No, no…don’t panic. Your web browser is not playing tricks on you. This is actually a new journal update. The first one in, oh, I don’t even want to think about how long (just under a year, actually). In the time since the last entry I have:

-imbibed 457 gallons of Dunkin Donuts coffee

-eaten the 3rd most sushi by anyone living in the continental United States

-watched 82 episodes of Family Guy (I know that doesn’t seem like a lot, but I only recently discovered it)

-played at Madison Square Garden* (*had one of my songs played over the PA at MSG during pre-game)

-received 6 great seasonal mix CD’s from fan club prez Jersey Joe

-watched 0 episodes of American Idol and Jon & Kate + Eight combined

-gotten 14 fantastic haircuts

-been in Nashville, New York, Florida, Syria, Lebanon, Calgary, Banff Springs, Las Vegas, Manchester (England, not New Hampshire), and Stamford CT.

-had 1 reunion show with my old band Riverside Train (stay tuned for one upcoming!) and 0 reunion shows with my old band A.S.S. (stay tunes for one upcoming!)

-came within 10 seconds of meeting Julio Iglesias (that’s Enrique’s dad, for those youngsters out there)

The bad news is, yeah, I haven’t been writing in the journal (maybe some of you think that’s good news). The good news is that I have been writing songs (maybe some of you think that’s bad….HEY, WAIT!). And those songs are starting to turn into the next record. Yes, that is correct, work has begun on the long-awaited follow up to SWPH, my last record in case some of you forgot. I had vowed to get it done and out before Axl released Chinese Democracy, but alas that was not to be. At least it’ll be done in less total time than that disc. Hopefully.

I had thought about doing a daily online journal (I know you people call those things “blogs” but I hate that word) chronicling the recording of the second disc and calling it “Phil Ayoub: Making Number 2” but I knew I wouldn’t be good about writing in it regularly. I do promise, though, that it will not be another full year before my next journal entry! Hopefully…

(There you go TCOTS…a little Friday workday treat for you)