One year ago today: April 20, 2023, no Whites were involved.
Five years ago today: April 20, 2019,turtle warm-up.
Nine years ago today: April 20, 2015, a nasty version.
Random years ago today: April 20, 2007, Wallace in the Everglades.
Double my porridge ration this morning, I’m up early. Britain announces a new one-year maximum on government benefits—to White people only. Why do I like porridge? Good question, we hardly ever ate it when I was a kid and not much before I turned 50. I suppose I’m sold on the claims it is heart-healthy. Today we have no plans, let’s see what a no-plan day entails around these parts. Here’s some more chow, pasta and butter. People put butter on bread, and what is that made of? (Relax, the butter shown in this photo is just there to thaw.) The media continues to insist Biden’s approval rating is way up at 38% and wonder why nobody trusts them.
Maybe I’ll get something accomplished today yet. No, I don’t go around asking other people my age what they got done—but I could. It’s been weeks since I put in a full shift. That’s not saying I neglect my hobbies. It’s work to change the keys on some of the tunes, bass lines can rarely be changed from E to D to sound right and I’m still reading a lot on sight reduction. I took a shortcut years ago and memorized the northwestern hemisphere. Now I must backtrack to learn the theory so I can use sight reduction anywhere on the globe. What, with Biden about to launch World War III and the Chinese with the latest anti-satellite hardware. Gee, who’da thunk it twelve years ago when I made the decision?
Canada’s household debt has finally surpassed 100% of GDP. There are not enough hours in the morning, says the guy who will have been retired 28 years next month. That’s correct, on May 23rd, I became the youngest person ever to take early retirement at the company, a record that will likely never be broken. That’s because after I caught them on the legality which permitted it, they changed the rules. The point is, anybody who thinks retirement involved mostly sitting around or playing cards at Panera hasn’t been paying attention.
It wasn’t 10:00AM before I decided to go do some wiring in the shed and then run through my song list. The Prez scheduled for 3:00PM so I had time only for chores. I strung out the extension and roughed in more of the silo window. Yet, we got a family of some vermin in there. Time to finish the interior and seal it up good. The silo is sided with pallet slats leaving a zillion ways to be invaded. And finally, I drilled and cut wire and wood for a permanent power supply to the north work area. While the tools were out, I cut new boxes to sort the tubes and filled three of them. Empty juice cartons from the dollar store are darn near the correct size. This is the blog that keeps you abreast of these important issues.
I then stopped at the money order store to return the ten bucks, which seems to have made a profound impression on the staff. Yes, the clerk, Sophia, was short the money on cash-out, so I made it very clear ti was not her fault. On these monthly found-money deposits, there can be a mix of bills and unrolled coins.
Largest dinky toy ever.
(WWII tank recovery truck.)
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How many people just knew this was going to be a hectic day after all? Show of hands. That’s what I thought. I said you get the events and here they are. It was Cassie’s wedding day and it was the biggest party at the club in years, but that was later tonight. Jus now, I sealed up the silo and drove to rehearsal, an option provided by good planning. (Later, I forgot what I meant by that last sentence, but it stays.) We worked on some of our more challenging material. Good move. Right afterward, I dropped into the kava bar. It’s a much bigger operation than met my eye. It’s part of an overtly well-funded chain. I met the owner/manager and we talked business for roughly half an hour. Yes, I noticed the place had a healthy helping of single White women with that hippie look I do not mind at all, just don’t stick it into crazy. And I learned the Polynesian word for “cheers” is “boolah”. Don’t quote me on that, I’d been drinking complimentary kava.
The manager gave me the tour, there is an outside stage area and he sometimes pays for weekend bands. I now gather it is nearly impossible to find a decent band for this venue. It would be wise for me to pay extra attention here because this is uncharted territory. A week ago it never crossed my mind that a specialty restaurant type operation would have the same entertainment challenges as the local watering hole. Why would it [cross my mind]?
I made some quick assessments. If I had not talked to the owner, I would have thought that guitar player on stage was wrong for the location. (He was also not very good, allowing for his age which was similar to back when I played the Metropole.) While you can choose the point where you feel band management makes a difference, the fact is even a solo act requires a degree of organization that can easily sap away energy that belongs on stage. Trust me, it only looks like the band just dropped by and plugged in. Should you make the comparison, our little duo is by far (and I mean by far) the most organized in these parts, just you keep in mind I I said that is a comparison.
Thus, I stopped all plans for my Saturday night downtown, although I did get out for a beer much later. Over to the coffee shop with pencil and pad to map out a song list (of 8 tunes) comprised of “non-bar” music, what you might call kava-friendly (don’t hit me). Like, cool it with the Willie Nelson and up it with the Jimmy Buffet. Having noted the house equipment, I plan to take along my big PA system. The guy on stage had his own small amp but the rest of the gear was mismatched and set wrong.
When it rains, it pours, when I arrived back in Mulberry, I found two responses. One was a reply from the Legion over on 17th, the one where I admit not having visited in probably five years. They have a quiet Saturday Karaoke show. I had long ago mentioned to Cher, the manager, that if I ever got a band happening, I would like be in touch. I put out some feelers a few weeks ago and just found out why no reply. Remember Abe? He would have been an ardent supporter, but lately I’ve been hearing of many cases of sudden dementia, a condition that used to creep up on people. Now it seems to strike. Sadly, both Abe and his wife fell with it apparently in the same week around a year and a half ago. I mean, I knew something was wrong but this startled me.
I drove over to the club and Cher recognized me instantly, signing me in. I stuck around for a beer and sang two tunes. Most of the room recognized me but I confess other than the gal who once was a Taylor lookalike, I’m at a loss for every name. I met the DJ and talked to several patrons. They confirm the rapid onset with Abe and his wife, now both in nursing homes. Music simply has to make sure that never happens to me It was still light outside when I left and I fully expect we will be booked there shortly. That’s judging by the rousing cheers as I left the stage.
The second response is another Legion in Winter Haven. It’s a circuit that represents steady work if you can get in. What differentiates that Legion is their emphasis on dancing. I’ve only heard they emphasize dancing, never having been there in person. However, there’s my fan club and I gather they know somebody over there who has the say-so. I have a phone number and a note of referral. Expect that to happen fast, as that’s a location half-way for the Prez & I to drive.
On the way back, I saw a sell-out crowd at the old club. Dang, I forgot today is the wedding. I got there just in time to get the last empty chair. The happy couple are, like myself, from a city who chose a smaller town to live in. She’s the barmaid, he’s the Karaoke guy, both are talented singers, and that makes them beyond popular. I got near enough to say congrats, the place was packed. There you go. I’m the one that wanted an active retirement. But may I now take the rest of the day off? Duly noted, if we get one gig a month at each of these prospects, that a full calendar for this band. Boolah.
ADDENDUM
I’m also considering changing one of my blog parameters. Until now, you get on the superlatjust like golf on TV. But it also means I only mention a fraction of my gigs and I would like that to change. This duo seems to endure and I would like to keep more of a tally on these events. I could guess around now in my life I’m near my 2,500th stage. (Spanning over 60 years if you include piano recitals.) That’s got to provide some form of unique perspective.
