Happy holidays kids.

Ya'll been swell. Have to sign off for a long while. If you need to reach me, talk to the mister. Cheers.

Hey. I'm cranky. Not much to write other than that. I hope you're well.

Li and Jamie and skylark = your Tuesday night

Jamie Trecker Signing his current book, "Love and Blood"
Tuesday Oct 16, 2007
6:00 PM
Barnes & Noble at DePaul University
1 East Jackson
Sweet Home Chicago

6pm -- Signing, reading, question time,
end of signing, follow us over for drinks and football type chatter at Skylark, corner of Halsted and Cermak in Pilsen.

Here's what those fancy-pants industry types say about Jamie:
Every four years the thirty-two-team, sixty-four-game World Cup captivates the planet's populace for a month. Work absenteeism skyrockets. Political campaigns grind to a halt. Fans mortgage their houses to buy tickets. And teams employ every means possible_even consulting witch doctors and astrologers_in their quest for national glory.

Veteran soccer commentator Jamie Trecker traveled to Germany for FIFA World Cup 2006. Here, reported from the restaurants, trains, bars, town squares, hostels, press boxes, and brothels, is his unvarnished account of the games and parties, great plays and fistfights, gossip and tacky souvenirs that turn the largest sporting event on earth into a true world bazaar. With equal measures insight and irreverence, Trecker captures the passion, politics, controversies, and economics that make soccer a reflection of the world.

Jamie_Trecker is hurting a big hurt right now. Show a brutha some love.

Off to Puerto Rico on Thursday. That island won't know what hit it until the itch sets in!

...so last night I was robbed at gunpoint on the west side of Chicago while sitting in my car at a red light. He got $140 bucks and I got to spend my night trying to fix the two tires that blew as I sped off to get away.

My face hurts for having the gun stuck in it and what little comfort I had recently has been erased. I feel so very small right now. I am sure my mood will turn stabby shortly.

I would like a do-over of the last year please. This one really fucking sucks.

TRECKERFEST 2007 (More dates to come)
Sept. 24 -- UConn Coop, Storrs, CT, 6:30 pm
Signing, reading, question time. (Also: For UConn students only, a full lecture)

Oct 1 -- Powell's Books, Portland, Ore, 7:30pm
Signing, reading, question time, drinks afterwards.

Oct 16-- Barnes and Noble DePaul, 6:00pm
Signing, reading, question time, Li, and drinks afterwards at Skylark, corner of S. Halsted and Cermak. The crew at Skylark loves us. and we love them.

Oct 28-- Official release party for L&B at FADO CHICAGO (www.fadochicago.com) from 10am-4pm. Free Food. Incredible Beer special from Official Book Sponsor Peroni. (Seriously!) Prizes. (Also: Seriously!). More Li! Yay!

If you have read the book, thanks for getting me closer to pony ownership. If you would kindly post a review at Amazon.com, I would appreciate it. I'm going to name my pony Wildfire. Like the song. Because, you know, I am a dork. Would you deny me running around calling for Wildfire? I think not.

I have this incredible urge to eat cake today...

OK, so I haven't had a decent night's sleep since my pa died. Not for lack of trying, trust me.

Grieving is weird. It's like you get X amount of days and then you are supposed to be ok. I feel a bit out of mainstream right now, more than usual.

I miss him so much. He was one of my best friends.

In other news, I told a co-worker a friend of mine made the noble decision to serve the peace corps. Her answer? "It's for rich people who want to get sick." OK, so not a lot of us can afford to go, me included, but for those who can live comfortably but choose not to? Much respect. My coworker is now on the stab list, especially since she has NEVER LEFT THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.

My dad passed away this morning. I am not sure when I'll be in touch again.