A place for everything and everything in its place. That was the vibe in my garage studio on Henderson St. in Richmond CA, 2017-2021. I mean, look at that! So ordered and organized. Some of that art I still have, some of it was given to a dude from El Sobrante when my wife and I sold that house and exited California. A lot of that gear was just given away during a couple of pre-move yard sales. Lately I have been thinking about the studio. It certainly was well utilized. Tons of hours practicing Surplus 1980 songs, instructional videos, warming up for gigs with various people. Take for example Josh Allen. Josh and those in his orbit are sticklers about practicing. Within their musical world, it's very obvious to them who in putting in time versus who is not. That bug got to me and I spent tons of time, as much as I possibly could what with work and domestic life, shedding. Sometimes this studio would get messy and more disorganized, but it would get cleaned up, even vacuumed on occasion. These days my drums are stored away and I grab items as needed. One current music with other people situation has me playing electronic drums, which are quite interesting to play. The attack of stick on pad is so very different from that of stick on drum or cymbal. The nice thing about the former is that they keep your stroke honest. One can't really slack on time with the electronic drums. It's proven to be a nice, interesting challenge. Challenge is the order of this time in my life. A lot of emotional challenges, but it's like "join the club" on that, of course. Realizations about what life in Tucson means for me. Realizations about how important it is to let go of the past and move with as much grace within each present moment. Realizations about how people are all different and how people grow apart. Even the "magic" of social media cannot change that fact. It's all ok. I bathe in Sonoran sunshine and do breath exercises. I wake before dawn, sip tea and try to read. A place for everything and everything in its place. The place is not the same, but the principle guides me within the physical realm. Stay kooky but remember to stay smart also. Much love to anyone that reads these words.
