March 3, 2006 - I got up super early today to fly to Phoenix. I was at my mom's house by 4:30, at the airport at 5, and on a flight to Atlanta by 6 AM. That flight was followed by a flight to Phoenix. I tried to sleep as much as possible, but it just wasn't happening. When I got to Phoenix, John Paderi picked me up from the airport and took me to lunch at a place called Four Peaks. His girlfriend Colleen met up with us, we ate, and then went to his place. John wanted to practice some music for tonite. John and I used to play open mics all the time back in Cincinnati, but we haven't played together for over 3 years. It was nice to get to hear him sing and play again. We practiced for a while, then Andrew, a friend of his who plays trumpet, came over. Then later, Mo, a singer, came over. Finally it was time for a quick dinner before heading out for the night. The venue that John plays frequently is called Daisy Dukes. Not the best name for a bar, but it was a very nice place. The music was outside on the front patio. Lots of John's friends showed up. I had Colleen taking pictures and everyone was cheering. I had a great time, but by the time midnite rolled around, I had been up for 22 hours straight, and by the time I got to bed I had been up for over 23 hours. A very long but fun day.