February 20, 2004
Had lunch yesterday with Mike Melrose and his mom and dad at El Encanto. Great weather and we sat outside and talked about all things Iowa (Andy and Diane bought). Good, solid people.

Came home at about 10:30 and tried to get untracked on my “Little Injun” cover idea. Did several painting studies and started one big one, but so far no luck, just muddled mud. Frustrating. Got to keep going.

Went back to the office at one to interview a candidate for a new position we are opening up in production. Mapped out the gunfights for the next Classic Gunfights book, which is going to be somewhat of a leap (if we waited for enough CGs to run in the magazine we wouldn’t have another book until 2006). Slotted 20 gunfights under one theme (that’s the secret leap) and had Gus layout a schematic. Today I’m going to rough in the pages. I love this part of the process. It’s the other end that’s hard—actually finishing—on time.

Came home at 5:30 and walked the dogs, picked up river rocks (on my own property) for my driveway project. Drove back up to El Encanto at 6:30 to meet Kathy’s sister, Debbie, and a friend of hers for dinner. Kathy came at seven. Had albondigas soup and three margaritas (Debbie bought). Ate twice at El Encanto yesterday, both times outside by the lagoon, and never paid a penny. Rare. Enjoyed it.

Friends and old fans of the Jones & Boze radio show often ask me what David K. Jones is doing these days. I knew he has been in Florida, but I was unsure of his current radio gig. When the recent New Mexico food wars broke out he couldn’t resist and e-mailed me regarding yesterday’s “second thoughts” comment, ribbing me for “caving in.” I e-mailed him back and asked him where he is working these days and this is his reply:

“I am working on WTAN a small AM (about like KXAM). I do a couple of shows and have the title of PD [program director] and sales manager. They pay me about the same in one week as I made in one day at Young Buck! On the weekends I work for an oldies station, WRBQ. They are big here usually rated in the top 3, about like KOOL FM [in Phoenix]. WRBQ is owned by Infinity/CBS and man are they nervous about obscenity. They own the stations Imus and Stern are on...and after all the crap over the Superbowl halftime, Karmazan (CEO) is cracking down on the little stations. I got "hotlined" for saying "damn" on the air...yet Stern is still doing his same act. This weekend I think I will try-out the phrase ‘besame culo.’”

This last line is a little dig at me, since I “technically” got us kicked off Young Buck (FM 105.9) for saying besame culo on the air. Loosely translated, the phrase means, “kiss my patootie.”

Kathy sent me a “Ten Things to Do Before You’re 50” list. I rather liked number 10:

“Set laughter goals: laughing to tears daily; falling-down, rolling, pants-wetting hilarity once a week perhaps. Laughter is your tether to youth, an instant facelift, and the purest appreciation for what a cool ride this really is.”

“Native American folklore says that the first question we ask upon dying is, ‘Why was I so serious?’"
—From the same list