ENGAGED!

I am pleased to announce my engagement to
Ms. Rubi Mason of Placerville, we are to be married in August.(details soon).

JGB at The Biltmore

It started out to be an awesome day, the snow had stopped the night before and it was still cold enough that the sun hadn't melted it from the trees, and it looked like God had dusted the whole Tahoe basin with powdered sugar. A perfect way to start a little trip to the North Shore, and it just seemed to get better and better as the day progressed.
When we showed up at the front desk, the young lady declared no knowledge of my reservation, with enough attitude to start to piss me off, usually I let little things slide off the old back, but I had TWO confirmation letter and wouldn't be denied! I told the young lady that we should be bought dinner while they got it straightened out and was offered a voucher for $40 and off we went for a nice steak dinner. And it got better, on the way upstairs we decided to play a few penny slots and low and behold yours truly popped a couple of jackpots to the tune of $217 and ran not walked away a bit richer than before with a smile on my face. I didn't know at the time, but while I was dealing with the girl at the front desk, Rubi had gone into the Gift shop and asked to speak with the General Manager in regards to said young ladys attitude. We returned from dinner to discover that we had been upgraded from my frugal choice of the $39 room to a suite ($279 nightly) and to our delight discovered an extra night was included. Rubi had to work the next day, but the North Shore is close enough to head back for another night (free always works for me). And all this even before the show even got started.
I got downstairs at about 9ish and they were still setting up down to the last minute. I caught Melvins attention and was overjoyed to find that he remembered me from the River Ranch show last July and with that big loving smile on his face shook my hand warmly like an old friend, I told him to break a leg and went back up to the suite to get a buzz going, and was greeted at the door by my baby with a bottle of reposado tequila and a bubbler stuffed with some of the latest from my closet garden, the Atomic Dog strain. And the night was young...
It was close to 10pm as the big man and his band hit the tiny stage in the Breeze nightclub in the first floor, tiny stage, huge circular bar, when you see an act here it is up close and very personal.
Melvin, seated at his big Hammond organ fired off the opening notes to "That's What Love Will Make You Do" and it was on! Melvin remained with the "Jerry Garcia Band" longer than any other keyboardist. He was with the band from 1977 until the untimely passing of Jerry in 1995. And with the help of Stu Allen, a very competent guitarist and vocalist, who I have had the pleasure of chatting with about among other things the huge pair of shoes he has had to fill, "And I still am flopping around in them" said Stu, but I.M.H.O. Jerry is smiling down on the whole band.
Although Jackie and Gloria weren't with JGB this time around, the backup singers Avis Blair and Francis Mann sang with heart and soul and did a fine show that evening, even though Avis was a bit ill through the show, I wouldnt have known it if she hadn't revealed it to me.
A pair of angels from a heavenly choir could sound as sweet.
The addition of the new drummer Sam Howard along with the very competent Marty Holland on bass, kept the bottom pumping through the night. And we danced and danced some more, till the final encore of "How Sweet It Is" finished up the night, and good nights were said...
Set List:
Thats What Love
Get Out of My Life
Tough Mama
They Love Each Other
Valerie
After Midnight
Mystery Train
Sisters and Brothers
SET 2
Let it Rock
Rhapsody in Red
Second That Emotion
Tears of Joy
Deal>Dark Star>Deal
E) How Sweet It Is

Music and Politics dont Mix I been told...

I posted this letter to my Yahoo Dead group and it didn't get published...
GOD BLESS AMERICA


My Brothers & Systers

I'm writing, as just another American citizen, to ask you for a favor. You see, President Bush has sent Congress a proposal for the next federal budget that I consider to be downright scary. I actually call it a "reverse Robin Hood"budget because it robs funds for the poor and middle class to give giant tax breaks to the very rich. In fact, it gives so much away that under Bush's plan the deficit would only go up by nearly $300 billion dollars!
This budget is a personal matter to me for a few reasons. My diabetes for one,I depend on Medicaid to help pay for medications. I am dsabled,and depend on my Social Security and it causes many sleepless nights. But Bush wants to cut billions of dollars from Medicaid ! That's why I need Congress to stand up and say no to Bush's cuts.
So why am I writing you? Because it turns out these budget votes have been really close in recent years, often coming down to one or 2 votes. The budget effects all of us, but in the end it's only those few swing members of congress who can shift the outcome one way or the other.

That's why I'm asking you to speak out. I'm hoping that you will call your senator and/or reprasentative in congress, and let them know that next week when he goes back to Washington you want him to reject Bush's budget proposal for the federal budget. Instead, please ask him to support the health care and education programs that so many Americans count on. I guess you could say I'm asking you to be another voice against BUSH!.

Here's some of the highlights of how Bush's plan would effect us all:
Social Security: Bush is trying to use the budget to sneak through his old $700 billion dollar plan to privatize Social Security and immediately slash benefits by $6.3 billion dollars.
Health Care: Bush would slash Medicaid by $13.7 billion over 5 years, abandoning millions of young, elderly, poor and disabled Americans who depend on Medicaid as their health care option of last resort.
Education: Bush is pushing for the largest cut in the history of the Department of Education, and to completely eliminate the Perkins loan, a vital program for college students in need.
Child care: Bush wants to kick 400,000 children out of child care programs for low income working families.
Budget busting tax breaks for the rich: Bush's budget would only continue to explode the deficit by giving away over $900 billion dollars to richest 1% of the population over 10 years.
Deeper debt: Bush wants to give so much away to millionaires that even after his service cuts the annual deficit would grow by almost $200 billion dollars
Opposing this budget is also a key to victory in 2006.
Thanks for taking the time to read this, and for speaking up.

namaste! tahoejimbo420
http://tahoejimbo420.bravehost.com/ http://tahoejimbo420s.blogspot.com/

"I've opted for fun in this lifetime..."~Jerry Garcia