The past week has not been one of my finest. I hinted at this last Monday, and for the better part of this last week, life has been miserable. Yes, it's allergies. Same as last year. My first taste of the bitter season was in Atlanta three weeks ago. DC has been terrible - just terrible. Very little rain, bright warm days, it all sounds great - but only if the pollen doesn't affect you.

I tried to get relief with Allegra (a left-over prescription from last year). Every morning, nose bleeds. At BLOWOFF, nose bleeds. Enough with the nose bleeds. Switched to generic diphenhydramine. Not a good idea, unless I wanted to sleep the entire year away. I finally went for Claritin-D, and it is easing my discomfort. It also rained a lot on Saturday, and that is the best relief for which I can hope. Claritin has the speed stuff in it, so I've been extra hyper for 72 hours. Side bar: I had to log in at my pharmacy - there's some sort of government regulation on the use of psuedoephedrine.

Beyond the allergies, there are signs of normal life. Song writing is moving along well. Too soon to tell what kind of album it will be, but I have finished a number of good songs in the past three months. I've been playing a few of them on the road this year. I'm also finalizing plans for the summer, both in work and in leisure. I have a handful of shows in the UK in late June; I'll post them when I get the exact information. Solo acoustic.

Friday at Titan was packed and extra furry friendly. Rich, Nick, and I ran into Tom on the way out, and everyone came back to the ranch for a home-cooked meal. We watched the recent edit of the upcoming live DVD, and were all a bit speechless. It's that good.

Saturday, a nice walking day in the 'hood. I bought two new paintings. Saturday night, a birthday party for a friend.

Sunday, I walked over to Logan Circle, where the pastors and flocks of various churches were holding a protest. There's a long standing tradition of double and triple parking around DC churches on Sundays. Here's how it appears to me, a (now) four-year resident of the city: people who might have once lived in the city, now living in Maryland (unscientific poll of license plates), come into the city once a week for services. They block the fire hydrants, and cars of tax-paying residents. Anyhow - the speeches were not pleasant to listen to. Lots of "DC will become Sodom and Gomorrah if we can't double park at church" talk. A not-so-thinly veiled dig at the initially GLBT-driven gentrification of Logan and surrounding neighborhoods. Whatever. The problem to me is this: a good amount of these people don't live in DC any longer. As I remember from childhood, people attended churches in their own neighborhoods. Or, at least, in their own state of residence. That would be the "community" part. Story here. Story here. I shot video as well, but after listening to the audio, realized it wasn't worth posting.

Next stop: Jimbo's housewarming / visiting Mom party. Ran into Carl, as well as lots of Renegades. A quiet dinner with friends, and the weekend is over.

Vacation begins on Friday!

Lots of fun times this past weekend. Friday evening at Titan with the usual suspects, and a visiting blogger. Dinner rounds out the peaceful evening.

Saturday was hot and sunny, turning the neighborhood into a giant pollen bowl. Gallery, water, coffee, prep work, nap, BLOWOFF. A very good turnout for a holiday weekend. Our live set was good, but I felt I could have done a little better with my music choices. Some veteran attendees, and lots of rumors swirling about the future of BLOWOFF.

Sunday, a fun gathering at the ranch. I always enjoy the company of friends who attend my holiday events, and this year's Easter brunch was a wonderful time. Rob and TJ stopped in for a bit; it was great to see TJ back in business. Lots of food and drink, and some hilarious conversation. Life is good.

The live DVD is almost finished. I handed over the pre-show documentary to the editors, and I think everything will be formatted by this time next week. No firm release date.

After two attempts at mastering, Rich and I are revisiting some of the BLOWOFF mixes. The songs in question are sounding better already. Our June release date is looking more like July at this point. The artwork looks really great, as one would expect, with Pat in charge of images and packaging. Watch for the banner ads; they will be debuting here and here next week.

Tonight is The Vodka Manx. Tomorrow is Good Friday, BLOWOFF on Saturday, and Easter Sunday. Last year's Easter weekend was fun, and this one should be even busier. FWIW: my allergies are killing me. Can't wait to get to the desert in a few weeks. More on that later!

It's been a busy week. Monday and Tuesday, finished up the mixes. Wednesday, mastering of the BLOWOFF album. All week, when I wasn't in that head space, I was editing the documentary-type portion of the live DVD. It's going to have some funny footage from the road, as well as interviews with all the band members.

Speaking of interviews, I was the guest on this Friday's installment Figure Four Daily, hosted by Bryan Alvarez. The direct link. It's almost all about my days as part of the creative team at WCW. I should still write a book about that period; or, at the least, include a lot of it in my own book. Some wild times, those were.

Last night, the bloggers were out in force for happy hour at Titan. Joe was in town for the night, as was Jeff. Tom and Carl were there, and even Rich came down from the hinterlands of Takoma. Lots of furriness and fun. A nice dinner at Duplex, and it's time to call it a night. Most of the boys went on to Remington's, which was awfully tempting. I've been keeping long hours, and after a basket of grilled chicken tenders and a plate of meat loaf, I was ready for some rest.

Tuesday, Asheville. Very nice city. Arty downtown area, lots of artisans and galleries, antique shops. The Grey Eagle is a fun club, and the crowd was very appreciative. Leaving the next morning, I drove through West Asheville, which was nice.

Wednesday and Thursday, Atlanta. Eddie's Attic is a great music room, lots of history, an attentive crew, and two packed shows. Thursday night, my voice gave out, a combination of strain and allergies. I managed to get through the show, but it was a tough one. I was able to visit some long time friends while in Atlanta. I almost moved to Atlanta three times, so I'm very familiar with the town. Visited two usual stops: Outwrite Books and Ansley Mall. To get to the gym at the (predominantly gay) mall, you walk by Starbucks. Think that combination draws a crowd?

Friday, Cincinnati. 500 miles of driving, then my sixth show in a row - on a blown voice. People tell me the show was great, and my voice sounded fine. For me, it was a very hard night. Saturday was spent exploring the city with an old friend. Sunday, the 520 mile drive to DC. Arrived home at 11:30 PM last night. What a long week.

Today, me and Rich are finishing the details on the BLOWOFF album mixes. Sequencing and editing on Tuesday, and mastering on Wednesday. We're still on track for June 6.