Musically, I haven't written anything substantial in a really long time. I have been worried about it, but it hasn't been my main focus in a couple of years...I've been too busy with "grown up" stuff...all the activism & political work. I don't think it's necessarily the time, it's been the surroundings I've put myself in. I really haven't been around kids very much in the past few years. I don't mean that in a bad way, you perv.

When I'm working with kids, my creativity seems to be higher. I'm able to let my mind wander more. I laugh a lot more. I'm not walking around ready to hang myself right now, but my brain's wrapped around job creation, IDA reform, high-stakes testing and war.

As you can probably tell from the songs I've done in the past, music (or whatever you want to call the noises I've made) was my way to rid my head of all the bizarre mental connections I've made. I don't seem to have them too much anymore. And I haven't been able to figure out how to write about serious stuff. I'm sure if I made it an obsession I would figure it out, but I don't have the attention span...

Then tonight happened. OK, I'll start by saying that I have not come up with any lyrical masterpiece...not by a long shot. But my experience tonight may give some of you people with way too much time on your hands something to do.

I had a...uh...female encounter last weekend. It was a very odd situation involving me and a friend I've known for a while. She's way out of my league, but there was alcohol and Irish music involved and you know what that can lead to. Anyway, I probably just lost a friend and gained another "what could have been" story. If I was in my creative mode from earlier times I could have turned it into a song along the likes of Flapjacking, Muddy Said, or the now famous She Called Me Buddy. But no longer.

But part of an e-mail I sent to her was pretty good...kind of reminded me of a power ballad from the 80's...so I thought I would try to turn it into a song...a real one. Well, I'm still working on it...it's no Stairway to Heaven...hell, it's not even (You're) Havin My Baby. But this time I thought I would get some help, so I found this website called Rhyme Zone. Holy crap, I was having a blast.

Don't worry about art, but try to write a poem or song...Hell, it can even be a Roses are Red, Violets are Blue-thing. Plug in the simplest word to find things that rhyme and think of the funky-ass stuff you could come up with using some of the suggestions....Violets are Blue? How about "wing screw" or "work shoe" or "beef fondue"?

I know...it's immature...but I need some more immaturity. Have at it!