Monday: $400 to ‘fix’ my car. I got pulled over last week with expired registration. So I had to get my car tuned up so that I could get the emissions test done so that I could get my registration done. Waiting in line at the emissions testing grounds smoke starts pouring out of my exhaust pipe. One of the guys operating the grounds points a finger at me and tells me to get my car out of there. So I go back to the ‘mechanic’ and he says maybe I need to drive the car on the highway to get rid of the smoke before I go back.
Tuesday: Today I leave for Louisville, KY. I need to rent a car now because I’m not convinced my car is fixed at all and it’s not registered and I don’t have time to go back to the mechanic so I can get the test done. $413 to rent the only car available at Access. The other places had no cars available and I need to leave in the next 30 minutes to get to Louisville on time.
I love this car. I’m being spoiled by driving this Chevy Trailblazer with a Bose sound system. I’m fantasizing about actually owning one of these and driving it all the time. The open road makes me feel good about life. I’m relaxed and enjoying my drive to Louisville.
I arrive in Louisville and meet Heather Davis (who I still think of as Heather Askelson) who I haven’t seen in about 15+ years. We drive over to her friend, Natalie’s house and then drive to the country club to get some supper. They want to know about my music and about my ex-fiancé and why that didn’t work out. Natalie pays and I thank her and I feel a little awkward because I’m not sure she intended to pay for my food.
We head back to Natalie’s house and get ready for the party at which I’m playing. People start arriving and I eventually start playing music for a bunch of minglers. People buy my CD and I play some more music and end the night playing pool with Bob who beats me very soundly.
Back at Heather’s we talk until 3am about people we both know. I feel like Heather and I might have been good friends if we hadn’t lived across the ocean from each other.
Wednesday: My eyes pop open at 8:00 am. I have to be in Beaver, WV at 5pm so after a shower and a quick breakfast during which I get to know Heather’s little ones and in-laws a bit I hit the road.
I’m enjoying the road again and looking forward to playing again tonight. Get to town with an hour to spare and Sam drives us to the venue, Cultural Delight, a little international café. It’s Wednesday night so there aren’t any customers in the place but I play a set for Sam and Josiah and the owners of the café.
The owners invite me back to play for lunch tomorrow. They hope they’ll have a crowd for me.
Thursday: Lunchtime crowd is 5 strong and there’s a couple of stragglers getting take-out orders towards the end. I’m having fun playing and not really concerned about the numbers right now.
6pm finds us making our way towards the As You Like It Café, which turns out to be a great place to play an unplugged gig. Fifteen or so people show up and I enjoy the set because everyone is listening intently. I take a break and mingle and then do another set. CDs are sold and signed and more mingling happens.
Back at Sam’s we start discussing ‘life and stuff’ until about 12pm. My alarm is set for 3:30 am.
Friday: 3:30 am came and went with barely a nod from me. I open my eyes at 4:20 am and run around getting ready to go. My rental car has to be back in Nashville by 12:15 am and I have 444 miles to drive to get there.
I stop twice along the way and make it back to Nashville at 12:25 am. Dance for joy at not being charged for an extra day.
I go home and take a nap and head to work at 5 pm. Not dancing for joy at the prospect of working tonight but I need the money so…
This is the dream apparently and I love it. I decide I need a lot more weeks like this one.
No comments:
Post a Comment