Texas

We rolled into Fort Worth last night after driving all day from northern Alabama. Our Denton show has been relocated here, which was disappointing for all us. Disappointing for me because I hoped to get a glimpse a town whose sons and daughters give it high marks; disappointing for my bandmates because the house show in Fort Worth will not offer the same levels of free bowling, beer, and pizza.

Huntsville was a good experience. Cool people, cool venue (indoor skatepark). Acoustical nightmare. We're not meant to be playing big boomy warehouses. With the likely exception of San Antonio, our Texas shows should all be pretty good, and we have friends in Houston and Austin. Our Phoenix show, which had been shaky, has been confirmed (we're playing with a handful of "experimental metal" bands), but Tijuana is not looking good. Here are some updates on our tour experience:

-Number of really good meals eaten in hospital cafeterias: 1 (the hospital in Orlando is run by 7th Day Adventists, who are apparently into vegetarianism...the punx go there to eat all the time.)

-Number of mint-iced chocolate donuts consumed by yours truly at said hospital: only one, but I could have easily put down three or four

-Number of friendly visits from a cop while hanging out in a grocery store parking lot in Alabama: 1 (number of times the cop referred to himself as an "old-school Pantera fan": 1)

-Number of times our roadie Matt has stayed at Kim Deal's house: 1

-Number of showers: 1 (except Matt, I think he's still holding out)

-Number of times that Shravan, while using a gas station bathroom, mistakenly took someone repeatedly jiggling the doorknob for one of us and exclaimed, "hold on, I'm pinchin' a loaf!" only to emerge and find it was just some random woman: 1