| Diary of a Guitarboy |
| 04/16/06 - Well, in the words of the great Whitesnake song...."Here I go again on my own". Those close to me know that Dawn and I split up again a month and a half ago. This beautiful woman graced my life for a year and a half and I can only be thankful for our time together. I will miss her and the boys. Nuff sed! BI was off for the last 2 weekends and we are playing at Lippy's next weekend. Blood and guts, here we come. The day job is going well and I'm happy with that. Well, I know it's been a while since my last update but with all the crap I've been through you'll have to bear with me until I feel comfortable to be as open as my previous posts. Talk to you soon. FOFN 05/25/06 - Been awhile since I checked in and thought I would write a little something.... I have found the most wonderful woman I have ever met. She is simply the best thing to ever happen to me and is unlike anyone I have ever been with before! She and I can actually sit and have a conversation for hours and keep eachother stimulated and interested! She is an actress and playwrite and has so many more talents that are too many to list! When she sings to me (yes-she has a beautiful voice) it's like the voice of an angel! I'll keep you updated! FOFN 06/12/06 - OK...spent the weekend with Lauri (See above) and WOW!!!! We did so much in a short amount of time. Movies, beach, boardwalk....Too much fun and not enough time! We sang an old Styx song (Boat on the River) together and harmonized in the kitchen....WHEW!!!! BI is playing at the Luna Cafe this FRIDAY! Yes....FRIDAY!!!! Unusual but what the hell....I'll play on the 2nd Tuesday of any week if they want to! We're rehearsing some new tunes on Wednesday including Metallica's "Fade to Black", Queen's "Tie Your Mother Down", Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer",Godsmack's "Speak", and more! This is gonna kick yer asses! Talk to y'all later! FOFN 06/27/06 - Well, its been a week of highs and lows. Those who know me know that I had to give up my dog, Casey, last summer. In a twist of fate, the kind people who took her had to move to N.C. and asked if I could take her back. I was able to take her back and she came home with me on Monday. I wish I were able to get the other 2 dogs I had when I had my house but that is impossible at this time. Casey is doing great! She and I go for walks and she is still my main mutt! On a sadder note, My first wife passed away at her home this past Tuesday. I know we were divorced and things didn't work out with us but I am glad we made amends before she died. On a more personal note.....I sent her an e-mail as a way of saying goodbye. FOFN 07/13/06 - Not too much to say today....I'm tired from working but I just felt like popping in for a minute. BI played at a party last weekend and it was....NO COMMENT! Didn't have the greatest of gigs. The band played great but we had problems with the power that was supplied to the band. My fucking processor kept shutting off and re-setting because the power would drop and then spike. I wound up kicking the shit out of my processor. Can't wait to play this weekend....BI is just too much fucking fun to play with! Spending time with Lauri and I am enjoying every minute of it! Never a dull moment with this classy lady! We went to Bobby Fortunato's house last 2 weeks ago for a Black Cat Crossing reunion of sorts. We took Casey and had a great time playing guitars outside around a fire. The ride up there was....well....stuff of fantasies! You should have been there.....Sorry you missed it? Life just keeps getting better every day! BI is at J. Capone's this weekend in Reeder's, PA and it will be packed as usual but that just means that you should show up anyway! See you there! FOFN 07/31/06 - OK....So BI played at J.Capone's this past Thursday with 2 other bands in what was billed as a "Battle of the Bands". First off, we didn't know it was a BOTB event...we thought we were going there for a grand re-0opening. Playing-wise we did fine....sound-wise it su-ucked! BUT....thanks to alot of our faithful fans we had alot of support we had a great time. On Saturday we played at the Pub. That was kick-ass. Scrappy has been filling in for our Beaver and he is a mother of a drummer. Lauri and I went out to dinner on Friday and on Saturday she came to the pub On Sunday we went to High Point state park in Jersey. We also stopped in to see Dave and Mom. Anyway, we have the best time together and don't get to spend as much time with eachother as we would like due to the distance factor but we're working it, Baby! Other than that, work has been VERY hot and kicking the shit out of me. A word about LOVE...."Once you have someone who loves and cares for you NEVER take advantage of it! Hold onto it and love them with all that you are! Do that and you will find happiness!" - Thunderbone FOFN 07/01/06 - Can you believe how fucking hot it is? Talked to Lauri today around lunchtime and she said Manhatten (where she works) was almost 100 degrees. All I can say is I am getting a great tan. Been thinking about getting back to writing some music tonight. Haven't done that in a while ( Hey...I been BUSY). Anyway, I have some ideas I want to work on and see where they lead me to. Seems like life is getting to a point where I am feeling pretty good. I have a good job, a nice car, a roof over my head (with central air!), and I have Lauri (just texted her to tell her I was writing about us). What is it about a woman who is smart, gorgeous, and Mmmm...Mmmmm...Mmmmm that makes me lose my mind? Funny thing is, she feels the same about me (except the woman part of course)! I keep looking for a piano to fall on my head. Oh, well....gotta go throw some steak on the grill and per-taters on the stove. FOFN 07/02/06 - Holy FUCK it was hot today at work. We left at 1pm because of the heat. I went in at 7am but DAMN.....it just SUCKED! Talking to Lauri as I type this. She is down in Astoria, Queens and in an apartment with no AC. She is taping me a copy of her performance in the play "Same time, Next year" and "Nunsense". She is amazing. Want to get ahold of a copy of her singing....she sings so good! Just had some fried chicken breasteses (Made them myself) with egg & potato salad. Well, I'm gonna plug in and play for a while. FOFN 08/13/06 - Good things in life....that's what we all want right? Me too! Looking into buying a house soon. I want a place where I can always call home and not have to worry about moving every few months like I have done the past 2 years. I've been offered an opportunity to buy a REALLY nice place. Can't pass that up so.......we'll see. BI played at J. Capone's last night. Helsie wasn't there (she was sick) and I missed her as did the rest of the band. Beav was there and got up to play a few songs. He seems to be doing well and was a riot to talk to as usual. For some reason (and I can't figure it out, lol) Beav is a chick magnet. He's also single. Scrappy played me some of the Spitshine stuff and it was awesome. I hope they get signed because he deserves to be able to maske a living doing what he was put here to do. There were alot of women there last night so there was alot of beer and shots flowing in the crowd. I got a bit pissed off last night. I'll put it to you this way....when you sit in with a band as a guest you DON'T SIT ON THEM! Nuff sed! ANyway, I am meeting up with Lauri for dinner later on tonight down in Jersey. She had a voice-over gig yesterday in Jersey and I met up with her and her son. I took him to the park while mommy was recording her parts. I was watching her for a bit through the glass and she was great. We stood in the room while she was recording her last lines and they asked her to do it 3 distinct ways and she NAILED them in one take each! Beautiful, talented, smart.....what is she doing with a guy like me? I started a MySpace thingy. If I don't add you as a friend please don't take it personally. I wanted something that I could keep separate from the music side of my life. I have it set to private so only friends can see it. I only have 2 friends so far - Lauri and Scrappy. Well, gotta go.... FOFN 08/20/06 - Hey there, had the weekend off. BI will be at the Pub next Saturday. Lauri, her son, and I spent the weekend together and we had a ball. Her son is the cutest and smartest little guy ever! We all had fun singing and playing guitar together. I love them both so much! Looking into buying a house and hoping that all pans out. I want the comfort and security of knowing that I always have a place to call my own that I won't have to leave. If Lauri and I move in togather I would have my house for a rental....BUT....let's not count the chickens before they hatch! FOFN 09/14/06 - With the fall season coming in I am getting ready for the cold. I love the fall....probably my favorite season of the year. I am looking forward to spending my weekends with Lauri and making the most of our time together. Amazing thing is....though we don't get to be together except Fridays and maybe Saturdays there is ALWAYS a deep love and alot of happiness. I knew from the first conversation that we would at the very LEAST be good friends. To have an open, honest and loving relationship with her is just breath-taking! Bad Influence is playing at J. Capone's this Saturday and we will be doing some new stuff Metallica - Fade to Black (Yes, I LOVE playing the opening lead to that one! Still need to read the lyrics though) Bon Jovi - Living on a Prayer (Helsie and I split the lead vocals on this and Slimmy plays keys) Godsmack - Speak (Yoman Sings his ass off on that one) Queen -Tie Your Mother Down (I get to sing this and PRETEND I'm Brian May on the lead) Deep Purple m- Highway Star (Yeah, I finally got the lyrics right....Slimmy fuckin' KILLS on the keyboards with this one....STAND BACK!) AM I LUCKY OR WHAT? Talk to you all soon! FOFN 09/19/06 - OK, So I'm dying.....Can't sleep tonight. It's 12:30am and I can't shut my mind off and my body is aching This sucks! Need some serious rest and need it soon. FOFN 09/22/06 - Still feeling like shit. Thinking about going to a place called the Cinder Inn tonight to see Scooby play an acoustic gig. I don't know....depends on whether or not I'm feeling better. Normally I would be going to Jersey to see Lauri seeing as it's Friday night but not this weekend....going down on Sunday to spend the day with her. BAD INFLUENCE is playing at Memorytown tomorrow night and that will be packed and alot of fun. Oh, well....back to the guitars! FOFN 10/01/06 - Had a great weekend. Seems like it went by too fast. Bad Influence played at the Pocono Pub and the place was jammed. I bought a new guitar processor (Zoom 505II) to replace my old Digitach RP1. The sound was absolutely GREAT! I had to learn how to program it just before soundcheck and it was so easy! Lauri came up for the weekend. We stayed at a local hotel and really got to spend alot of time together. Friday night we went to the Sarah St.Grille in Stroudsburg. I've been going to the open jam there on Wednesday. I have been going early to have dinner. Great ruebens! Anyway, I thought I would take Lauri there for dinner on Friday. On Saturday we went to the mall and several other places to shop. Then it was off to the Pub for the BI gig. Lauri got hit on but she knows how to handle it. I didn't get hit on....I didn't know how to handle it! On Sunday we went to the Mountainhome diner for breakfast and then spent the day driving around and stopping whenever we saw something we wanted to check out. Lauri had to leave around 4pm and that is what sucks! I guess it's something I have to deal with but I hate it. I came back to my house and felt so fucking lonely. Thank God for Casey the Wonder Dog.....she knew something was up and never left my side tonight. Oh, well....gonna watch the Clint Eastwood movie on TV and go to bed. Such is the life of a Guitarboy! FOFN 10/06/06 - Well, got lots of stuff happening this weekend! Rehearsal tonight with Bad Influence. It will be great to see everyone since we don't have a show this weekend. Tomorrow Casey the Wonder Dog and I will participate in a 5k run to benefit Cancer research. It is an annual run to honor the memory of Kelly Golat. For more information go to www.run4kelly.com and PLEASE make a donation. Donations go to Cancer resaerch and a sholarship in Kelly's name. Now for something you mught not be expecting........I will be playing with the Dirtwater Dogs this Saturday (Click on "Special Announcements" for the details). Their guitarist is out of commision due to an injury so I'm gonna jam with Steve and Bobby No Lauri until Sunday night....DAMMIT! She has her son this weekend. I know she is looking forward to being with the little guy and I'll get to see them for dinner on Sunday night. That lonely feeling that I talked about in my last entry is is still fucking with me. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind being alone at all. Sometimes we need that. It's just that when you want to be with someone and they aren't near you it can really take a toll on you. I hate it but I have to deal with it! TTYL! FOFN 10/07/06 - It's nap time before I get ready to go play with the Dogs. Got a KILLER fucking headache and a runny nose.....FUCK ME! Anyway, Casey the Wonder Dog and I had a great time at the Run4Kelly 5k run. Casey was very worn out afterward.....she's gonna be 8 years old this Halloween. She is the best dog in the world. She gets along with animals and people and has the best dispostion. I hope to have her around for at least 8 more years because she has been my constant little buddy and I love the little mutt to death! OK, enuff mushy shit....GOTTA GET A NAP!!!! FOFN 10/09/06 - So....did the gig with the Dogs on Saturday. Went well. I may be playing with them again in 2 weeks at the Pocono Pub. I hope to see some familiar faces dammit! I put up a link on the home page for the Run 4 Kelly website. Please go there and do what you can! Bad Influence will be at J. Capone's this Saturday. Can't wait to jam to a packed house of crazed BI fans! Hopefully we will have yet ANOTHER batch of new tunes for you all to rock yer asses off to! Spent Sunday with Lauri! What can I say....she digs me! We watched the St. Louis Cardinals kick some ass and....and....Ah, it's none of yer business! LOL!!!! Anyway, I'm loving the new processor and finding some awesome sounds on there. Going to look at some houses and possibly buy one in the Spring. Things are looking up for the Guitarboy! See y'all later! FOFN. 10/17/06 - Well, well, well! What is new with y'all? I have been checking out mortgages for a house I want to buy. It's a really cool 2 BR house located in East Stroudsburg. It has a nice sized property and a shed in the backyard! It'll be nice to have a place for Casey the Wonder Dog and I to call our own! IF all goes well, I could be in around New Years or so. Lauri just found a great place in NW New Jersey and I am thrilled for her! She should be about 45 minutes away instead of 2+ hours so that will make things alot easier for the both of us. Damn....things are going great with us. She came to the BI gig this weekend and we kept looking at eachother and cracking eachother up! God, I love her! In other news, my divorce should be FINAL this week! There were some more glitches in the paperwork but that was rectified and I'm sure my ex-wife will be happy about that but not as happy as me! As a matter of fact, let me say this.....I have been treated like shit in the past. I have been with women who have cheated on me, lied to me, told that I was no good to anyone, and so much other bullshit it's not worth bringing up. All I can say now is....I didn't deserve any of the shit that I have been through. I gave my love to women who didn't appreciate or deserve it. Well, guess what? I found Lauri, who does deserve all that I have to give and much more, and she wants me just as much! If I sound a little angry and it disturbs you....FUCK YOU - I'M ALLOWED!! Life keeps getting better. How cool is that? And wait....there's more! I'll be filling in with the Dogs again this Saturday at the Pocono Pub. Hope to see alot of familiar faces out there! FOFN 11/02/06 - Winter is here and I'm a happy guy. I 'm sorry if I seemed a bit angry in my last entry. I really don't have anything to be angry about. I guess, just like anything else, you can think about things that have happened to you in the past and you wonder how or why you had to go through the things that you did. If you think about it at certain times you might react to it differently than you normally would. Bottom line is....I have a good life right now. I have my band, my family, my dog, my car, and a nice place to live. Most of all, I have Lauri! There is something about her that just totally captivates me. She is simply amazing! Gotta call her now so Ihave to go! FOFN 12/11/06 - Merry Christmas! Tis' the season or somethng! Thing are going great with the band. We are learning new songs and it helps to keep things interesting for the fans (who are the BEST)! I'm layed off for the winter and am happy to have the break. I'm well-off financially and plan to make this the best winter break I've ever had. I'm thinking about hibernating with Lauri on the weekends and some week nights and visiting friends and family. I'm also taking advantage of the time off to work on some music. I managed to injure my right eye this weekend. A hundred dollars and a doctor's visit later and I'm on the mend. The thing that killed me was having to cancel the Bad Influence show on Saturday. That was a first for me and hopefully it won't ever happen again. Thanks to Lauri, I did my first ever cartoon voice-over! She wrote, produced, and performed on this project and asked me to do some voices for the cartoon characters. It was fun and took a half-hour tops. I was shocked to hear that I made some (really good) money. Speaking of Lauri, she is still so intriguing and beguiling it drives me wild. I spent the last four days with her at her apartment in Jersey and we were together the whole time enjoying each-other's company. Just when things seem to be going great they get better! Not used to this but I like it! It's amazing how things are going lately. Looking forward to things ahead. MERRY CHRISTMAS FOFN 01/01/07 - Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Things are going great with me. I have so many possiblities and opportunities ahead of me and I will be exploring all of them this coming year! Haven't made a New Years resolution in years but this year but this year's resolution will be to improve my life from the sheer joy I am experiencing now to a level of pure fucking GIDDINESS! I WILL own my own home in a few months, pursue creative outlets such as voice-overs, and try to make Lauri the happiest she has ever been. Lauri and I spent Christmas Eve together at her house and exchanged gifts that night. The next day we went to her brother's house for dinner and had a great time! Her son was a bundle of excitement. He got a Lightning McQueen electric car which he drove around the yard. It took him a little time to get used to the gas pedal and steering it but he was having a blast. He also got a Thomas the Tank ultimate set and had alot of fun playing with that! BAD INFLUENCE played at the Pocono Pub last night for N.Y. Eve. Lauri and I shared a great kiss at midnight! She is the most awesome lady ever! Gotta go for now! FOFN 01/29/07 - Well, hope everything is going well with you all (whoever it is that reads this thing)! I've been busy doing pretty much nothing since being layed off for the winter....can't wait to get back to work, damn it! I have been working out and pulled a muscle in my back which is killing me right now but I'll be back to my workout schedule by Wednesday or Thursday. Things are going really well lately. Lauri and I are doing great! Don't know how I got so lucky! Where is the drama? Where are the head-games? Where are the arguments and the insults? I'll tell you, they aren't here! We get along so well and have such a deep connection, mutual respect and love for each other! She just does it for me! In band news, Beav has decided to leave Bad Influence. He needs some time to take care of things around the house and I guess work is really demnding on him too. I just wish him the best! Sooooo.......you may be wondering who is our "new" drummer? Well.....SCRAPPY! That's right, I said Scrappy (a.k.a. - Steve Berlen)! He played with B.I. just before I loined the band and filled in for Beav this past year. We did our first show with him last night at the Pocono Pub. Scrappy is a monster! Welcome back, Bro! Casey the Wonder Dog is doing really well. She is, as always, my little constant companion. She is asleep on the floor next to me in my bedroom while I'm typing this. She is having some kind of dream and "running" in her sleep....Too damn funny! So, as you can see, I am doing pretty good. All the bills are paid, got a few bucks in my pocket, a beautiful woman who loves me, I have Casey the Wonder Dog and alot of guitars to play with. I'll keep on living the life of Joe Zeppy and see where it takes me! FOFN 02/18/07 - Doing a whole lotta nothing today. Had what I consider to be a less than thrilling show last night. Not gonna get into it but I just thought it could have been better. Lauri is in Virginia now. I miss her and love her alot. Casey the Wonder Dog was feeling sick for a while but is now back to her usual happy self. Been practicing my guitar alot and recording bits and pieces of music Doubt it will lead to anything but I have to get it out of my system. Anyway, just trying to live and be happy. FOFN 02/21/07 - "It feels so good to re-allign, with-in yourself and with-in your mind" - Creed "My Sacrifice" It certainly does! Spent the better part of the weekend in a pissed off mood for reasons I won't get into. Haven't been this pissed in a long time. Anyway, things pass and the heavy load gets lighter. Lauri came home today. I picked her up at the bus stop and we went to her place for some pizza (who wants to cook after not seeing eachother for almost a week?) We spent some quality time together and then I came home. She was wiped out and needed to get some rest which she wouldn't get if I stayed the night. Met up with the owner of my company today. I'm starting out with a pretty substantial pay hike. This means I have had a 25% pay increase within one year! Not too shabby! Earning more then I have ever earned before! Looking forward to putting the money in the bank and buying a house in the late spring/early summer. My goal is to have a home where Casey the Wonder Dog can live her life out and we can always call our own. Well, it's getting late (1:30am) and I don't have to get up in the morning. Oh, yeah! I forgot to mention that I have a MySpace Music page with some sample of my playing on it. Just click on the link below. www.myspace.com/joezeppypoconoguitargod Well, that's it for tonight. FOFN 02/27/07 - Tonight I find myself alone and can't sleep. Lauri broke up with me today. I hope she finds what she is looking for. As for me......just want to be left alone and not having to deal with L-O-V-E and all the pain it brings. The funny thing is....I'm not really clear as to why we broke up! She said it isn't me but..........What does it matter now? FOFN 03/12/07 - Had a really great gig with BI at J. Capone's this past Saturday. I bought a new guitar pick and it really seems to have enhanced my playing! Yes....just a guitar pick. It's called the Jim Dunlop Jazz III pick. It's small. It has a sharp point on the end and the thing seems to GLIDE across the strings making leads somewhat effortless. By the way, Lauri and I got back together the next day. We love each other but have things we need to work out. FOFN 04/12/07 - Does any body read this shit? Really thinking about closing it down! Anyway, I've come to the realization that I finally know myself and my worth. I'm 43, a good person and am going to have a great 2nd half of my life. I will be in my house by the end of the summer. I am a foreman on my job and make a good, honest living. I play guitar in a loud rock band because the guitar.is an internal part of me. I have a great relationship with Lauri and there has not been, nor will there ever will be, anyone else I would consider better suited for me. I have, for the first time ever, women that are friends and ONLY friends. I have close friends like Dave, Bob, and Steve that keep me humble and grounded. If you don't like me, I have enough friends. If you do like me, I welcome you with open arms. I will ask for nothing and I will give the shirt off my back. I am letting go of my past. All slates are clean. To all of those I may have hurt in the past....I am so sorry. To those who have hurt me....I have come out better for it and I thank you! To everyone else...Have a great life! FOFN |