This is the first day of the tour, only it realy doesn't feel like the first day of touring. The reason:our first show is in town tonight at 19 South with The Dragline Bros. and The Makebelieves. They are two of my favorite local acts. So, its a good start to the tour. We head out on the road by 2:00 PM on Friday. The first stop is Nashville, Tennesee. I've never played there before, so right off the bat, I'm doing something new.

I've spent most of the day preparing my laptop for doing Odesk related work while on the road. My clients know I'm on tour and are willing to work with me, which is very nice. I have installed the latest versions of Dreamweaver, Flash, and Fireworks and removed all my recording software. Heck, the laptop can't do recording any more because the touch pad is busted and I have to take up the computer's only USB port with a USB mouse.

In a lot of ways, the age we live in is perfect for a touring musician. Think about it: thanks to the Internet and cell phones, I can actually earn money as a part-time web developer while on tour. We can find our directions with google maps. We can promote our upcoming shows while on the road using myspace. Zach and Curtis have made t-shirts and CD's. But we could sell the CD's exclusively on itunes if we wanted.

All this stuff would have been great back in the 70's or 80's when the drinking age was lower and a lot more people went to see live, original, rock bands. Unfortunately for us, times are tough. People today have a lot more ways to spend their entertainment dollars. The same Internet that helps the modern musician, hinders by providing a distraction. Folks can game all night long, rent movies, download songs, watch music videos on demand and so on.

The biggest obstacle for touring bands these days is the price of gas. According to a 2005 report by the Consumer Federation of America, poor people spend 10.1% of their income on gasoline. If the band was a single person, then it would be one broke-ass dude. So I figure that is correct. Back in 1998, the number was 8.1%. It goes down farther, only spiking up during the gas crisiss of the 70's. Get this, the richer you are, the smaller that percentage gets. I found a Republican-leaning web site that stated that Americans are only spending 3.1% of their income on gas. That number IS correct... but only for rich folks. I like how they assumed we're all rich. Nice of them, don't you think. Middle class folks are spending closer to 6%. Don't you just LOVE statistics. You can make a number say anything with enough spin.

I've got exactly 10 dollars a day to spend on food, with a little extra as padding. Can you say, dollar menu?

Things I will Miss While On Tour :

• Jodi! I wish I could take her with me.
• My clean, comfortable bed.
• The cat.
• Regular access to a shower.

Things I'm Looking Forward To:

• Playing music for 30 days straight! Finally, a chance to at least feel like a pro.
• Seeing the nation. Taking a lot of photos. And going to new places, like the west coast.
• Seeing family and friends while on tour.
• Just getting away from it all, in general.

The Schedule... as of Today:

I've been doing a lot of cooking as of late. Jodi met a guy at her meditation group who builds green houses. Not the type for growing plants, but houses that are green-friendly. We went to visit his house, which has a lot of cool green-related features. The basement is separated from the ground by insulation. The foundation is made from hollow foam blocks that are filled with concrete, so that each block is insulated from the inside and out, drastically improving the overall insulation. He has solar heating, electricity, a centralized vacuum cleaner, and bamboo floors. After the tour, his wife gave Jodi and I some Amish Friendship Bread. I don't know if you've ever seen this stuff, but it is essentially a living bread dough. It has yeast, and you need to feed the yeast every so often for 10 days. After that, you have 4 times as much dough than when you started. It's pretty creepy in a way. You are supposed to cook one batch and give three batches away to friends. Instead, I cooked two batches at once. The result: the worlds largest friendship bread! Check out the pictures.

Every once in a while at Jodi's office someone drops off some free fruits or vegetables that they grew in their home garden. We've gotten tomatoes, onions, and most recently, potatoes. Check out this heart-shaped potato that we found in the bag, framed nicely on a heart-shaped plate.

Lastly, Jodi held a "craft night" party at our new apartment. I provided the Puerto Rican cuisine: Pernil (pork roast), Spanish rice, salad, and fried plantains.