On the pacing bit, the fact is I just don't work well with others. I can get myself from here to there, but when I try to help somebody else, everything hits the fan. I never wanted to be a fan. I just wanted to soak in as much of the good vibes as possible. I work to be able to attend the shows, so why should I work so much that I can't? I dunno.

In one of Justin's recent interviews, he spoke of TWOTW being different from the Moodies' tours because he had to know his place. Well, I'm the opposite. I've always been at the bottom of the pecking order trying to do what other people want the way they want me to. The old ESJ days were great because the organization was flat. I reported directly to the boss. When he had a weird request, it was usually fun and educational. That said, I work 100 hours a week, get paid for 40, and feel like a squirrel begging for time off. Then, there's that editor that wanted me to go to his office in the wee hours to sit in a chair (with my eyes open) for two hours a night in the days leading to my long drive to BAHston. Whaddup wits dat?

Regardless, that's all over. I intend to tour as much as possible, though that doesn't look like much, now. I have to make some life changes, I know. I always liked the story of that guy in Detroit who had as a term of his contract getting the day off anytime Springsteen played within a certain radius.

I will, as I am sure you will hear in the back channels, have to stop trying to help fans for the short-term. I hate to say, 'I can't," but when others' happiness and plans are at stake, I'm too much of a joke to be deemed reliable in any sense, and I don't want anybody ever again to have to put up with my toxic temper when I'm lost at 2 a.m. having averaged 2-3 hours of sleep for the last several days. I'm a sick puppy. Words cannot describe . . . . . . .

I'm just jealous of you, luna. You're gorgeous without makeup; you do Native-American mojo with Justin during the shows; you know the biz; you're a psychologist; you rebuild airplanes, dolls, trucks, etc.; you garden; you dance, sing, and play instruments at the professional level; you teach; and you know more physics than I learned practicing in 20-odd years. And I'm still here, just rolling on in this office chair, . . . . (I need a green emoticon.)

I"ll delete if you do.

Oh, and the cameras are for celebrities who are too exalted to shake hands or say hello with the fair maidens who must relieve themselves?

So, I got to go to the photo op in Nashville. It was nice, but I was a mess. I'll write it off to gaining 40 pounds (!?) and having to shop online these days. My one-size-fits-all dress didn't even cover my stomach, my nice silver shoes were a tad big so I walked like Minnie Duck, I didn't bother to curl my hear because I was sure the weather would leave an asymmetric dent in it. I was all happy about getting to see Justin up close - and then I got the proofs of the photos. (Gag! Barf!) Justin was nice to us all. He broke the rules and interacted with some. In the photo of me, he's leaning way back. OK I know I'm ugly, but I didn't think I smelled that bad. I had a bath. Really.

Even so, "He my hero!"

I shall attempt a tiny review.

The band is sounding professional. At one show, everything was in place, and the spirit was, as they say, "so strong." I just drifted away in the loveliness, every second was beautiful and heavenly. They were in the zone, and it lasted all night. Other times, it was all good, but the inspiration flitted in and out for me.

Julie has the background sounds down. Everything I blending perfectly. The last time they came through the US, I didn't like some of the volume choices and timbres, but now I cannot find a single thing that is out of place. I mean, I could nitpick, but I don't want to. When the trio first started out a year ago, I thought the sound was too raw. It was excellent, nonetheless. Now, everything is nice and dreamy and one can just float away. Except for one time, the harmonies are also perfect. Julie does an amazingly good job adding harmonics to Justin's voice, doing traditional and untraditional harmonies - weird ones like Justin used on the recordings as in "It's up to You." When there's a glitch, she just goes with the flow seamlessly, as an accomplished accompanist. When there are technical problems, she always has them managed in time to start the next song. She doesn't showboat, she just holds down the fort. I'm so impressed at how she can cover two lines in different timbres on her Yamaha Motif XS8 (Wait. Last time I looked, I thought 7 was the latest,), while singing and handling percussion, For example, in YWD, she does the baseline, organ, backups, and probably more. I'm also impressed at how she does melodies fit for the right hand with her left, and they don't sound left-handed. She oozes sweetness, her hair is pretty (never liked the reptile), and her clothing is still shabby chic and her shoes cruel. I didn't like the solo bits on "Never Comes the Day." The not selections were pretty, but the volume was too loud and the intonation was all wrong. There were a thousand things she was capable of doing differently. I don't know why she made those choices. I'm so happy she took on so much to make the Justin tours possible.

Mike never gets boring, as I thought he would. He has so much going on, each time he plays, this or that of 5 or more things is going to be stronger. He adds complexity as he goes, and sometimes the technical precision is better than others. But it is always beyond my mental capacity to take it all in. The techniques keep the brain happy and are rather entertaining just because they're so out of the ordinary. I'd love to tech-talk with him sometime about several acoustical thingies I can't figure out in his performance, but I fear he is too out of my league. He needs to be sharing his talents with the pros. Mike got a haircut that looks really good. His clothing is of the same style, but he's wearing different shoes. He broke a nail, which he likened to breaking an arm, and had to run to a manicurist down the road before the show, which started somewhat late. He said this hairy, bearded ran into a salon full of beautiful ladies and demanded just one nail ASAP. A very good, albeit aggressive Asian lady took care of the problem. At one point something flew off his hand. It must have been a pick, but I thought for the longest time the acrylic had snapped. Oweeeee! Hopefully his fan base of Millennials, etc. will prefer watching him on all their latest gadgets so the Justin fans will still have a chance to get close to the stage.

Then there's that other guy. One just looks at him and the mood changes. The tension and aggravation is replaced with peace and comfort. The voice remains incredibly amazing. But sometimes it broke as if full of emotion. It's so beautiful, so stirring, so worth the hades of a fifteen hour drive with five additional hours of delays. I've always admired his ability to sing through such moving lyrics and inspirational harmonies. I get distracted whenever I even approach beauty in music. He sings right through it. But perhaps something was hitting closer to home this tour, or the songs were more personal than the usual selections. I don't think it was just theatrics. He's too good for that. I still swear there is a backtrack on "The Eastern Sun." If not, I want to figure out how that double impulse enters in places. Actually, I'd rather have a backtrack there and not need it than to have vocal chord damage on the high notes. Iss o-tay. The music makes me cry. Always "The Western Sky" gets to me. "The Eastern Sun" did, too. I even cried during "Nights." There's just something about the thoughts, the imagery, the arrangements, the spirit, and the technical precision in the delivery. It is music and poetry at its best. For some weird reason, I was even drooling during "TES." Don't ask. I probably couldn't get the water pressure high enough for my eyes or something. Anyway, Justin was looking dapper in his outfits, and his hair is always perfect. I want to know his secrets. He employs a lot of technique, as you know, and plays difficult pieces with different tunings. But does it effortlessly, like he's falling asleep. One time, he didn't have his capo and had to stop Mike. He then joked, "Nobody told me until the last minute." He was flashing his eyes about the room, connecting with this and that person, and I got greener with each acknowledgment, but that's OK. The best thing in life is to go to the shows, feel the love, and bask in the inspiration. What a guy, what a guy.

I'm not gonna proofread. I'm just gonna hold my nose, do the required math (7 + 7 = 14) and . . . . Here goes!