It started around 5am.  I don't get up then, I stay up that late.  Except today.  For some reason I was awake. I tried going back to sleep but it was just tossing and turning and finally I had enough and just got up and hit the computer.  Day started off productive and ahead of schedule.  Got some research done, some phone calls made for recordings I want to put out.  Had a nice chat with a exec for a new licensing company for my label, got some errands done and was looking forward to checking out some venues for the San Antonio LoopFest on the way home. 

Somewhere in there I looked at my mail and saw that a check I had been expecting wasn't as big as it should have been.  Sure enough, there was something missing in the complex world of union recording paperwork.  This caused me to have a minor freakout.  Emails were sent, phone calls were made and no word was heard.  I dove into my files, sent more email, made more phone calls - East Coast, West Coast, and the waiting...ugh.  Tried to do some other biz as I calmed down and start crunching numbers.  Things aren't making sense to me.  Talked a little more made some headway, scanned and emailed.  Basically shot the whole afternoon trying to run this thing down.  Why some much effort?  Because I'm not getting some money I should be getting.  And I'm not talking about a lot of money either.  But I'm a musician, it all makes a huge difference.  Those extra dollars over the years really add and really make a difference. uggh.... Anyway...got people working on it. Fortunately I keep pretty good files and had all of my info.  But there are other records I don't have records of and those are the ones I'm getting screwed on.  So the waiting continues.

In the meantime, I'm still looking for more loopers for the NW Fest.  Some guy in Austria sends me his latest video as his previous material wasn't looking like he'd be a good fit for the fest.  Great voice, nice mellow groove, but kind of dirty.  Lays a little beatbox down, plays his song, loops for jamming and stacks some vocals at the end.  Nice. He's like me in that he does actual song forms.  So that's cool, and he's pretty different from everybody else I have going, and, most oddly - he's a guitarist.  (I think I have an equal amount of cello's and guitars booked so far.)   And he's living in Vienna Austria but originally from Seattle.  It's a done deal.   He's totally in.  Out of nowhere his sister emails me and says she has a promotions company and wants to help with the fest to support her brother.   Talk about turning my afternoon around...

Of course by now, the afternoon is shot.  I had some house repairs to attend to (I have a fixer-upper in San Antonio) and didn't get to that at all.  And I have two records to do in the fall.  One in Denver in Sept, one in Portland in Oct and I'm waaaay behind on songwriting.  Today was supposed to be a composing day.  All in all, it had some serious ups and downs.  

I did get the dough made for dinner tonight.  Home-made pizza! 

I'm glad I keep up on my paperwork.  I wish I was a little more aware of some of these union procedural things, but there is no manual and not much help to get them going or anywhere along the way.  I'm glad I keep good files.  I'm glad I have a bunch of gin in the cabinet and I'm glad that I have the good fortune to grind out a living in the music business.  Let's see if I can get a song or 4 written tomorrow... we'll see what the day brings.