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Heather has taken my laptop, ostensibly for video editing, but now for spreadsheets. Here’s where I notice the limitations of the Chromebook. All I want to do is FTP and emacs (there are Mysteries as yet unresolved on a couple of servers). And what do I get? Facebook. Slow-loading news sites (not the Chromebook’s fault – the hotel wifi sucks this morning). BORED.

Oh and the entire Internet is boring today because, aside from a few cleverly done stories (“Setting the Clocks Back at Avebury”), most of the April Fool’s stuff is crap. GRUMP!

Nothing is quite as therapeutic as a beautiful spring morning spent throwing axes. We had a great show in Santa Fe last night (and I think I’m gonna move here!) but it’s been topped off by a morning of genteel projectile violence. Now we’re going off for lunch and the obligatory used-bookstore hunt. Got any favourites in any of the cities we’re visiting on this tour? I mean, aside from Powell’s in Portland, of course, where I intend to blow every dime of the indiegogo fund 😉

Great gig tonight in Round Rock, TX. One of those weird gigs where you know objectively that you’re playing a house concert, but it kind of feels more like you’re onstage with Iron Maiden, and all the punters are singing along with every word, and even singing the guitar solos. Texas fans are hardcore yo. There were 70-year-olds there who have all the records, AND the t-shirts, AND who sing along with all the words. There was a 16-year-old girl there who had skipped out on her main event at an equestrian contest to be there, who was basically in tears when Heather sang “Hunter”.  There were even people there who got my weird recherché Rush jokes (although only one person got my obscure French pun, and she’s in the band). Anyway, if you ever wonder why we tour in Texas so often, there’s the reason. We’re leaving tomorrow and I can’t wait to come back already.

Tonight we have wireless backstage! Well, “backstage” at a house concert actually means “the room we’re staying in” but it’s a very pleasant room. And it sounds like a very full house, which is always nice. Dallas has been pretty good to us over the years.

(Why yes, I’m still mucking about with the settings on the social plugins, why do you ask?)