Let's try this again...

I always loved this blog, but damn if I can't remember/bring myself to update this on a regular basis! Ugh...

Yeah, I know it's been way too long...

but I am making a commitment to updating this regularly again. I enjoy my blog, and it's about time I get back to it. Unfortunately, not today as I am pretty slammed. So, to any faithful readers - stuff coming real soon!

Dateline - the last six months...

Dear Readers,

I know it has been a while, and for the faithful few who have stuck around, periodically checking out my blog for anything new, I apologize. I don't have a good reason why it's been so long so I won't bother trying to bullshit you. I give you my updates now because I owe it to you and to me.

November 14, 2008 – "You owe me a new truck asshole!"

This is the happiest day of my life! I cannot believe after 43 years of non-self induced bachelorhood I am getting married. I know in my heart she is the woman of my dreams. But, being a guy who never really had much success with women, I still hear Ferris talking about his buddy and wondering if this is me:

"Cameron has never been in love. At least, nobody's ever been in love with him. If things don't change for him, he's gonna marry the first girl he lays, and she's gonna treat him like shit, because she will have given him what he has built up in his mind as the end-all, be-all of human existence. She won't respect him, 'cause you can't respect somebody who kisses your ass. It just doesn't work."

No, I know it isn't me. Kelli is truly everything I never knew I always wanted and as she walked towards me down the aisle I had no doubts.

We drove up to Lake Tahoe on a cool Friday morning, the sun shining with not a cloud in sight. If I was to believe in omens, I might have been concerned that while we were filling up the gas tank before we left, I managed to spill my uber-giant adult sippy cup filled with Diet Coke right onto my right shoe, soaking it and my sock. But I was getting married and nothing was going to spoil my day.

If I was to believe in omens, I might have been concerned that the wedding chapel's jukebox was unable to play the CD I made with the music for the ceremony. I might have further been concerned that though I had the foresight to also bring my MP3 player with the songs on it and a connector cable the chapel had nothing to plug it into. But I had brought my laptop out of habit and my brother made a very good impromptu DJ using Windows Media Player. I was getting married and nothing was going to spoil my day.

The chapel was small, but we filled it with our friends and family who drove up to celebrate with us. We were treated to an amazing dinner by my parents and were surprised with an elegant cake by our friends Gary and Cassie. We both were on top of the world.

If I was to believe in omens, I might have been concerned with my wife's morning... err month sickness flaring its ugly head at the restaurant. But I was married and nothing was going to spoil our day.

The rest of the evening was a great success, and Kelli and I were truly happy. As we started to drift off to sleep around 12:30am, I got a call which almost spoiled our day.

My brother and his wife, along with Gary and Cassie, had decided not to stay in Tahoe and were driving back to Sacramento; Gary and Cassie in their truck following Stuart and Tammie in theirs. After stopping to switch drivers, Stuart and Tammie had a small head start on my friends as they got back on the road. That's when Stuart emphatically said to Tammie "Dear."

Actually, the word was "Deer" and it was in their path. In swerving to avoid it, Tammie over-corrected and they went off the road and down a 70 ft. embankment, the Dodge Durango ending up on the Passenger side. Gary and Cassie drove by without even seeing them. Stuart managed to scramble back up the hill and flag down a motorist for assistance. Gary and Cassie were called and they were amazing in their position as liaison to keep everyone informed. Tammie took the worst of it, including several broken bones and a bruised heart. Stuart suffered a bunch of bruises and a screwed up shoulder. Around 2am we received word that everyone was where they needed to be and nothing more could be done, so Kelli and finally went to sleep. I was awakened at 7:30am by a phone call from my brother, his first words being "You owe a new truck asshole."

I am happy to report Stuart and Tammie are both fine. Tammie's ankle is still in a boot, but they are healthy.

But I don't believe in omens and it was an amazing day!

November 15, 2008 – Our wedding reception "What the hell happened to you?"

When dealing with a wedding and/or reception, it takes a pretty catastrophic event to muck up the works, and my brother and his wife driving over a cliff didn't qualify, so the planned reception back in Sacramento at my Parents' house was held. Friends and family gathered to congratulate us and give us cool stuff. My brother, who was not admitted to the hospital and was convalescing at my Parents' house, was sitting in a recliner, legs up and zoned out on pain meds. The order of the afternoon was "Hi! Roger and Kelli, congratulations! I am so happy for... What the hell happened to you?" My poor brother told the story repeatedly. I am not sure, but by the last telling the Durango flipped 27 times, the hand of God caught the mangled truck in mid-air and dropped it unceremoniously on it side, wild boars frantically tried to get at Tammie in the mangled truck while Stuart climbed the hill for help, himself being chased by Aboriginal cannibals.

It's all in the presentation.

November 27th, 2008 - Our first Thanksgiving

Newly moved into my palatial 2-bedroom duplex, my wife, daughter and I were settling into life as a family. On Thanksgiving day we went to my sister's house for – wait for it – Turducken.

For the uninformed, my brother-in-law is a gourmet chef, and he pulled out all the stops on a dinner that truly magical and heavenly. I swear I could hear angels singing as I was eating.

My wife, ever the traditionalist, was still set however on cooking her own turkey dinner for her family. So on Friday she got up and started preparing a 20lb. turkey... for the three of us. Yes, that would be 3.5+ lbs. of meat for each us. To my wife's delightful glee I had bought her a nice roasting pan for the turkey, complete with two large tines for removing the bird when done. Diligently and lovingly she slaved in the kitchen, preparing the stuffing and bird. Imagine her surprise when she went to place it in the oven only to learn the damn pan wouldn't fit. That's right, the pan is about ¾" too wide. Fortunately (and for the sake of all life within a mile radius who would've been killed out of rage and frustration) the "Dollar Store" around the corner was open, and 2 tinfoil pans later the bird was in the oven. It also was a great meal, and I think over the two day span I gained 19 pounds. But the fun part of this story is the aftermath.

Completely sated, the leftover bird and stuffing was placed in containers and stored for many glorious leftovers, leaving only the tinfoil pan with about a 3 pounds of stuffing, turkey scraps, and au jous. Kelli mixed in 3 cups of dog kibble along with some mashed potatoes and gravy and placed it on the floor of the garage for doggy dinner time. I swear each dog spent the rest of the evening asleep in the living room with distended bellies and doggy grins.

Christmas time, 2008

For years television and movies have garned much success poking fun at the cravings of pregnant women. I, the uninformed bachelor would laugh in disbelief at the prospect of ice cream and pickles. But then I became a married man with a pregnant wife. Holy Shit, these cravings are real.!

On one particular Sunday afternoon I was tasked to make my wife a sandwich. A peanut butter and tortilla chip sandwich. But not just an ordinary peanut butter and tortilla chip sandwich, this had to be made to the following specifications:

1. Get 1 piece of bread.
2. Spread a moderate (not too thin, not to thick) amount of peanut butter evenly over one surface.
3. From the bag of Restaurant Style Tortilla Chips, remove 1 symmetrically round chip.
4. Crumble the chip and spread evenly over the left hand side of the chip.
5. Fold the right side over the left, making sure to evenly align the creases in the bread.
6. Eat.

It's important to note that if these steps were not followed exactly, somehow the sandwich would not taste right. Don't get me started on the peanut butter and cheese sandwich... yeah, I didn't get that one either.

January 16, 2009

It had been a very scary time for Kelli and I. From December 26th on, Kelli had been bleeding and had been on bed rest on the doctor's orders. We had a couple of scares, but each time an ultrasound had shown our son developing and growing. On this day we were scheduled to have an amniocentesis, which requires an ultrasound. It was at this appointment we learned that Brady Michael Clark had passed away. He was loved by his family, and his memory will live with us forever.

February 14th, 2009 - Valentine's Day

I know it's hard to believe for you, my faithful readers, but I have never in my 43 years had a date for Vday. I know -- completely outrgeous, but it's true. The few relationships I have had over the years never managed to be "happening" on February 14th. One year even, a girl I had just started to see had her best friend cancel our Valentine's date. Yeah, this is one holiday which pretty much sucks for me.

On February 8, 2008 I received an email from Kelli, in which she stated the following:

"I don't want a boyfriend right now Roger. It seems to just get me into trouble when I have one. So this time, I'm just going to lay low, heal myself and then move forward...."

Truly amazing how much things can change in one year. I was determined to give my wife the Valentine's Date she deserved. I bought her a dress, a velvet heart box full of Sherri's Berries™ chocolate covered strawberries, and treated her to dinner at a 4 star restaurant complete with a visit to Rick's Dessert Diner, all while our daughter stayed the night with my parents. It was elegant, romantic, and truly one of the best nights of my life.

The top 5 nights of my life (in no particular order):

• The night I met my wife in person
• The evening I graduated high school - what a party.
• My wedding night (up until around midnight -
  still working on the whole "truck financing" thing)
• Valentine's Day 2009
• The night of my first kiss - thanks Cindy!

April 9, 2009

One year ago today at around 10pm I met my wife for the first time in person. I remember when she opened the door my heart actually skipped a beat. She will tell you I was trembling when I hugged her, but that's just not possible. I mean I'm a guy... we don't tremble.

On this evening I took my wife out to dinner at "our spot." A lots of traded smiles, conversation, and a fully belly later, it was time to leave. It was raining as we left, and in the same parking lot as the restaurant a carnival was setup. It was empty except for the "Carneys" huddled in their coats in their game booths, trying to stay dry. As we drive by my wife sees it.

Now you have to understand, Kelli has an almost unhealthy obsession with the color Pink. In fact, I have said on many occasions that when she sees something pink, her brain processes the object in the following manner:

It's Pink.
What is it?
Do I need it?

So, she turns to me and with puppy dog eyes says "Rogee, I need it!"

One look at her and I knew there was only one option. So I turned the truck around and parked. I walked over to the game booth in the rain (please note my wife stayed warm and dry in the truck during this entire exchange) and asked the Carney what was needed for me to win it. He told me and I proceeded to win it. I went back to the truck with my wife's prize as she clapped with glee. I present to you now Dolly the Dolphin.



April 13, 2009

I close this update with a picture of my daughter Josie. We went to the park down the street from my house and had an impromptu photoshoot. Here's my favorite.



To those who managed to read thru to the end of this self-indulgent piece, I thank you for your tenacity and patience. I hope this finds you all happy, healthy, and smiling.

It's a truly sad time to be a Californian

I now live in a state where bigotry is constitutional. No matter how you look at it, the passage of Proposition 8 is discrimination. Period. For those of you who don't know, the Proposition will add the following verbage to the California State Constitution: "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."

If you voted for this on religious grounds, you are incredibly naive. Your position is that homosexuality is a sin. Therefore, according to that logic, homosexuality is a choice, because the very definition of sin is "any act regarded as such a transgression, esp. a willful or deliberate violation of some religious or moral principle." OK, here's a question for you: Did you choose to be straight? Did you wake up one morning and make a conscious choice to be attracted to Alice over Ted?

The idea that the legality of a marriage between same sex couples mars the sanctity of marriage is an incredible load of vomitous bile. As a country we have a 50% divorce rate. Do I have to point out that that's half? Half of "straight" marriages end in a divorce. Oh wait, does that mean that when my neighbors Sue and Tom get a divorce that MY marriage is now in jeopardy? If Tom has an affair with our other neighbor June, does THAT put MY marriage in jeopardy? Of course not. But according to you narrow minded zealots, if Tom were to spend 35 years in a loving and faithful marriage to Pete then apparently THAT would utterly ruin MY marriage.

And, by the way, if you don't know my sexual orientation (you non-faithful readers), would that change the validity of my statements?

OK, I could rant on this for the next 60 pages, but I won't. I want you to see what Keith Oberlmann has to say:



Shame on Californians for allowing this atrocity to happen.

Hey Everybody, it's an IT!!!

The first picture of the newest Clark is in, so I have to be the proud Papa and show off!

What the hell are you looking at?

Yeah, the big black area in the middle is the Baby Condo, and It is the white alien hiding behind the rock in the lower right. Kelli's thumb is there as a size reference (not really, it just sounded funny).

7 days until my wedding. Wow. I can't believe my good fortune and luck. To all my faithful readers who sent their congratulations I thank you from the bottom of my heart! I am grateful to have you all in my life because you make me better.

Things are changing...

OK, I have to start this entry with an apology to one of my very best friends Jeff. Buddy, I tried to get in touch with you before I posted this but wasn't able to. Sorry.

Now on to the main event. I'm getting married, a fact my faithful readers already knew. But what you don't know is that I am getting married on November 14... of THIS year. Yep, in a little over 2 weeks. I know it seems crazy, but Kelli's never been to Lake Tahoe and we decided it would be neat to go, and get married at the same time.

Oh... and Kelli's going to have a baby.

So as I was saying, Kelli's never been and we found the perfect little...

what?

more about the... oh, ok.

Yes, I am going to be a Daddy for the 2nd time. Sometime around June of next year there will be a little Bam Bam or Bam Bette making the world a better place. This surprise is absolutely incredible, and I have been fairly giddy since I found out.

We are still planning on having our big shindig with all of our friends and family next year, but instead of a wedding it will be an anniversary/re-commitment ceremony. Maybe I will be wearing wear a BabyBjorn.

My daughter Josie is still getting used to the idea, but she's an amazing kid who I'm sure will become a big sister to envy. Major props to Daddy's Little Girl for making me laugh every single morning.

We have some challenges ahead of us, so we would appreciate all your good thoughts.

Thanks.

My family:

Anyone who knows me...

knows I am very seldom at a loss for words. Well tonight it happened. First, I have to setup the back story --

I'm officially engaged! Kelli and I are getting married on October 10, 2009. I have never been more happy, and she truly is the one I was looking for my whole life. I know that sounds very "Hallmarky", but damn if it isn't the truth. I mean I have had other girlfriends (a rare few) and though I was fond of them I know now I was in no way in love.

Here's my favorite picture of my girl...


(thanks to Ken for his color correction advice - I wouldn't have noticed it and fixed it)

Along with this, I have gained a stepdaughter (to be) - an 11-year old girl name Josie. She has managed to captivate my heart almost as much as her mother.



So that's the back story - I am getting married and gaining a daughter and I couldn't be happier. So, back to where we came in --

Kelli was perusing Josie's MySpace profile this evening and came across this:

"My second hero is roger, my stepdad, and i wish he was my real biological dad. i love this man more then any other man on this planet. he's shown me what its like to be happy. he's the most amazing man in the world."

I was and am truly overwhelmed. I sat there reading that over and over again letting it sink in. I haven't been blessed with my own child as of yet, but tonight when I read this I believe I experienced at least a portion of what a father does when he looks at his child for the first time. I didn't know I had the capacity for that strong of an emotion and I am promising here, for everyone to see, that I will protect the hearts of these women who have deemed me worthy of their love.

So now I have to go find my Guy Card again. I must have left it in the laundry -- I hope it didn't go thru the washer!

Some people really, really need a pair of pliers to pull their underwear out of their ass!!!

Build a Wiffle Ball Field and Lawyers Will Come

By PETER APPLEBOME
Published: July 10, 2008

GREENWICH, Conn.



Vincent Provenzano, 16 years old, experienced his Kevin Costner moment one Sunday afternoon in May after a thrilling day of Wiffle ball in a friend’s backyard. He came home, gazed at a field of weeds, brush and poison ivy in an empty lot off Riverside Lane, turned to his friend Justin Currytto, 17, and proclaimed: “If we build it, they will come.”

After three weeks of clearing brush and poison ivy, scrounging up plywood and green paint, digging holes and pouring concrete, Vincent, Justin and about a dozen friends did manage to build it — a tree-shaded Wiffle ball version of Fenway Park complete with a 12-foot-tall green monster in center field, American flag by the left-field foul pole and colorful signs for Taco Bell Frutista Freezes.

But, alas, they had no idea just who would come — youthful Wiffle ball players, yes, but also angry neighbors and their lawyer, the police, the town nuisance officer and tree warden and other officials in all shapes and sizes. It turns out that one kid’s field of dreams is an adult’s dangerous nuisance, liability nightmare, inappropriate usurpation of green space, unpermitted special use or drag on property values, and their Wiffle-ball Fenway has become the talk of Greenwich and a suburban Rorschach test about youthful summers past and present.

“People can remember how much fun it was to go out in the woods in the summer, build a fort, do something fun and creative, so there’s something pretty cool in what these kids did, especially at a time kids grow up in such an incredibly structured and stressful environment,” said Lin Lavery, one of three Greenwich selectmen, who inherited Wifflegate while the first selectman, Greenwich’s version of mayor, is on vacation.

“But we have a situation that’s escalated,” Ms. Lavery said. “Neighbors are upset that it’s too close to their property; building has been done on town property; there are issues of traffic and drainage. We’re hoping to come up with a compromise, but there are a lot of issues to address.”

There’s plenty of local history in Wiffle ball (it was invented up the road in Fairfield) and Greenwich land-use disputes (where to start?), but Vincent and Justin say they just wanted a place to play Wiffle ball. They got materials from a friend’s basement plus two big pieces of plywood being thrown away by a Shell station on East Putnam Avenue. They fished pallets out of Dumpsters and spent perhaps $200, mostly on green paint.

But even before they were finished, things began to get complicated. They were told the neighbors had complained, the field was on town-owned land, they needed a permit to put up their field and it would probably have to come down.

This being Greenwich, they decided not to go quietly. They and/or parents alerted the local newspaper and politicians up to Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele of nearby Stamford. Soon they had everyone in town talking about it, with most of them seemingly put off by the notion that even a Wiffle ball field needs to enlist the armies of adult supervision and legalistic oversight.

“BACK before we lost our collective minds and began shrieking with horror at the thought of kids having fun on their own (as in not part of an official league or otherwise organized activity), they used to do things like find a vacant field, turn it into a makeshift diamond and spend glorious hours in the summer sun,” the local newspaper, Greenwich Time, wrote in an editorial in support of the youths on Wednesday.

The regular players, mostly high school boys but including Tara Currivan, 15 (who swings a mean bat and brings lemonade to the field), and Scott Atkinson, 13, seem a little befuddled by the whole thing. “They think we’re a cult,” said Jeff Currivan, 17. “People think we should be home playing ‘Grand Theft Auto.’ ”

And they seem to get the fact that many adults are taken with the idea of kids’ doing something that’s not structured, not organized and not oriented toward improving your SAT scores.

“It’s just old-fashioned fun,” said Vincent Provenzano. “We did it on our own. Maybe people think that’s unusual.”

We’d all like our own Field of Dreams, but it’s worth remembering that Mr. Costner’s was in an Iowa cornfield. And, with all due nostalgia for simpler childhoods in simpler times, it’s possible Greenwich’s Wiffle version — on a lot valued at $1.25 million, according to the Greenwich newspaper — was too good to be true.

The neighbors, one an ultra-endurance athlete who does charity work around the globe, another building a house to accommodate her brother, who uses a wheelchair, turn out to be not that much different from most suburbanites seeing their backyard go from their own to a quasi park full of teenagers from near and far. They say that the land floods and that the area was designated by the town as a drainage area, a function largely undone when the youths stripped away all the greenery and undergrowth. The complaining neighbors want the field closed immediately.

The field had 40 people last weekend for a Wiffle tournament, which is something no one bargained on when they bought their houses.

“I’m all for Wiffle ball and apple pie and baseball and the American flag, but there are plenty of fields in town they can use instead of building something in people’s backyard,” said Liz Pate, who is building a new house behind what’s now home plate. “If I come home at 6 at night after working all day, I want peace and quiet. I can’t have that. I have dozens of people behind my house playing Wiffle ball. If their parents think this is so great, let them play at their house.”

The liability panic is adult nuttiness except when it’s not. It’s a fairly raw issue in Greenwich, where, for instance, a doctor was awarded $6.3 million a few years back when he broke his leg in two places while sledding with his 4-year-old son.

All kids deserve a Huck Finn summer. We perhaps have lost our collective minds about our overscheduled, overstressed young. But, in the end, maybe there was a reason that Kevin Costner built that Field of Dreams in Iowa and not in Greenwich.

Ups and downs...

This is a very strange time in my life. Most importantly for me I have found the woman of my dreams and am very much in love. The time we spend together is nothing short of phenomenal, and we pretty much ache for each other when we are apart.

I am losing weight, and am starting to see a physical difference in my appearance. I will continue to work on this and see if I can get back to this (said dripping with sarcasm):



One of my oldest friends John Thompson and his wife Heather had twin boys on June 23. They are incredibly tiny little guys working hard right now. You can keep up with their progress by checking out The Life and Times of Tyler and Parker Thompson.

At the same time, another of my oldest friends and his wife, Gary and Cassie Campanale, are expecting twin girls in the next several weeks. To top off all of that, yet another old friend and his wife, Tony and Laura Peck, are expecting a little girl in the near future. When I say these are my old friends, these are also some of my closest friends and I have known them continually since high school. Congratulations to all of them!

Amidst all of this, there is the sadness of the loss of Ken's Dad. Ken's personal struggles are a source of concern for me and I am trying to keep him positive and help move his life into a new, positive, and happier direction.

I have a sore toe.

Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery,
and Today is a gift.

That's why we call it the Present.

by Eugénie des Alpages

They need our help!

When you have known someone longer than you haven't known them,

it is easy at times to get on each other's nerves. The big picture of what's going on in each other's life can be overlooked as an individual item of interest becomes the proverbial pea under the Princess' mattress, causing bickering and arguing and exclamations of hatred, all thrown out in a moment of unintended fury.

Such is my relationship with my best friend. I met him my Junior year of high school and we have been very close ever since. Now we don't always get along, and there are times when in my opinion I find his reasonings and rationale to be very... well... flawed, for lack of a better word. He has idiosyncrasies and mannerisms that I find just strange, and we have arguments and debates I simply just don't have with anyone else - debates which to the uninitiated would seem just downright weird. But through it all we have been friends for over 25 years, and I would take a bullet for him without thought or reservation.

I don't think that I have ever told him, but I really do have a tremendous amount of respect for him. When most of us hit our early twenties and decided to move out into the world to pursue our dreams, he chose to stay at home and look after his elderly parents, his income combined with theirs keeping them living a comfortable lifestyle beyond the limits of Social Security alone, with very little assistance from other members of his family. As the years progressed, this eventually became in itself a full time job, and I mean that in a very literal sense of the word. Over the past decade or so, the requirements became so intense he needed to place his mother in a nursing home as her needs were beyond what he was capable of while still caring for his dad.

Most of us work a 9-5 job, or a variation thereof, and at the end of the day we can leave our work behind, with a weekend conveniently thrown in every 5 days just to keep us mentally healthy. What would you do if your job required you to be on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with not a single soul to give you any respite; no vacation; no sick leave; and the knowledge that even if someone were to offer assistance, they would probably do it wrong? Could you do it? WOULD you do it? I know I wouldn't. But very simply, that is what he did -- for years.

This week his father passed away, 2 months shy of his 100th birthday. The last couple of years saw a serious decline in his health, and ever more responsibility by my friend. The stress of this burden permeated even when he would do his best not to show it. I miss the father who used to always make me laugh, was an avid Kings fan, and a lover of working outdoors. His passing is sad, but it removes the dark cloud from over the head of my friend. He can now strive for his dreams without worrying about his parents' wellbeing, and can enjoy himself without the guilt of "leaving them home alone". This is the blessing that comes out of the sadness.

To Ken R., I am glad to know you and I am incredibly honored to call you my friend and brother.

How long is long enough?

I have "officially" been seeing Kelli now since April 9, approaching two months. But when I talk about my feelings for her, the term "Love" rolls off the tongue, but I haven't expressed as much to my other friends. Why? I am pretty sure I would get the typical "but you just met, how can you possibly be in love" response. But that's not the case at all.

Kelli and I have been talking over the phone and using chat for close to a year, and started to become really close since October. I don't know of any other relationship I have ever had where I can talk to the person for 5 hours at a time without looking for some excuse to hang up.

So it's very simple: she's "the one" for me, and I am going to do my damn level best to make sure this is a lifetime kinda' deal, because I am not planning on letting her go.

Yeah, that's me - the Slacker!

Sorry faithful readers, if indeed there are any of you left, for not being the responsible blogger I should be. I will endeavor to try much harder to keep you updated on what I find blogworthy.

So -- IronMan and Speed Racer. My opinion? HOLY COW!!! Iron Man really is fantastic, and RDJ (as I fondly call him) is great as Tony Stark. This movie has great crossover appeal to everyone - even those not familiar with the comic. Speed Racer on the other hand, though a lot of fun, is really aimed at fanboys and girls - meaning that it pays the highest tribute to the cartoon in its style, editing, and plethora of "Speedisms". John Goodman is great as "Pops" and Charlie... err Jack... err Mathew Fox really does nail down Racer X. To me, it was a supremely better version of what Warren Beatty was trying to do with Dick Tracy.

OK, this having a girlfriend thing is really cool. Everyone should try it sometime.

I just closed back to back shows on Sunday. Damn I need a break! It is going to be very nice having my weekends back for a change.

More to come soon! I am having "inspiration" problems...

Today's Guest Blogger - my Girlfriend Kelli

What’s the deal with Roger & why I owe a debt of gratitude to Kathi, April & Kristen

Well, I'm getting lots and lots of emails asking about Roger, so here you go:

Roger and I have been "internet friends" for quite some time now. I actually came across him accidently. I was surfing around and found his (MySpace) profile. Now, ordinarily, I probably would have skimmed the profile and moved on except for one thing.... he had a picture up of himself with a huge gash on his head.

Well, me being the nosy broad that I am, I sent him a friend request and all but demanded to know what on earth he did to himself. We became good friends, exchanging emails and comments.

One day Roger made what I'd consider a bold move, and he sent me an email with his phone number. Since you all know me fairly well, you know that I have a tendency to be super cautious and do not give out my number or call people unless I know I can trust them.

Having said that, I thanked Roger for the number, but didn't call him. I had boundaries and I was determined to make him understand and respect them. And he did. He asked me to meet him once or twice, but was completely respectful of my reservations about meeting people from the internet.

Well one day I desperately needed a friend to talk to and my sister Kathi and my best friend April were unavailable. Somehow, some way, Roger convinced me to call him so I could cry on his shoulder and I did. And from that point on, we became exceptional friends.

He helped me through a very tough time (I had just been thoroughly and completely shit on by an exboyfriend). We spent many hours talking and laughing on the phone and did so for quite a few months. A few things here and there happened, we had a bit of a spat at one point, but somehow we managed to make our way back to being good friends.

BUT... and this is the big BUT... we still hadn't met in person. Wierd circumstances, bad timing, jumbled nerves about meeting a stranger from the net and an argument kept Roger at arm's length until a few weeks ago.

Without going into explicit details, one of Roger's good friends said something that pissed me off -- enough so that I did something so completely out of character that I'm still amazed that I did it when I reflect back on it today... I told Roger to get his ass over to my apartment. I told him where I lived, told him how to get here and even told him what parking spot to use.

From that point on, we've spent the last few weeks getting to know one another on a different level. He's taken me out on a few dates and they've been so much fun.

Roger treats me like a princess and makes me feel like a beauty queen. He's a gentleman and he's so sweet. And that is why when he asked me to be his girlfriend, I said "yes".

So there you have it.... That's the deal with Roger... There's more to our story, but some things are private and just between he and I. And if you really and truly want to get to know him, send that boy an email or a friend request (MySpace). Your life will be so much better for knowing him and having him as a friend.

This is her. Can you believe those eyes?!!!!