One year ago today: March 19, 2017, praying for no rain?
Five years ago today: March 19, 2013, equally shared: 60/60.
Nine years ago today: March 19, 2009, Neil Diamond 8-tracks.
Random years ago today: March 19, 2010, I made it out okay.
Man, that drywall tastes bad. Kind of like poi. That’s the kind of day it was, except I took a break and watched this particularly well-made movie with scenes out of Harry Potter. In fact, it was recorded in New Zealand. “The Stolen” has a tired theme, the old maternal instinct wins over the bad guys, but the individual scenes are different enough to keep you watching as they trek into the distant mining camps of New Zealand. There’s a scene I totally identify with where the bad guy rants about how the British government promised everything but there was nothing when they arrived. And a totally surprising spot where this Chinaman spoke Cantonese that I understood. “Cheng bey” means you pay money.
This photo is not from the movie, it is the old door frame to my hallway. Just me and Bushnell adultery radio, with the ad for metal roofing eight times per hour. Every hour. The material is written and produced locally, so the spokesman doesn’t get the pun he’s reading off the cue cards, the bit about your new roof doesn’t have to be “out of reach”.
It was warm enough by noon to get me over to the library and I tried to find an operator’s manual for a hot dog cart. But the generation X has dumbed down the Internet to the point where it’s no better than their coversations. Millions of words of useless chatter and nothing useful like an instruction book. I did stumble onto some gourmet hot dog sites, but they left me wondering how anyone could taste the frankfurter with all that goop piled on top. They either lack imagination or there is only so much you can do to a hot dog. I was researching licensing requirements and insurance. I read that of children under ten who choke to death, 17% is from scarfing a hot dog.
Another problem with the Internet can be trying to find something a second time. A year ago I saw a video of how to expertly fit an interior door using moldings mainly cut with a table saw. No dice. I like to scan Jimmy Ruska for basic news although I’ve never liked Reddit, which he constantly links to. And I wish he’d use his influence to shun sites that want a membership, or those damn AT&T surveys that pop up even when you decline. Also, sites that gripe when you use an ad blocker. Can’t they get it through their thick skulls people don’t like ads?
Here’s a scene from the closing credits of the movie as our lady rides away on the beach with her baby and a white horse.
I found some articles, including one by an author named Terry White to states the average annual income for a hot dog vendor is $100,000. But how can you take the word of a guy who doesn’t know there are two spaces after the period at the end of a sentence. The total market per year is over a billion dollars with 7-Eleven being the biggest, selling more than 60 million per year.
Yep, it’s a Citroen.
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This tool says it will cut perfectly round ceiling holes for light fixtures. And for six bucks I had to give it a chance. The package says it works on ceiling tile and drywall, so it isn’t heavy duty. It has a set of adjustable pegs that cut a variety of sizes. I’ll check it out, if it works only once, it pays for itself. I also purchased one of those little crossbar brackets for hanging a chandelier. Expensive gadget but better I suppose than your overhead landing on your backside on a rough night. I dunno, I look at it and it seems like there are one too many pieces. Does this mean another Internet instructions goose chase?
I’ve no choice but to mount one above the kitchen stove, meaning it will be in direct sunlight. I’ll mount a shade to help but there’s just no other location. And the kitchen gets quite uncomfortable on a Florida summer day. I’m considering a unit that is rated for a larger cubic space just so it will not have to work so hard. Summer can be brutal on the south side of my house, but hey, I wasted too many years of my life living through cold winters. Give me scorching weather and an A/C as long as I never have to see a blizzard again.
ADDENDUM
This Sunday, we play, ready or not. We are not ready. To keep things positive, I counted the total number of tunes we’ve played over the past two months. Although I would only consider the last few weeks to be worthwhile, we’ve gone through close to forty tunes, which is more than enough. For the non-musicians out there, it still takes 32 songs to play a four-hour gig. If you’ve been following my musical career over these years, it’s likely most of you know actually a lot about music and band formation by now. Keep checking in this week, as we have one more rehearsal. A lot can go wrong before opening night. This time, I’m less anxious than usual, because I’m convinced I made the right decision over this lady.
Even considering the possibility of a flop, I still placed a couple small ads. They will be seen by at least a few of the 18 guitar players who wasted my time. Since the duo is unique, they’ll know it’s me, especially the ones who said it could not work. They won’t show up, I know that, meaning I may have advertised to prove a point that now I have a band and they don’t. Don’t rate me as uncool for comparing my band personality to others, I believe that stage presence is the single most important facet of entertaining. I’m not referring here to band members, obviously I would never have played in even one band if I was hard to get along with. I mean the rivalry between bands. I have a lot to say about that.
It’s music itself which is competitive. It is not confrontational but it is cutthroat. My tenet is simple: bands that don’t make money break up. And for me at least, each band is such an investment that I don’t like break ups. It isn’t required to be even as nice as I am because I know complete jerkwads who’ve been in a band for 30 years. I’m kind of only describing my own interface with how bands work. I kind of distrust all musicians who get cute about the trade. I suppose I’d be the same if Rolling Stone [magazine] ever interviewed me about the band-forming process. Or would I tell them I had to can 40 guitar players since I moved to Florida for lying and lack of either talent or the dedication to make up for it.
The one thing I’ve not planned for this Sunday is what if the show is a big success? What if the club loves us and wants us back? Much as I’d love another house gig, as soon as Lady Nik gets up to speed, I’d like to move on. This venue was chosen because it’s out of the way. And the pay is tips only. This is something musicians are divided on. Some take the side that those who play for tips are scabs, but I sass back saying playing for tips is, in my case anyway, hardly playing for free. They know what they are worth.
One thing about [playing for] tips only, you always get gigs. For anyone who just stepped off the train, I always make more in tips than from getting paid. And I’ve had regular staff complain that I’ve made so much in tips that it cut into their share. That’s not true but they’ll still say it. If I make as much as the patrons would plow into the jukebox, I’m happy.
So you’ll know, the going rate for solo acts in this area is $125 to $150 per night. Except for special occasions, Very few ever make much more. A few established downtown clubs pay $200. Trios and quartets make more, but not individually. I’ve done quite some planning over this matter. I believe the duo is the right size and the total income per member could match the soloists. There are certainly no other bands in the vicinity anything like my little duo, I can assure you that.
Last Laugh
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