Time move so fast...

Whew! What a weekend. It feels like a month has gone by. Sorry this post is so late. I've had some technical difficulties at home and work that have just now cleared. We had a most excellent weekend past.

Picked Jackson up at the airport and took a drive up to Logical Audio to pick up the Nakamichi RX-202 cassette deck I decided to have fixed after discovering the entire collection of Coal Mine Sound (small 8 track studio we had up in NY while I was in college) and other assorted studio mixes when clearing closets to make the big move a month or two ago. The deck could be had for about the same price I paid to get it fixed from Ebay, but I decided to have this one fixed and ensure it got a good de-mag and azimuth set up. Glad I did. Discovered a gold mine of classic stuff on these cassettes and had some fun playing them for Jackson and a host of house guests Friday night.

Saturday was the big Army vs. Georgia Tech football game and tailgate. Jackson, the most awesome of chefs, assisted in preparing breakfast burritos for the crowd ahead of a noontime homecoming kickoff. The game proved to be one of two typical emotional rides for an Army football fan. Ride A is a total route from the get go by an oversized, overskilled, brilliantly executed, etc… opponent. In Ride B, Army plays well against said oversized, skilled, executed, etc… team for a quarter or two and then makes dumb mistakes and gets routed. This game was Ride B. My father turned back to me as the clock expired into half time and said, “They look like they belong out there, don’t they?” He was right. The score was 13-10 and Army had a touchdown called back due to a terrible holding call and GT intercepted us on 3 and goal. An Army fan knows not to get too excited with so much game left to play, but the three of us, me, Jackson, and my dad couldn’t help but be a little pumped not to be completely out of the game at the mid point. As is typical of Ride B, Army came out of the locker room and gave up two touchdowns right away and the route was on. 34-10 was how it ended.

My folks were grateful enough to take Mini Alva for the night to allow us to have some adult time. First stop was Earwax Records for some vinyl shopping. Both of us came away with decent stacks to add to our collections. Next was dinner with friends in Decatur and at place called Feasts. The food and company were great. We then headed to Eddie’s Attic to catch what Michelle Malone had to offer. The last time I saw her was my first week living in Atlanta back in 1991 when she and her band Drag The River opened for ZZ Top after the Black Crows were kicked off the tour for insulting Budweiser Corporation or some such bullshit. She and her band were great if not a little unpolished. This time around she looks and sounds much more mature and sticks to a slide guitar blues based sound. Her band of four was equally terrific. Mrs. Alva went right for the Bonnie Raitt comparison, but I thought she was much more authentic than Ms. Raitt really. The biggest struggle was trying to hang in after what was becoming a very long day of drinking, cheering, eating, etc… At 11:30 I called "No Mas" and we headed home. I hate leaving a show before it’s over, but I knew we had work to do the next day and I wanted to make sure we got at least the two man part of the job done.

Not only did we get something done, we finished it. Jackson and I completed the set up of the new Gray Cat Sound in one day! I have to say it was the least stressful set up I’ve ever done. I didn’t even curse that much! It may have been the least amount of cursing I've ever done performing this task. I have no idea how I can begin to repay my good friend for his help, but I will try to find away especially since we discovered as we sat down to a delicious meal my saintly wife had prepared for us that the Jets were on TV and we’d missed most of the game.

After I dropped Jackson off at the airport on my way into work the next rain soaked morning I got a little blue. Perhaps we spent too much time during his brief visit running around trying to do too much. After all, with good friends the best time we can have is sometimes just sitting down, spinning records, and sharing a drink until the wee hours. Maybe we get a chance to do just that soon.

Thanks again Jackson, you are truly my brother. I love you and owe you huge.

Here's some kickass photos Mrs. Alva took this weekend...

This photo makes me homesick for West Point. Every home game at Michie Stadium starts with a drop in from the Cadet parachute team delivering the game ball.

Mini Alva cheering her future alma mater on!!!

Jackson fully endorses this fat cat.

The new fully operational Grey Cat Sound with new/old Event 20/20 Monitors.