I am so tired right now that I have no business posting, therefore, I should post.

Several of my friends and acquaintances are going through a period of flux, and I am no exception to this odd phenomenon. Stay tuned.

Congratulations, M-squared, on your battle --- you are tougher than Buffy! And congrats to you, C-Note, on your new gig! My best to both of you!

Here's an extra good vibe to everyone reading this. By the way, I will be rawking at the Prince concert in Portland tomorrow night . . . oh yeah!

The verdict is in on Jupiter peaches: although they are tasty, I personally do not feel that they are worth $3.99 per pound. You can try one for about 75 cents though, if your curiosity has been aroused.

Hi. Here's a token post so that those of you who hoped for a new post today don't feel completely cheated. Just partially.

I lost three more pounds in the past week without dieting (on the regimen I am following, I follow the plan for three weeks, take a week off, and start again). That was a nice surprise.

Fellow ComedySportz players, I will see you at workshop tonight . . . see you there!

If you are interested in seeing 30-second animated condensed versions of films such as "Jaws," "The Shining," "Alien," and "The Exorcist," go to www.angryalien.com. Oh, yes --- I should mention that the shorts are all re-enacted by bunnies.

I will be picking up one of my great friends at PDX in a few hours (she's flying in from S.F.), and driving her off to a coastal area I have never been to before. Should be interesting. She is attending a family reunion for the week. I will be a road warrior tomorrow but hopefully recovered for Tater Tot's return to karaoke Monday night. Hmm, might I bust out my punk-vocal version of Toni Basil's "Mickey" again?

At the end of my first three-week rotation on the Rotation Diet, I have dropped 13 pounds so far. Now I took a maintenance week off, and then start my next three-week stint.

Also, I have just about finished reading the current, very good issue of Phantom of the Movies' Videoscope.

To top it all off, I have actually been able to watch the 10:30 p.m. episodes of Seinfeld two nights in a row.

Life is good.

Wow! It has been a crazy, busy time since last Wednesday; thankfully most of it was good, with concerts and karaoke galore (I may have actually burned out on karaoke for a bit . . . we'll see) . . . and happy birthday, Double M! I have no time to write in any detail right now, but hope to soon. In the meantime, please consider these lyrics to a traditional song that Leonard Cohen sings on his first live album, and be kind to one another, my friends . . .

"Passing Through"

I saw Jesus on the cross on a hill called Calvary
"Do you hate mankind for what they've done to you?"
He said, "Talk of love not hate,
Things to do, it's getting late.
I've so little time and I'm only passing through."

(Chorus)
Passing through, passing through.
Sometimes happy, sometimes blue,
Glad that I ran into you.
Tell the people that you saw me passing through.

I saw Adam leave the Garden
With an apple in his hand.
I said "Now you're out,
What are you going to do?"
"Plant some crops and pray for rain,
Maybe raise a little Cain.
I'm an orphan now, and I'm only passing through."

(Chorus)

I was with Washington at Valley Ford,
Shivering in the snow.
I said, "How come the men here suffer like they do?"
"Men will suffer, men will fight,
Even die for what is right,
Even though they know they're only passing through."

(Chorus)

I was at Franklin Roosevelt's side
on the night before he died.
He said, "One world must come out of World War Two" (ah, the fool) "Yankee, Russian, white or tan," he said,
"A man is still a man. We're all on one road,
and we're only passing through."

(Chorus)

Answer to previous question: No such thing as too much karaoke!

Last night at karaoke was an absolute blast, though a few of our group had to leave early and some didn't make it. And yes, Little Fifteen's presence was definitely missed.

The rotation may have been the lightest I have ever seen it at our Monday night haunt. I believe the longest rotation was about 40 minutes. That, of course, means more songs, and even though I didn't arrive until 10:00 (instead of the preferred 9:00), I still was able to get five songs in --- all debuts! Here they are, in order of performance:

"Taxi" by Harry Chapin --- the mellowest and first or second most challenging of the songs I performed. A wonderful, heartwrenching, quiet story song by one of the great singer/songwriters of the 1970s.

"Take It Off" by The Donnas --- the loudest, most raucous song I did last night. For those who might be wondering, I reversed gender and changed the line "Stop staring at my D cup" to "I can't stop staring at your D cup."

"Surfin' Bird" by The Trashmen --- This was the first in my two-song tribute to forefathers of punk. The Ramones and The Cramps have both covered this song, so even though I puzzled people and felt it was an odd use of two-and-a-half of my karaoke minutes afterward, it was worth it.

"I Fought the Law" by The Bobby Fuller Four --- I loved this song from when I was a third grader, and as I have grown up, amazing remakes have been recorded by artists I have loved such as Bruce Springsteen, The Dead Kennedys, and (my favorite cover version) The Clash. I rarely walk away from the mic feeling this way, but I 100% tore it up on that number! A couple of people danced their arses off to it, and a group of people I don't know and have never seen before gave me a standing ovation afterward. Wow! Maybe the song brought some memories back to them, but I'll take it.

"Raspberry Beret" by Prince --- I have wanted to try this one for about a year, and last night seemed the night to try it. I am glad I did. It went well, and thanks to C-Note and Lost Actor for shakin' their moneymakers to it.

Stiff Little Fingers and Throw Rag tomorrow, Burning Brides on Thursday, and ComedySportz on Saturday with perhaps, who knows, a bit more karaoke on Saturday, and Kung Fu Karaoke on Sunday. Not a bad schedule for the week!

Is there such a thing as too much karaoke?

I suppose we might find out tonight, with my second straight night of karaoke from beginning until close, and my fourth night closing a karaoke bar in eight nights. How my voice held up last night after growling through The Runaways' "Cherry Bomb" to start with is interesting enough, but I must rawk. As a matter of fact, I called an audible on trying out Hank Williams Sr.'s "Move It on Over" and a couple of other numbers to rock the kids properly. Perhaps tonight I might do an "all mellow" (okay, who am I trying to kid --- "mostly mellow") set . . .

The Hives' show at the Roseland on Saturday night was a lot of fun, with lots of loud, crisp power chords; cocky swagger; and lead-vocalist antics channeling the bravado and bluster of Mick Jagger, David Johannsen (during and after The New York Dolls), and Iggy Pop. Fellow Swedes/girl group Sahara Hotnights impressed greatly as the quartet absolutely tore through its set. If you like The Runaways or The Donnas (hopefully both), give Sahara Hotnights a listen.

Hopefully more live rocking later this week, with Stiff Little Fingers and Throw Rag at Berbati's Pan on Wednesday and Burning Brides at Ash Street Saloon on Thursday.

May your Monday treat you all well!