STILL REELING FROM THE NEWS

Wow.

I'm just soooo glad yesterday is over. To hear of two deaths in a 90 minute period ... that's pretty much enough to screw up your head for the whole day.

Thanks to all those that sent their condolences, but I've gotta be honest ... it's not me that needs them. The families of these two ... they're the ones that are grieving the most. Especially Brad's parents who I have always loved like my own. They're feeling terrible about now.

I had a call from one of the other pallbearers last night ... he gave me a little more insight into Brad's death. Apparently, they're doing an autopsy on him this morning to see if they can find evidence that he fell off the bridge and that he had been on his medication at the time of death. Brad stayed pretty heavily medicated every day of his life to control his demons and if he WASN'T under medication when he died, it meant they didn't give it to him/force it on him...whatever.

Also a few weeks ago Brad escaped from the mental institution he was in. Hours later they found him asleep in a dumpster. He told the police he'd rather be homeless than live in an institution.

It's really sad. He was such a good kid, but mental illness had taken over his life.

I checked the obituaries this morning and Brad's funeral is at 10 a.m. tomorrow (#4 on the list) while Tom's is at 1 p.m. (#8). So it looks like I'll be attending both funerals tomorrow. Brad's visitation is tonight, and we've gotta go to that. That's going to be tough.

Sorry I haven't been your usual cranky and mean Uncle Bob lately. He'll be back in a few days, I promise.

It was wild...last night one of the other pallbearers called me who I haven't kept in touch for about seven years as well. Just like Brad.

But while Brad's life slowly went downhill, my other buddy's life has been truly blessed. He has two little boys now, 3 and 1, and has really gotten his life together and is happy.

It was so good to talk to him. He's about 10 years younger than me, but we had a great friendship for about three years. I've thought about him often over the years but just was always too busy to get in contact with him.

I hate to use the settings of a funeral to rekindle old friendships, but in a way I'm glad I get to see this guy again.

This guy...Jason...he and I ... heh....we got SOOOOO messed up one time in Atlanta.

We went to the Great Atlanta Pot Festival I think is what it was called. Basically, it was a concert in a park...the Black Crowes were headlining...and damned near EVERYONE was smoking pot. NORML booths were everywhere, hemp booths with all that crappy hemp products were abundant...and everyone was just enjoying the day, the concert and their weed.

Jason and I smoked a joint right in front of a cop. If he arrested us, he'd have to arrest everyone.

Anyway, we took an ounce of pot with us. For those of you who don't smoke pot...that's kinda a lot. It's not a shitload, but if two guys are going to smoke an ounce all day, they're going to get high and stay high.

Which is what we did.

My old buddy Cat worked for Def American records at the time and he was basically in charge of getting the Crowes everywhere they needed to go on time. He was the one who stayed sober out of the whole camp, because 90 percent of the Crowes were heavy duty stoners at the time.

So anyway, Cat got us backstage and Chris Robinson, the lead singer and now Mr. Kate Hudson, walked past us. Cat introduced us to him and I was soooo messed up, all I could say was "Rock and Roll" to him. He looked at me like I just offered to pack his mama's fudge.

The other Crowes were hanging around but I told Cat I wasn't interested in meeting them.

Anyway, we heard about three Crowes songs and Jason wanted to leave and go to some strip clubs.

Jason had no idea who the Black Crowes were at the time. I think they still only had one album out and weren't really a big name at the time, other than in Atlanta, their homebase.

So we went and had pizza and went to strip clubs. We drank beer. We smoked copious amounts of pot.

Then we drove home.

Okay...please...I DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE ANYMORE.

I don't even drink anymore. I don't smoke pot anymore.

This was TEN YEARS AGO ... I was stupid and I admit it.

So anyway...we get in the car and drive two hours home from Atlanta.

There have been two times I've been stupid enough to get loaded all day long and then drive 150 miles home after midnight. This was one of them. The other was the time I hung out with strippers all day with Mattie Gee and Drunk Assed Jamie.

I SERIOUSLY don't remember driving home that night. I know when we got home, we were all out of pot and I had to pee really bad.

That's about all I remember.

Anyway...bad, bad, bad Uncle Bob. I no longer do that, I shun those who do and I don't need reprimanding, thank you very much.

So it'll be good to see Jason.

But it'll be a sad day overall.

I got my Cheap Trick concert DVD in the mail yesterday. I tried to watch some of it last night and it brought back even MORE old memories of my days as a Trickhead.

Like Journey and KISS, I've lost track of how many times I've seen Cheap Trick live. It's been at least six times. The last time, when I took the picture that I referred you guys to a few days ago ... I was so drunk and had to pee so bad that I left the concert four songs into the show to return back to my hotel and get drunk and party with everyone else in my suite.

Yes...it's one of the true regrets in my life. Finally score a backstage pass where I have a seat on the side of the stage to watch the band...and I leave four songs into the show because I'd rather keep my buzz going and empty my bladder than watch one of my all-time favorite bands from a totally different perspective.

So this DVD kinda makes up for it. I put it in last night and it kicked off with their version of "Ain't That A Shame" which is a lot of drums at the beginning.

Andy's ears perked up.

He started kicking and thrusting his fists in the air.

We rocked out together, father and son. He had a big grin on his face as we kicked it old school style.

He's gonna be a good kid.

A fun kid.

This should be a blast...raising this kid.

Thanks to all those that sent my evil boss Wendi e-mails yesterday for her birthday. She had over a dozen emails when I last checked with her yesterday afternoon and was in the midst of answering them all.

Last night, her hubby, Dr. Eric was taking her out on some kinda surprise birthday excursion. She was told to wear t-shirt and shorts and that she would be blindfolded for some of it.

Everyone around the office was guessing as to what it was that he was going to do.

They're both pretty imaginative folks, so I'm kinda dying to know what he did.

If you are too, I would suggest tuning in here later in the morning to see what he did.

And finally, I have found out that some of you readers know me in real life.

That's right. Apparently some locals and some friends of mine have stumbled in here.

I know who you are.

So the next time you see me, call me "Uncle Bob" and we'll be cool.

If you DON'T call me Uncle Bob, I'll know that you're pretending like you don't read me, even though I KNOW you do.

I KNOW YOU DO.

Let's break down those walls. Embrace me. Not literally of course...there's a few of you I DON'T want embracing me.

But lemme know you're a Bobhead.

'Cause if you don't...I'll just think of you as a shifty little spy, reading me and thinking you're doing it on the sly...well I know better.

Just look me in the eye and say "Hi Uncle Bob".

We'll have a much better relationship after that.

My Gawd.

This has been one strange entry.

Hopefully my lunchtime entry will be more oomphy.

Hopefully.

Oh yeah!

Andrewasked me to clarify something that I wrote in my diary the other day about the whole Brad P.'s lawyers scandal. I wrote...

Andrew emailed me a 16 page letter from Brad's people, saying how I was ruining his reputation and keeping him from getting jobs. And if I didn't stop writing the diary IMMEDIATELY, there would be lawsuits a'plenty keeping me busy as a little beaver."

I need to clarify that it wasn't Andrew whining that I was ruining his reputation, it was Brad's lawyers saying I was ruining Brad's rep. It was THE LAWYERS who strongly suggested I take the site down...not Andrew. If I recall, Andrew was feeling gutsy about the whole thing and actually wanted to keep the diary up and see just how far the lawyers would go with this whole thing.

I've gotta admit, it woulda been pretty cool to see Brad suing Diaryland all over the tabloids and TV shows.

Then again...it'd be my ass he was suing. So it wouldn't be as cool as I actually thought it would.

In fact, it woulda probably downright sucked.

Anyway...Andrew was 100 percent behind me,so quit sending him emails that accuse him of being the one to shut the Brad Diary down because he wanted it to keep going. It was my decision to listen carefully to the lawyers and end the whole thing.

That is all.