully we can sleep with some peace of mind tonight.

The last thing I want to say is that Bonnaroo is going on right now about 30 miles from where I’m at.  Stephanie is working right now and I’m hanging out with her.  Somewhere above me in the hotel are the C-list (maybe they’re on a different list, I don’t read enough entertainment mags) celebrities Janaene Garofalo (Dogma, Half Baked, The Truth About Cats & Dogs and lots of TV show guest appearances) and Rob Huebel/Paul Scheer (Human Giant, Best Week Ever).  I haven’t seen them.  I’m not going to prank their room or anything.  But they might come up and ask for something at the front desk.  In which case there will be a story : )