Bernie wasn't with us, he was up in Seattle and I wanted to include him, so I tried to text him everything that was said, then lost track when the sun went down, fumbling with my phone in the dark. I promised him that 50FootWave's last drive down the coast would not be our last ever. "Watch out for owls," he said before I turned off my phone.

Rob and Billy sat up front, listening to the radio, but Rubidoux played louder and louder in my head until it drowned out the suck-ass songs the boys were dancing to up front. So dark and blue and sweet, this new song seemed to make everything look beautiful. Even the In-n-Out Burger trash on the floor looked good.

Back home in New England, I recorded Rubidoux late at night with Rizzo. In the stillness around midnight, you could hear waves breaking down the street: midnight is dark and blue and sweet at Rizzo's. Still recovering from a bout of laryngitis (the Scotland Sorrow) my voice was creaky and difficult to control, but all the other instruments worked.

Because I'm in California again, Rizzo and I have spent the last few days tweaking the mix via mp3 and telephone. Rizzo's board exploded, was sent away and replaced and we continued to tweak. I'm pretty sure it sounds good now: dark and blue and sweet.

Love, Kristin"