Tin Angel/Start of MOTHERLODE tour!!!
September 29, 2006

Got up at 5:30 am…Kristin arrived at the house about quarter til, and we waited for the taxi…got to the airport around 6:30 and saw the guys (Gabe, Randy) who checked in our guitars and bags. Went inside and passed through inspection, had some coffee, boarded the plane to Chicago. Switched planes in Chicago, bound for Philly!

In Philly, got the rental car, on the way out showed the papers to the guy in the booth…Nice man from Nigeria, and couldn’t quite understand him when he asked me a question…I said, “Did you ask me….What do I like about Russia?” And he cracked up laughing…Kristin and I laughing, sitting in the car, looking up into his lovely, smiling face. Good way to start the journey! Happiness…

We got to the Tin Angel at 3 pm…locked door, so Kristin and I decided to go see the Liberty Bell and glad we did. Lots of interesting info to read about the history of the bell, including history on Preident John Adams, who never owned a slave, nor did he believe in slavery. Made me proud!

Stopped and had a snack at Rotton Ralph’s (I think that was the name of it) and we played the “Guess What the Waitress’s Name is”….Kristin was guessing Michelle and I was guessing Sheila or Carly. Turned out her name was neither, but Rachel…her middle name was Shayna, so we were right on picking up that “sh” vibe for a name! She thought my name would be KIM! Ha ha. I said, “Like Catrell?”

Got into the club after that and hung out in the green room, reading the signed walls of drawings and autographs. Lots of penises. I’m not sure why musicians feel compelled to draw so many penises! Everywhere. And anyone who had drawn a portrait, say of Ellis Paul or a Michael Fracasso, well, at some point, someone else came along and added a giant penis. Go figure! I saw my name from the last time I played: I had left a hello for Terri Hendrix, who responded in kind when she was visiting, as well. No penises near either of our names, so we must have a modicum of respect within our community!

The show was a blast. I’d guess about 35 people, but they were singing along, cheering us on, laughing at my silly stories, including the fable that I have been on tour as a dancer with Shakira. In Russia.

I was only to play 70 minutes, via George the soundman’s instructions, but, of course, went an entire two hours.

A night of joy and love, old faces and new. Thanks to anyone reading this who came out to share the music…I hope you will post in here with your thoughts on the night, too!

The most amazing thing is how many of you called/emailed to get me back on the Tin Angel after they decided to cancel me. I want to say thank you, thank you….for your voice does make a difference, and I wouldn’t have had the experience, nor would have Kristin, without your love and support.

The show must go on! And, with your arms around us, we will travel safely and bring you all the song and heart we can!

Love,
Sara

posted by Sara Hickman at 07:27 am
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8 BILLION DOLLARS
September 26, 2006

September 26, 2006


To the editor of the Austin American Statesman:

8 Billion Dollars.

Not 8 hundred thousand, or 8 million, but EIGHT BILLION DOLLARS.

This is what the Texas Lottery billboard campaign boasts along our Austin streets, and I, for one, would really like the Austin American Statesman to explain to me where that 8 BILLION DOLLARS has gone to improve our schools?

If this is the case, why have my property taxes doubled in 8 years, and why is it, on top of that, we parents in Barton Hills are being asked to give our elementary school an additional $160 per child to help educate our children? Why are all Texas PTAs still having bake sales, carnivals, and running ourselves ragged to help our kids? Where is all this amazing money going because it is NOT GOING TO THE SCHOOLS!!!

Between the school taxes we are already paying, and the $8 BILLION DOLLARS,
I would think Texas lower education schools would be able to give teachers a well-deserved pay raise, and our art, music and physical education teachers would be able to provide their quality gifts daily, instead of partially, to each school they work within.

On the Texas Education Agency site, they list that there are 7,956 school campuses in the state of Texas. If you divide the number of schools into the $8 BILLION DOLLAR amount the Texas Lottery is boasting, each school should have received $100,533.04, or $12,566.63 each year for 8 years.

And, while I’m at it, let me say this to Rick Perry: shame on you. Do you think boasting that $2000 per teacher is a raise? After taxes, a teacher is lucky to take home an additional $130 a month, or $41.66 a week. I’ve seen our teachers working: they teach from a place of passion, they want our kids to succeed, whether they are paid properly for their work or not. They show up early, stay after work and use their own monies to make sure their classes are prepared for a full day.

I think our government should show some humility. How about this: all of you public servants switch paychecks with teachers for a year, and you show up early and stay late because you want to make Texas the best state it can be, for all people, and spend your own monies to run your campaigns.

I’ll just keep asking questions until someone answers them….

$8 BILLION DOLLARS. Where’d it go?


Sara Hickman






posted by Sara Hickman at 07:38 am
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Busy As A Bee…Rrrrgh!
September 19, 2006

I don’t know how busy pirates get, they always seem to forget to brush their teeth in the movies….so they must be pretty busy….but I can not imagine
they are as busy as songwriting moms.

Maybe there should be a film of swashbuckling seafaring grub eatin’ foul mouthed bad boy pirates who come across a very tidy, pristine ship with some happy singin’ mamas, babes on their knees, sucklin’ at the breast, fresh fruit and and clean clothes drying on the line…and the mamas admonish the tasteless lads for their scourgy ways and get them to straighten up and fly right.

Turned in my guitar for Austin Guitar Town.
Getting ready for my speech in Dallas on Thursday…1600 women! Talking about fine tuning the balance of work and life.
Layed outside in the hammock while I worked on my speech. The weather is yummy…cool and crisp, just enough breeze to rock me gently in the boughs of my trees.

Sending love.

posted by Sara Hickman at 10:15 am
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Time for some brotherly love
September 15, 2006

she sat on the stage. and she looked out into the smiling faces, and she knew that no matter what, she could sing her song and find solace in the hearts of those who believed in what she had to share.

that is the dream of every singer…to know that there will be people in the chairs, waiting to hear the song, finding applause at the end of a journey to reach the performance.

but….some singers take time off from their dream…to hone their song, or to raise their families….and when they return to the road, things have changed. their names might not be remembered, and thus, they have to start from scratch.

that’s where i am. and because some of you called me out, some of you said “come back! we miss you!”, i am coming to sing a song for you… and i am excited, thrilled and honored to see you again….

but… i need the seats to be filled….i need people to call the clubs and buy tickets and say, “is sara hickman coming? when? put me down for two seats!” and then i need you to share the evening with me at the venue…

….there is a lot of competition in the world. if the clubs think i can’t bring people out, they don’t have time to mess with my re-building a following. but if they think there will be people coming, they will give me a shot.

come help me celebrate “motherlode” and i promise to share a hug, a smile, a song and all the gratitude my heart can muster….with the best show i can give for you. 

right now, i need people to help with the TIN ANGEL show on Sept. 27. my co-bill, david mead has canceled, and so the club has decided to cancel me as well. but i have my plane ticket! i don’t want to give up just as i am starting! i want to come to philly to sing….! 

what do you think? are there folks out there who can help me make this happen?

Advance tickets for Tin Angel shows are available from the box office: Over the phone at (215) 928-0978, noon–10 pm, 7 days a week… In person at 20 South 2nd Street after 4 pm, 7 days a week… Online through Ticketweb…

Don’t forget Sara’s other upcoming Mid-Atlantic appearances:
September 29: Ashland Coffee and Tea, Ashland, VA
September 30: Westside Cafe, Frederick, MD
October 1: The Birchmere, Alexandria, VA/Washington, DC with Shelby Lynne

posted by Sara Hickman at 07:29 am
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Jim
September 04, 2006

From David at Poor David’s Pub:
Dear Pubbers:

A sad note about Jim Hicks, bartender at Poor David’s from 1986 to 2004.

He passed away a few days ago in Oregon (peacefully, according to his sister) after complications from a stroke suffered earlier in the year.

Jim was the best “worst” joke teller in the business, and his wry humor will be missed by many.

Jim wanted to be cremated and his ashes spread around the confines of Poor David’s and that is what we shall do.

In 18 years, Jim was seldom late, and never dishonest. A rare combination of qualites in these times.

We will have a memorial service for him in the near future when it is feasible. I’m sure he had some unpaid debts, so perhaps we can send a little cash to his sister.

Peace:
David

[via Over the Top]

posted by Sara Hickman at 04:12 pm
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mummified plecostomus
September 01, 2006

Monstro, our plecostomus sucker fish that resembles some prehistoric blackened tank with tan spots and unblinking eyes, had disappeared from our fish tank.

I cleaned the tank, and noticed he was gone after we returned from San Jose. I figured he had done something odd, like buried himself under the red gravel, even though as I swept the tank free of fish poop, I didn’t see a sign of him anywhere. “Ah, Monstro,” I thought. Such a clever guy!

Yesterday, our five year old neighbor, Ava, calls out to everyone to come look at what she found. It was Monstro. Behind the fish tank, behind the
column that supports our tank, wedged between wall and column at the bottom where wall meets floor.

He was mummified, his eyes gone, his nearly four inch body a sort of rubberized rigormortis. Like a rubber toy you get out of a gumball machine.
Except that he smelled stinky, like a stinky, mummified missing fish.

All we can figure is that Monstro went for a walk out of the tank, and then couldn’t figure out how to pull himself back up and in. Ooh. Yes, I just shuddered. What an awful way to go!

But, you know, I get it. I get that Monstro wanted to see the world past the strange invisible wall that kept him confined. How many times had I seen him attached to the inside of the glass, looking out at us, sitting there for HOURS? Think-think-thinking. I could hear his little fish brain. I swear—-it looked like he was in deep thought. Maybe he was hatching an escape plan, or imagining that the world we were looking at him from was too intriguing not to examine further.

He is gone now, our Monstro. Named after our previous pleco, Monster, who grew to be 8 inches long! Purchased for a mere 89 cents,when he was a mere 1 and 1/2 inch long fish, we sold him back to Amazonia for $42 when he became too big for our tank. (Yes, I hear you thinking that this is an amazing return on my investment. Maybe I’ll start a pleco farm.) We had to buy a special net just to wrangle Monster into an oversized bucket. That was quite a day! Fishing for our own fish.

AND, NOW, here’s what life has been sharing with us this summer:

San Jose—-our trip to San Jose was very relaxing. The four of us flew out and spent five days with Genuine Gene, the genius behind my website/this blog/and anything else related to me that is computer driven and requires a person of impeccable, incredible intelligence to drive! Speaking of driving, I drove Gene’s electric scooter. Right into a parked car. But everyone’s ok, no one hurt. Just picture me in slow motion squealing, “Uh….stop! No, oh…no…no….no way….Ack!” as the scooter, too heavy for me to handle and only moving as fast as an old man behind a walker, slides into the side of a Ford Mustang. We also went to the Winchester House, a wacky 9,000 room home with 620 bathrooms and twists and turns and doors that open into brick walls and windows to spy on people cooking in your own kitchen. Went to The Flame, this AWESOME restaurant with tall booths and art deco jungle themed decor. And big green cakes in the display case. And I went on KPIG and KKUP, performing new songs from “Motherlode” and we stayed in a hotel with a pool and a kitty-cat named GRAY KITTY. One of my fondest memories is walking in the morning with Lily down to Santa Clara College, and as the sun was coming up and we were sipping styrofoam cups of foaming hot chocolate, I showed Lily how you can be in San Jose and Santa Clara at the same time….cuz there was a big sign that said “NOW ENTERING SANTA CLARA” about four blocks from our hotel, so we were in seperate cities, sipping hot drinks, calling out to one another (from 2 feet away), “Look! Mom! I’m in Santa Clara!” while I’m responding, “Ha! HA! I’m in San Jose!” See how much fun me and my kids have?

And, of course, Gene’s 40th birthday party was a blast! This was our purpose in going to San Jose, not to jump back and forth between city signs, but to wish him love and shower him with gifts and hugs and kisses and to taunt his chiahuahua, Diego, and to make sure all Gene’s friends
were hugging and kissing on him, too! It was a hugfest! Gene’s house is very tidy and he could be a very talented interior decorator if he ever changes occupations. I love his house! And I love Chinatown in San Francisco, where we drove to explore shops and eat delicious food in an upstairs attic about the size of our fish tank. But we did not eat any fish, although Lance had shrimp.

Minneapolis—-We came home for one day, did lots of laundry, hopped back on a plane the next day and went to our family reunion and that was another tee-riffic time. We stayed at my cousin, Beth’s, house with her charming, handsome husband, Kyle, and their three fabulous children.
We were in a mansion at the top of a golf course, right on the lake, with a gigantic fountain and a white heron who never moved the entire time we were there. They had a pool, too, with a diving board, and my nephew, Milo, was doing all these unbelievable flips off the board, and at one point, I walked into the pool completely dressed. “Why not?” I thought. I’m on vacation! We had more Chinese food, went to the IMAX to see “Your Body
(subtitled “Your Body Is Gross and Does a Lot of Gross Things Inside that we are Going to Show You In Giant IMAX Format”), grilled on the patio, had homemade frozen margaritas, dyed the kids hair purple and pink (“Mom, remember that punk summer reunion?”) and added some purple to my hair, too…Went to a Twins game in BOX SEATS and that so rocked! Completely stocked with food and right on the first baseline. Of course, every time any of the kids walked by the open glass wall (which included a 100 foot drop on the other side), every parent was leaning forward out of their seats saying, “Please sit down! Please. Right now. Yes. That is good. Stay. Right there. Thank you.” Ay yi yi! The Twins lost miserably, but you would never have guessed that from all of our hootin’ and hollerin’. We were having a blast!

AND we had Family Talent Show night, a tradition on the Hickman side of the family. Let’s see….Milo did breakdancing, Lily sang a heartbreaking song, Uncle Steve and Bailey did a funny ventriliquist act that included a song in Japanese, Britty played the flute, Bailey played the violin, our family sang the Wierd Al Yankovic “EBay Song”, and, of course, we did a rousing version of “iolana” to celebrate the little ones. We ate burgers and laughed and cried and pictures were being taken left and right the entire time. We slept in the next morning, except for the kids who were up and at ‘em, watching re-runs of “The Simpsons” at some ungodly hour. FUN!

Then we flew home and school started two days later.

posted by Sara Hickman at 04:23 am
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