Almost Famous

Almost Famous is one of my absolute favorite movies. Not because of Kate Hudson, though she is fabulous in her breakout role of Penny Lane. The movie centers around a turbulent summer tour of the fictitional band Stillwater. In the movie the band is reaching for super-stardom but find it seems just beyond their grasp, but they're right there along side some of the biggest names in business.

For the past 8 years or so, I've been friends with Raymond and Bobby McDonald. Raymond is now the pastor of our church. Bobby is the worship/music pastor. In the time I've known them, I've heard all kinds of stories about their time in Los Angeles and all the musicians they came in contact with. I enjoy hearing those stories. It's also cool to actually meet some of those people they talk about.

Last night, Bobby and I went to the Meridian in Houston to see Frank Black (of the Pixies) in concert. I'm not much of a Pixies fan. Neither is Bobby. However, Bobby is good friends with the guitar player in Black's band. His name is Duane Jarvis. Duane is as versatile as they come in the pro music scene, or so I had been told. Last night I got to see for myself, up close and personal.

Bobby had been told about the upcoming show and Duane asked him to show up. Bobby was put on the guest list and asked me to come along. We showed up and the guy at the door told Bobby "they were looking for you before the show," referring to the band. When we walked in, the band was in the middle of their opening song. We grabbed a couple of beers and I followed Bobby as he made his way around to Duane's side of the stage. Bobby worked his way up front and caught Duane's attention. He jumped in surprise and mouthed "it's great to see you." We watched the entire show and were asked to come backstage. I got to meet Duane, as well as Frank Black (his "real name" is Charles Thompson) and the other members of the band. I must say I've been a lot of places and done a lot of things, but walking into the Meridian and enjoying the show like we did had to be one of the coolest experiences of my life.

On the way home, Bobby and I talked about the show and recalled some of his favorite experiences from when he and Duane used to play and tour together. He also told me that Dwight Yoakum is coming to town and his guitar player is another good friend of Bobby's. "You wanna go? I should be on the guest list."

Gee Bobby, I'm beginning to wonder who you don't know at this point.

Age Is Just A Number, Right?

3 days from today, I will be 38 years old. I don't feel like 38, whatever it's supposed to feel like. I'm not sure I even look 38, whatever it's supposed to look like, either.

As it says on my profile, had I any inkling that my life would go on past 21, I would have taken much better care of myself back when it counted. No silly, rickety bike ramps (now, there's a funny story). I would do a lot more looking before I leaped. I would have walked instead of running when my knee, ankle or whatever else started hurting. I also would have told the coach my arm hurt when he asked me instead of saying "no" so I could stay in the game. 18 and 19 year-olds don't think about being hobbled by injuries on up the road. 30-somethings have to live with what they did to their bodies back in the day. Still, for being almost 38 - a few days and a couple of years shy of the big "4-0" - I still feel pretty good, most of the time.

Since I started writing this blog, I take time to think about milestones, special events and even the mundane and routine in ways I never used to before. Specifically, in regard to getting one year older for instance, how should a 38 year-old act? What are 38 year-olds supposed to do? These are all questions I hope to explore over the next year.