Okay, we're in the home stretch, so I thought I would throw out a couple of disclosures and ground rules.
1.) My house is not neat. I've tried to make this point in many subtle ways, but I'm just going to come out and say it. The house is messy. There are kids' toys in every room. Our furniture, by and large, is as old and out of date as the carpet in the basement, but with out the "gitch" factor.
Our thoughts are that little kids are tough on furniture (and carpet!), so we are still getting by with a lot of our "college furniture" until the kids are old enough to treat things with respect (does that every happen?). Same goes for why there's nothing cool/fancy haning on the walls. Needless to say, they are not allowed in "Daddy's room" in the basement.
2.) You are all my invited guests, and I want you to be at home. Everyone is welcome to crash, and if I don't have a bed or a couch free, I have numerous (nice!) inflatable air mattresses (and a really fast pump).
3.) We have a good number of cars coming, so to the extent possible, try to park in my driveway. With intelligent space management, we can fit a lot of cars there. When that fills up, I have room along my front yard and the street. If that fills up, please check with me before parking in/near a neighbor's yard. Most of them are very cool, but one or two are not so keen on such things.
4.) The longer you stay, the happier I will be (see #2, above). This is my weekend to hang with my buds and have a blast playing through some killer gear. I would like to go get my kids around dinner time on Sunday, but up until then, I'd love your company!
5.) I encourage the consumption of adult beverages for those who are inclined to do so. In fact, I will be supplying a good bit of it for y'all! But, please do not continue to play "the good stuff" after you reach a certain point (which should be obvious). If you absolutely must play beyond the point of reasonable sobriety, we'll break out the Wish Bass and the Behringer combo for ya!
This rule applies to me as well, so I officially give anyone who is more sober than I (at the time) the authority to yell "Wish Bass!", at which point, I will cease and desist.
6.) If you've got some original music on CD, please bring it. I'd love to give it a listen!
7.) Speaking of which, we all know that at some point we're probably going to crank up some music, so if you have anything exceptional, feel free to bring it as well. I can do CD's, SACD's, DVD-Audio, etc.
8.) Be prepared for Spinal Tap at some point. Maybe even some Monty Python!
9.) There is a no smoking rule at Chez Bowlus, though we do have the great outdoors on hand for just such emergencies. Please dispose of your own butts, though. Oh, but cigars are quite welcome, but of course must be enjoyed outside.
10.) And the catch-all, rule, if you wouldn't want to take in on a carry-on and go through airport security
, please don't bring it to my house (with the notable exception of anything alcoholic).
11.) I reserve the right to add/delete/modify rules at my sole discretion.
If you have not confirmed with me vial PM or e-mail, please do. Also, if you need directions, contact me privately.
I am looking forward to seeing you all soon!
Tom.
