December 29, 2024

Yesteryear
One year ago today: December 29, 2023, career training, you say.
Five years ago today: December 29, 2019, MicroSoft Decay.
Nine years ago today: December 29, 2015, increased my dislike.
Random years ago today: December 29, 2008, Brother printers suck.

           [Author’s note: good news being so short in supply around here, this morning’s report contains matters that did not happen until this afternoon or later in the day. Also remember that a good band manager knows after he’s chatted with the boss, he’s wise to chat with the staff. I may repeat many details. Please let this start off 2025 on the right foot.]

           Here is a picture that could not have been taken in 2015 when I was last here. The spot where I’m standing did not exist. I’m standing in the latest annex to the Tiki Bar that was not the real thing back in that year. I’m in a small eight table enclave to the north of the old bar, shown here now in the center of the room. It used to be against that left-side wall. JZ and I sat way back on the right where you can just make out a few people today. And I now recall, we had all the women in the place, including the barmaids doting on us. I told you, JZ ad I were a team.
           The sign is also new, but all the old furniture is moved into the enclave. Refer to today’s addendum for more in-depth about this place, I could not hope to score a better gig within driving distance. They are already booked for New Year’s, but two different staffers have confirmed their plan is live country music. One front desk, the other the evident bar boss, both babes, and both defensively asked immediately if I was Karaoke, to rule that out. That’s another positive sign.

           A rainy morning and further inspection indicates we have much more fence repair than first thought. But first, pancakes. You know how the minimum batter size is around twice as many pancakes as a serving. I just proved them wrong. The secret ingredient? Melted butter in the batter. Alas, we’ve hit a bad batch of coffee. It’s still okay, but that slight Folger’s “sandy” taste is enough for me to flunk it. How about a cheery topic to start the day? Turns out there are a number sites on-line that delve into how to build a funeral urn from wood. Here’s my plans to construct the ultimate box of my life. I’ve already made arrangements for a simpler model than the clock shown here recently.
           The good news is this reduces the dollar sign on my own send off to the point I can afford a planer, a top notch router table, and a good band saw. That saw was one of my first tools, bought before I’d learned not to buy anything second-hand if there were Cubans within 150 miles. There is something wrong that the blade can never be aligned to keep straight on slices deeper than a couple of inches and it still wanders by itself.

           It was a nicer than usual day, always a cause of optimism in Florida. I chose not to start any work projects due to the slated rehearsal this afternoon. It was wise to warn all around that we could lose money and we have lost. However, I mentioned the club “life cycle” that starts with a small act, then blossoms, on to decline, and finally to Karaoke and DJs. It is that small act that became the big news later this afternoon. For most of today, I remained focused on existing clubs. Bad news. Nobody is hiring and the last few clubs in the area are cutting back. On the bright side, I knew this was part of the progression. It didn’t help as I layed back down for a second and slept until past noon.
           Old Jimmy, now demoted to the second-worst President ever, has croaked at age 100. Remember the Iran Crisis, gas lineups, and selling the Panama Canal for a dollar? That’s how he will be remembered except by the smarmy. Worse ever is Biden, and by a large margin. Plus not that many people hate Carter. Biden cannot walk down the street. I thought it a joke at first, but Harris is planning to run in 2028. Today is the first day Europe requires a universal charging device. Mexico has announced a smart phone warning app to protect the “rights” of its citizens who are illegally in the USA. While armed robot dogs are banned in the USA, China copies are said to carry flamethrowers. (I note there are no videos of these dogs ever running a full speed.) You can buy the basic robot dog on-line for around $3,000. A third of what it costs to feed and equip a human soldier for the same time.

           The Apple Blackmagic 3D “immersive” camera is on sale for $30,000. I looked at my $40 smart phone and it appears to have a spatial lens system. But I don’t know how to use it or how to view the results. Is this another thing one just supposed to know? It is supposed to give 2D photographs a type of depth. This I would like to see.

Picture of the day.
Off-grid doll house.
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           Here’s the details, you decide. We met up at 2:00PM but neither of us has been at the bowling alley in years. We ran through half our song list, picking out the weak spots. There were plenty because we don’t normally play each other’s songs. Yet, we got most of it right and landed on a few tunes we both like that we not contenders before. We faked “Only Daddy That’ll Walk The Line” and one I already forget. Then we managed to play verses to “Back On The Chain Gang”, all pointing toward how we adapted to duo playing, and the Prez has come a long way with that. Don’t pooh-pooh this factor. It takes real effort to get over wanting to play the studio version.

           It hit me, the name of that club that was going to expand a Tiki Bar, it was Lucky’s, that bowling alley remembered from ’14 or ’15 when JZ and I were scouting real estate. That was December 8, 2015 and was one of those nights I hit on every gal in the place—for a good time, not for the goodies. On the way back, I passed the sign and had a hell of a time turning around, like twenty minutes in the traffic and lights to backtrack that lousy half-mile.

           In less than the next twenty minutes, I was cheered immensely by what happened next. Here is a picture of the stage in the new section of the premises, probably a former storeroom, which is ideal for my duo. It has other features I truly like, such as ancient furniture, rustic décor, and most importantly, empty on a Sunday. By the time I had been asked twice, “You’re not Karaoke, are you?” I was picking up, as they said in my day, some very friendly vibes. That is the stage area with the surfboards and house speakers in place. There are tables only, no bar yet and that is a small dance floor ahead of the chairs.

           When I entered what is now a large complex, I recognized nothing. It’s like a casino with flashing lights, arcades, and the bowling area is like a carnival. This was not looking good, somebody has spent millions making this place appeal to under-forties. Nothing was familiar, not even the hallways or paint jobs.
           But, the doorways had not been moved, so I found my way through the lightly-populated bar into the original area of the building. This is one of those places JZ and I had them rolling in the aisles so long ago. Within moments I saw the entrance to the Tiki Bar. Nothing was familiar, the entire place had been gutted and remodeled, but that construction barrier (from 2015) was gone and now they have a real Tiki Bar, as in outdoors. It’s rustic, but that’s part of the charm. Within moments I learned they hired country music bands, but had the traditional troubles with that. They start with a couple country tunes but then hit the crowd with the edgy rock they wanted to play in the first place. (I call this the “Type B” band because it is consistently the guitar players who pull this stunt.)
           The manager was not in Sundays, but the staff happily collected my contact info. They asked a few times to confirm I meant real country music, tipping me off this could be something I’ve been looking for. The crowd in that section were older and if my memory was better, I think I saw a couple patrons at the same chairs when I was last here. Of course, you will be first to know. I had checked with the other Legion and they never did open their Tiki Bar. Another change is the bowling alley is no longer on the northern outskirts. It is in the middle of big new subdivisions and huge shopping centers. And, it is a nice part of town.

ADDENDUM

           The following is mainly first impressions, but that is a yuge chunk of the music trade. This is unconquered territory, as you can deduce from this guy walking past construction tarps. Near his head is are a couple portholes, that is the part of the bar where the Tiki part is sort of just opened. The tarps further down are the main part of the newly renovated bar. The manager was due in another hour, but it was getting dark and raining. Since the staff had been left clear directions that it was to be a country music venue, I made the decision to leave. Both gals telegraphed the impression that they had been told no more rock or blues. I concluded the best sales pitch would be themselves and left them with my contact information.
           Nothing is confirmed, but I’d be smart to schedule two or three more rehearsals. We did fine, but my spider sense says pick out best material and polish it up real fine. On the logistics side I have the repaired but untested Gigrac and don’t know if we could use the house speakers. The Prez has taken another part-time job so I’m paying attention to how that could affect scheduling. He’s okay just practicing once a week but remember my old maxim that bands that don’t make any money at all never last. If I didn’t mention, the Tiki bar is just over three miles from his place. Now, I do not know the details and don’t ask, but I know what pressures lead to post-retirement jobs. It would be most advantageous to get some kind of steady gig now. Twice a month would do it. After my last big band in south Florida, I’m leery of bands with any members who work evening shifts.