2003-02-01 - 1:18 p.m.

In the past week or so, I've probably spent about 20-25 hours playing guitar.

I mean, I'm attached to the thing. It's coming back to me now--I've already started to regain my uncanny ability to figure out a song I've never played before, in one go, without guessing the wrong chord once. I love when I do that.

Oh, and I'm starting to get back that other, more important, and crucially underrated skill--the one where I get in the zone and it just occurs to me that I should play this song or that song. I love when I do that too.

I was just playing Robyn Hitchcock's Madonna of the Wasps, which it just occurred to me to figure out when I was waiting for nobody to come to my Superbowl party last Sunday, and all of a sudden, like a good idea, it just occurred to me that perhaps I might play I Used to Love You, off the rare A Star For Bram album (note--for some reason there's a copy waiting to be purchased at the Harvard Newbury Comics--snap it up, folks!).

What a great song--one of my favorite Robyn songs--a tribute to Syd Barrett (I used to love you / I loved your liquid voice / I used to love you because I had no choice / But now you're crazy and I myself am straight / And every child must avoid his parent's fate).

Damn good song. Trademark Robyn.

Yeah, I think I'm pretty frickin' ready for 20 bands 20 bucks, which I've been shamelessly hyping all week--an unabashed breach of humility on my part.

It starts in a little under two hours.

Save for the showering and dressing part, yeah, I'm ready.