Bless me father for I have sinned, it has been 5 days since my last blog entry.....

So as I type, we are traveling from Calgary to Edmonton in what I didn't realize is a very barren Canada. For some reason I expected a lot more greenery and forestry. But as it is, the landscape is pretty brown and barren. Perhaps it's merely the season. All I know is that it's been quite a week.

Just after the last blog I wrote, falling asleep with a great sense of gratitude and appreciation, I wake up to a not so cool discovery. As we check out of our hotel, I walk around the corner to one of those public pay-lots where our van and trailer is parked to discover the lock on the side door protruding. I immediately knew this was no good. Sure enough, I am able to open the door without the key and as I look inside, it's trashed. I first noticed the new stereo I bought last tour has been ripped right out of the dash. Second, I notice our navigation system is gone. Then as everyone else arrives and we tidy the mess that's been left, we start to realize what is and isn't actually missing. Luckily it's not far to Milwaukee which gives us the time we need to file a police report, file a claim with the lot and take care of all nuts and bolts of a situation like this. However, this is the best theft we could have hoped for. It could have been much much worse. Fortunately, they didn't get into our trailer where our equipment sits which means we don't have to cancel a show and even better, they didn't actually take off with the van and trailer and leave us stranded. So as much as it sucks to have something like this happen, I think it does more damage to my already damaged view of humanity than it does in actual material costs to us. Poor ol' 'Rose' has gone through a lot on this tour. It started with the axle on our trailer breaking as it was being driven out by our trusty tour manager, Reno, before the first show in Philly. Now she's had her lock busted on the side and on the way to Calgary a rock flew and put a crack in our windshield. Not to mention all the butter-hands that sit in this van constantly spilling stuff on her interior. I look forward to the end of the tour when she will once again sit clean inside and out.

Milwaukee was a great show and it really stands out well in my mind. There was something extra about that night that I can't put my finger on. My voice felt like it was the best it had been in weeks, my energy was high, I just felt like I had a fire in me that was burning extra hot and extra bright. One of the contributing factors, I cannot mention here. But perhaps it will come out one day. Until now, I'll be a gentleman. After the show, we had two days off, but they don't really feel like off days when it consists of one 12-hour drive followed by a second 16-hour drive. In fact, I think we all ended up more tired on these days off than we would if we had performances. As we are still traveling in a van, it's not like a tour bus that you can go on, sleep in your bunk and ride to the next town and let the driver worry about it. We are the drivers. But it's great. I don't think any of us mind. Sure no one wants to volunteer for the first drive shift, especially if we have to leave really early, but someone always steps up....usually me.

Well, I guess that leaves us where we left off last night, Calgary. It seemed like a bit of a sparse crowd. And I think I made the mistake of pushing my voice too hard again. It felt a little like it did in St. Louis just before I lost it...quite a bit of pain after the show and I didn't go out to merch to greet everyone until the very end of the show. I'm hoping that doesn't happen again and I really need to make sure I'm more conscientious. Sometimes I just can't help it. I get up there and I lose it like it's the last performance we will ever do. I let the passion take over. I guess part of being a professional is keeping in mind the entire tour ahead of you. I will really try to make that transition of thought. Tonight will be the test of what happens over the next couple of days...I'm a bit nervous about it.