Warm fuzzies from the Fabulous Fairfield Inn -in- Sacramento California!

Sacramento, I never thought it could ever been so good. Actually its not bad out here. The air is nice. In Minnesota, when its this warm out, the air gets thick...like a wet Brawny paper towel. Speaking of Brawny, our good natureded Lutsenite Al Oikari currently rented a *vehicle (Al says Vehicle...not car)*..to drive to Stinson Beach for a comb. The rest of the band is playing golf and thanks to the San Francisco State computer science department...I am able to be here with you and have a talk about dew points and other points.

We have been touring for about 6 weeks now and surprisingly its been a really fun time. By now I was expecting to feel like bad Chinese food. Its more like the fruits of California are keepin us ripe but lets not talk laundry anymore...

Here is a topic for discussion. Snapple rented the Big Wu for twenty plus shows out West. We basically set up our gear outside in the courtyard of your favorite college and play music while Snapple gives away free schtuff. It lasts for about an hour and its helping us to spread our music out to people. The Deutch Company which owns Snapple and a couple other beverages is taking care of our expenses and stuff. I was all sketch at first about being part of this but now that I'm way into it I don't feel that way at all.

Here is why: people.

Molly and Ray who are the two kidz puttin up the Snapple booth and traveling around with us for these seven weeks. They are some of the kindest folk you can possibly imagine. All good souls and hearts and people that I would have never of had the pleasure of meeting were it not for this tour. We hang out in the hotel rooms at night and have a blast. They come out to our club shows at night and dance and have fun and they are great people to be around and learn from. Then I got to thinking...just how many other incredible people I've come to know because of this tour. I'm one of those weirdos who thinks that there are certain people who you meet along the way that are there to tell you something that may help you along your path. One of those people for me is Dave from LA. I feel like he provided me with some wisdom that I will take with me down the path. I appreciated the conversations we had. He basically told me that sometimes we need to be at rest to be in motion!

Yeah...I know its been said before but you know how sometimes when someone tells you straight up to "sit still" and "be quiet"...its often times more like a command than a suggestion? Dave has a smile 24-7. I mean he really does...full grinnin Dave. I basically felt that he was at a place where someday I hope to evolve to be. He told me through prayer and meditations and sitting still for long periods of time is how he achieved this state of being. He came to Vegas with us after Los Angeles and I won't see him til' the 14 Below in Santa Monica this coming Friday but I hope he reads this and understands that I learned alot from this person in a very short while. I'm sure there are people out there who would say: "Uh..NO DOY...you can read that in about a thousand different wellness books". But sometimes it takes someone telling you straight up.

We had a fine individual named Jack Chester ride with us for a while through Olympia, Eugene, and Seattle. He's writing about his vacation and is hoping to send a review towards Jambands.com. Check it out. He's a great guy who I'm happy to have spent some time with.

I feel like because of Snapple I met some friends that seem to me as if they will be there for a long time. It sounds silly doesn't it. But I'm all about meetin as many positive people as I positively can. I think its important to listen to the people in your life that you meet along the way. So its been worth it to me! Many times over...

So American Beauty won best picture. How about it? Maybe mainstreamers will start comin' round to the more awake side of things. Too bad the Oscars has very little credibility or it may actually mean something. Prolly means something to someone.

Weirdest thing on this tour?

In Missoula MT, we played a show on campus at noon last week. Well we got to the school and the campus activities director said today was the annual Gay Pride celebration and it was to go on at noon. So he wondered if they could use our stage and mics to do some speaking and stuff and we said fine and we would then play at 1pm. So after that meeting inside the cafeteria, we walked back into the courtyard outside and we were immediately bombarding with many Christian Fundamentalists shouting stuff at us with megaphones. MUCH MUCH like a drill sergeant. I sat down in the courtyard and watched all this happen. Kids and mothers with signs saying "DAMNATION IS NEAR". Everyone in their congregation was dressed in ties and suits and all the ladies were dressed in dresses and minding the children while the men spoke and shouted and raised the Bible in the air and quoted away the day. I wondered to myself why THIS DAY in particular was chosen for their rally on campus and then!

it became so obvious...and so political at the same time. The megaphone sergeant guy was yelling:
"are ya TIRED of feelin' dirty?"
"are ya TIRED of wakin up from a bad trip and wondering what day it is?"
"are ya TIRED of feelin lost all the time...well my friends JESUS IS THE ANSWER!"

All this happened for a couple hours. They handed out literature to people most of whom waved them off.

Then they STOPPED. And the Gay Pride celebration began. People came up and told their stories, both students and teachers. It was a large crowd. For the most part, the folks on the other side of the courtyard put their signs down and allow the celebration to continue, but every once in a while you'd here these little voices over there saying slightly under the breath: "SINNER"

Their is a unbelievable friend of the band and huge fan named Pastor Tim Christensen, who is indeed a Lutheran Ordained Minister and has a congregation up in Great Falls MT. He trades our music avidly. I turned to him, and pointing at the stage where they were celebrating said, "THIS seems so much more REAL to me than what's goin' on over there..."

Tim told me it was because of compassion and that if those people were to really pay attention to good ol JC they would understand compassion instead of pointing fingers and condemning.

Thats about all I have to say about that. It was just weird being caught up in all of it.

Afterward the Big Wu played and people danced and it felt pretty good. Abendego is a great band outta Montana. Go see em for sure...

American Beauty was the best picture of 1999. How bout it...can I pick a winner or what? :) Maybe I should start a credible awards ceremony? ...awe what the hell do I know. Am I self righteous? I dunno...sorta.

-look closer!

Jason