The Weblog of Daniel Tashian

Walked early with Leslie and it was still cool. Watered the front and back beds and showered. I called Natalie to see if we were still writing and she said she was glad I called, because she had a lot to do before she went out of town, so we were both relieved because we both had things to do. Had a voice lesson and worked on a few songs. Went to lunch at Chinatown with my grandmother. Walked the dogs at noon and it was hot. Went to Harris Teeter ($21) and got the ingredients for Risotto with asparagus and mushrooms. Also made salad with paprika vinagrette. Called Mel and Vicki but they said they’ll have to “take a rain check”. “We have leftovers WE have to eat, too, ya know!” As if I was planning to serve him leftovers. But the Risotto turned out good, and Leslie says I live “like a retired person.” Just trying out recipes and playing the piano. Oh well.

Walked early and went home and answered some emails and letters. Did some computer cleaning and cleaned a bunch of stuff off my hard drive and I thought for a moment that i’d erased all my fiction, but i found it later and I basically feng shui-ed my computer. Had a new favorite dish for lunch: “Prince’s Hot Chicken Salad”! When you go to Prince’s, you get an extra quarter, and slice it over salad greens cold the next day. If you like, put some ranch dressing. Viola: Hot Chicken Salad. If I had my own restaurant, I was telling Leslie, I would offer that. Leslie took a nap and I took some photographs of her. Packed some things and went to Hopkins at 2. Called Mel and Vicky and offered to cook dinner, which they accepted, so I went to Harris Teeter for some supplies ($66) and made grilled salmon, jajick, pilaf, and tomatos with red onion, feta and vinagrette! Somebody told me to do that, and now I can’t remember who. Anyway, a mediterranean feast! Walked the dogs again and Leslie called and she was with some aunts and uncles of Sandra and Andy and she said the dinner was colombian and delicious. Played some piano and had a nightcap and went to bed.

Woke up and it was like a cloud had been lifted. I felt so much better. Walked early and took my dad to the Nissan shop and went back and went over the stuff for taking care of my parents’ place while they are out of town. There’s a lot to do! I mean, every day, you have to do all these chores. But I asked my grandma to buy me a hard drive and she said yes, so I plan to do some work while i’m there. Met Sara Beck at Baja Burrito and Troy Smith was there and he said thanks for the CD I mailed him and he said he liked the Lovetest because it was “Disco without Irony” and I liked that, and he was sweet and he followed me to the register and said “Lunch is on me today.” which was really nice. Sara and I talked for a while and Jim Demain came in and he said his session flaked on him. I like him. Then we went to Clayton Digital and worked on a new song and it had something cool about it, but we were both kind of sleepy, so it was a pretty, sort of lazy song. We took a break and walked Posh up to Las Paletas and got a popsicle, and then she had to go to work. I called Liz and Emily West called and she is doing some good PR for me. She told Amy and Chris Linsey they needed to write with me, and that’s good because I like them. Paul Kennerley called, and he got the Bees CDs I sent him, and he was waxing ecstatic about it on the voicemail. He is such a thoughtful guy. I really look up to him. So I was in a good mood, and there’s nothing like a little encouragement from the right place to put you back on track. But the phone isn’t charging for some reason. I don’t understand why. Leslie and I went to Prince’s hot chicken. But Leslie got “Hot” and I got “Medium” and her’s was too hot. I watched a film called “Fearless Freaks” about the Flaming Lips and dang that guy Wayne Coyne is cool. He just has so much energy, and so many cool ideas. And that guy Steven, the one who was a heroine addict, he’s a musical genius. They showed him playing the piano and he plays like Bill Evans. But he kicked heroine, and it was really an inspirational film. I felt better having watched it, and at the end, Wayne said something about the death of his father really making him want to “get the most out of life” and how death is a real motivater for him. I liked that. All this is temporary, so if he wants to say something to someone, he says it, because there may not be another chance.

I walked early but fell back to sleep and when I woke up I started calling people in my phone. I called Jessica Verges and David Poe, Brad Jones and Emily West and I was just calling people. I felt discouraged, sort of. I mean, I just was having one of those days where you just can’t find the inspiration to do anything, no matter what you try, you just have no heart. Leslie and I went to dinner at the Chappel Bistro and they were closing so they didn’t have anything, so we went across the street to the Rose Pepper ($29) and had dinner. Leslie told me I needed to get out of the house more, and that was my problem, and maybe she’s right, I mean, I live there AND work there, so I’m home all day long. She’s probably right. Went home and went to bed and was glad to put this one behind me.

Leslie worked, so I got up at 5:30 and put on the French Open. I made some toast and walked the dogs.
Fell back asleep for a little while watching tennis, but got up about 10. Went to the bank and Walgreens.
Emily West came over and she said things were going pretty well. We put in a good day’s work, until about 5. Angelina Presley called and we’re going to write. Jeremy Lister called as well. John Deaderick said he needed some Bamboo, so I told him to PLEASE come and take as much as he wanted so appearantly he did. I walked Posh and went to Kroger for some steaks ($21) and really, it’s not the best place to get steaks. Harris Teeter is better but it’s too crowded. Got home the same time as Leslie, made some salad and some sauteed snap peas and watched “Rush”, with what’s her name…You never see her anymore… Jennifer Jason Liegh, and Jason Patric. He kind of has this manson vibe in the picture, and she’s a brilliant actress. Posh was barking at the back fence so I locked her inside the house for the night and I think I will start doing that, because it works better and the cats will just have to deal.

Slept in and had given Posh one of her sedatives, so she slept until 9. Put on some coffee and checked the tennis and it wasn’t on. Then I woke up Leslie and we had toast and coffee and she was on call. We took Posh to the park and walked her through there. It was a nice, clear morning. Came back and started to organize some things and I cleaned the kitchen and dining room and swept everywhere. Maid stuff. Washed a window and emptied some closets. Went to the Gap ($176) for some summer clothes and heard World Party in the store. Went to Hopkins and they weren’t home so we walked Sula and Posh to the library and my parents came riding up behind us on their serious touring bikes. We walked back to their house and the dogs wrassled for a while. Oh. And I found my ink pen! it was in Leslie’s car! But Carl called and I told him I was having a sort of crisis. An existential crisis. I’ve just felt a kind of luxurious ennui lately. The kind you can only feel in the summer in Nashville, when you’re sort of bored. But he reassured me, and told me the bees were really about to become big and he could feel it, and this made me feel better! But I was craving a piano all day, and I know I have my keyboard and everything, but it’s not the same. I need to cultivate some friends to play guitar with.

More work around the house. And we went to home depot to rent a power-washer and decided not to, because I had the bees in-store at Grimey’s. Started to mow the lawn, and the handle on the mower broke, and it was a drag because I had just summoned the motivation and conjured it out of nothingness and willed it into existence, only to have my efforts rewarded by immediate thwarting. Leslie suggested a midget be procured to finish the job, due to the shortness of the handle. Nothing can be done until Monday in the south. “No good deed shall go unpunished.”
But when we went to Grimey’s, things started looking up. There was a nice, attractive crowd of Bees appreciators, and it moved me that anyone showed up. We performed about 5 songs and then Leslie did a little shopping and got some easy-listening Brazillian CDs. If music originates anywhere besides America, Leslie is convinced that it’s better. She may be right, for all I know, I just don’t understand the lyrics so I couldn’t say. Came home and had pork chops and Salad with eggs, bacon, ranch and green peppers. Then we went to Kat and Jocelyn’s birthday at the Alley Cat. Joe Pisapia was there, and Mary Breen, and Bob Bradley, Brandy Davenport, Butterfly Boucher, Dawson Wells, Carrie Pisapia, John Deaderick and Mark, Jen Rouse, Jason White, and lots of other people. Everyone was outside, and a big storm came up and it was sort of exciting. Everyone was clambering to get inside and Jason Lehning and I stood out there with some other rebels, just watching the wind and the sky. Outside of the Alley Cat has a somewhat tropical feel and I had a double Makers on the rocks ($7) because Leslie was the D.D.
Just when I started to feel bouyant and effervescent, it was time to go home, but people were dancing and the storm was over and people went back outside. Came home and crashed.

It was my brother’s birthday so I called him and he said he’s having a party. Leslie went to work and I cleaned out the mud room and the side porch. I moved lots of furniture to the garage and moved all the plants outside. Leslie has a friend coming from out of town so she asked me to help get the house looking nice. Went to the Long Players at Mercy Lounge and played 2 songs with them. They are a fun band to play with. I was tired, though. And it was really hard to stay awake and be happy and social. I felt like taking a nap backstage and pretty much did.

Leslie and I were doing some organizing around the house and walking the dogs and working in the yard a bit. Went to rehearse with the Long Players. Came home and went to bed.