In Scotlandville.
Spring break came and the students pretty much left campus.
I figured I might make some money at the store where they allow me to play.
It was very noisy, with most cars pulling in with stereos blaring; par for the course; made about 5 bucks, not even enough to get cigarettes, after a couple beers.
This morning, a little better; 7 bucks in about an hour.
We are going to make a sign which says "Across the Bridge" (About Texas, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it)
We are going to sleep by the tracks, in a spot far removed from the rail yard, just in case we might be able to hop out of here.
We should be able to get a ride over the bridge at least, I would think.
Am looking forward to getting somewhere that I can plan upon staying for at least a year....
If you ever get out to California I give you my permission to stay at least a year.
ReplyDeleteI'm "practicing" at Guitar Center on their digital pianos, actually just this one Yamaha, whenever I'm at that end of town. The idea is to get my hands warmed up to the idea of playing piano, messing around in some ways that use both hands, and to just play around by ear at whatever songs I think of at the time. So far they've not kicked me out, because they have guys coming in making much more obnoxious sounds.
The Guitar Center here is really cool. The people who work there are really friendly. They've started playing classic rock pretty darned loud in the main, electric, guitar area, which has had the effect of moving the ever-present guitar jam session to the acoustic room.
The Episcopal church where Howard and I had been sleeping in the foyer, is open 24/7 and there is a piano in there; it would be therepeutic for me to play the thing; incorporating what I have learned since I last touched one; trying to make someone ask "How long have you been playing?" to which I would have to say, I don't play the piano; I'm just faking it...
ReplyDeleteGuitar Centers are typically pretty cool, I think their motto is: let everybody jam on anything they want because, for every dreamer who will never be able to afford that Les Paul that he is scratching with his belt buckle, he might be able to sell something for the store, like the time I was using whatever effect is on "Man In The Box" by Alice In Chains and some upper middle class teenager bought the effect box after hearing it and deciding that that was the sound that he wanted..but anyways, yeah; they can always just keep the Les Pauls in a glass case...the thing is; it's almost impossible to impress the employees with your playing, no matter how good you are, they are pretty much desensitized lol!
OH, and the comment the other day was right on...I had decided just this morning to dump Howard off somewhere near a McDonalds and a library and just let him "kill time" for the rest of his days, pathetic and I hope I never get that way, but, he is hopeless...I have 18 years until I am his age; and I take him as a warning as to what could happen to me if I decide to live on Pepsi and Jalepeno and Cheddar flavored Cheetos...and he wonders about the "headaches" that he gets...
ReplyDeleteI also determined that "West, In General" made me seem like an aimless drifter with no goals, no plans, no aspirations, "This guy doesn't even know where he's going" and I sensed that the sign wasn't working, but, it is trial and error; I have a lot of energy for trying new things, and can adjust on the fly (unlike my Pepsi and Cheeto eating companion)...my next sign might be "San Antonio, for the Jazzfest" or some other (specific) B.S. I'm a fast study...
OK so I wrote a fucking long, well thought out reply, so of course the Internet won't let me post it.
ReplyDeleteGet the fuck out of there, get the fuck away from Howard The Slug, and get the fuck out here, and we'll go out and get drunk then hit up Guitar Center for some jam time.