I will so need a nap today!

Lights out at 2:01 a.m. and the TV turned itself off probably 15 minutes later. I can't even remember what I was watching at that hour, oh yeah - E! news. Tom Brady got engaged to his girlfriend. There were white roses and a private jet. That was the last important Entertainment News clip I remember seeing on the TV before I fell asleep. Choco started mooing around 6 to be let out. Ugh. No number of "lie downs" and "go back to sleeps" would keep her from pursuing whatever was calling her from outside. After letting Choco and Topher out, I did doze until 8:15 before finally starting the morning coffee & newspaper routine.

Why was I up until 2 you ask? Well, we had a fun evening at Poodie's Hilltop Bar in Spicewood, TX. One of the last authentic honky tonk bars around. And boy was it fun. Mike and I have been there a number of times to listen to various Texas legends play. Poodie is Willie's (as in Willie Nelson) road manager and can always attract great musicians to his namesake bar. Occasionally even Willie himself shows up and plays unannounced. Last night's headliner was Carolyn Wonderland. She is just terrific and has a great new CD out - Miss Understood - that Ray Benson helped her produce. We brought Meg, Steffi and Kerry Lynn with us and they had such a great time they had to admit that Mike and I occasionally did pretty cool stuff. The warm up band was Blues Mafia and while they looked like teenagers, they were really pretty good. We all agreed that it was worth checking out their Myspace for more info and downloads.

Carolyn plays with only a drummer and a keyboard(er? ist?). She herself plays a variety of small, medium and large stringed guitar-family instruments, a trumpet and she occasionally whistles a tune. All 3 of them manage to smoke while playing. It is sort of fascinating watching Carolyn's cigarette stuck between the strings and the neck of the guitar and wonder what will happen if she sings long enough for the embers to reach a string?

Her vocals remind me of Janis Joplin -bold and rich and a bit Texas twangy. I highly recommend her Miss Understood CD, especially Bad Girl Blues (written by Bruce Robison), the title track Miss Understood, Still Alive and Well, and I Live Alone with Someone Else. Actually all of the tracks are good.

That's a diet coke in front of Stef. I had to call Poodies in advance of our arrival to ask permission to bring a minor to the show. She had a special wristband announcing she was a minor and was not to be served alcohol. Beats the big black X that many clubs ink onto your hands. Steffi was a good sport and enjoyed several dc's until I gave in to others' suggestions that we treat her to a rum & coke. Just one, mind you.

It is starting to look like it will rain sometime today. Perfect excuse for a nap. zzzzzzz