365 Days of Tommy P: Day 212

Friday, July 31, 2009 (212)

“Will . . . nice hat.” Cpt. Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 211

Thursday, July 30, 2009 (211)

Third Coast Recording Company representing hard outside of AK47 after closing out Disappear Here, on our way to Neo.



While I Was Sleeping:
I woke up after only four hours of sleep. I had kicked my Phat Head Bass Distortion pedal off my bed. The resulting thud it had made when it hit the floor woke me up. It took me way too long to fall back asleep.

I remember having a dream about high school graduation, it wasn’t a recreation of my graduation, but I was the one graduating. After driving off out of the parking lot I came to realize that civilization was under martial law.

Outside, the passing Metra was continuously blowing its horn as though someone was on the tracks. A utility truck in my alley must have been backing up because it was beeping an excessive amount. And a car out front was honking, presumably trying to get someone’s attention from within a neighbor’s domicile.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 210

Wednesday, July 29, 2009 (210)

How appropriate that on Day 210 I am working on The BLB. Here I am editing drums for their next album.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 209

Tuesday, July 28, 2009 (209)

Here I am with Peter and Joe at Flat Iron after Debonair.


While I Was Sleeping:
Sometimes when I go to bed a little too clear minded my brain goes out of control with R.E.M. sleep causing me to have numerous and intense dreams. Last week my dreams were so intense that I was talking to the people in my dreams out loud and I kept waking myself up by doing so. I woke myself up by doing this so many times that I got upset with the situation and just had to wake up.

In last night’s dream, among other occurrences, I was shot twice, and had to fake my own death.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 208

Monday, July 27, 2009 (208)

When all is said and done, hours after Rehab at Debonair has been closed out, I am wondering around downtown and River North. The only thing I was missing was my iPod so that I could listen to Kill Hannah.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 207

Sunday, July 26, 2009 (207)

Today is my half birthday.

As I walked through Lincoln Park to get my car, I never once thought about the fact that I was still dressed in my zombie gear. That explains all of the stuck-up looks I was receiving.




This is my reaction to the fact that my new camera I bought in February is now broken. Great. Geek Squad to the rescue, I got a four-year warranty when I bought it.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 206

Saturday, July 25, 2009 (206)

In Wicker Park there was a Zombie Walk, as there sometimes are, except this one was special because I was one month since the passing of Michael Jackson. So it was billed as a Thriller Memorial of sorts. The original instructions were that we had to stay on the sidewalks, and that we could not touch people who were not involved. Neither of those rules lasted very long.

A guy on a bike was towing a battery-powered boom box, blasting “Thriller,” “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” etc, on repeat. When he showed up we took to the streets and blocked traffic for the better side of an hour as we trudged along, chanting, “What do we want?” “BRAINS” “When do we want them?” “BRAINS!” And another favorite, that I started, “OUT OF THE SEWERS AND INTO THE STREETS!” A bicyclist passed by, he was attacked, knocked off his bike, and swarmed by zombies. He was then covered in zombie make-up as I started a chant: “ONE OF US! ONE OF US!”


Me with my fellow zombies after arriving from pre-march drinks and doing our make-up.



Attacking a normal.











Climbing a quarantine fence into a restricted area to feast on more brains.




Feasting on the brains of a passing bicyclist.




Most of the above photos were taken by other random people I don't know, and I found them on facebook. This one activates my hilarity unit.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 205

Friday, July 24, 2009 (205)

I have two basses. Ibanez: “Hera” and Music Man Sting Ray: “Sweet Lady H.”

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 204

Thursday, July 23, 2009 (204)

Reviewing another mix at Third Coast before heading of to Disappear Here.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 203

Wednesday, July 22, 2009 (203)

Another night at Third Coast mixing Violet Winter. Then back home to finish a new song of mine.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 202

Tuesday, July 21, 2009 (202)

Another song finished with mixing. Followed by me, Oscar, and Jeremy sitting around a lit candle on the roof at Third Coast, contemplating the Universe, as a solar eclipse takes place in the opposite hemisphere.

Last night I was talking so often and loudly in my sleep that I woke myself up on numerous occasions as a result of conversations that I was having with the people in my dreams. The number and intensity of the dreams was so disturbing that I had to wake up much to make the voices in my head stop.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 201

Monday, July 20, 2009 (201)

Loiter (intransitive verb)
1. to linger, esp. in a public place, for little or no reason; stand around idly.
2. to move slowly, with unnecessary stops and delays
3. to take more time than necessary; delay; dawdle

I don’t think we were loitering.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 200

Sunday, July 19, 2009 (200)

I eventually made it down to the beach Sunday afternoon after recovering from “Rebel Ethnic” / “The Unethnical Dinner.” I was still wearing my outfit from the previous night when I went down to the beach. There is a common rule of “no jeans at the beach during daylight hours.” So to comply I dropped my pants.




Back to Chicago later that evening to meet up with Oscar (@TheVioletOscar) to review a final mix for another track on the Violet Winter debut album.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 199

Saturday, July 18, 2009 (199)

This is my favorite day of the year, my personal high holiday.


Me and the boys of summer at CHB.




The annual sunset shot from behind.




Me, Loony, and a couple of others at the main event.




Me with Splinter by the fire.




A view from the top of the Sugar Bowl (sand dune). This must have been snapped later into the evening when people had already started to leave. Also, most of the people were on the other side of the fire dancing in front of the lights and computer/sound system where I, among a couple others, were dropping the soundtrack. (Rudmann Photography)

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 198

Friday, July 17, 2009 (198)

Where I’m from, today is the only Good Friday. This is Splinter, named so for obvious reasons, (TMNT).




K Sho reappears.




Another classic Rudmann Photography snap with Partaytay.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 197

Thursday, July 16, 2009 (197)

Back room of El Soda Barrio.

“You know that means The Soda Ghetto, right?”

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 196

Wednesday, July 15, 2009 (196)

The release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince!

. . . and a sunset with Partaytay.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 195

Tuesday, July 14, 2009 (195)

Recording drums for The BLB’s sophomore album, The War On Sobriety, with guitarist John Hazen in town, engineer Oscar Salinas manning the knobs and buttons, and me producing.





Here is Hazen with badass drummer extraordinaire, Mario Cerutti.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 194

Monday, July 13, 2009 (194)

Rehab at the Debonair Social Club.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 193

Sunday, July 12, 2009 (193)

A quick snapshot at ORD’s Terminal 1 Departures as Loony heads back east. She’s happy about her time here, and I’m sad she’s leaving.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 192

Saturday, July 11, 2009 (192)

Silly Hat Saturday – we do it every year.

(Timmy C won by wearing a velcro-pawwed stuffed monkey on his head).

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 191

Friday, July 10, 2009 (191)

This is Smellerella. It’s her birthday weekend.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 190

Thursday, July 9, 2009 (190)

This photo makes me look like I am passed out drunk. But it is not the case.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 189

Wednesday, July 8, 2009 (189)

Some bad stuff went down this night, with some pictures that cannot be shared, so instead here are some shots from tennis during the day.

Tommy P: “If you can’t do it with a beer in one hand it’s not worth doing.”
K Sho: “Hahahaha. I’m thinking of something bad.”

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 188

Tuesday, July 7, 2009 (188)

Back to basics in the VIP on the CHB.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 187

Monday, July 6, 2009 (187)

Here we are on the road getting a quick breakfast on our way back to Chicago.




Her flight was scheduled to leave the next morning, so we had a goodbye dinner. (Her flight was canceled the next day and we made a surprise appearance back in Michigan for another week).

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 186

Sunday, July 5, 2009 (186)

Independence Day parade.




One of several injuries I sustained during beach volleyball.




Heading down to the beach for the sunset. (Rudmann Photography)




Yet another classic bonfire. (Rudmann Photography)




“Loony, it’s getting late. You’re falling asleep. I should get you home.”
“No. Ten more minutes.”
“That’s what you said an hour ago.”