First, good little Red Room blogger that I am, I will tell you that I am continuing to chip away at the block of stone that is my novel, slowly uncovering the book within.

The going is slow, because, you know, I gotta keep going to my evening job and so forth. I am currently working on Chapter 28 and am guessing the book will be finished around Chapter 35 or 40 or 45. I'm not sure. Maybe 35 will do it. I dunno. The ocean of my ignorance is vast and deep. 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I also front a blues/rock band, Dr Gone & Serious Condition Blues Dance Band,  and we are going to be playing out THIS Friday night, March 27, 2009, at Lupin Lodge in Los Gatos. 

It would send me into flights of ecstasy if you were to come to our show at Lupin. 

Be advised: Lupin Lodge is a clothing-optional resort. 

Imagine the possibilities. 

God knows, I have. 

I haven't seen this place, have never been there, but I know a bunch of other musicians who have, and some of them say it is the most fun place they ever play. I hope they are not exaggerating, because, you know, I could use some fun.  Of course, it is always a blast to make music with my wonderful band, but it would be more fun to watch you dance to our music. 

Clothed, or unclothed. Your choice. 

Did you know that John Steinbeck lived in Los Gatos for a while, and wrote some of his books there? Also, that he was a bit of a rapscallion, at least in his younger years? I wonder if he would want you to go to my gig at Lupin. I don't know. I can't speak for him. I love his books, though.

 Where was I?

Oh yeah. Lupin Lodge. I forget how my band fell into this gig, but since we booked it I have heard from many precincts about Lupin Lodge, including from people who remember having sneaked through the mountains in their youth to try to get a look at the nekkid people there. I don't know if they succeeded. And, from musicians who've had fun there. 

 I am mainly excited about this gig not because of the naturists who are likely to be in attendance, but because of my band. 

I thank God that I get to make music with these guys. We have chemistry. It works. I couldn't have planned it; I either lucked into it or God Him/HerSelf directed it to be this way.

We've had two parts of the puzzle for a few years; a third part for almost as long; the fourth part for just less than a year, and the fifth element for just a few months. I'll tell ya, I want to SuperGlue these guys to my body. We makem good music together. 

And ... earlier tonight this phrase occurred to me about the Lupin show:  "Get drunk, get naked, dance your alleged brains out."

True, people certainly get drunk at lots of the gigs we play (did I ever mention the fellow who had recently been sleeping in a San Bruno gutter who came up to me at one gig as I sang and held up two pieces of paper in front of my face? Together, they were a nice drawing of a semi-truck-and-trailer rig. I have little idea what that meant. Maybe he'd been a trucker before giving up his life to demon rum. Maybe he wanted to become an artist who made really neato paintings of big trucks. I just don't know).

And, people could probably get naked at most of our gigs, which are usually in bars. People seldom complain about nudity in bars. We've seen many women get very, very close to full buck-naked at our gigs, which may be a motivating factor in the musical equation, I'm not sure. 

But, at Lupin Lodge, nudity is  de regueur. It is not the icing on the cake, it is the cake itself. 

So ... really ... booze, nudity, blues/rock dance music? How could you go wrong?

We have other gigs coming up at, you know, bars and restaurants, in coming months ... but, gee, it would be swell if you  came to Lupin on Friday.

If you do, please come shake my hand. I will be the big fat guy with all his clothes on.