It's ages since I've posted...I seem to go through phases of posting nearly every day, and then being lucky if I post once a week. I'm in a slump phase right now I think. It'll pick up though...I'm going to three gigs in three nights this coming week, so I will probably have a whole raft of long and terribly excited posts for those.

So anyway..,I think I need new feet. The last couple of nights at work have completely ground them to a pulp, especially with the longer shifts I've been doing...yesterday I worked 7.25 hours and tonight I worked 7 hours. I worked Thursday as well, and I'm working tomorrow night...it's all money isn't it. I'm learning more of the floor stuff and I can now handle my own tables which is tres good. And the funny thing is that even though we were really incredibly busy tonight (a booking of 24 plus our usual Saturday night business) I really enjoyed it. I had nice customers though...didn't have to look after the big table either. They were tightwads...the bill was $1,299 so they paid $1,300 cash. A $1 tip. or 0.00077% of the bill. Ha. Still...$25 in tips. We've definitley done better (on Thursday night we took home $54 each and that was after giving the kitchenhand 10% for a job well done) but we've also done worse. It's good...I just use my tips and I can save pretty much my entire wage.

So anyway...still haven't fully decided which guitar I will get. Well actually I'm probably as close to deciding as I will get for this stage (before I get to go to the shop and play and touch them). My dream guitar is a Gibson Les Paul Goldtop (reissue or vintage, I don't mind!) but obviously I can't pony up the $5,499 required for it and that's before I even think about an amp (and there's no way to justify buying a $300 amp for a $5,499 guitar). But I found out a couple of days ago that Epiphone make Les Pauls (Epiphone are owned by Gibson...I've been doing my research), and they are far more affordable than the Gibson ($700 as opposed to $3,200 for the LP Standard). Kind of like how Fender owns Squier who make cheaper Strats and Teles, but in a higher price range. I've read a lot of good - no, amazing - reviews about the Epi LPs too. The other contenders are Korean or Mexican made Fender Stratocasters (which were rec'd to me but I know nothing about), and the Ibanez ARX100 (which I read a good and indepth review of)...all around the $700 mark I think. One month's pay.

Amp-wise I have had the Vox AD30VT rec'd to me...I found out that Neil Finn plays through a VOX AC30 and I obviously love his sound, so that sounds pretty good. I read someone's opinion that you should spend at least as much on your amp as your guitar....which is probably sound advice, but I would rather get the guitar sooner and start playing straightaway while saving up for an expensive amp, rather than having to wait ages to get everything together.

Can't wait to have an electric...I've been trying to teach myself Don't Dream It's Over on acoustic, and it is SO hard, because it's pretty much all barre chords. Although lately I've been finding it easier to play F major...it actually rings a bit! yay :) my goal is to play barre chords by the end of the year, so hopefully once exams finish and I can practice an hour a day as opposed to 10 or 15 minutes every few days, the rest will come more quickly.

Oh and Sarah Blasko's new album comes out the day after my birthday (October 21)...very excited :) I heard the first single today and it's really good.

So anyway, time for bed I think. I might be meeting my wife aka george for lunch tomorrow...yay :)

-R