The Australian Adventure Begins

Posted on September 5, 2019 by SusanG

In some ways I started my Australian adventure by waiting for a hurricane. Hurricane Dorian made it’s appearance and initial wrath known a few days before I was due to leave. It was horrible to watch even from a distance. You would think that because it was not likely to impact my area and because I was going to be on the other side of the world by the time it got to my area, that I wouldn’t pay it much attention. If you’ve ever encountered a hurricane that changed direction at the last moment you’ll understand. Never turn a blind eye to a hurricane.

I did make it out of the Charlotte area before Dorian even made it up to Florida, which was good news. That bad news is the Bahamas got the devil beat out of them. At this point any complaint I might have about leaving two hours late is really minor. I did have a long enough layover scheduled into the plan so that it wasn’t an issue. I was able to make my flight in LA for Sydney without issue.

LA International ticketing.

It’s been a very long time since I have seen the full size of an airport of that magnitude. The amount of walking to get from one place to another and the shear size of the ticketing area for the international terminal were a surprise for me. As I passed the ticketing area I was on a second floor and the view out over it all reminded me of something out of a sci-fi movie that was showing a galactic space port or something. Or maybe even a similar scene in a ‘Men In Black’ movie.

Aside from a delay getting out of Charlotte, the travel to Sydney was uneventful. That’s good travel as far as I’m concerned. The flight from LA was via Qantas and even in economy I felt pampered. I think they fed us about every three hours. And as it was an over night flight it was nice and dark for sleeping. It was so dark that if felt a little like we were chasing the night. I got some sleep which was a good thing. By the time I got settled my east coast body clock thought it was 2:00am. I was fortunate in that the middle seat for my row was vacant. That gave me and the lady on the aisle a little more room. She was very nice and helpful when it came to understanding what to fill in on my entry for and to getting through the initial immigration kiosk. I was a bitl leary of the whole process and very glad it went as smooth as it did.

Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House from the plane as I arrived.

My arrival in Sydney coincided with their peak time. Our rush hour. It was an interesting ride and my driver was really nice, helpful and informative. Turns out the hotel I’m staying at is in Chinatown. There is a fun novelty in that. As I my room wasn’t quite ready and not really wanting to waste my time in Sydney, I’m only here a couple of days, I headed out towards the Opera House. The desk clerk provided me with directions and a map of sorts and off I went. To be sure, on my way there, I was too overwhelmed, a bit out of place, and probably still tired, so taking in everything and not getting run over as I crossed streets were challenges.

First view of the Opera House from the ground.

The walk was farther than I expected but then I really didn’t have any way of guaging how far that was going to be and since I have little practice with metric, trying to understand how far it really was if someone had said it was X kilometers wasn’t going to help. I knew though, that I was going to be there in plenty time to meet my afternoon tour of the Sydney Opera House. I was in fact quite early so I walked around the entire area and took pictures and sent a couple of messages off to people in the states. I had a bite and a coffee and a harbourside cafe and saw wild Lorikeets hanging out in the umbrellas looking for hand outs. And I sat on the steps of the Opera House and watched groups of school children coming in for a tour or to participate in a program for the school children.

Sydney Harbour Bridge. No. I did not climb it.

The tour of the Opera House was great. There are 6 or 7 theatres and we saw 3 of them. We got to see the main concert hall which I was really pleased with. The history of it being built and the controversy around it was interesting. The tour I was on was a small one, there were 3 of us not including the guide. And it turns out for some reason they are having quite a slow season. Something the guide said is very unusual. It was nie for us because with it being small it made it easy to ask questions and to get around. I came to Sydney specifically because I wanted to see the Opera House. A friend I texted with said something to the effect of ‘How could you go to Australia and not see the Opera House?’ To which I replied that ‘I couldn’t’.

And a Chocolate Cafe just for my sister.

While I was walking around near the harbour and the Opera House I found a cafe for my sister. She’s a fan of chocolate so to come across a Chocolate Cafe was fun.

Next up is a harbour tour boat ride today. It’s about half the day and I’ll be walking to it. It doesn’t look to be as far a walk as yesterday so that’s a good thing. Then tomorrow I get on a plane and head up to Cairns for a couple of full days.

Here’s some pictures of the adventure so far.

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A Little Play Time

Posted on August 28, 2019 by SusanG

I got some play time this week. It was great. And it gave me a chance to test a theory as well as fix something that was bothering me a little. I haven’t had that in quite a while. So I’m going to start there.

I haven’t been playing my Telecaster much because at some point I realized my back wasn’t happy about it. I’m not sure if it’s the weight or the way the body is made, or if my back is just being fussy. Which is always a possibility. Instead, I’ve started playing my Stratocaster more. It doesn’t upset my back. Maybe it’s a little lighter, and maybe the contouring in the body helps. I’m small, it’s possible it has a bigger impact than I realized. The thing is, I prefer the sound of my Telecaster. For a couple of reasons. To me the Telecaster has an innately punchier and more aggressive sound. It’s got a little bit of a boost now that I’ve changed the strings on it from the factory installed strings to DR Pure Blues strings and I’ve gone up a gauge to 10’s instead of 9’s. The native sound of the Telecaster combined with those strings makes for a sound I can really get into. So it’s frustrating that I can’t play it for long.

The Stratocaster, as I’ve been playing it, still had the factory installed strings on it and they were 9’s. It said so in the manual. And to me it sounded a bit thin and tinny. It plays nice, and it’s comfortable it just didn’t get quite enough punch for me. I’d been thinking that I would change out the strings when I get back from my trip since they are probably due and I want to see how the DR Pure Blues will sound.

The Stratocaster.

After I spent a little time playing the Telecaster, until my back started to complain, I played the Stratocaster for a while. There was a Jam this weekend and I still felt a little like playing, especially now that I could relax and not worry about if I lost track of time. So I played for a while. And then I decided I really wanted to hear the DR Pure Blues on the Strat. I just had to see if the heavier gauge strings and the different type of string would make a difference. Oh boy! Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. Yep. That does it. That’s got so much more depth and beef to it. I played a little after I got the new strings on the Strat and then stopped so I could do a few other things. Like write this. I’m excited to get to playing and to practicing again.

I’m not abandoning the Telecaster or anything like that. I’m still going to play it, just not quite as often for now.

There was a Blues Jam this weekend. I went. I played. I had a good time. I did not take video. Which means I was really pleased with some of my leads (solos). They came out really well. And my co-worker/friend/fellow jammer had praise for them the next day when I was talking to him about the night. Now I wish I’d taken video. Oh well.

Some very fine musicians that DO NOT engage in crazy antics.

One of the things I got to watch at this jam was someone who, is a fine guitarist. Quite good actually. You might never realize it because of the antics he engages in. I’m certain, when he’s playing with his own band it’s all part of the show. And that’s fine. But one of the things I like about the Blues Jam is getting to watch the other guitarist play and hear how they phrase things and how they get to certain sounds or feelings. There are even a few that when I am getting video, I make a point of recording their set just to have it to review sometime later. When someone is jumping all over the place and running around, it’s hard to follow what they are doing. Not only does it spoil the set for me, I also think that it disrespects the other musicians that are on stage.

Now, good news. I have one set of videos edited and will start getting those posted in the next day or so. I still have the other set to edit yet. But it looks like I will be able to get everything up before the big trip. Which is just about a week away. Oh dang! Is it time to panic yet?

Blues Jammers!

As with any long vacation there is plenty to do leading up to it. I have a few things at the day job that I have to get done before I go. And of course there are all the final details to get sorted. I’ve got people lined up to keep an eye on things and to water Groot. I’ve got my ride all sorted. And I’ve figured out what I’m packing. Next up is making the list of information for people while I’m gone. You know, contact information and notes on things to worry about, or not. That sort of list. It’s all coming together though. And ultimately, whether it’s all done or not, I still get on a plane the day after Labor Day to take off on the biggest travel adventure I’ve ever embarked on. It’s a little mind blowing.

I took a few pictures from this most recent jam so I’ll post a couple of those for you to enjoy. I’m not in them though.

I will be trying to post a time or two, or more, while I’m traveling. It probably won’t be on any regular schedule though so check back periodically. There might even be some cool pictures.

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That Test Passed

Posted on August 25, 2019 by SusanG

The test for work was this week. I spent the bulk of the weekend and early part of the week studying. I’m really glad I did and yet, when I sat down in front of the screen and looked at the first question, then the second one, and the third one, my hopes of doing well totally sank. I felt like a deer in the headlights. Fortunately, I still passed.

Blues jammin’

This is the second of the Microsoft tests I have taken, and each one I go through, and study for I learn something different about the process. For this test which was querying databases, I read the book twice, I went through a study course but it was for the 2012 exam and I took the 2016 test which was different, only half the subject matter. I also used the same company for the practice tests that I used last year. I downloaded the database and query scripts from the book and set them up on a test server to be able to see what they would do. I even read some of the supplemental material recommended in the book. I put a significant amount of effort into studying for the test. And with all that, as I was sitting there trying to plow through the questions that were taking me longer to figure out than I had anticipated, I started feeling a little like it might be hopeless but at least I had an idea of what I would need to know. It took me the entire allotted time. It said I didn’t finish some of the questions which I can’t figure out but it doesn’t matter now. I hit the finish button, saw that score and the word “Passed” and nearly cried in relief. It was a challenging test.

Finishing that test closes out a year with a few ups and a lot of downs. Since this time last year I’ve had four deaths to deal with, a friend having to move away, a broken foot, a pulled joint in my back, a new relationship and the end of that relationship, a black belt test, and the work test. It’s been a couple of days and I think the impact of all of that is finally starting to hit. As I was thinking about that the other day it occurred to me that I planned my big trip for just the right time. All of that is behind me and a fresh new year is in front of me. I’m starting it off with a big adventure and some great memories. I hope that means this next year will be full of more ups than downs.

Blues jammers

I still have a bunch of things to get in order before I leave and I have just about a week to do that in. I’m going to get to one more Blues Jam before I go. I even got a little practice time in, and I hope to get a little more before the jam. I have finally watched the video of most of the sets I played at the last jam and it’s better than I remembered in some cases and as bad as I thought in others. I’m still planning on getting all of that edited and posted before I go. And hopefully I’ll be able to get the video from this next jam posted as well.

I’m taking a tablet with the hopes of getting an article or two posted while I’m away. I’ve been told by more than a dozen people to take pictures. So I should have some to share, and maybe even while I’m there. I had someone tell me last night to be sure to do some shopping while I’m there so that in five years when someone says ‘Oh what a lovely….’ I can say ‘Thank you, I got that on my trip to Australia’. And I think he’s right. So I will be sure to do that. I have no idea what that ‘lovely’ will be at this point but I’ll be keeping my eye out for just the right thing.

My messy desk which won’t get tackled this vacation.

I don’t really have any pictures to share this week so I’ll post a few more from the last jam.

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It’s a Blur

Posted on August 16, 2019 by SusanG

I have been working on this post all week. I would get a version of it done and think I’ll wait a little while to post it so I can go back and re-read it for clarity. By the time I would get to re-read it things would have changed and a chunk of what I wrote needed to be re-written. That’s my world these past couple of weeks. So many things seem to be happening or starting to happen that it’s becoming a bit of a blur. As nice as it would be to think I’ll have a chance to catch my breath after next week, I know that’s not likely. In fact, with the ramp up for my trip it’s all likely to get worse. I’ll be needing that 15 hour flight just to catch a mental break.

Let’s get to blues jammin’

Most of what is going on is what you’ve been reading about. I’m studying, working on “rut busting”, trying to play some music, and getting in some exercise. There are a couple of things that have come up that have pointed out a few more things I have neglected for several years. One of those prompted some scramble work on my part, and the generous help and input of one of my Taekwondo friends. I still need to solve the other item I’ve neglected. Fortunately, I have a plan, I just don’t know how much time I have before that becomes more imperative. At least I have a plan.

I have been studying quite diligently even with trying to get out and get some social in. At last weekend, I finished my study goal early enough to catch a late night movie on Saturday. Then Sunday I managed a score of 100% on my practice test. I considered that a major victory and a good reason to go to the Charlotte Blues Jam. I’ll get back to that in a moment. The day after the blues jam is always a little rough for me. I usually get much less sleep the night of the jam than I really prefer and so the next day at work tends to be tough. I decided, that after work, the day after a jam, was a perfect opportunity to take a stab at a practice test. My reasoning being that if I could get a passing score when I felt brain dead then it was probably a pretty good sign. And I did get a passing score.

Results on the left are for this year, results on the right are for the test I took last year, and passed.

Back to that Blues Jam. I was excited to have gotten the score I did so I was just as excited to be able to go to the jam even though I had not had much practice time. There was a jam a couple of weeks ago that I also made it to. In both cases, we had a fairly small contingent of musicians. The upside when that happens is that you get a lot of playing time. The downside is that it can make it difficult to order food and get to eat it while it’s hot. The first jam, I was up in the next to last band and when we got ready to change over, there really wasn’t anyone else around so we just added another guitar player to our line up and stayed up there for another set. That was kind of cool. Fortunately I have video because at this point so much has happened that it is a blur.

Blues Jammin’.

For this most recent jam, we again, had a small contingent of musicians. And oddly enough, we were kind of lacking in guitar players. That’s really odd because normally we have more than enough. Because of the limited player pool we all got lots of playing time in. I played in four sets and of those, three sets, I not only played, I sang. And this is where I figured out that the short 15-20 minute practices I’ve been getting in, really weren’t enough. I felt a bit out of shape. Still, it was fun. I enjoyed it, even when I started in the right key and promptly got all in the wrong key for two verses. I had fun on the set I didn’t sing. I’ve mentioned before that just seconding can be a nice treat once in a while. This was as well, though, for the most part I felt like I was just trying to hold on. We did songs, I’ve not played before. I’ve heard them though so that was helpful. And I didn’t crash and burn on them so I think it went well. Again, it’s a good thing I have video because it’s another thing that’s on the blurry side.

The really interesting, or frustrating, thing is that this week has been so busy that I still haven’t seen the video from this last jam. For that matter, I haven’t had time to unpack my guitar either. I should get the guitar unpacked a little later today. And the video I’ll probably pull up sometime tomorrow. Then I’ll have a better idea of how things really went.

Singin’ and playin’

Yes, I’ve been studying all week. Except for Wednesday. An opportunity came up to see Joan Jett and Heart for the price of a t-shirt. I put in the effort to respond about it and was rewarded with getting to go. It was a really good seat. The show was really good. The opening act was actually good, though I’m not fond of her vocals, the band played well and the music was good. Joan Jett was especially interesting for me to see. Being a rhythm guitar player who ends up leading the group it was cool to see that on a bigger stage. And yes, she takes a lead once in a while, she is still the rhythm guitar player and I think that’s cool. I’ve seen Heart a few times before. Once in the same venue. This time the sound was better. They played a good show and aside from the couple of songs I don’t like, it was enjoyable. It was however, a long day and a late night. I had my trainer appointment before that an then a mad dash to the show. Needless to say, I got too little sleep and the next day was a challenge. And yes, I used that as an opportunity to run through the practice test again while feeling brain dead. I even felt pretty comfortable with all my answers as I went though it, I only had two that I wasn’t quite sure about. I got another one of those scores of 100. And then went off to Taekwondo class.

Watching someone play

I’ve got just a few more days before my test. It’s on Wednesday. I don’t have much scheduled this weekend, maybe a trip to the fountain area at the shopping center to watch some live music if anything. At least that one is close by. And I’m going to go visit a friend at her new office. My helpful Taekwondo friend recently started a new job and it’s in a really cool building in an area of the city that is getting a lot of renovation and revitalization. Aside from that and weekly ‘need to get done things’ at home, I will be spending my weekend continuing to study for my test. As I’ve said before, I really want to pass the first time.

I’ve still got trip things to pull together. I did pick up all my travel information and such from the travel agent on Monday. Now it’s time to get the bank, and phone taken care of, and make a packing attempt to make sure I can work with the luggage I’ve chosen. I know there is more they just don’t come to mind, fortunately, the travel agent gave me a checklist. And then there is the matter of jam video to edit and get posted. I have a feeling things will continue to look a bit blurry for a while. I’m going to need that 15 hour flight over the Pacific just to catch my breath before the next whirlwind picks me up and takes me all over Australia for three weeks.

Blues jammin’ with the hidden bass player

I’ve include some pictures of this last jam, as well as a comparison shot of my practice score from last year’s test to the practice score for the test I’m taking this year. I really hope that it is an accurate indicator of how I’ll do on Wednesday. With that. I normally try to post on Tuesday or Wednesday, unless of course I’ve had a week like this past one. However, with the test on Wednesday I may wait until after to try to get a new post up so I can share with you the results. Until then I’m going to go study. Cheers.

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Climbing Out of the Rut

Posted on August 6, 2019 by SusanG

Ever notice how easy it is to fall into a rut? We do it a lot, I think. We go to the same places for lunch or dinner. Or make the same meals week after week. We go to the same stores for things we need. We watch the same shows over and over. It’s even easy to fall into a rut with hobbies, or exercise routines. And let’s not forget work. A place that might be easiest to fall into a rut. The thing about being in a rut is that it’s cozy and comfortable. Like a warm numbing blanket. Or maybe like that warm cozy bed on a cold rainy morning when the alarm has gone off way too early. It’s comfortable and we don’t tend to be in too big of a hurry to get up, no matter how bad we have to pee.

Taking the Strat out for a spin at the Blues Jam.

I’ve managed to sink into a few ruts over the past few years. Some of my ruts even have ruts. I was there before I even noticed. And I was good at rationalizing what I was doing there. I couldn’t travel easily because it was hard to find pet sitters. I wasn’t going out because I hadn’t met someone. I wasn’t this because of work. I wasn’t that because I didn’t have someone to do that with. Much of those rationalizations were really just excuses. But I could make them sound like good reasons for not doing something. Or more correctly, not doing something different. 

The problem with ruts is not only that they are comfortable, it can be difficult to see you are in one. Especially the big one where all your little ruts live. If we’re lucky, someone will try to point out that we’re in a rut, or five, and we will actually listen to them and then be able to see it for our self. Most of us, might be lucky enough to have someone point out the rut, we just won’t be able to see it. We have all those rationalizations and the person pointing it out just doesn’t understand or we think they don’t see the whole picture. Been there, done that, got all the swag.

It took some time to even see that I was in a rut. I was making small adjustments to address a few things that I knew I wanted or needed to change. Since I was working on change, how could I be in a rut? Then I had an experience with someone that afterwards let me, or made me start to examine what it was about that experience that I wanted to hold onto. And that’s when I found myself standing in a big fat, freaking rut, right in the middle of my life. So, I had that experience as a recent, in your face, tantalizing example and then, as it turned out, I had a friend that, when he popped up one day in my message app, I realized was another example. The two experiences combined were a bit like looking at that mirror in Harry Potter that shows you whatever your heart desires. Though mine is still a little fuzzy around the edges and there are a few smudges here and there. Holy smokes. I’ve fallen into a rut, or maybe twelve. Now what to do about that?

More work on the new Snowman.

As it turns out, there is a phrase or saying I heard many times when I was growing up that is a big part of the answer to the problem of being stuck in a rut. “If you always do, what you always did, you always get what you always got.” The catch is, you have to know you are in the rut in the first place. 

So have I started to climb out of some of the ruts in my life. I’ve started with small things. For example, I’d like a brand new shiny car. However, mine is paid for and I have other financial priorities right now. So I cleaned my car up, on the inside, I haven’t done the outside yet, so that it looks nice. It doesn’t look neglected or mistreated. Something else I’ve been working on for a few months is my wardrobe. I discovered that the shirts I was wearing to work were wearing out. Which meant I needed to replace them. I did that and then realized that I needed to change-up my style some. Except, I don’t like to shop for clothes. So, I got help. I signed up for one of the online services that periodically send you clothes to try and you keep what you like, send back what you don’t. This has really forced my out of my comfort zone and out of my clothing rut. Though that one is a really deep rut so there’s still more work to do.

Those are just a couple of the more recent adjustments I’ve been making. Certainly the painting in my home this year qualifies, as does all the learning and playing guitar that I’ve been doing. I think in the last year and a half, I’ve learned more and come farther than at any other time. I’m really pleased with that. It has played a part of the climb out of a few ruts, not just my music skills rut.

There are more. Like I said, the big ol’ rut in the middle of my life is made up of a bunch of small ruts. I’ll be working on more of them in the weeks and months to come. I’m kind of excited about it. I’m looking forward to seeing what comes of it all.

And that’s the end of that Blues Jam.

As I mentioned in the last post. There was a Blues Jam. I did attend. I have video. I probably have something to write about it, however, I need to review the video again and also get it edited so I can post it for all to see. That might not happen before the next jam which is coming up this weekend. I’m also still studying for my test. I have it scheduled. It is for a week after my practice tests expire. I was worried about that until I found the option to extend my access to them for 10 days. I’m also less than a month from my trip to Australia. That means it’s time to get down to the business of the details, like what to pack, what to do regarding money, what to do to take my phone, what to pack. And oh yeah, my ride to and from the airport. Details. Details.

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