| | Damn, man, I hate being sick! I got the fucking flu, right before Halloween. It's not like I missed out on Trick-Or-Treating, since I haven't done that for about 25 years, but I was looking forward to putting Anna's little 'Ladybug' costume on her and parading her around a bit... I did put it on her, and it is cute as hell - she looks like a 100 pound Ladybug/Rottweiler, with big red wings (with black polka dots) and two little antennae on top of her head - she was such a good sport about it, too, until I tried to take it off of her - I think she actually liked the feeling of wearing it. It was so fucking funny I almost pissed myself laughing. Of course, it was too late to take a picture, because my dad was asleep in bed and he's got the camera in his room, so I'll have to do it again, maybe tomorrow. Anyway, things are going pretty good for me, at the moment, I'm keeping busy with my little guitar repair business, and I've got more customers than I can handle at the moment, so I'm making a pretty good little amount of money, all tax free! he-he!!! Take that, Uncle Sam! You like it like that, don't cha, bitch!!! O....o Anyway, I'm selling off a few of my guitars, since I've got, like 13 or so right now - I've just been accumulating them like crazy, but I've had a lot of fun modifying them and playing the shit out of them, and now I'm gonna sell them for a bit more than I've got in them, and buy myself some new gear! Whoo-Hoo! I just love what I do - I wish I'd become a guitar tech years ago - it's something that I'm really good at, and that I enjoy the shit out of, and I can make a pretty decent living, doing it. Everyone who plays guitar needs a guitar tech, to keep their guitars playing right - the intonation goes out about twice a year with the change of the seasons, and the necks go out of whack about twice a year, too, so it's a pretty stable job. I've got a bunch of new customers from an ad I placed on Craig's List, and now I'm getting a bunch of referrals from people who I've already helped out, so the money just keeps a-rollin in. No complaints, here - Those of you who know me know that I'm disabled (nasty rheumatoid arthritic condition called Ankylosing Spondylitis) and my mobility is becoming more and more limited. Even now I'm having trouble driving a car, because I cannot turn my head left or right (or up or down, for that matter) anymore, so I have to have someone ride with me, to look left and right for me. It's kind of a drag, but you know, it's all happened so gradually, that I've become accustomed to it, and to me, it really doesn't seem all that bad. I don't have to work anymore (except my little hobby/side career of guitar techie) and I collect Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits, so I really cannot complain one bit. Of course I have a lot of medical expenses - primarily prescription drugs for the pain, but I'm going to qualify for Medicare next year (2008) so that will pay for a lot of my medical expenses, as well. I am also forced to live at home with my parents, but they are pretty 'hands-off', and they allow me to do all the stuff I love to do, like playing guitar and recording, and collecting and watching anime, and of course I have my loving little doggie butt-butt Anna (aka Anna Banana Pants) to keep me company, so I never really get that lonely. I still dream of making it big in the music industry, and I know that I have a snowball's chance in Hell of actually pulling it off, but you know, a guy has gotta dream! LOL At least my current situation allows me to nurture my inner child, which I think is the most important thing anyone can do, so when you look at it that way, I'm actually pretty fucking lucky. I don't have to work, I get to play guitar as much as I want, I get a decent wage from my guitar techie work, and the government pays me retirement money, as well. If it weren't for the pain (ouch) I'd be in hog-heaven. Oh, well, I still can't complain - the pills do a pretty good job of masking the pain, without putting me totally in 'lala' land, and I gotta say, Life is Good. I've got some really great friends who totally support me and encourage me to be the best I can, I've got the best Dad in the whole wide mother-f-ing world (You ROCK, Pop!), and I have a really awesome niece named Melissa (you may know her as Mewtaila) and a cool kid of a nephew (you may know him as Blockhead) <just kidding, Jeremy - you know I love you, boy!> And of course my little butt-butt doggie Anna Pants - I'd say life is pretty fuckin good, baby. That's all from the world of Uncle Spike Spiegel, AKA Robster the mad musician. To all of you who made it this far, Thanks for reading, and thanks for being there for me! Peace, Love, and Applesauce, babies! Spike |
