Miss Me?

That don't look like Utah, don't it?

It's not. It's sunny California in March. Tiffany and I went out to Pleasant Hill, California for some Therapy. It worked... we get along much better now.

Kidding. We went to look into a cancer therapy. And yes, that's why I have'nt been around much. We've been very busy with this new therapy trying to settle in to a new routine. We are very confident that this is what will settle the score with this whole cancer thing once and for all.

The therapy is alot of work and is pretty much an hourly regime for 13 hours a day everyday. I've had to quit my job as it does not accomodate such a routine. This just means that I really need to finish the Cobra. So, between treatments (if I'm not throwing up) you'll find me in the garage with a wrench in my hand. I may need to get a seperate phone just for the garage.

To All The Girls I've Loved Before

I DON'T LOVE YOU ANYMORE!

But Tiffany... she's hot.

This is to all the girls out there that are still hanging on to any notion that I might love them. NO. I don't. My good looks have been preserved for the enjoyment and pleasure of one woman...Tiffany. She alone has the priviledge of gazing upon me for hours, and at the end of the day she knows it's just me and her (minus the film crew).

Thank you sweetheart for eight plus years of a wonderful marriage and five beautiful children (and a dog). Thank you for birthing three of those chidren. Thank you for spending so much time making our family a priority above all things.

Thank you for sticking through all the hard times. Thank you for loving me even when I'm not that lovable. Thank you for helping me find God in my darkest hour. Thank you for cooking all my meals, even when I promised I would clean up from then and haven't.

Thank you for loving me in a way that allows me to be who I am. Thank you for supporting all my hobbies (they're really gifts from God, but for all the pagan's sake we'll just call them hobbies). Thank you for always wanting to fill my needs before your own.

Tiffany, you are my heart's sancuary. You are my happy place. I cannot imagine a world without you right next to me. I love you. Will you be my Valentine?

Keno Therapy?

The doctors told me that it's imperrative that I get plenty of sunshine and play lots of keno. I'm likin' that prescription. Of course their offical medical terms were radiation and keno-therapy... or kemo-therapy... or maybe it was chemistry-therapy... chemostry-therapy... cosmopolitan-therapy? No, choloric-therapy. Wait, or was it chemotherapy? Whatever!

Well as soon as figured out what they really wanted I certainly didn't like what was in store for me. My first reaction was, no. God will see my through this. But then I met with the radiation doctor and was told some pretty scary things about what could happen if I did not go through with the prescribed therapies. Fear got the best of me and I started preparing for months of extreme radiation to my face and chemotherpy treatments.

Out of fear I procrastinated taking all of this to God. But, with gentle perssuasion Tiffany convinced me that I needed to. After some serious prayer and my nose buried in the Word, I was given an answer... from God.

God told me that this wasn't the treatment I'm supposed to undergo. I don't know what that means exactly yet, but I am still praying continually about it. Keep praying for me (if you were already, or start now) and I will keep you posted.

God is good.

Save Me!
Words & Music by Paul Berg
Copyright © 2005 Paul Berg

Just like a child, I stumbled
Surrounded by my sins and shame
I saw only trouble and sorrow
Then I called out Your name

Bend down and listen, I am deeply troubled
I believed in You, so I prayed
Bend down and hear me, wash away my sorrows
I believe in You, please Lord, save me!

Facing death, You saved me
Now I can rest again
Lord, You’ve been so good to me
I wanna call out Your name

Bend down and listen,
Bend down and hear me,
Bend down and talk to me,
Bend down and save me!

Bend down and listen, I am deeply troubled
I believed in You, so I prayed
Bend down and hear me, wash away my sorrows
I believe in You, please Lord, save me!

More of What You Haven't Seen

There Is No Arizona...

But there's a hot desert about a days drive south of here. Last weekend we took the family for a drive and ended up in Phoenix. Just so happens we have an accumulation of relatives down there in the heat. By the way, it's not snowing everywhere. We were all reaquainted with sunny weather. Man it's nice down there. So, why do I live in Utah?



I know you don't recognize this person... neither do I. While we were down there we bumped into a t.v. commercial shooting for some mexican bean something-or-other. That was cool... cuz after that it was an all-you-can-eat MexFest.


It was good to get the kids excited again about being outside with the better weather. Talk about wound up... those kids just couldn't settle down. It's a good thing our camera has that fast mode to stop the action otherwise all the pictures would be blurry.


We got to visit Herman and Jamie and daughter Alyssa. And "Wow", does

Jamie look good. Check out this photo... you can't even tell which is the daughter and which is the mom. Tell me Alyssa doesn't have her mom's

eyes and nose. And hair, cheek bones, smile... and knees and toes.

Can you believe she's had two kids? Oh yeah.

Confessions of an Addict

Hi. My name is Paul, and I'm a pianoholic. It all started when I was in elementary school. You never think it'll happen to you. I mean, you hear of other people who have that problem, and you think "That'll never be me". Your friends are all doing it, and they're razzing you telling you that "It's not a big deal. It's not gonna kill you just to hang out...what, are you better than us?"

"No."

"Okay then, come on." So before you know it your'e listening to it and you start justifying it to yourself. I mean, it's not like I'm playing the piano, I'm just listening. What's the harm in that?

Then your best friend's parents are out of town and he invites you over to party. You get there and everyone's playing the piano. Even people you thought would never go near a piano are there. People you thought were cool, they're pounding the keys just like everyone else. So, you think to yourself "Well I can just stay over on this side of the room and just listen. I don't have to go over there and do anything". But before you know it, you're over leaning on the piano and it seems like everyone is so outgoing, and friendly. Friends that were usually shy, and not very social were playing the piano like it was nobody's business. So you play a note. It feels good. So you play another.

Then the next day at school you hear the piano everywhere. You hear other people playing and they seem so happy and with it. You start dreaming about the next time you'll be around a piano just to play one note. You find yourself sneaking into the band room to get a few notes in and then you're out of there before anyone knows. And this is how it starts.

A few months go by and you feel like just a few notes a day is'nt enough anymore. You're wanting to lay down a whole chord. And then that's not enough, and you're now playing several chords in a row. You find yourself saying to your new friends, "Hey one note's not gonna kill ya". Now your whole life is consumed by playing the piano, and not just the same 'ol chords... now you're getting creative and figuring out what other chords might go good with the chords you already play.

This is the point of no return. You're not only playing the hard stuff, but now you're coming up with your own, recording it and selling it to others. You're not selling your stuff legitimately. You're independent. You're peddling your own compositions to your friends and neighbors... kids... work associates in the underground parking garage. You don't even know who you are anymore. You live from gig to gig, always anticipating the next big fix.

As an adult, it seems like the big excitement over the piano is gone. Now people bring up piano like it's a five-letter word. And where are all my high school buddies who used to play? It seems they all either quit, or are dead. And to think it all started with just one note.

I should have learned the guitar.

NEWS FLASH...!

Hoodoo Blues is NOT, I repeat, is NOT playing February 17th. I made a mistake and am making a public retraction of my repeated statement that Hoodoo Blues in playing February 17. So, to make things very clear, Hoodoo Blues is NOT playing or gigging or jamming or gettin' down or grooving on February 17, 2008. Or 2009 for that matter.

I don't want to draw this out, or how do they say, "make a mountain out of a mole hill"? I just don't want any confusion about this. If you thought that Hoodoo Blues was grinding on February 17, then you are sorely mistaken. Probably not your fault though. I blame myself for that. I may have inferred, or let on, or conjectured that Hoodoo Blues was bringing down the house on February 17th. February 17th of this year, NOT last year. Last year February 17 was probably not even on a Saturday... that's just silly.

Anybody wanna ride bikes?

The third Saturday in February is NOT when the Hoodoo Blues are scheduled for a local show at a local bar in a local part of town locally. In fact, it's not the first or second Saturday either. But back to the topic at hand, Hoodoo Blues is NOT playing Saturday, February 17, 2008.

Hoodoo Blues IS playing February 23rd... that's a Saturday in 2008.

Just thought you ought to know.