Forest Ray West Coast Tour Day 2 6/29/23

Beautiful and sunny in Portland when we left. Of course we stopped at Starbucks, then proceeded to head south. We had a long day, with approximately 7 hours of driving in front of us, for our final destination of Redding, CA.

The drive south was fairly uneventful. We stopped for gas, where I spent my first money on the trip, about $13 for a sad turkey and bacon sandwich and some snacks (dried mango and trail mix). It was sunny and getting hotter, but the van was nicely air conditioned. Unfortunately, due to all the gear, my little spot is pretty cramped. Luckily I'm not a big dude, but there's literally more room on an airplane (better angles to stretch out a leg from time to time). Despite that, it was comfy enough (or I was tired enough) to sleep.

I brought a bunch of Seattle band shirts.

Late night the night before, long drive next day.

After a while, we stopped in Weed, CA. We debated whether or not the place was named for weeds or for weed. We determined that no one knew, but likely for weeds. Despite that, we enjoyed walking around in the 90°+ heat to stretch our legs for a bit. Walked around the downtown strip, then jumped back in the ol' van for the trip to Redding.

Mt. Shasta from I5 South.

Weed selfie.

Flavor of Weed.

Weed theater?

Around 6:15, we pulled into the parking lot of a strip mall, horseshoe shaped. Kelly's was in the back corner of the sparsely populated lot, so we backed in front and unloaded onto the small stage in the corner. At this time, it was over 100° and pretty hot, so we were grateful for the strong AC in the small club.

For all gigs, I try to dress up a little, but due to the heat, we bent the rules a bit and went with shorts on stage. Except for Simon; he's not a shorts guy. Besides, there were only 7 people in the room, not counting staff. Because we showed up at 6:15, we sort of did a turbo setup and simply started playing. No hang out time or anything, which was fine. They closed early, at 9, so we wanted to respect that.

No pix or video of the performance, but we did 2 sets. We've got about 20 or songs that I've learned and though I can get through them reasonably well, I found that last night, just jumping in was a little weird (after the fact). I felt like I did OK, but had a bunch of missed changes and turnarounds. Felt a little out of sorts, but talking to Peter after, he said it was great. We took a quick break and played through the second set, which felt a lot better to me.

Even in shorts, I wasn't too hot at all. The room was cool and there was a fan nearby. Poor Peter was super hot, though. He was quite sweat soaked at the end of it, but admittedly, he says he's a sweater, so there's that.

Gearwise, I'm playing the 84 L1K (THE HOG), through my Zoom B2 Four pedal, but using it more for tuning and occasional metronome count offs. Otherwise, I'm using the Bassman Ten for tone and amplification. It's a bit weird; really nasally and mids (410 will do that to you). But LOUD. And the music we're playing is generally not super loud, so I have to use a lot of soft finger technique, which for me, is challenging, because generally I am a hard plucker. But, it's good to spread my wings, right?

I think as the tour continues, I'll learn the sound of the amp better; I like it, but it's not *my* sound, you know? I think I like it fuller and rounder, but the music and Peter like a more flats style thud (I'm playing rounds).

Anyway, after the gig, we packed out in the heat and hit up an In-N-Out burger spot nearby and I got a cheeseburger, Animal style, combo meal. Of course, I had to ask what Animal Style meant (grilled onions and Thousand Island sauce), but it was tasty. I think INO can make a killing if they charge even .50 cents per order of it; I think everyone in line did that.

From there, we headed to San Francisco, as we didn't want to stay in the heat of Redding and pay for a spot. Peter has a friend named Gregorio, who was generous to put us up for the night, even as we arrived at 1:43 in the morning. He was dressed like a mafioso and could not have been more kind and warming. His partner was great as well, and they had two dachshund/chihuahua mixes that greeted us with barks and pets. It was kind of cool. His house/apartment? was welcoming and had a couple couches. They even busted out an air mattress and had a spare bedroom that Miles got (he snores, so he got the solo room).

Maestro the dog.

I put in my earplugs as suggested by someone on TB, and before long, I finally fell asleep.

Quick hitters:

• Feeling more comfortable with the dudes. They've been great, but the feeling out process always takes as minute. I'm trying not to bore them with dad stories too much, but they are all accommodating and interesting dudes. In fact, I am constantly impressed with their world/history knowledge. I am not great at that stuff and they really know their stuff.
• Each guy has his own personality and even though it's only been 2 days (though I'm typing this mid-day 3), we are getting along well. I think it helps that all these dudes have done multiple DIY tours like this, and they're giving me tips and pointers along the way.
• We are getting more efficient at load in/load out. There's a science to Jenga-ing the back of the van and we're working it out.
• Only one panic stop, in the middle of the drive from Redding to SF. We were all sleeping and Simon had to hit the brakes pretty hard at stopped traffic on a long straightaway. That was a jolt.
• I got compensated for my gigs and I'm pleased with that. I'm simply thinking of it as my per diem and as long as I stay within those means, I'm good.
• Missing my family a bit, but that's what the phone calls are for.

Forest Ray West Coast Tour day 1 6/28/23

Started the day early so I could see Marci and the kids before I don't get to see them for 2 weeks. Marci had the day off again as her infusion got messed up yesterday, so she had to go back today. Kids were both working early, so I got to see them and then finish packing.

I took care of my stuff, then got picked up by Simon, who plays rhythm guitar in Forest Ray. Since Peter lives up in Northgate and Miles lives in White Center, with me on the other side of the lake, it was easier to get picked up and then leave all at the same time.

We got through traffic, and arrived at Peter's to help him pack. Sadly, we had to take out a bench from the van, which meant the four of us would be traveling in the first two rows. Between us all, we have at least 4 guitars, a drum set, a small PA, merch, 3 amps, and merch and other things, plus our personal items.

I wanted to be well prepared, so I brought my bass (THE HOG), a rolling suitcase with a bunch of clothes, a giant duffel to consolidate my sleeping bag, sleeping mat and pillow. In a pro move, I also brought a towel. Add in my backpack and gear case, I have about 5 items to manage. I'm also a little paranoid about leaving our stuff in the car, but that didn't matter much as we would be in the van for several hours.

It took a bit to get packed, then Simon drove us down to White Center. We picked up Miles and got his stuff in the van, then headed to the freeway. We did stop quickly in Federal Way to get gas, which, for this giant van, cost $120. And then it was all the way down to Portland non-stop.

We parked in front of the club, called the Lollipop Shoppe around 5pm. Though the van was close to the club, it was out of sight as we walked up and down the block a bit to stretch our legs. That part of town was a little interesting, to say the least. Enough people doing their day to day there, and lots of people experiencing homelessness as well. Miles, Peter and I walked around for a bit and saw a few police cars chasing a guy, and finally apprehending him in front of us. It was all pretty anticlimactic.

After waiting around some more, we got the green light to order food, which was free from the club. We all ordered burgers and fries, which were delicious. Much appreciated after only having a bowl of cereal (Lucky Charms), a PBJ (on wheat), a protein bar (Kirkland Sig) and an apple for the day. From then, it was hurry up and wait.

I was wearing a t-shirt and shorts. The other dudes were all dressed like the late 20's/early 30's rockers that they are. Skinny jeans, trucker hats and beanies. I felt like a dad; over-prepared and over-packed. But then I realized that... I DIDN'T CARE. I wanted to be comfy on the ride down.

I ended up bringing all my stuff into the club. I didn't want to leave my backpack (with computer, Kindle, etc) in the van, or my suitcase. Even though it was mainly clothes, last thing I wanted was a broken into van and my clothes missing. Out of sight, out of mind. I also did some job hunting with the bar WIFI, so tried to stay productive.

I finally changed into gig wear and sat around to wait some more. For some reason, as the traveling band, we were also the headlining band. Mainly because the other two bands were local and friends of Peter's, and one of them was allowing us to stay at their house for the night. Add in the fact that Portland shows start an hour later than Seattle shows (9pm vs 8pm) and a long night was in the making.

The first band took the stage just after 9. They were a power trio called Dean the Dog. Songs like Nirvana, but even more indie. The bassist played a beautiful white/black Peavey T-40 and it sounded super gnarly. We backlined a vintage Fender Bassman Ten 410 combo for the bass and the soundguy had it on so loud. Drowned out the guitar a bit. They also had a woman singing some harmonies on some tunes and it sounded pretty good.

Dean the Dog

Next up was a group called Horse Pills (I love that name!) and as they did soundcheck, I simply fell in love with the singer's voice. Her voice was clear and true and so beautiful. They were a 5 piece, with the singer on acoustic guitar, a lead guitar on a white Tele, a bassist playing a white MusicMaster strung up under his chin, and an Asian looking drummer. The same woman from Dean the Dog also did some backing harmonies. They were really really good and I learned the singer, Hailey, was so endearing on stage, with a huge laugh and humility as she was messing up some parts. They were country, but with more of a singer/songwriter slant to me, and I love them. Followed them on IG immediately. And though I got video of them, I forgot to take a picture of them.

We took the stage and got to work. Me and Simon were on top of each other to the ride cymbal side of Miles. Peter took center stage so we had to adapt. The Bassman amp was super midsy and loud. I couldn't get a tone that I liked too much on stage, so I just made sure the volume was OK and trusted the soundguy to get it right out front.

I tried to keep the playing simple and solid. We had rehearsed backing vocals the night before, but there was no mic available for me, so I just practiced in my head as the songs came up. Overall, I think I played pretty well; it was sort of nice to take the training wheels off and play with some energy. The rehearsals were a little subdued, with all the learning and practicing going on. Miles really dialed up the drumming energy and Peter and Simon were solid as usual. Of the 8 songs we had for our set, we did 7 of them and then tore stuff down. Because Peter's been setting everything up, he was networking and chatting with his friends, so it wasn't until 1am that we arrived at Nathan's house (he was guitar player in Dean the Dog).

We hung out for a minute upstairs, and then Simon and I headed downstairs to the rehersal space/rec room, where I set up my sleeping bag and got to work trying to sleep. Thankfully I brought a sleeping pad, because otherwise, it would've been simply a tile floor under my bag. It wasn't terrible. It didn't help that some people were upstairs chatting and, well, listening to music, at 2:30am, but I eventually fell asleep and made it until about 6:30, when I drifted in and out before finally getting up around 8:45 or so.

A roof to sleep under? Yes, please!

Adjacent to where I slept was a bathroom and, unbeknownst to me until this morning, a shower in the corner. Without knowing if I could or not, I grabbed my stuff and took a shower. It was tiny but functional and, at my age, I'm a guy that needs a shower on the regular. After that and packing out, we are in the van and headed to Redding. We are about 90 minutes in, with another 4-5 hours to go. Apparently it's going to be 105°F or higher there today. Should be great. :/

So, after the last 24 hours, what are my thoughts?

• Is touring for me? TBD.
• I'm getting along with the guys. They are pretty chill. Miles and Peter are pretty chatty. Simon is pretty quiet, but he's had some issues with allergies and headaches, so not sure if he's feeling all that great.
• I haven't spent a penny yet, which is ideal.
• I'm helping schlep gear, pack/unpack, etc, but no driving. I want to help with stuff, but I'm also looking at it as me being the hired gun, and not expected to do much more.
• Though Peter had mentioned before that gas/food/lodging was all handled, in a sense it is, but it is also Peter flying by the seat of his pants. He is paying for gas. He has coupons for food and though dinner was free last night, I am realizing his "taking care" of food is hoping we get comped at clubs. For lunches and breakfasts I think we will be all paying our own ways unless he says otherwise. And for places to stay, it's him asking his contacts if we can crash on floors. Not super glamorous, but I wasn't expecting that either.

Forest Ray update

Had practice the other night and aside from a few bad notes here and there, it was fine. I am feeling comfortable and confident with the songs and ready to go. Now it's the packing and planning aspect of things.

I've done a deeper dive on the travel and timing of things. We will be leaving on Wednesday, 6/28, with a show scheduled that night in Portland. After that, we have 5 more shows in 5 more locations, until a day off on the 4th of July, location TBD. Starting on Wednesday the 5th of July, it's 7 more shows in 7 different locations until I'm back home on the 12th. They have more shows after that, but I think their other bassist/s will play (unless they ask me for consistency's sake).

show dates and locations

I just plugged in all the dates and it seems a little daunting when looking at the calendar. 13 shows in 14 days. With travel in-between. It will definitely be interesting; I think the easy parts will be the actual gigs. The travel, downtime, sleeping and logistical side of things will be likely the most challenging.

I've made a bit of a packing list for what to bring. I need to check it out some more and hammer out some details with the guys. Sounds like we have more than enough room on the Econoline van, but I've never packed for 14 days out. Simon mentioned there is likelihood of doing laundry, and I'm thinking we'll have to find a laundromat on 7/4 to do just that. So with all that stuff, do I bring a suitcase? Do I bring extra clothes? With all the travel I did last year, at least I had a homebase every night (re: hotel). Van-life with these Gen-Zers will be interesting. They all seem cool and I feel like I can get along with them all.

The other day, Simon mentioned he'd been in the band since he was 23. I felt old all of a sudden! Reminded me of working at the Store days, where I was 40 and everyone else was early 20s. Good times. They mentioned getting life lessons from Eric (all of 43 years old), so maybe I can be that way to these dudes.

For gear, Peter will be bringing a Fender Bassman 100 combo amp, I think. I saw it and it looked tall and narrow, so we'll see. In the meantime, I've been playing through his Bassman 100 head and 215 (I think):

My POV at Peter's studio

As far as basses are concerned, I'm not 100% sure what to bring yet. I do know that whatever I bring, I'll have it in a hardcase for protection purposes. I've played the HOG at 2 rehearsals and took Goldie the other night. Either one would be a great option. Then today, I've been thinking about the ol' SB-2. Or, gasp, do I bring the P? Decisions, decisions.

More planning to occur, but now it's time for a run.

Mom's house

Mom's been out of town for a month and a half. We've all (me, Marci, Knight and Shannon) been going over, getting the mail, etc. S&K decided to remodel/refresh Mom's kitchen as they have a few extra bucks laying around. As a result, their contractor (Mom's 4th son), Dana, has been going over to do stuff and has replaced the cabinets and countertops.

He went over Sunday to do the floors and when he arrived, he noticed things seemed off. Stuff on the floor in the foyer, cabinets open and dumped. Then he thought he heard noise upstairs. He called Knight, who called me to say that Mom's house had been broken into and robbed.

Marci and I got dressed and, after alerting the cops, headed over. When we got there, we parked down the street. Dana and a police officer were at the bottom of the driveway. Over the next few minutes, 3-4 more Bellevue police showed up. Knight showed up and parked at the top of the street.

One of the cops came over and told us to stay where we were, got permission to go sweep inside to see if anyone was still inside. Eventually, a K-9 unit from Seattle showed up (apparently no K9 in Bellevue?) and went in to sweep the crawl space. After a short time, including searching the neighbor's yard and cul-de-sac around the corner, nothing was found. We were told we could go in, but couldn't touch anything as the fingerprint people were coming to take prints.

At this point, it was like 1pm, so Marci and I headed home to make a few PBJs to bring back. We got them back and ate with Knight, who was waiting there for the print person to finish. She was done shortly after so we went back in to assess things. I did a walkthrough video but Blogger won't let me post it for some reason.

Needless to say, the crook/s made a giant mess. Weirdly, though little damage. They just rummaged through everything. They dumped out cabinets and closet in the front. Dining room and table was already messy due to the kitchen being emptied out from the remodel, but not much seemingly missing there. The Buddha room was a mess, cabinets opened, desk opened and stuff dumped out. Couldn't even walk in there, but much of it was from the kitchen as well.

The crooks got in via the back window in the sunroom. I had left them open for ventilation when I went over the previous Tuesday, but I'm pretty sure I locked the sliding glass door to the house. Shannon had gone over the next Thursday, but I don't know if she went in the sunroom or not. Either way, whether or not I had left the back window open or if Shannon had opened the sliding door, the crooks would've gone in regardless.

The laundry room was messed up and the garage had a couple file cabinets opened. Upstairs, my old bedroom was dumped. The closet was pretty much emptied onto the floor. Knight and DC's old room was messed up, Mom's bedroom was dumped and the master bedroom was also dumped.

Once we assessed everything and got over the shock and anger, we got to organizing a little. Mainly it consisted of putting stuff back in cabinets for the time being. We sorted through garbage and recyclables and made fast work of the foyer and living room. Knight worked on the Buddha room and before long, stuff started looking normal again.

We were unsure of what was taken because we hadn't called Mom yet due to the time difference (she's +16 hours and it was the middle of the night). We didn't see any missing furniture or anything but found lots of empty pouches and jewelry containers. Eventually, we headed home and I had to go to band practice.

After practice I learned that Mom had kept a backpack full of valuables in the Buddha room, within a bookcase cabinet that was tossed. Knight had found the backpack and it was empty. What we found out for mom was that bag had stuff in it that she wanted to give to us. Don't know if it was inheritance or what or how much it was valued at, but that was the main score of the bad guys.

I talked to Mom on Monday night and she was in good enough spirits; don't know if it was denial or a defense mechanism, but she really sounded fine. She actually used the words, "no big deal," and was laughing and just having a normal one. I think she's releived that she's there and we are here to handle it for her. As far as the stolen items are concerned, I'm more mad that Mom and Dad's legacy of working, making money, spending it on things they wanted is pretty much gone with that theft. We were going to inherit some stuff, but we can't lose what we didn't have, so I'm not bummed about that too much.

That said, we have a bunch of stuff to work through with the bank and safety deposit box situation, insurance and culling/throwing out stuff at the house. Updates to follow in the future.

Forest Ray practice

Finally met with the Forest Ray guys last night. Peter on guitar/flute/harmonica/vocals, Simon on rhythm guitar, and Miles on drums. I've been practicing the tunes a bunch at home and felt pretty good about them, but ended up bringing my notes just in case.

The trip to Northgate took almost 45 minutes. A fender bender on the shoulder on I-5N added about 15 minutes to the drive, which was quite lame. I got there and went in the Silence-of-the-Lambs type basement (re: like a labyrinth) and got plugged in. Peter had a Bassman 100 going out of 2 15" speakers and the sound was thick.

We started with Pass Me By, which to me, is the easiest tune. One riff throughout, with a couple differences in the chorus. I stayed pretty true to the record, but added some embellishments as one does. I didn't get any stink eyes or anything, and listening back to our recording, it was passable. Not bad at all.

In going through the songs on my own, I sensed/deduced/learned that many of Peter's songs are Intro > Verse > Chorus > Intro 2 > Verse 2 > Chorus 2 > Bridge > Intro 3 > Verse 3 > Chorus 3, or some variant of that. He also has long sections, often twice as long as I might expect, but I'm catching on.

I asked him about playing style and he seemed pretty chill about what I was doing. I think as long as I'm listening to him and serving the song, I'll be good. That said, I stayed pretty basic overall. I was a little bummed at one point, because I was relying on my notes. I would've gotten some practice time yesterday, but we had a little incident at Mom's house that I'll post in a separate blog.

As it stands now with Forest Ray, there were no red flags. I think someone was a little "chemically altered" when I was there, but it didn't affect me or the music so I'm not worried about it. I did see the big silver/grey van we'll be in; looked like a large 4 row Ford of some sort.

The guys all seemed pretty cool. Miles is going to be great fun to play with; he did a good job taking cues from Peter and leading me. We had a couple of song endings that I knew nothing about, but was able to follow the guys and do what they were doing, so that was cool. Simon was really solid on rhythm guitar, and apparently he knows all the bass parts, so when I got lost, he'd plunk the notes until I figured it out.

Looking forward to building on this one practice and memorizing the tunes. So far so good, we'll see how practice 2 on Thursday goes.

Gig report: 6/8/2023 Planets in the Ocean at the Sunset

Our first non-weekend show as PITO. We did do a Wednesday with Embers a few years ago at El Corazon. That was an interesting night.

Last night, it was us as the middle band between an artist called Tsubaki and then Knathan Ryan and his band. We had mixed feelings about playing on a Thursday, not necessarily because we think we're better than Thursdays, but more because we weren't sure if we'd have much of a draw on a weeknight.

When I got there after a 45-minute drive, I was surprised to see something like 5 guitar/bass amps on the small stage. I thought it was going to be a stripped down gig as Tsubaki, was simply playing her keyboard (albeit through a Fender Bandmaster amp). Turns out, Knathan's band had 3 guitarists and a bassist, plus Tsubaki on keys as well, so, well, there you go.

I wheeled my Avatar on stage and stuck it off to the side. No sound check for us, but would line check before playing.

Tsubaki, aka Akaiko (may have butchered that spelling), was a super talented singer/pianist. She was accompanied by a guy on trumpet, who also played acoustic and trumpet in Knathan's band. It was a quiet and cool set by her. Really excellent on piano and her vocals suited it well.

Tsubaki and trumpet, at sound check

During her set, I counted about 13 people in the room, which was about 13 more than what we had. Robb was quite nervous about the turnout. Both Cass and I tried to reassure him but it ending up not being too bad.

For the show, I brought my Avatar 2x12 with my Trace head. I'd done some back and forth during the day at home with the Trace vs the Orange and I just felt like the Trace won out. The tones I got at home were pretty gnarly and I liked them. However, once I got on stage, with earplugs in, too much bottom end, not enough mids. Really boomy. I adjusted the EQ on the Trace and that seemed to help (note to self: practice at home with earplugs in to sort of emulate sound on stage)

The rig

Once we started playing, there were more people in the room. I actually had 4 people come out, David and Paul from Pop Cycle, Dennis from SGs and Patrick also formerly from SGs. Knathan, who was also celebrating his birthday, had a handful of people there, so we gladly absorbed those people.

We started the night with our set closer, Darla's Song, because it's on keyboards. We pivoted that to  opener as Tsubaki had done a keyboard set, so we thought that would be a good flow. It was a nice warmup for us. During the keyboard switch, I jumped on mic and worked on my stage banter. I think it's working? I just hope Cass and Robb aren't inwardly cringing. I guess it's better than dead air.

Anyway, we blew into Nomenclature from there and we were off. Unlike the last show at Tim's, I could really hear my vocals and felt good up there. We generally played quite well and had great interactions on stage.

Knathan and his band took the stage next, 6 pieces, with Aiyako on keys, Knathan on guitar and vocals, a drummer, bassist, lead guitarist and acoustic guitar/trumpet. I was not expecting them to be as powerful and tight and melodic as they were. Soundcheck wasn't super exciting, but once they unleashed, they were awesome. Knathan reminded me of the Hold Steady a bit, with lots of words, some horn and really thoughtful rock. All of us enjoyed them quite a bit and hope our paths cross again in the future.

Knathan Ryan and band

Also, I don't know who I am any more. I wore white shoes.

Drummer and yours truly.

Best bathrooms in any club in town.

Biking

This deserved its own post for no real reason.

Marci's been riding bikes on the weekends for a few months now. She had her old "Research Dynamics" bike that we bought for her like in 1994 or so. She'd ride that and mention things about it and I promised we'd get her a better bike sometime soon.

For Xmas, I got her a comfort seat and we put that on the RD bike and it worked, but then she tried it on Riley's Schwinn that we got from Goodwill (a surprisingly good bike, TBH) and liked it, but she always thought it was his bike and she shouldn't be riding it.

Yesterday, we took the afternoon and went on the hunt. We didn't necessarily have the budget for it, but I can always work something out. We started at a place in Issaquah called Superior Seconds, a nice, used sporting goods store, with lots of old bikes to try. A nice man saw us and gave us some tips and pointers, primarily saying that Marci should be riding a size S frame or a 15" frame. There were some good options at Superior Seconds, but we decided to continue looking.

We headed to REI and checked out bikes. They have an in-house brand, called CO-OP, which are made by Giant. They are good looking bikes, but they didn't have any in stock to even try, and started at $550 or so, which was more than I wanted to spend anyway. So we bounced and had Potbelly for lunch.

After lunch, we hit up Gregg's Cycles in Bellevue and Marci test rode a Cannondale something or other. It was a nice bike, priced at $529 or something, and it looked great. Weirdly, there is no real test ride area at Gregg's, so she had to simply ride it around downtown Bellevue. We put that back, then headed to REI again, but they didn't have any inventory either.

While we were at REI, we overheard a customer mentioning a place called Recycled Cycles, so we looked them up. The shop was on Portage Bay and D'neka and I had just walked past it last week when we met for lunch. So we jumped on the freeway and headed over.

Bummer for us, the exit to Montlake was closed on 520 so we had to go the long way to I-5, with the rest of Seattle, so what should've been a 20 minute drive took about 30 or so. Once we got there we looked at some bikes and then took a ride on a few. There was a black and red Giant and a blue and white Fuji. Both were the same price and both fit Marci fine. We rode around the area and traded back and forth. I thought either was good, but felt like the Fuji was a little lighter, despite liking the looks of the Giant more.

After riding around for 30 minutes or so, we decided to take the Fuji home. Luckily, I brought the bike rack and we put that on and, after a TJ stop, and then back to Recycled Cycles to pick up Marci's ID, we took another traffic-filled ride home.

***

This morning, we took her bike and my bike out for a ride. Last week, we tried on the trail by the V-Mac, but I couldn't go more than a mile as my rear innertube was shot. I ordered new ones and installed them, so today we were good to go.

We rode around the neighborhood and Marci did great on her new bike (which she named the Blue Shadow). I'm starting to get the "want to learn and upgrade/update my bike" bug and have watched a bunch of YT videos to try to see what's up. I have made an Amazon shopping list for parts and have already taken bits of my bike apart to see.

It looks so easy on video, and I can definitely do some of the things, but I need the experience doing it. Why not start with my 30 year old bike and see if I can modernize it a little? I took the "dork disk" off the rear wheel today and in the process, had two ball bearings fall out. I could have put them back in, but I didn't, so hopefully that's not a problem. I don't necessarily want a new bike, but I think I could have some fun teching on my bike and seeing about getting it tuned up and running.

June is here

Not sure why I've gotten lazy at blogging. I guess I just forget at times. Here are some updates, bullet-point style:

• Music
• Planets has a gig on Thursday, 6/8, our first return to the Sunset since our first show last year. With all the progress we've made, we still haven't made it over the hump yet. Robb has been prolific and we have about 12-13 songs to choose from, with more on the regular. This will be our last show until late July as Cass and fam will be in Spain for about 3 weeks after the show.
• Sunset Grooves is humming along. We got video footage from our last show and though it was decent, I'd say our weak spot is our backing vocals. We are pretty average at it and I don't know how to unlock it so that we're better. Maybe if we didn't dissect songs we already know on the regular? Is it IEM mixes? At that show, I had my vocals way up and Jen's way back, just for reference, and on my isolated channel, it still was off at times. I know for me, sometimes it's singing notes that are just at the top part of my range, so unless I'm on it, I'm usually off it. Dennis is proving to be a great guitarist and an average vocalist, like the rest of us. He is going to try leads on a couple songs, so we'll get to hear what he can do. I don't know if there are any tunes I could try, but if there is, I'd like to.
• Forest Ray is yet to get off the ground. I went to see them last week and was pleased that they are a little more animated live than on record. The drummer, Miles, also skews towards harder music, and it was clear when he played. I think it'll be fun to play with him. After the Planets show this week, it will free up Thursdays, so I hope to finally rehearse with them sometime in the next week or so. As far as the tunes go, I'm comfortable with about 8-9 tunes, which will be most nights. Though Peter did say there are a couple shows where we'll need two sets, which means I'll need to learn about 6-7 more tunes.
• Job
• Almost 2 weeks ago, Andrea from AWS reached out to me about a role. She is on the content team and I worked adjacent to her team last year. Her and I and someone else on the team, Marlee, all met on a call, and long story short, they need people to do some grunt work. Good thing I am not above grunt work! I met with their manager, Shawn, on Friday and pretty much had a job offered. As of now, nothing is official, but it is definitely on the table and I hope to know more this week. Good news is it will pay me double what I'm getting now, bad news is that it is likely over in mid to late December. But, knowing what I know now and how we can survive, I can likely put away $500-800/month until the end of the contract. And, I'll continue looking for a FTE role somewhere to get out of contract-land.
• Family
• Riley is home from CMU and enjoying his summer so far. It's weird having someone in the house now when I'm "working from home," but that's what summer is going to be now. Hay will be back next week and then they start working at the Y mid-June.
• Marci and I spent a quick 1.5 days in Bellingham last week, using up her PTO and an Airbnb gift card we had from Christmas. Stayed at a little converted garage over Bellingham Bay and slept in a crappy bed and listened to trains honk all night. Not a great night, but nice to get away.
• Anything else
• Finished Barry and Succession. Marci and I are now watching Taste the Nation on Hulu. I have one more episode to go in BCS before it's over. Do I start Breaking Bad again??
• I got 3 tickets for Raiders of the Lost Ark on the big screen on Wednesday. Marci and Riley are going and they both thought it was for Dial of Destiny. Oh well, sucks to be them. I hope DoD is good when it comes out at the end of the month! I have been not reading reviews and I'm hearing from some that it's great, from others that it's crap. Who knows??
• Playing lots of games on PC. I bought Ghost Recon: Breakpoint and Danny and I have been playing every few nights. It's a good time and a good way for he and I to stay connected. I also bought RDR2 for the PC and though I can't run it at full GFX, I can run high enough and it looks badass. Hoping I can slog my way through it this summer.