If you like high energy, Richard Elliot is fantastic on the sax, however he’ll be at the venue from hell (The Padgett – nice looking but bad acoustics). I really wish St. Louis and the stations would use some other venues. I’m sure it’s all who you know. Oh well… =)

http://stljazznotes.blogspot.com/2010/07/stljn-saturday-video-showcase-rnr-with.html

For the first time we caught Jonathan Butler at the Bottle Neck Blues Bar a while back and I’d love to see this guy again! He’s back:

http://stljazznotes.blogspot.com/2010/07/jonathan-butler-to-play-friday.html

If the schedule permits, I’m there. I sure wish I knew what Bronze, Gold and VIP were, etc… Not very clear on metrotix.
(Note from Sonia: I loved seeing Jonathan Butler live! He’s awesome!!!)

The Kettle Moraine Jazz Festival in Milwaukee looks like it’ll be a good one if you don’t mind a flight or hopping in the car for a bit:

http://kmjazz.com/enter.htm

We’ve done this in the past with our buddy, Dan, who’s also awesome on the keys. It was pretty neat. The cooler weather helps a bit too! =)

Just an FYI. Enjoy the music and let us know if you know of any great concerts.

Finally, I gave up on writing something deep and meaningful… and decided to write something that was fun instead. Let’s face it: we all need more fun in our lives.

I have always loved murder mysteries, so I decided to take the plunge and attempt to write a novel. It was an interesting exploration quite different from journalism; a cadence between cranking out new scenes on my iPhone and editing on my laptop. I also found I couldn’t get more than two scenes ahead of myself in the book without losing my way; so long, careful outlines just didn’t work.

For the longest time, I didn’t know who was the murderer myself, and I thought this was good because then my writing wouldn’t become to predictable. I tried to walk along side the main character and learn about things when she did.

As I’m a reader who has always enjoyed walking along a library shelf and picking out a book based on its cover, I was thrilled when Brett designed me this awesome cover. I am planning on returning to editing soon once I get more feedback from my first round of friendly reviewers (friends and family). Then, Brett and I may see if we can get it published in Apple’s iBookstore.

I’m adding some photos for you check it out. Also, if you have an iPhone 4, let us know. Brett hasn’t had a chance to try out the new Video call feature yet.

My favorite line: “No… I want the haircut and the highlights, but I only want to pay for the haircut…”

I’m writing now on our new iPad so hopefully this will help me keep all of my websites and blogs up to date. What do I think of the iPad? I think it’s beautiful and fun to use. I look forward to giving it a workout.

Speaking of workouts, Brett and I have been exercising a few times a week since the new year, and it’s starting to pay off. We’re feeling good and looking better too.

Here’s a quote from the article:

In a study last year 30 people who complained about stress ate a little bit of dark chocolate every day for two weeks. In the end the most stressed-out participants showed the most improvement. Researchers found that dark chocolate might help lower your stress hormones.

Did I read “dark chocolate every day?” I think I did. So when you’re feeling really stressed, try chocolate!

I’m glad I just bought that 2 pound bag of Hershey’s Special Dark chocolate chips for snacks… maybe I’ll let Brett have some for his stress relief too .

Read more here.

We have the entire season DVDs that we bought at Amazon (after being given the first season by our friend Chris). However, the third season, which has some great shows is coming on starting Jan. 27 at 9pm central on the Independent Film Channel.

For more info: http://www.ifc.com/itcrowd/

I certainly have not made many concerts lately. I’m hoping for some good aggressive stuff soon. Lots going on, but I must be getting ADD, as it takes more to hold my attention now… =)

I did want to mention that there are some free happenings at Washington University I just noticed, starting tomorrow. I’ve only done it once, but it was pretty sweet if you don’t mind all the students mulling around that have excellent talent all around them and just use it for background music while they do their homework… =)
http://stljazznotes.blogspot.com/2010/01/jazz-at-holmes-announces-winterspring.html

I may have to check out a few of these, as they have local artists as well as some out-of-town guys. One I recognize right away is Jay Oliver (keys), which used to play for Dave Weckl (drums).

Keep me posted of any good tunes, and I will try to do the same!

Have a kickin’ week!

New photos here on BrettandSonia.com! Check them out at www.brettandsonia.com/photos!!! You’ll probably have to wait a few seconds for the gallery to load because there’s hours of photo viewing fun.

For the past few months, I’ve been working hard to get my photo library online on Flickr. Not only will this provide a back-up to my iPhoto library, but it makes it easier for me to share my photos on my blog and with friends and family.

So stop by and check out the photos often! I’ll be adding new photos from Christmas and other events soon!