Minneapolis, Minnesota

6:30 a.m., awake...wide awake. Right. I'll get up, go to the gym and knock it out before anyone else is down there. Hang on...coffee first, actually breakfast. Tempo Coffee Shop is just 'round the corner, it's great and I haven't been since we've based out of Chicago. Get dressed, pick up a paper and out the door. By 7:30 I was sitting in a Chicago coffee shop, breakfast ordered, coffee in hand and reading an article about an old Chi town mob boss's social club and three rival henchmen in their 70s who are in jail for trying to rob it. A perfect early Sunday morning in the windy city. I ordered scrambled eggs and they are served in a skillet with Canadian bacon and fried potatoes. It tastes like a slice of heaven.

Back to the hotel, can't go to the gym on a full stomach. Right. I'll take care of some e-mails and practice a bit, which I did both. About 10 o'clock an incredible wave of exhaustion hit me and I crawled back in bed and slept for 3 hours. So much for today's workout, it's time to begin thinking about getting ready to leave and fly to tonight's gig in Minneapolis.

The State Theatre is another in a line of wonderful theatres from the 1920s we've been playing. With a capacity of nearly 2,000, it was full and the audience was so enthusiastic, as all the midwestern shows have been.

It was another runner after the show, our sixth in a row, back to Chicago for a day off tomorrow. We're all looking forward to recharging the batteries.

So long,

Richard