May 14, 2007
Tonight I'm in Wichita, after the Billy-fest in Albuquerque over the weekend. Got back to Phoenix at four yesterday. Kathy picked me up and we drove out to Betty Radina's for a Mother's Day feast. Got home at nine, got up this morning at 5:30 and traipsed back down to Sky Harbor and took off at nine.

Jeff Hildebrandt met me at the gate and we drove into Wichita for lunch at the Nu Way Cafe for a wicked local treat. Jeff's wife went to school near the cafe and used to eat there every day. Homemade rootbeer, chopped beef burgers, homemade malt. Really a treat. Jeff, or I should say The Westerns Channel, bought.

After lunch we drove out to Old Cowtown Museum to scout out locations for tomorrow's shoot. I really want to push these new installments of True West Moments. I'm tired of the same old store fronts and saloons. We need to tweak this and get more creative. Had a good idea session with Ed LeRoy of Old Cowtown and his staff and we all came up with some ambitious ideas. More on that tomorrow.

Checked into the Hyatt, then Jeff and I sampled The Scotch and Sirloin Steakhouse east of town. Jeff described it as Hooters meets a good restaurant and he is right. Had the filet and a glass of merlot (once again, on the Westerns Channel). Jeff and I discussed the state of all things Western and he had a great idea for a new department in True West: In Search of The Real Honkytonk Sue. Run photos of the cowgirls throughout the west who qualify as the real deal. The first one is aleady in the can, with Jackie King, who we shot last year. Great idea, Jeff. Thanks, I'm stealing that one.

"In my opinion, most purchases [made by males] are governed by four words: the zipper is down."
—Matt Umanov, who owns a guitar store in Greeenwich Village, as quoted in The New Yorker whcih I read on the flight to Wichita, and laughed out loud, spitting trail mix everywhere. By the way, they stopped serving peanuts. Where have I been. The stewardess said it was because of sinuses, but I smell cost-cutting. Damn! I actually looked forward to those peanuts, and I didn't eat breakfast this morning!