Guess Who's Comin' to Town

No, not Santa Claus! He already came to town! Juan, Parisa, and her family are traveling across the pond in January. I'm not sure exactly for how long they will be in South Florida, but on Sunday, January 22, 2006 they will be joining us for Gabriella's baby shower. If you think you can make the trip down here, let us know. I know Juan would be glad to see any of us while he's in town. Sheila and I would be glad to see any of you as well, of course!

Sad Day

Well guys, it's a very sad day for me and my family. My grandmoter, Irma, passed away this morning. For those of you who made it to my wedding, you may remember her as the little old lady who was dancing Regetón with me. Shortly after my wedding she went to the hospital for surgery and never quite recovered. Yesterday they released her from the hospital and put her in Hospice care. This morning she passed away. I'm not one for sad news or anything like that, but you guys are my brothers, and I felt it necessary to share this with you. Remember to always honor and love your family because you never know when will be the last time you see them. Saludos.

Jose Has A New Phone With The Same Number

Stu Crew

Hey, everybody. Jose decided to post again on the blog at Marken Daazler's request. His reason for posting this blog is that he wants to let everyone know he now has a new phone, yet still retains his old phone number. He will not list the phone number since 1. he doesn't want the general populace to ascertain the number and, 2. he believes the contributing bloggers at stucrew.com have his number and will text or phone him with their numbers. If you don't have his number please forward your information to one of the Lake City Boys via email and I'm sure they'll get it to him pronto. Jose has no idea why he's writing in the third person.

Stu Crew

Dudes, I'm having my 30th birthday this weekend on Saturday, November 5 at my house. We play Vanderbilt here at home. The game is at 7:30, but I'm going to start a lot earlier than that. I hope some of you can make it. I feel for the South Floridians. I hope everyone is fine. -Hose A

Hurricane Wilma Update

In the six years I've been living in South Florida, Wilma is by far the worst storm I've seen. We've been out of power since the day of the storm, and have been told it may be weeks before power is restored. Most intersections are literally without traffic lights; they are thrown about the floor or dangling closer to the ground where the support cables were snapped. Many light posts are lying on the ground along with the cables connected to them. Most gas stations do not have power and the ones that do have lines that go on for blocks. Ice and water are a luxury, although we were fortunate to obtain some early this morning.

Fortunately, our home did not attain any structural damage. We spent this morning cleaning up branches in the yard, digging up plants that were blown over and replanting them. There are just a few roof tiles missing, but nothing major. I have not yet returned back to work, due to the power being out at the building. Sheila has not been back to work this week either.

Sheila's parents do have power, so after cleaning up outside we came over here and took nice, warm showers. Everything is fine, we are all doing well, and we are patiently awaiting power to be restored. We have plenty of water and now have a place to go for hot meals. Our phone at home is currently out. We brought our cell phones here to recharge and will periodically check voicemail for messages and make calls as needed. Feel free to call one of our cell phones and leave a message if you like. We'll get back to you as soon as we can.

Get a Free UK Phone Number!

I found the coolest thing yesterday! I found a site that will allow you to obtain a free UK phone number that you can forward to just about any phone in the world. Juan called me this morning and it worked like a charm! It was just a regular local toll call for him and just a normal incoming phone call on my cell phone. The best part is that it's all absolutely free!

To get your UK phone number, go to www.voipuser.org and sign up for a new account. Once you get logged in, click the My Numbers link and then request a new number. Then set it up to forward to whatever phone number you would like. You can set one up for your home and another for your cell phone. Then just let Juan know what your numbers are so he can call you. I also signed up for another phone number for home. Here are my phone numbers:

Cell: 08444843924
Home: 08700688421

Update: If you sign up for a free SIP account, you can make free outbound calls as well. I tried it and was actually able to call my house as well as Colombia. I'll have to try giving Juan a call with it tomorrow. Go to my website for more info on how to set it up.

This guy told me the Gators would have a good year. For some reason, I totally believe him.  

Gator Football Clip

Get ready for Gator football 2005-2006. Click on title to view clip. Enjoy!

Patty's Baby Shower / Cookout

Hey Guys.... Jose and I(Sheila) are going to throw Patty Peral a surprise babyshower / cookout on Saturday, September 3rd beginning at 2pm.

Location: Shidog's Crib.
Paul Hoffman is in on it.... visit their registries below... and/or diapers any size is always welcomed as a gift and can be purchased at any grocery store. Patty and Paul are expecting a girl.

Target

BabiesRUs

Tania had a baby girl!

Stu Crew

Dukes of Hazzard

Has anyone in the crew seen the Dukes of Hazzard yet? I think I might have a difficult time convincing Sheila to go see it with me. I'll have to use my persuasive charm to win her over. I'm curious to find out what a true fan such as myself thought of the film.

Juan is OK

I figure that maybe not all of you received the news this morning. Juan is fine and was lucky to not have been on the subway that exploded in London today. He has been communicating by email. I think we should all thank our lucky stars that nothing happened to him or Parisa.
Grownz.

Big News from SoFla

Big news from SoFla! Go to my website to check it out and feel free to leave your comments there.

What a shame

It's amazing how money and fame can get a person off the hook. Had he been the common poor person his new roomate would have been named Big BOB and he would have been forced to dance for cigarettes at a state prison's pimps and ho's ball. When you want white people to prosecute a black man it never happens. They always seem to prosecute the brothers who don't deserve it. I know brothers in prison now for a lot less than what mike did. And tradjecly, unlike mike; who claims there's nothing wrong with a 45 year old man sleeping in the same bed with young boys, these brothers were innocent. They just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. But I feel that something needs to said about the parents who allowed their kids to be in the same room as that freak by themselves. I think they should be held accountable for some of this mess. I don't have any children but if I did, I'll be dammed if I allowed a 45 year old man to sleep in the same bed as my children. In fact the police would be damn lucky to get to him before I could. I don't think there would be any thing to stop me from killing a sick bastard like that if he got anywhere near my children. But history does have a way of repeating itself, if his family doesn't pull him aside and tell him this littleboy thing and these peter pan feelings he has needs to come to an end, he'll be back in the same situation 5 yrs from now. And if he doesn't listen he deserves whatever happens to him. If he doesn't learn a lesson from this, he never will.

Mr. and Mrs. C in action for a good cause.  

Party ova here!

After much contemplation and information gathering, we're finally pretty much set on the planning for the "People We Know Reunion" that my brother was talking about earlier. It's not a Cray Family Reunion, by the way. It's for US! Basically, July 29th and 30 seems to be perfect, but we need to find out how many people will be able and/or planning to attend before we reserve everything. For my Peeps who have represented at Cray family reunions before, it won't be at PCS Conference Center because the idiots decided to change the pricing from free for employees to $600 a day. However, Chuck went to Stephen Foster Memorial in White Springs and we can rent the dining hall for only $65. We figure we should have the official party at night and throw the real deal cookout on Saturday during the day. Everybody, PLEASE let us know whether it will be better to make this a two-day event (Friday night, Saturday all day) or just make it Saturday all the way through...

REALLY large, fully furnished, AIR-CONDITIONED cabins (2 bedrooms, 1 bath) are also available that can sleep 6 comfortably (using beds) for $90. If folks break down and sleep in the living room, each will sleep several more still. The cabins can be for people who have long trips and no place to stay around here.

E-mail me your phone numbers/addresses or give me a call at 386 752-8437. If this goes down, it will be BLAZIN' because we've got friends and former classmates (here and college) coming from all over the country! I will post pictures of everything like the halls and cabins, but I have to go to bed right now...

OK... 

-- Chad C

Ahhh.... Summer time is when the girls let their belly buttons out. 

Congratulations Fred, This One Is For You

"Today the band KISS held a press conference and announced that this will be their "Final Tour"....Fuck , one can ONLY HOPE. Right now I'm boarding up my windows, stocking up on canned goods, I have the short-wave radio, the flashlights, everything I need for a long vigil. I'm preparing for an onslaught from the much-touted KISS Army, those legions of fans who don't seem to feel used or hoodwinked or bamboozled or bled dry like kosher cows. It's the KISS Army vs. the Voice of Reason as we are forced to undergo another "last chance to see KISS" rap before they're entombed in the Valley of the Kings with the rest of the Pharaohs. I think the only reason KISS is really retiring this time is because all their fans are in Chapter 11 Bankruptcy from buying the Um-teenth "Live Album" and Action Figure and "Rockin' Program" and KISS Mug and KISS poster and KISS Panties and KISS bandanas and KISS Twizzlers and KISS Soup Mix and let's not forget the One KISS Boot Uncle Sid bought for Aunt Sadie to correct her Clubfoot. Thanks to KISS now Aunt Sadie won't have to walk along theedge of the Curb anymore. Thank you KISS, thank you for everything.
So, I'm wrong and they're right. KISS are really doing it "for the fans". Or, as I see it, KISS are the most money-grubbing hypocritical Shylock Televangelists this side of Jim Jones. As I see it, KISS want your Money, nay, DEMAND your money. In exchange you get...well, you get KISS . The four guys in make-up, the songs, and of course the Bottom Line, the Merch. All Hail the Merch. They set up their tent, put on their Rock Show and jam the collection Plate in your Belly till it hurts. And you pay through the nose, brother.
I'm certainly not gonna tell people how to spend their money but...KISS Fans, don't you ALREADY own all this shit? Haven't you already bought the posters and the coffee mugs and the God-forsaken Action Figures and the records by the score, don't you already own them? What next, KISS Spoken Word? The only thing new in the KISS catalog is when technology updates it's listening format, so maybe if KISS hangs around for another 5 years they'll invent a new mini-CD or something. Then we can buy all 700 records all over again. I guess my thought is, how many millions does it take for KISS to be rich enough? How many shots of Adrenaline does Ace Frehley have to endure before he says "Fuck this. I'm 80 years old and I don't fancy being an Action Figure anymore."
But you know it isn't really KISS that chaps my hide. I can respect their longevity and the fact they're rock'n' roll icons (Literally). If I had to focus on the one thing that I hate about KISS it would have to be...Gene Simmons Tongue. That ridiculous stupid Sticking-out-of-the-Tongue Thing that he's done picture after picture, year after fucking year, like a cuckoo clock, like the Mad Tea Party. I don't care that he's got thousands of Polaroids of all his fucks, frankly in this day and age that's fucking creepy. Who is this guy, Predator? But it isn't even the geeky Polaroids that chaps my hide, it's that fucking tongue, the incessant tongue. Sure, I know, that's his Character, he's a Demon or something, he's Evil, him and his tongue, they're in League with the Big Guy. That 50 year-old long-ass fucking piece of tongue-meat, the same tongue Columbus stepped on when he discovered the New World, the same tongue Lincoln tripped over when he delivered the Gettysburg Address, the same tongue Hitler waved to at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Gene on the floor of the Stadium breathing fire and screaming "NOTICE ME--NOTICE ME" Oh, and by the way, buy my warehouse full of KISS Shit. Each year they trot KISS out and say this is the Last Reunion. The women cry, the men tear at their beards like the Old Testament, and invariably everyone runs to the Merch Booth to plunk down their last $$ for a $30 KISS Color-T. Or a $20 commemorative KISS Lobster Bib. Or the One-Time-Only KISS Ace Frehley Toy Defibrillator so when he looks like he's gonna croak up there you can give him a little Jolt and keep him going till the Bitter End. But don't ya see? As long as there's a Free-Market economy KISS will never die. They can freeze Gene's Head in Liquid Nitrogen but that tongue of his will still be goin' strong, wiggling and leering and pointing the way to more and more futuristic KISS merch. We can stuff KISS and put 'em in Disneyland, right next to "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln." That way they don't ever have to die, they can still freak you out with that amazing stage presence and those patented stage moments like "Sure Sounds like Philly!!" or "You people know how to ROCK ' N ' ROLL ALL NIGHT --AND PARTY EV-ER-Y DAY!!." But most importantly you'll still be able to PAY, as long as there's one single Action Figure left on the Shelf we'll always have KISS, those Madcap Harlequins of Rock, those Zany Merchants of Cheap Plastic, the Antics, the Theatre, the Merch, the Songs, the Videos, the Merch, the Records, the Costumes, the Merch, the Pompousness, the Wearing-out-of-Their-Welcome, the Merch, the Failings , the Squeezing Dry of the Public, the Merch, the Umteenth Last Tour, the Last Gasp, the Merch. Thank God for the Merch."
--Jizzy Pearl

If the Pope hangs out with cardinals like this one, then I have some serious doubts!! 

It's time for a younger pope

Has anyone seen the new/old pope? This guy is 78 yrs old, they'll be sending up smoke signals again soon. I'll give them maybe 5 yrs at the most.

Life of a solicitor

Hi guys. A little update from London. Today I went to the Royal Courts of Justice to lodge my first document with the court. (In the U.S., we "file" documents with the court -- sounds like they're putting it away to ignore it. Here they "lodge" them -- shove them right up the court's ass, where it hurts the most.) What a beautiful building that is; it's designed like a cathedral.

Well, I now remember that April is the month for psychotic weather in England. Over the course of three days, I saw snowflakes, hail, rain, and sunshine. Sunday was great. I went to the park and was outside in a T-shirt. Now it's getting cold again for a while.

They have an election here in May. Black Tony Blair is up against Michael Howard of the conservative party (I don't know if he's black or not).

The area where I work is called Aldgate. It is on the east side of the very center of town, which is, in the technical sense, the City of London. In the parlance of the legal industry (and I think that of many industries) it is referred to as the "City". Apparently, the shipping industry has been in this particular part of town for centuries. I believe the original Lloyds was somewhere around here. I am about an eight-minute walk from the Tower of London, the old fort where I think they still keep the Crown Jewels. I, of course, still keep my family jewels safely inside my "tighty-whities" (extra funny when pronounced with three proper British "t" sounds -- go on, try it!).

The work is really interesting. They are all claims relating to ships. Some are charterparties -- contracts where ships' owners let out vessels to different companies. The claims arise all over the world, and I don't just mean North America and Europe. I mean Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt, India, Singapore, China, Brazil, et cetera. I really like the work.

I am also learning a lot about the quirky English civil procedure. The US is so well organised when it comes to the judiciary (I did that on purpose!). Moreover, the US is able to coordinate the jurisdictions of 49 states, plus weird-ass Louisiana, plus D.C., plus Puerto Rico, plus other jurisdictions like U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and other stuff -- then on top of that a single federal judiciary. Amazing! Here, they have the burden of incorporating centuries of tradition, which is very difficult to just throw out the window. In the U.S., we were able to re-think a lot of things and create an all-new system based on what had been learned.

London is a great town. There is lots to do, and, even though it is an outrageously expensive place to live, there is a lot going on for free if you look hard enough. Me and sweet lady plan on becoming experts. By the way, Parisa sends her regards to all of you, and we look forward to seeing you here and back home. I would like to start trying to plan a Stu Crew UK re-union. Maybe we can do it this summer if the homies are able. Otherwise, maybe we can try the fall (September or October). Ma and Pa are going to try to come at the end of May/beginning of June. Also, Parisa and I are going to Romania for a few days at the end of July for Jerome's wedding. Hey Jose, Miguel, remember the dude from Trinidad that lived in the dorm? Getting married in Romania on Y Guy's birthday! Why Romania? His wife is from there, but they're living here in London. Should be great fun.

Well, my people, I miss you all. I'll bring you more news soon.

Juan
Mobile +44 (0)78 9191 9372
Dialing from U.S. 011 44 78 9191 9372

The Taming of the Stu

A few new stus for the crew...

The other night Sheila and I went to a friend of a friend's for dinner, and she made Indian food. She made some cauliflower and I referred to it as curryflower; quite clever if I do say so myself. When it came time for dessert she said that dessert wouldn't be as spicy as dinner. She also mentioned that there were some desserts in the cookbook that were spicy, one of them being ice cream. So of course it prompted me to refer to it as spice cream. Last night, Sheila informed me that female cats also have periods. I then inquired if cats also go through menopaws.

Three great stus in three days. I suppose if you count the title of this post, you could say it's actually four stus. Could it be a new awakening for the art of stu? Stay tuned...

The Sea Dog

Markleberry Bourbon spotted this little jewel at Gatsby's last night and he just had to have it. I'm certain the Sea Dog will soon return to the beach again this summer. Enjoy!

Rowan Alexander Block----is born 4/2/05

"Long babies with a perpetual tan"-Frank Martinez 1993

http://www.bottletree.net/Rowan%20Pics.htm

Strangely, we had no idea about the significance of the date of the name Rowan. You can read about the name on the below link.

http://www.bottletree.net/Rowan.htm


Thanks

Photos of Wedding

I finally made an online album so that everyone is able to view the photos from Jose & Thania's wedding. These are not the professional photos but the candid ones from Ed's camera. I think I sent an invite to everyone but if for some reason I missed you or you didn't receive anything then email me at oliviar@alumni.ufl.edu . Thanks and I hope everyone is well. Enjoy the photos.

Olivia

My First Post

Ok, guys I was sitting here at work reading through all the posts and thinking Damn. I need to post something, so here it is.

I just wanted to give a shout out to all you guys say whats up.

And, I also wanted to say that if a trip to England is in the works PLEASE let me know b/c I will be all over that.

Alright I will talk with you soon.. And I will definitely try to make more appearances and these reunions.. Eventhough I am a new memeber to the StuCrew.

I'm out
--David Cortes (A red-headed Cuban for the ones that do not know me)

Great Wedding

It's too bad the wedding is over. I think everyone had a blast! I just wanted to say thanks to Jose and Thania not only for the excellent reception, but also for making another Stu Crew reunion happen. We'll have to begin planning the next reunion soon. There have been talks of a trip to England in June. Perhaps we can have perfect attendance once again? Perhaps even enjoy the company of some of the extended crew?

It's Weddin' Time

The time is almost here for Thania's wedding. I plan on being there, and I even plan to wear a tuxedo. I am posting this in the hopes that at least some of the people involved can get a little bit more info about the big day.

REHEARSAL: The wedding rehearsal is on Friday (3/4/05) at 4:30 pm. All groomsmen and bridesmaids need to be there. This is where the priest tells us where to stand and where to look through the one-hour ceremony. It's pretty painless. However, to ease the minimal pain inflicted by this, we are having a REHEARSAL DINNER immediately following the rehearsal. It will take place at Giorgio's Mediterranean Grill (www.giorgiosgrill.com). As part of the dinner, we get one bottle of wine for every 2 people present. The food there is excellent, and the place becomes a salsa dance club at 10:30 pm. I will be staying Friday night at the Holiday Inn. I believe some of you are staying there as well, so we can hang out there after the dinner.

The following day is the wedding. We will make my room at the Holiday Inn the official groomsmen HQ. Whether you're staying at the Holiday Inn or not, plan to be at my room by 10:30 am. I want to treat the groomsmen to a lunch at the hotel before we get ready. Bring your tuxedoes and we can all get ready there, as well as have a couple of drinks.

At 1:20 pm the limo picks us up outside the Holiday Inn and takes us directly to St. Matthew Catholic Church. Even though the ceremony starts at 2 pm, we need to be there to escort the female guests to their seats and to pass out the programs. The bridesmaids shall arrive by 1:45 pm, and the bride (zilla) shall arrive shortly after 2 pm (fashionably late). The ceremony should last 1 hour, after which we remain in the church for photographs. Meanwhile, the guests go directly to the Diplomat Hotel (www.diplomatresort.com) and begin drinking and eating.

When we get to the Diplomat, the official reception begins. We have an open bar, a live band, a buffet dinner and desserts. The party is scheduled to last until 9:30 - 10 pm, depending on the guests.

Well, sorry for the long post, but I just want everyone to be on the same page. I'm going to the Bahamas this weekend, so let me know how everything turns out. Have fun!

Negroni

Bachelor Party

Well, the time has come for my bachelor party. I have been a bit out of the loop as to who is going and who is not. It is my sincere wish that every one of us is able to attend, but I understand that circumstances don't always allow us to do so. I appreciate your support nonetheless, and I can't wait to see all the fellas at Thania's wedding. I know we will all have an excellent time.

As for the Bahamas, Chris Nager has been in charge of the details. I have not been privvy to those details, so I will find them out as we go. Today is Thursday. The plan is to hang out tomorrow (Friday) on the mainland. We are working on a location so we can play some poker, eat some food, drink some alcohol and enjoy some 'entertainment.' The spot I'm working on is really nice and will lend itself perfectly for this event.

On Saturday we fly out to the B-hamas and continue the party. I'm really looking forward to it.

Later Gaters

Happy Birthday Daazler

Don't know if everyone realizes, but today (2/7/05) is Daazler's (Mark) birthday. He turns 21 today, so he can finally taste beer with the rest of us. Well, maybe I'm a little fuzzy on the details. Anyway, Mark I want to wish you a very happy birthday. I hope you enjoyed the little get-together at Jorge's last night. It's not every day a person can find such a good friend as you. I'm sure the rest of the fellas agree with that. Best wishes on your Daazling day.

Later,
JN

A bit more substantive news

Hello my brethren.

I figured I'd write a bit more substantive material about my life lately.

London is fantastic. It never gets too cold here -- just about down to freezing but no colder. This winter was supposed to be one of the coldest in years, but it has turned out so far to have been the mildest since 1990. I normally get by with my TPC, a sweater (here, called a "jumper") and my leather jacket. Oh yeah, and a scarf. Now I understand why you have to wear that crap -- makes a huge difference.

My job search kind of took a pause over Christmas. I kept collecting data on firms, but I didn't send anything out, just in case they wanted to take it easy or if they were on vacation -- or, holiday in EE. English stands for "English English". That is, as opposed to ME, or "'Murican English", the native language of 'Murica, also known as the Central North American Republic, or the United States of America (as opposed to the United States of Mexico).

Anyway, now I have a few job leads, so we'll see if something happens shortly.

I have been walking in London quite a bit, and I'm getting to know some parts of it. There is no grid, and very little rhyme or reason to it. That's kind of nice, because there are always new and interesting places to discover, each with their own local flavor.

There are a lot of pubs here. Most English pubs have dark wood all over, and usually a dark red or blue carpet with designs in it, stained from -- on average -- about ten or twelve years of beer spills, cigarette ash, and street muck. During the day, they all seem to smell of last night's cigarette smoke, and at night, of that particular night's cigarette smoke.

There are a lot of United Statians all over London. As irony would have it, in my neighborhood, there is the large American School in London. This is a school for American people who want their kids to attend an American school. I know, I don't understand it either. Maybe they are afraid there's no pledge of alleigance to the Union Jack. I see a lot of USans on vacation in the more touristy locations, and there are a hell of a lot of them.

London is really picturesque, with the extremely quaint stone and brick facades reaching even into the dodgiest of neighborhoods. I've even seen nice stone entryways and quaint black iron fences along the facades of housing projects. There are typically white window frames with high ceilings. Along the handsome homes that line Regents Park, you can see chandeliers glowing through fluffy white drapes. I just know that Mr. Peanut is in there somewhere, getting home from a hard day at the peanut factory, taking off his top hat and putting down his cane, reading the Evening Standard through his peanut-eye-sized monocle.

I really like the subway -- the London Underground, or the "Tube". Tenacious D's decree that we will all travel in tubes has already been carried out here. It's really great. It's like going on an amusement park ride as a mandatory part of every single day! It's expensive though. A single one-way ride will cost you £2.30, which is about $4.30 at the current exchange rate (the dollar currently gets you 53p, and yes, Mark, I do thoroughly enjoy the fact identifying the prices of items by saying "p"). When I was in New York in July, a one-way subway ride was $2.00. There are six zones for the tube, and the rates go up as you travel through more zones. Fortunately, we live in Zone 2, and all the stations I go to are in Zones 1 and 2. A one-week unlimited pass for Zones 1 and 2 is £21.40 -- more than $40.

Gosh, that's kind of depressing!

In any case, life is great here. We went to Bath a few weeks ago, where there are some Roman ruins. There is a natural spring from which very hot water flows. Apparently, the pre-Roman inhabitants had a shrine there to a god named Sul. So the Romans named the place Sulis Minerva and established a colony there. Around 400 A.D., when the Romans abandoned England altogether, they likewise abandoned their settlement at what is today Bath. There are not many remains from the Roman period anymore. It reminds me of that Sting song "All This Time": "They lived and they died; they prayed to their gods, but the stone gods did not make a sound. Then their empire crumbled, and all that was left were the stones the workmen found."

Well, I'd better leave it at that for now. I hope all of you are well, and I'll hopefully be getting a telephone call out there soon.

Thinking of you guys, and hoping for some improvement in this job situation so we can start making crazy plans again!

All the best,

Juan

P.S. Gregg was correct. That was a Magnum P.I. episode. However, you and I used to have conversations in my car -- named "Kitt" -- over a videophone, whilst you rode around in a semi-truck computer laboratory with Rachel, and later, Bonnie. Man, it used to get so hot when I would wear my leather jacket right in the middle of the summer. I don't know what I was thinking!

Some news at last

Hey there everyone! Please pardon my long, inappropriate absence. I hope everyone had an excellent Christmas and New Year, and I'm looking forward to an exciting 2005.

I'd like to apologize to Grownz Up for not being able to make it to Hollywood in March, but I had a nice talk with him a few days ago. I appreciate your understanding, dude. I know you and Thania will be very happy together, and I'm very proud of you both.

Everything in the UK is cool. It's been kind of chilly in London lately, but it only gets down to about freezing here. Fortunately, some of the cold has brought sunshine, which is kind of nice.

The job hunt continues without a lot of news, though there may be some results soon. We'll have to see what That Man has in store for old Rorrence. I'm currently hanging out with Jerome of Trinidad. Jerome and I studied in the Netherlands and Shi Dog and Miguelli met him when they came to Utrecht.

Jerome and I did some recording on December 22nd. We recorded two songs ("Blind Eye" and "Leaving Live Oak") at London's Enterprise Studios. As soon as I complete the US copyright, I'll be distributing copies to all the homies. They came out pretty good, but we're certainly missing Growns Up and Uncle Riley for the rhythm section. We're planning to get back in the studio some time in February. It was a real kick in the pants.

Sweet lady is doing great and sends regards to all the boys. She can't wait to meet all of you.

London is a great place, and there's a lot going on. They're pushing the 2012 Olympic bid (in competition with Madrid, New York, Moscow, and I think Paris). They're considering opening up drinking 24 hours in pubs, but there's a lot of resistance. They're having an election in May, so we'll see if Black Tony Blair can hang on.

I LOVE reading the newspaper. It's so cool that there are things of great moment happening all around me in the same town and you can read about them in the newspaper. I've been reading the Financial Times, because it's printed on silly pinkish-yellowish paper. Even their website is made of that stuff (http://www.ft.com/).

Anyway, I'll be writing more, so don't give up on me just yet!

Johnny English

Wedding Woes

Well, as most of you know, I'm getting married in March to my lovely fiance, Thania. I assembled a group of my closest friends to be with me at the altar on this special moment. Unfortunately, I just heard that Juan Sierra is not going to make it. I spoke with him this past weekend, and he told me the British immigration was giving him a hard time about entering and leaving the country so often. They implied that the next time he try to do this, they probably won't let him back in. Being that he's looking for a job and to build a life over there, this could be devastating to him. I understand his decision, but nonetheless I am very saddened by this. I'm sure you all are too. Nonetheless, I'm sure we're all going to have a great time, and it will be a special day for me to have so many great friends around me. I truly thank you guys for agreeing to be my groomsmen. It really means a lot to me. All that's left to do before the wedding is to have a kick-ass bachelor party.

JUAN SIGHTNING....SORT OF

Fellas, I just want to report that I got an email from our missing sibling, Juan. Sounds like he's happy on the other side of the pond. I suggest we all harass him to get back on the Stucrew and keep us updated of his many stories.

Tsunami Disaster Relief Company Matching

The tsunami disaster in Asia is beyond comprehension. It is far more severe than any manmade or natural disaster we have experienced in the States. I did a bit of research this morning and found this website:

http://www.case.org/new_mg/company_search/company_search.cfm?keyword=72A4DB96-6422-49F9-9B4B3C45D1813264

You can search for your company there to find out if they will match gifts given to charities. My company does provide matches, so I will certainly be making a donation through the program. CNN has a list of organizations accepting donations for tsunami disaster relief:

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/12/28/tsunami.aidsites/index.html

Please help and send a donation no matter how small. If everyone in the U.S. donated just $2, it would provide over half a billion dollars in relief. This would be well over the $350 million that the U.S. government has pledged so far. Feel free to pass this information to anyone you believe may be able to contribute.

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS VORRENCE SAN DIEGO?

I don't know about you guys, but it seems Johnny has fallen off the face of the earth. He's over there putting shrimp on the barbie and somehow is not able to communicate with his brothers. I think we all need to do a seance to try and bring Johnny back to the world of the living. Johnny, if you're out there, reach out to us and let us know how you're doing. We're all interested in hearing the many tales I'm sure you have experienced over there.

Bourbon Brothers Forever!