At Liberty

CRAIGSLIST: One slightly used, outa warranty guitar player / singer / songwriter available. Double on bass and trumpet. Retired 60's/70's/80's road musician (e.g., Hollywood Argyles, Merrilee Rush, and every shit lounge gig from Boston to L.A., Vancouver, B.C. to Miami and all points in between). Can read and write, but not well enough to hurt my playing (now in the process of learning Finale, BTW). No bad habits (right!).

Other skills: SAS programming, General Linear Models (GLM) and Logistic multiple regression and non-parametric exploratory data mining and analysis (e.g. CART modeling. a.k.a. Recursive Binary Partitioning), quantitative risk/cost-benefit policy analysis (QRCBA), SPC (Statistical Quality Control), university-level teaching, digital graphics, photography, and EMR deployment consulting (including clinical workflow mapping and re-design).

Reliable, non-smoker, no Drama (pretty sedate, boring cat, actually). Good equipment. Big book of acoustic stuff (Loggins, Fogelberg, CSN&Y, James Taylor, Eagles, Prine, etc) and big book of "cocktail jazz" stds (e.g., Broadway tunes, Bacharach, etc). Willing to rehearse. Cell# (702) 283-1355. Email bobbyg@bgladd.com

LOL! I bleeping just got RIF'd (laid off). Brutal. One day's bleeping notice (though, really, I'd seen it comin'). Boom. Done (CEO cat couldn't even muster the stones to look us in the eye while giving the obligatory 'why-this-is-necessary' group spiel in the conference room, after which he booked, pronto). Out the door. Seven of us (~10% of staff). Medicare QIO contract funding cutbacks (happenin' nationally; the feds are way outa money thanks to Junior).

Bleep it. Oh, and Conti sends me this email: "Yoeski, Bobby, I misread your message, I thought you said you got LAID. Thought there was stuff goin' on I wasn't aware of."

Interesting day today. Too much to think about. My Ma's doc now says she needs nursing home care, so I'm gonna have to get my butt back down to Florida and deal with that stuff. Been burnin' up the phone lines with my Sister in Michigan planning next moves.

While I've got a couple of possible new day gig things already in the oven, I am in fact lookin' to play. Was gonna do it pro bono, but my magnanimity is now circumscribed. My acoustic book is ready to go (and includes some off-the-wall-for-acoustic stuff like Jarreau and Champlin and Toto). I'm mulling over maybe a semi-acoustic trio. Been discussing that with Adrian and Joe. We'll see.

BTW- I am totally ready for my newly reduced economic status. Get some of that cheap-o shrimp flavored Ramen at CostCo, toss in some cut-up hot dogs - Surf 'n Turf, babeeeee...

BTW, on the subject of "salsa"

So, I'm cleanin' out my office space yesterday. We been in the suite over on Oquendo at Rainbow for about a year, and maybe once a week, when I didn't bring lunch or want to go home for lunch, I'd bop over to the nearby Taco Bell drive-thru on Rainbow at Russell. Usually just get the Zesty Chicken Bowl, 'cuz it was cheap and not so bad nutritionally (relatively). "Hot sauce, please." Well, why do they always throw a big handful in your bag, when I always only use just one? These (below) are the ones that I just threw in my side desk drawer along with extra napkins and straws, etc. Filled up a dad-gumbed box.

BONO JOKE (courtesy of Cousin Jojo)

GOTTA LOVE THE IRISH

So, Bono is at a U2 concert in Ireland when he asks the audience for some quiet. Then in the silence, he starts to slowly clap his hands.

Holding the audience in total silence, he says into the microphone... "Every time I clap my hands, a child in Africa dies."

A drunken voice from near the front of the audience pierces the silence... "Fookin stop dooin' it then!"
______

BTW, on a more serious note, Bono is into some way worthy humanitarian stuff:

PROJECT RED

and
ONE.ORG

YESTERDAY: SANTA FE REHEARSAL

Rob Mader shot this during a rehearsal yesterday using the built-in camera in his Mac laptop (Bobby Black was there subbing for Lenny).

MO' UPDATES

First, from an email from Jerry Lopez...

By the way, an interview with Tony Sacca Saturday at 5:30 on 970 AM on the radio and we're taping for his television show on Monday night, and Tony is going to sing a song with the band.

Also, tomorrow is gonna be Phil Wigfall Day on Ric and Jackie Gould's 97.1 FM Sunday Jazz Show (you can stream it live on the web, 8 a.m. to noon). In-depth interview with Phil and airing of some of his awesome solo CD tunes (I have the CD, and absolutely love it, it is first-class).

MORE STUFF FYI

From an email I got from Joann Toranto:

Bobby Black
of the Las Vegas Tenors
will be appearing at The Bootlegger
this Sunday, March 4th @ 8 p.m.
He'll be singing with
Sandra Benton from Menopause
Kelly Clinton with a very special guest
and of course
Bill Fayne's Fabulous Las Vegas Tenors
Don't miss this unbelievable performance!
~~~
Bootlegger
7700 Las Vegas Blvd So.
736-4939