I'm in Oklahoma for the weekend visiting the family. Beav and his whole family were relocated out here a year ago and mom’s out here for a few weeks. I thought I'd come check it out. twelve hours in the arms of family and I feel better than I've felt in months. Its refreshing being in the warm confines of the family. The love that is here is exhilarating and relaxing at the same time. as Beav says, its palatable. But I think he meant palpable. I realize now that the last year or so I have been in the wrong place at the right time all along. Things aren't so bad. But where I've been living has been pretty bad. There's something to be said about family. And there's something to be said about America. And Americans. I miss America. And I miss Americans. I have to move back as soon as possible.

Beav’s next door neighbor walks up to us getting out of the car in his driveway and says ‘so this must be the famous Fishy that we’ve heard so much about. How ya doing?” turns out he's the pastor at their local church. Beav is the accountant at the church and his wife the Rat is the Sunday school teacher. God has a brilliant sense of humor.

Oklahoma. Wow. Wide open country as far as the eye can see. All the girls are blond and have skinny butts. Not like the Latin chicks back in Miami. All the men are big guys with crew cuts. Lotta guys walking around in army fatigues. Big open fields everywhere. all the men are out mowing their lawns on a Saturday. Or washing their cars. This is down home America. Beav is making a fence as I type. Making a fence for his dog with his bare hands, using power tools. Can you even imagine? Classic. This is not the city life I am used to. This was a well called and much needed get-away.

Both Epic and Geffen records calling our manager the last few weeks.

Later tonight the pastor and his wife came over for dinner. I'm spending half the night every night hunched over my laptop ranting and raving against organized religion, questioning the very existence of God, at the very least his purpose or motives, and these two founders of the towns only Presbyterian church and their two children are sitting at the dinner table. ‘So Fishy, what’s it like being a rock star,’ pastor Jim asks over barbeque ribs. “Preachers, politicians, and rock stars. We’re all in the same business,’ I answer. Beav gives me this look like ‘no dude please don't go there. These are my neighbors.’

After dinner Pastor Jim and I spend about an hour talking at the table on our own. he is impressed if not downright shocked by my knowledge of the church and the history of religion in general. I am impressed by his willingness to withhold judgment on how overtly antagonistic I am towards organized religion. His heart was open and pure. And the conversation was swimming and stimulating. We agreed on the big points, such as the knowledge of God being imprinted on the hearts of men from the moment they are conceived, and we agreed to disagree on many of the smaller details that make organized religion such a pain in the ass to the enlightened mind, such as each individual religion’s insistence that their God is the right or real God and that all the others are wrong.

We both agreed that man is born knowing inherently the difference between right and wrong, but he believes in the concept of original sin. I do not. He believes that the bible is the word of God. I believe that it was at best an interesting read. He believes that Jesus was God; I stayed quiet on that one in the name of being a gentleman. And honestly I just don't know what to believe there. I find the whole concept of God unfathomable enough, let alone the ‘man as God’ theory. But we both agreed that a good church, with the sense of community and good vibage that it can give you, can be a damn good thing regardless of the religion it houses.

I promised him I would attend service tomorrow to hear his sermon.

Mom reminds us of course to check out the local Unity Churches in our hometowns; how they are non-denominational and tie all the different religions together. I think that's a cool idea. The best of all worlds if it’s done right. but I've been to a few and have always found them to be a bit hokey so far.