Cathedral Park Water Fountain

Avoiding "Real" Issue Of Trip

I just did my morning warm up and I nailed the "Sea Breeze" song for the first time "mistake" free (unless choosing to play the song was a mistake in and of itself..) but I DIDN'T record it or the funky jam in E that I just played for a guy who gave me two cigarettes. The water fountain splashing is just too much of a nuisance on a recording. "Natural ambiance", my ass...

I had been listening to Dream Theater on Youtube when he walked up and asked me what I played. I kind of stammered "...Umm, since it's an acoustic, I mostly play acoustic soft rock..."

He kind of gave me a "Well, instead of telling me what you play, why don't you play something..." look.

I then added that I had just been listening to Dream Theater and currently was wondering if I could play at all after hearing John Puccelli, or whatever his name is...add him to the list of guitar gods, though.

This seemed to help me to play by putting me in the right frame of mind. I think that I will discount my ability and underestimate myself from now on whenever someone asks me to play something.

I did "Sea Breeze," then "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," and then the funky jam in E. And got the two cigarettes. Although one of them mostly burned up in my mouth during the Beatles song...

I'm paying more attention to the notes that I play and not just improvising based upon sounding stuff out.

The only way that I can see Joe Satriani, (and them guys) for example, being able to re-create his recorded solos note for note is through his knowing exactly what notes he is hitting AND over exactly what chords they are over; which gives the solo a frame of reference which uses logic and makes sense. He definitely isn't the kind of guitarist who says things like "...I usually come up here around the 12th fret and do something like this.." He says "This is exactly what I play in this spot."

One of the drawbacks of being totally right-brained and letting the subconscious play almost automatically through the body is that one of the components of the other side of the brain, namely the memory, suffers.

Loading Up

I have a few hours to busk today before I have to go and try to hop a train with whatever money I have in my pocket and throw caution to the wind.

I am having trouble deciding if I should leave anything in Mobile, such as clothing and stuff like hot sauce, steak sauce, honey, mustard, salt and pepper and olive oil.

Carrying two laptops will be a heavy enough load; I'll have to tie the sleeping bag to the outside of my backpack to free up room inside for whatever I will bring with me.

Leaving something in Mobile will mean re-arranging my itinerary so as to make a swing back through here; whereupon I might become saddled with one Howard again as I make my way westward. (His last name is Westra, by the way, so maybe is my "allegorical" traveling companion in that direction...).

Long Lost

Taking "everything" with me would leave me open to contingencies such as running into someone who is on his way to the Florida Keys and getting a ride; or of making enough money to be able to make a trip to Atlanta to try to find my long-lost Karrie.

Howards Feelings

I think maybe the best coarse of action would be to give Howard my e-mail address (I have his) and keep him abreast of developments that way. He could always write and say "I'll hop a Greyhound and meet you in San Francisco" if that is truly his desired destination.

I just think that things will "click" a lot faster if I am free to follow my bliss and use my intuition. Alex In California was probably right when he said something like "One guy with a guitar travels better than one guy with a guitar and a Howard."

I just don't want to hurt the guy's feelings ad I think the e-mail idea is a good one and will assuage my guilt. I just can't get a good "read" on the guy; is he just looking for some place to go and die? Does he want to see his daughter in San Diego? Is he secretly praying that I fall off the train and get killed so he can get on with his life??

Looking At This Just Makes Me Nervous...

Iron Filings To A Magnet
I kind of want to be very far from New Orleans come January, so that the Mardi Gras, combined with the Superbowl won't pull me back there like iron filings to a magnet.