It is 2AM here in Missoula, MT. I’m feeling rested from the past few days of not traveling. That is probably why I’m still awake right now. I find it hard to sleep most of the time. The act of sleep comes easy. It is convincing myself to close my eyes and call it quits – that is where the challenge lies. I always feel like I can get more done, or that I might miss something if I go to sleep. This is something I’ve embraced over the years and it suits me well, so I’ll stick with the program.
Alex Paul and I arrived here on Saturday. We had a show scheduled at the Roxy. I did a show there last year and it was great! This time around things didn’t quite go as planned. Nobody showed up to open up the venue for the show and we had to turn people away. What a drag. Shit happens like that some times when you are on the road though. The unexpected becomes the norm and if you want to survive, you just have to make the best of it. Although the situation was less than ideal, I was able to re-book the date for November 2nd. We’ll pass through here again after a short break over Halloween in the Pacific Northwest. I’m looking forward to it.
The past few days I’ve spent mostly locked away in the hotel room or at a coffee shop. Working. I’ve been able to catch up on some things and I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to get back in a groove where I can balance things out a bit more. I haven’t been reading as much as I would like, nor exercising. I’m surprised I feel as good as I do. At this point in life I can’t quite get away without those things and expect to get away with it. I’m sure some of you reading this know what I mean.
Lately I’ve been reading The Catcher In The Rye. What a cool book. I’m anxious to finish it. For some reason I never picked this one up when I was a kid. I’m not sure why. It could be it was one of those books I was supposed to have read but didn’t. I most definitely delved into a plethora of cliff notes in my youth to shirk my reading duties. My attention span could hang on much easier with those small yellow and black books. The ones that friends traded around a day or two before reports were due. Needless to say I’m making up for lost time. And I’m glad.
Our travels over the next week will take us through MT, ID, Canada, WA, & OR.
The last few cities we have passed through I’ve started to notice the Occupy Movement. These are local groups that have gathered to form their own sit-in protests similar to those in NYC right now. I’m trying to find the time decipher the situation myself. It can be tough to find any one answer to why everyone is gathering. The one thing that is apparent is that people are seeking a change.
Seeing these people first hand from one city to the next you quickly realize the power of people though. It doesn’t matter which stance you take, people with a common belief still have an impact. I enjoy seeing that. We are lucky that we even have the freedom to do these kinds of things when we feel something isn’t right. It can be easy to forget that when you aren’t paying attention to the rest of the world and what they go through.
It is time to hit the two-lane in the morning again.
Be well out there. Thanks for checking in.
–JM
JOSH MADSEN 
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