Transmitting from Escondido, CA...
If you look at the calendar page, you'll see that I'm listed to be in San Diego, CA today & tomorrow. Well, here's how it works on the road sometimes:
You may get a call for a gig in San Diego, Little Rock or Chicago only to find that, once you get there, the gig is actually in Escondido, Fayetteville or Skokie. This can lead to a situation similar to the one I'm now in. Our hotel is slightly off the beaten path. You find yourself thinking, "How am I going to spend the downtime with nothing to do & nowhere to go?" Things that usually are routine become major events. For example: Today, luckily, we're leaving for our soundcheck at 3PM which doesn't leave that much time to try to fill after taking advantage of being able to sleep a little later & having a leisurely breakfast. Tomorrow, on the other hand, has me looking at, pretty much, an entire day to fill before our show in the evening. So far, I've thought of 2 things to do under the category of "Routine Things Becoming Major Events." Hopefully, I'll get in a 1/2-way decent workout in the hotel gym to be followed by a walk of, maybe, a mile or so to a Barnes & Noble I saw in the distance yesterday. That's it, so far. I've been working out pretty religiously for over 20 years & going to book & record stores have been near the top of my list of leusire activities for as long as I can remember, especially in a new town. I love music, I love reading, so it makes sense. So there you have it...a workout & a trip to a bookstore....major events tomorrow! Life on the road is not always so glamorous. There are also plenty of exceptional times too. If you look back over the journal here, you can find more than a few. So, if you're an up & coming young musician, don't be discouraged, it's still worth it. For every Skokie, there's a Paris. For every Fayetteville, there's a Rome & for every Escondido, there's a Tokyo.