Trip to Glasgow was uneventful.
Q is still not feeling well and I know this for sure because he did not get out when we stopped at our daily pull-it-over. They are good here, real nice and it is one of the best parts of the drive, well other than the ridiculously beautiful countryside. They have this store called M&S and it has the most delicious, healthy stuff to eat. It is a parents dream. If 7-11 is the king of truck stops in the US, M&S is the mutha fuckin' Queen. And we all know, there is no king without the Queen. 7-11 blows but when you are traveling, those little stops mean everything. From gas, to coffee and weird little snacks to get you going, so you can plow through the final hours of your journey.
In the UK and Europe, looking around at all the odd stuff is part of the entire journey. Prawn crisps! WTF? They are my favorite. And prawn salad, this stuff is what I lived on when I was here two summers ago, pregnant with our little chicken... maybe I'm pregnant? If so, I should put down this bottle of wine...
Our journey's final hours are far from us but today we are in our hotel, which is NOT a dump. Yay! Last time we were traveling through Europe we booked our own rooms and while this was better on one hand (they were mostly nice places, some were totally bad ass), it really took a chunk out of our profits. And we are no hobby rockers. WE, meaning all of us, are part of a family business. No we don't believe in child labor, but you know, this is their life too for the next 10- 20 years, like it or not. When we go home, there are no other jobs waiting (can you imagine "Um, I'm going to need 6 weeks off to travel with my family, is that cool?" Ya.... no.) so this shit has got to last. Meaning the money. We've got college and insurance and expensive taste. Not really, well, maybe a little. Expensive for shit asses like ourselves.
Having a hotel room part of the contract via the booking agent has been a very smart thing. I would like to thank Adam Elfin for being so amazing, he is so good to Eddie and therefor, to us.
We absolutely learn something new every time we do this and we have been traveling with child for 10 years. Now with 2, it is no different, even Eddie after all these years of touring, he is still learning. Like how to travel with a family! I'm kidding, mostly. He is such a great father and musician but if any of you know an artist- they are very much taking care of number 1. I respect that too, I think that must be art of the make-up that is in an artist. That doesn't mean I don't complain about it, ha! I totally do, it's annoying because sometimes I don't want to be married to a musician, I just want a normal person, but what is that? My friends know that I am a nerd lover, I should be married to Peter Krauss, I am not cool enough to be with a rock guy, alas here I am. So we have a good verbal fisticuffs when I ask him to do something like oh I don't know, pack up the room so I can blog and 20 minutes later when I am done and we need to leave I get up and there's shit everywhere. What the hell?? He's like "my stuffs packed!" as if the kids stuff is my stuff? I quickly point out how retarded this is and he gets it, doesn't mean he is going to "get it" but he gets it. Ahhhh... I do love him for being him.
It isn't easy, I'm sure, to spend 10 odd years being solo and touring as a single dude and then traveling with an entourage- some who are under 3 feet tall.
It's different and no matter how long he/we have been doing it- it's tough, I know. I get it. I'd rather pack up my too many pieces of make-up that I don't wear and grab a cab too but I have to make sure we don't leave "Owly" or "Oprah", I have to find Quattro's helmet and make sure the stylist pen is in the case. These things, although I know they come with the territory- I don't want to do them either. I want to stay in bed until checkout with a bloodymary, not get up and breast feed- yes, I'm still breast feeding my almost 2 year old. Fuck off. TMI? this my world, you're just reading about it.
So what do I do? Well I can complain, which I'm not above and/or I can just pick up the damn doll myself and check under the bed after everyone is out of the room, a relationship is work, HARD work and for those of us who love the outcome, we find a way to love the work. Because there are so many benefits from a solid marriage and when mine is not, I work hard at getting it back that way and when it is, I feel proud and I enjoy. Life on the road is no different, well except for people interrupt our meals for autographs and stand in line to purchase a shirt with Eddie's face. So thank all of you too- maybe one of these days we will be flying first class and staying in the penthouse suite, with a nanny who will pack up all our shit... until then, I can get into the car and then get back out and make sure the little chicken has her books and then unearth Q's sunglasses from his luggage, which is meticulously placed, in a time consuming game of tetras, every fucking day. We do all of this, through all the bitching and moaning because this is our great life and we love the good, bad and the smelly.
I know I've got it good, maybe it wouldn't be so rewarding if I had someone doing it all for me? I'm not good at many things, I don't have a career and I didn't finish college so knowing that I love what I do, no matter how significant or insignificant, I'm really good at it, so I guess it's up to me to just keep getting better. I try and never look at the other side, because I know it is not greener. And I can live with the fact that Eddie is good at nearly everything he does, EXCEPT packing up the hotel room. He sucks at that and I enjoy it.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Friday, August 5, 2011
Missing out
We are in the hotel room again tonight, Quattro is not on the mend, I may even take him to the hospital tomorrow.
I am sure it is just a virus "DMV" "dirty money virus" but every time he stands up he nearly buckles in pain because the top of his head starts pounding. It's worrisome.
So I am playing nurse Jethie and kind of enjoying it. He's 10, it is nice to take care of him. At 10 they do so much on their own that I secretly enjoy his low points, not in a weird way- I'd rather him be healthy but when he needs me, it brings me back to my first whole, pure love.
I heart Quattro.
Get better kid.
And Elvis... stay crazy.
I am sure it is just a virus "DMV" "dirty money virus" but every time he stands up he nearly buckles in pain because the top of his head starts pounding. It's worrisome.
So I am playing nurse Jethie and kind of enjoying it. He's 10, it is nice to take care of him. At 10 they do so much on their own that I secretly enjoy his low points, not in a weird way- I'd rather him be healthy but when he needs me, it brings me back to my first whole, pure love.
I heart Quattro.
Get better kid.
And Elvis... stay crazy.
Newcastle...
Upon Thyme, or something like that.
Today wasn't the best day we have had. Quattro is feeling rather sick and it was just one of those days where the elements of nature and the beast within were on the same page. We did travel through some cool storms though and I like that. It is nice to be out in it, I think. Most of the time when there's a storm everyone is inside. It's not too often you get to watch a storm from, I don't know 50 miles away and then ride on through it. I have always enjoyed a good storm and the more of it I can enjoy, the better.
We let Quattro ride in front today, partly because I have heard if you are feeling sick, the front seat is the place to be and also because he is a better co-pilot. Eddie has already gotten on my nerves because he is very quiet. He reads email and his book and I just have to sit there. There's no ipod jack which is whack! The car tells you in pictures how to take off the emergency break, but no ipod jack? Come on VW.
It's fine that he is the quiet road dog type, I am just not. I like to talk and I like to brainstorm and I like to think ahead. I am probably exhausting.
Today we had a conversation about Halloween costumes, Eddie just sat in the back with Elvis and pretended he couldn't hear us... well, it sure wasn't because of the music.
Tonights show sounds like it was a good time. We stayed back because Q needed some rest. We went out and bought "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" and "Fantastic Mr. Fox", which we have all seen a million times but needed some low maintenance stuff to do, although Elvis just did somersaults all over the bed. I can't believe she is not even two and she can fully do a somersault! Taking after her Mommy.
Eddie said it was a proper mad house tonight, which bummed Q out. He has been selling merch and tonight he missed out on a large merch %. I think he should get 1/2 his normal rate but I'll leave that up to Eddie.
I have to go buy shoes tomorrow (bummer!) and this is the town to do it in. Newcastle has great shopping and cool, unique stuff. I have a hole in the bottom of my left flat and it is of course raining the last two days. Yuck. What was I thinking? I have... well, lets just say I have a lot of shoes at home, I should have brought another pair but maybe this was a little premeditated?
Speaking of "Fantastic Mr. Fox". I have seen it before but not start to finish- I have to say that if anyone ever wanted to know something about Eddie that you wouldn't normally know, it is that he is Fantastic Mr. Fox. That movie embodies him like no other.
Today wasn't the best day we have had. Quattro is feeling rather sick and it was just one of those days where the elements of nature and the beast within were on the same page. We did travel through some cool storms though and I like that. It is nice to be out in it, I think. Most of the time when there's a storm everyone is inside. It's not too often you get to watch a storm from, I don't know 50 miles away and then ride on through it. I have always enjoyed a good storm and the more of it I can enjoy, the better.
We let Quattro ride in front today, partly because I have heard if you are feeling sick, the front seat is the place to be and also because he is a better co-pilot. Eddie has already gotten on my nerves because he is very quiet. He reads email and his book and I just have to sit there. There's no ipod jack which is whack! The car tells you in pictures how to take off the emergency break, but no ipod jack? Come on VW.
It's fine that he is the quiet road dog type, I am just not. I like to talk and I like to brainstorm and I like to think ahead. I am probably exhausting.
Today we had a conversation about Halloween costumes, Eddie just sat in the back with Elvis and pretended he couldn't hear us... well, it sure wasn't because of the music.
Tonights show sounds like it was a good time. We stayed back because Q needed some rest. We went out and bought "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" and "Fantastic Mr. Fox", which we have all seen a million times but needed some low maintenance stuff to do, although Elvis just did somersaults all over the bed. I can't believe she is not even two and she can fully do a somersault! Taking after her Mommy.
Eddie said it was a proper mad house tonight, which bummed Q out. He has been selling merch and tonight he missed out on a large merch %. I think he should get 1/2 his normal rate but I'll leave that up to Eddie.
I have to go buy shoes tomorrow (bummer!) and this is the town to do it in. Newcastle has great shopping and cool, unique stuff. I have a hole in the bottom of my left flat and it is of course raining the last two days. Yuck. What was I thinking? I have... well, lets just say I have a lot of shoes at home, I should have brought another pair but maybe this was a little premeditated?
Speaking of "Fantastic Mr. Fox". I have seen it before but not start to finish- I have to say that if anyone ever wanted to know something about Eddie that you wouldn't normally know, it is that he is Fantastic Mr. Fox. That movie embodies him like no other.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Good morning fire alarm.
This morning we were greeted with the beautiful sounds of an all hotel fire alarm. I think I was just maybe a little awake then the lovely sounds come in, so loud they made the bed vibrate.
Everyone was calm, Elvis was real calm (aka still sleeping). So I get up and get my pants on, Eddie grabs his clothes and Q just looks paniced. He has heard many a fire alarm, but because we were going to head out front, he thinks this might be time to freak out. I assure him that it's probably nothing but because I grab the baby and don't take time to get her dressed, I merely throw a blanket over her, he seems even more rattled.
As we walk out the door and go down the hall, he semi screams "you should never take the elevator in a fire!"
This is a proud moment, even at 7 a.m.
Everyone was calm, Elvis was real calm (aka still sleeping). So I get up and get my pants on, Eddie grabs his clothes and Q just looks paniced. He has heard many a fire alarm, but because we were going to head out front, he thinks this might be time to freak out. I assure him that it's probably nothing but because I grab the baby and don't take time to get her dressed, I merely throw a blanket over her, he seems even more rattled.
As we walk out the door and go down the hall, he semi screams "you should never take the elevator in a fire!"
This is a proud moment, even at 7 a.m.
Maps
I just mapped out our miles for this journey and it looks like we are going to go a measly 7700 miles, in 38 days.
The map was so big, I had to split it up.
This is the first 7 days. London to Manchester, by way of Cardiff, Bristol, Southampton and Nottingham.
This is the rest of our journey and there are too many places to name. You will just have to keep coming back and keeping up with us. Hey, it's better than the Kardashians. I would love to see them stay at the St. James and entertain at the O2 in London. People, I think I just booked their next gig. I'll sit here and wait for my phone to ring cause I am living so large, I put the international plan on not only Eddie's phone but mine too!
The map was so big, I had to split it up.
This is the first 7 days. London to Manchester, by way of Cardiff, Bristol, Southampton and Nottingham.
This is the rest of our journey and there are too many places to name. You will just have to keep coming back and keeping up with us. Hey, it's better than the Kardashians. I would love to see them stay at the St. James and entertain at the O2 in London. People, I think I just booked their next gig. I'll sit here and wait for my phone to ring cause I am living so large, I put the international plan on not only Eddie's phone but mine too!
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