After much ado, I found a host site for the photos from my two recent trips. Click here to see photos from South Dakota and the Pine Ridge Reservation and click here to see photos from New York City.

Intense packing and last minute arrangements start tomorrow, then Saturday I head out for a week to Pine Ridge, the Oglala Lakota reservation in South Dakota. From what I understand, my job is to rehearse with the band all day, then play a set of praise and worship each night. It sounds like a pretty good gig...we'll see. I haven't even finished my travel journal for the New York City trip, and I'm already heading off again. Once I'm back, I'll post some more NYC pics plus any pics I take on this trip (I know one of the days we are taking a day trip to Mount Rushmore).

I'm watching Dukes of Hazzard as I'm listening to the new As I Lay Dying album. The car chase scenes are way cooler when set to a metal soundtrack. But since I've got my headphones on, I don't get to hear all Roscoe Pico's sqealy complaints about Beau and Luke.

Yes, I actually got chosen to be in the audience for the taping of the show that night. One word to desribe the experience? magical.

At the Central Park Zoo petting a mountain goat? billy goat? I dunno.

Kari and Amy outside Doc Holliday's in the West Village in Manhattan.

This is my first post to make from my new iBook. That's right kids, I've joined the Mac revolution. I pretty much have no idea how to do much of anything on it yet, but hey - I've got all summer to learn. If you've got any nifty tips for me on how to use Tiger or an iBook in general, feel free to leave me an ingenius comment.

Ok, I'm off to figure out how to rip the songs off my iPod and onto here.

I have a lot of inhibitions in a lot of ways. I'm also very self-conscious, probably too much so. There are two ways that I usually try to overcome those inhibitions and self-consciousness: alcohol and music. Alcohol just makes me silly. But with music, I really lose myself. Become completely oblivious to everything and everyone around me, my problems, my fears, everything. I don't think there is a much better feeling than forgetting about myself. I remember that happened once before when I helped a blind student I had been tutoring walk across the Texas Tech campus to his dorm. I was so concerned about making sure he was ok and that nothing was in his way and that he knew where all the curbs and steps were that, for those 10 minutes, nothing else crossed my mind. It was freedom. Freedom from my annoying idiosyncrasies and overanalyzations and petty thoughts. I want more of that freedom.

I went to see d. biddle play last night in Boulder at the Sundown Saloon. They rocked as usual (despite some problems with the p.a. system), and I do have to say that non-smoking bars are amazing. I may have to start driving to Boulder every time I want to go out. When I got home my ears were ringing, but at least every fiber of my being didn't stink like your chain-smoking aunt.