One year ago today: March 15, 2017, no evisceration please.
Five years ago today: March 15, 2013, park like a boss.
Nine years ago today: March 15, 2009, something she forgot to mention.
Random years ago today: March 15, 2015, a hot-diggity dog coincidence.
All work and no play, today was like having a job. I’ll have to make up for it by taking tomorrow off twice. At least, since I was driving for three hours, I had time to think things through more than once. This policy has saved my neck enough times to make it a habit. I’ll skim over the highlights for you and call it a day. The cold spell continues. I’ll be indoors catching up on paperwork. The hot dog stand continues in the planning phase, so I’ll recount what the plans are for you. First, let me tell you about my thinking on that subject.
This photo is typical what happens in America to every type of food. It has to do with the system, the labor market, and the new-fashioned lazy. Why new-fashioned? Because even the dumbest dodo in town knows in America you cannot get rich by working hard. The system is on to people who try that. The only time you hear anyone brag about working hard is in the magazines. Everybody wants to get rich quick and it is far easier to sell one hot dog for $10 than to sell 10 hot dogs for $1. This really is a picture of a hot dog.
That’s just one phase of the business. I would have plenty to say about the behind-the-scenes, you know, something to keep it interesting. What better way to portray the true climate of a business in America, which has strayed so far from the concept of free enterprise. Trump lowers taxes, but the real problem is the tax system itself. It is the primary vehicle used to create a strong central government, something the Constitution was designed to forbid. But that’s a history lesson. Let’s get on.
I will dispatch a man to find out the ins and outs down at City Hall. I’d go myself, but warn you that that town councils in this area are not stranger-friendly. At all. They are more interested in getting you on file than in answering questions, that is, the opposite of what they are supposed to be doing. I want all the requirements before moving ahead. Health, regulations, permits, the works. Here is a diagram of the skills I bring to the planning table before a penny is invested. Yes, I have a real MBA.
A spot of good news. We’ll be going over to view the hot dog stand in a day or two, but it turns out there is much more than just the wagon. The guy bought all the extras for his daughter, who I thought was a teen, but is 40-ish with two kids. I also contacted Agt. R, since he’ll be the front man for this operation. Everybody knows the guy. Extras with the wagon include (I’m told) spare propane bottles, serving trays, some kind of toaster, sales racks, water cooler, etc. All kinds of goodies. Hey, that might be the only gold Agt. R will ever find in Florida.
Next, I paid my car insurance and went for a coffee with the $6 I “saved”. I would have lingered longer if I’d known that was to be my only break of the day. I scratched off a letter to Marion. Everything else, including the newsletter, is on hold until the band is up and running. I’ll get to that in a minute. Bands require at least as much effort as a part time business, but once underway, they have more momentum. You can take it easy, the hard work is over by then.
Pacific (left), Atlantic (right)
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Then over to pay for the scooter parts. That’s a hundred bucks. Yep, the total of $200 going into a machine that would not sell for that. But I’ve explained before, don’t buy a used scooter in Florida. You’ll just be taking over somebody’s headache. We are looking at around a week to get it back. Good, the warm weather will be back.
Then over to Winter Haven to confirm the gig. Yes, it is a go, tips only. Palm Sunday, the 25th, or ten days from now. That’s incentive for Lady Nik to really put in some time. I don’t predict this will be the greatest opening night of my career. I’ll take a few minutes here to chat about the non-musical aspects of a band. First, 99% of musicians underestimate the value of proper management. The majority of guitar plays, followed closely by keyboardists, fancy they have a natural feel for being in charge, but I have yet to see it. The fact is, there is no manual and management must be learned inch by inch the hard way. And guitar players are not known for being hard-working or academically inclined.
Tips only may sound off to some, but they are not management. If I charge the pub and they lose money, that’s bad. Lady Nik has some immediate friends and such who will show up until the novelty wears off. That is what too many bands call their “following”, but from the management perspective, that is just getting the band to pay for itself. Why not just ask them for the money and not bother packing equipment around at midnight. The idea is stage time and I’ve always done super with tips. The fact is, what will determine the event is the new money, if any, that comes in the door.
I checked for light newspaper ads, but I don’t have my old boy network out here. In Broward, I could trade for coverage. Nor is there any overlap, my people in Hollywood can’t even find Lakeland on the map. When I checked for promo (that’s the local listings of happenings around town), they wanted either a business license or a city permit. I’m dumb, but I ain’t that dumb. When I checked for a regular ad, they would not accept my business name, they wanted ID. And the ad, to get what I wanted in the section I wanted worked out to $66. More than we are likely to make.
The manager of the pub was a hard sell. He’s been burned by bands before. I listen to rumors and it seems him and his wife, co-owners, had to completely turn the place around. It was a drug bar before, but when I arrived, there were lava lamps on the tables. The place had one been called the “Stick & Stab” and the new owners gave me some horror stories. I assured them this band had no surprises, it was family-oriented (adult families), no religious or political jokes, like I said, a hard sell. But there was no other way and the boss liked talking at the management level with a stranger, which is probably what carried the decision.
What, you want one of the stories? Okay, there are wooded areas around the location. They call the inhabitants “woodsmen”. The woodsmen would regularly come in and steal toilet paper and the batteries out of the soap dispensers. Take baths in the sink. Steal hot water. I was cautious ahead of time and booked the gig for Sunday the 25th, so we’ll be out of there by 7:30 in any case.
ADDENDUM
Diet news. I didn’t let it dominate my life the way such things tend to and this is day 105. I have not had a full meal since December 1, 2017. I’ve been dismayed by the lack of results, and there still aren’t any that I would consider conducive for the tough patch I’ve been through on this. The flash is that something has finally happened and I’m not sure what. It’s not insomnia this time but I’ve been unable to sleep for 24 hours. I consider it a reminder that my diet prescription is a stimulant. An amphetamine of some sort but has no effect that could be considered a “high”. The pill does not assuage hunger, rather you just don’t think about food at all, making it easy to not bother eating.
It’s my habit to read all literature with these matters and I would say my system is finally reacting like what it describes. It’s mostly a mild or slight increase in heart rate. It’s more like I’d built up a resistance to the regimen but finally, after more that three months, things are on some kind of verge. It is triglycerides that make you pear-shaped and I’ve been experiencing mild twitching in those parts, like it is fighting back, ridiculous as that sounds. Something wants to give. Meanwhile, I am still 58, count them 58, pounds overweight. (Based on BMI, not published averages.) There is a long way to go yet. End of diet news.
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