My good pal, Fritz (of Ohio), gave me a plaque that has the archangel, Michael on it. It was a birthday gift from last year and, although I appreciated it then, I REALLY appreciate it and pay much more attention to it these days. And I don’t know why. It captures my attention. Julian asked me the other day, what it was there for. i didn’t know what to tell him. Guidance? I didn’t know. i DID know i liked it and thought it special. And these days, when i’m feeling down or melancholy, i look at Saint Michael. And i feel better.

There’s not much here, really. In my room, that is. I have 14 shirts, 7 pairs of trousers, 7 pairs of sox, 12 pairs of pants (undies, to my USA pals), 2 pairs of shoes and a pair of sandals. There are 4 guitars and 1 fender amp here. 1 yamaha digital keyboard, 1 DBX163 compressor/limiter, 1 Roland BR1180CD, a bunch of leads (cables, to my USA friends), 1 dresser (w/ two drawers), 1 TV stand, 1 TV, a bunch of books, some CDs, LPS, a box of baby lemonade demos and live tapes (about a hundred), another box of song demos (about 50 or so), 1 twin matress bed, 1 fan, 1 air purifier, 1 piano bench, 1 laundry basket, 1 mobile phone, my wallet and my passport. That’s it.

you could take it all right now and i wouldn’t lose a wink of sleep. Friends, family and simply the people you love are what matters, as far as i’m concerned. You may disagree. You may agree. At the end of the day i suppose everyone figures out what they want outta this big blue dot, right? So i just try to do my thing. it ain’t easy but it ain’t hard. Just like each of us doing our thing. And that’s ok, in my book. So that makes me a bit simple and maybe different. And sometimes you pay the price for that, being out of lockstep. I always laugh when i see people like punk rockers who dress up for the occasion, perfectly and to a tee. Because i think to myself, isn’t that the antithesis of what punk is about? Being an individual and thinking for yourself? but, then again, what do i know?

So i suppose i’m just pondering and stuff. I’m sure i’m better at doing a funny diary and wotnot but i guess, um, sometimes i am not so funny, am i? But, that’s kinda funny too, though, huh, that i ASK if i’m funny! but, that can’t be funny, can it? well, what’s funny anyways? and is it funny to be funny? is it? we need laughter. and monkeys laugh don’t they? i like monkeys. let’s hear it for the monkeys. i say, stop experimenting on the damn monkeys. leave em alone. And, as a Saint’s apprentice (for tonight), i ask only that of you.

Mike Randle