Stuff to do… “Lazarus” the laptop needs to learn some more programs, mostly of the graphic-design variety; if he’s going to be the “basic” computer he needs to be able to do more basic stuff. Really important is going to be equipping him with a conventional keyboard (one without 3 missing keys, in other words). For the nonce, all the desktop computers—the nearly-new Dell that doesn’t work, the short-on-brains Compaq I got as a temporary replacement for “Alice,” and old “StuartLittle” the semi-portable, can go out to the garage studio. Once I clean the studio, of course.

I am slowly compiling a list of things that need to be done on a trip to Portland, and I’ll endeavor to do them all on the same day; if I’m going to invest $40 in gas, I’m determined to be efficient about it. There’s an employment consultant who’s asked me to come see her, an interim city manager I want to visit with about becoming his permanent replacement, and some computer parts to score—and I’d take the Dell to a professional computer geek if I could find one there. If I could arrange to do a performance while I was in Portland, either at Eric John Kaiser’s Songwriter Showcase (which is on Tuesday nights) or Whitney Streed’s Tonic Lounge comedy night (Wednesday nights), that’d be perfect.

What to perform? I haven’t written anything new lately (but there are some more risqué numbers Whitney’s people have not heard yet—I could do those). And with the looming possibility I could end up with an interim city manager job in short order, I should probably schedule this trip right away. Of course, my track record at landing job interviews hasn’t been particularly stellar of late—but there’s no real excuse for delaying the trip (and the longer I wait, the worse the weather’s going to get, too).

Last two meetings of the writers’ group have had only two people. I fear we are headed for irrelevance, here. I think the assignment I’ll give everybody is to prepare for next Tuesday something to perform at the upcoming open mike at the Arts Center Saturday, Nov. 5; that’ll give us maybe two more meetings in which to polish it. After that, if we haven’t garnered more participation I’m going to have to pull the plug on it.

And that “preparing something” includes me, too. The Coventry songwriters group wanted a “dance song” this month, and I just might be able to deliver. Something happy, bouncy and thoroughly devoid of meaning (at least right now—it might acquire meaning later, as these things sometimes do). Tentative title: “Samba with the Llamas.” And in case anyone was wondering, no, it is unlikely any of the llamas will die.

And a couple of extraneous notes. I got approached by one of the fellows involved in the Food Pantry; he’s trying to put together a Christmas toy drive, and wanted to know if Deathgrass could put on a toys-instead-of-food benefit concert. I bet we could. And I’ve been tapped to round up and organize the entertainment for next year’s Relay for Life, a 24-hour anti-cancer run; I think the assumption was that I know a lot of musicians (I mentioned that to somebody, and they told me that yes, I do know a lot of musicians).

Music Thursday night at the Tsunami Grill, and Saturday afternoon at the Tillamook Library, I think. Friday? I don’t know. My time might be better used getting some recording done. And I still want to finish the “Twenty-Four Seven” video.

Joe