I’m Back. Now What?

Posted on April 3, 2018 by SusanG

I hope you enjoyed reading about my trip to San Antonio. I had such a good time. Before I left for the trip, when I’d tell people I was going they all tended to ask “who are you going with?” or “are you going with anyone?” When I’d say I was going just by myself, I would get one of two reactions. Either people would say “good for you” or something along the lines of “wow, I can’t imagine doing that”. When I got there and people would ask similar questions, I got much the same response and what I’d tell them, at first was ‘I don’t know enough people crazy enough to go do these things with me’. And then I’d tell them ‘The way I see it, if I want to go do it, or see it then I need to just go. If I wait around for someone to go with me I might never get to do or see it.’

It was really interesting traveling on my own for this trip. I’ve traveled on my own before for specific things, like the ZBrush Summit, or visiting relatives (but is that really travel, or even being on your own). I’ve done a little travel for work but really that’s not the same. I’ve by far done more traveling with a companion or two of some sort. This trip was different. I very much enjoyed traveling on my own. I’m not really sure how to explain it. I guess to some extent I found it more horizon broadening. But that doesn’t really fit. I could say it was more freeing or liberating but that doesn’t really fit either. Maybe with that, and my posts about the trip you can get an idea of what I mean because I’m not sure I can put it in words that don’t sound preachy or philosophical. And that gets into lots of words trying to explain it. I can tell you though, there are lots of things I want to do and see and now that I’ve got a taste of doing it on my own… I’m just going to go do and see them. And you can read about it when I get back.

For now I’m back home and trying to figure out what next.

There’s plenty to do. I’ve got guitars that need re-stringing, paintings to finish, songs to learn. And that’s just for starters. It’s time to get going on some computer art projects that I need to do or just want to do. And then there is the normal stuff that keeps cropping up like chores and maintenance things. It’s funny, because it’s a little bit of a stunner to realize it’s already April. You’d think I’d be feeling like I was so far behind and rushing to catch up but somehow that’s not the case. I think I’ve been running along holding onto the side of the car since the year began so there’s no catching up. It’s all just holding on and running with it. Someone wrote me a note at Christmas asking if I was ready for 2018. I happened across it today and thought, oh my gosh, it’s already April and I’m still not ready for 2018.

There were some things that I wasn’t able to get to before I went to San Antonio that I’ve started working on. I finally got the last video from the March Blues Jam split out into the two songs and posted on YouTube. You can check them out, I have a link to my YouTube channel there on the right. I also had guitars that needed new strings. Particularly the Gibson that I usually play at the jams. The strings I ordered for it came in right before I left and there was no time to change them so that had to wait. I’ve since got them changed out and I’ll be playing them in this week so they are ready for Sunday.

Oh. That’s one of the most immediate of the next things. The April Blues Jam is coming up. I will, of course, be going. I don’t know that I have anything new to be playing or singing. I didn’t really plan on adding anything to my repertoire for this go around. I only planned on learning the words to the songs that I sang and didn’t know and polishing up other songs. However, I might have inadvertently learned a couple of new ones. We’ll see if they make it to the stage.

The Ovation painting is still coming along. I was able to work on it this weekend and I’m closer to finishing out the second pass of the flame red. That should get finished up soon and I’ll be on to working on the blending layer next. It’s not a lot to share on that. It’s a process that takes time and I seem to be always running out of day, and night.

Even after all the excitement of the San Antonio trip, I’d still like to have lots of news of things being in the works and big progress on something this or that. I don’t. I think I’m still re-grouping from the trip. I’m trying to figure out how I want to do things next. Or maybe what to do next. I may have to give up trying to ‘figure it out’ and just start doing. Sort of like carving out and shaping the surfboard while riding the wave.

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Wrapping Up San Antonio

Posted on March 30, 2018 by SusanG

Sunday was time to try to see the Missions. There are a few ways you can do this. I chose the solo method. I got in the rental car and headed that way. I had a basic map from the hotel, and signs pointing me to the Mission Trail. You can look up the particulars as to how many Missions there are and what they are called. I tried to see two and was only successful in seeing one. Remember the pollen bombs? They were starting to get to me so my touristing enthusiasm was low. The parking was horrible at Mission Concepcion so I didn’t see that one. I did go to Mission San Jose and see it. There was a Palm Sunday service letting out as I got close to the chapel.

One of the most interesting thing about the Missions, at least the ones I saw, was how very incorporated into the town they are. Mission Concepcion is right in a neighborhood. I think some people even parked on the streets in front of peoples homes. The town had grown up around them. And as I gathered from the presentations at San Jose, that is pretty much as it was meant to be. They were meant to be incorporated into the community.

As I mentioned previously. The people of San Antonio are proud of their city. Everyone had something I should see. Several had the same recommendations and those were the ones I tried to get to. As I said, I missed out on the light show and a few of the Missions. I also missed out on taking a boat ride on the Riverwalk and the ‘hop on, hop off’ bus tour. But I did get over to the Pearl Brewery area. The Culinary Institute of America at San Antonio is there and there was a stand sponsored by the school. I didn’t eat there so I can’t vouch for how good it was, but it looked unique. I did have an ice cream at Lick. They have some really interesting flavors that I would not have made into ice cream, as well as a vanilla and a chocolate. I had the horchata ice cream. Very tasty.

I happened to get to Pearl during the market. It’s like a public or farmer’s market. They are there every Saturday and Sunday. Go before 2:00pm though, I think that’s when they start closing up the stalls. This was the second place I found live music in San Antonio. Jorge y Nicole. They play what they call Acoustic World Music. Jorge plays guitar and Nicole plays acoustic bass guitar. I was struck by the sound of their instruments as well as the beauty. Wow. They were nice enough to take some time to chat with me about their instruments and a bit about what they are doing musically. Including a little about recording their CD. It’s also available for digital download. They shared that it was tricky finding someone to record the acoustic instruments well but they did finally find a studio in Arkansas. They play some really beautiful music. Well worth checking out. Oh, and, I asked, the guitar is a Cordoba and the bass are Fenders.

And then there was a book store. There are three places, maybe four, that I consider the most dangerous places for my wallet. Music stores, record/cd stores, sometimes boot stores, and definitely book stores. I wandered in and found some gems. There were some books on music put out by the different Texas University presses. I bought three. So far my favorite is “A Perfectly Good Guitar – Musicians on their favorite instruments”. It is about musicians and their favorite instruments as it says. It includes a picture of a musician with their instrument and also some detail shots of some of the instruments. It also includes a story from the musician about their favorite instrument. It’s may favorite so far because I’ve already finished it. I read it that night at the hotel. It is fascinating and right up my alley.

And that was Sunday. Monday was next and that meant leaving San Antonio and heading back to Charlotte. And this was the most annoying part of the trip. I found out when I got back that my bag had be selected to by opened by TSA. They did a really poor job of putting things back as neatly and safely as I had packed them. I’m really glad that I decided to hand carry that CD back. I was really trying not to break the case since the copy I have already has a cracked case and I carry that back and forth everywhere right now.

So that was my trip to San Antonio to see Olivia Newton-John and be a tourist. I’m certain, I have not done the city or it’s people the justice they deserve. I had a really good time and don’t think I could have chosen a better place to go. And I made a few friends while I was there, either for the moment or longer, friends either way. And yes, I would go back to San Antonio. I know I missed things while I was there but, in addition to my primary reason for going, I saw the most important part of the city, its people.

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More From San Antonio

Posted on March 29, 2018 by SusanG

By the end of Friday, I was really pleased with my decision to go to San Antonio. I had already met some great people. At that point, I really couldn’t have asked for more. But there was more to come and as it turned out, Saturday was going to be full.

The hotel I stayed in was right on the Riverwalk. I could go out the back and I was there. There were a lot of restaurants and eating places, and a few regular shops. There was a CVS, and a Hard Rock Cafe, and a Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream. There were two places that had been there for over 70 years. I ate at one, called The Original. The food was good. It was Mexican. Watch out for the salsa, the heat just keeps building with that one. But the chips, for sure, weren’t Tostitoes.

The scenery along the Riverwalk was interesting, and sometimes pretty. You have to consider this is basically a canal. There is water with walkways on either side and the buildings going pretty much straight up from there. I really liked seeing the old buildings that were still there. Some looked like they were even being repaired. 

I could walk through the Riverwalk area pretty much from my hotel to the Alamo. I had to take a surface route for just the last part. For the two or three times I was out front of the Alamo, I must confess, I didn’t go in. The outside is much smaller than I think people expect. It doesn’t stand near as tall as it is depicted. Still, an important piece of history in a city with loads of history.

When I planned the trip, and then heard about the March for Our Lives I decided that if there was a march in San Antonio I would try to participate. For whatever else you may think there are things about the movement that I consider positive. And I can support that. So vacation or no, a few hours to go support a cause and support the people organizing it, was the right thing to do.

There were two marches in San Antonio on Saturday. First there was the Ceasar Chavez march and then around noon was the March for Our Lives. It was interesting to get there early and watch the crowd gather and to read the signs. Unfortunately, at a certain
point where I was, we really couldn’t hear the student speakers. And there were student speakers, as well as a few others. It’s quite a moving experience to stand with people that are doing what they can to make a difference. There was one scene in particular that I found as powerful as the students coming together. We started at City Hall, which is across the street from the Cathedral, and at one point I turned around to no less than what I thought was 5 members of the clergy standing together. As it turns out, I have a few pictures of at least 6. And I know for sure at least 2 of them marched along side us.

There were also the very young there, who as is being reported, now have active shooter drills in school. When I was their age, all I had to worry about were tornado drills in Oklahoma, earthquake drills in California, and fire drills everywhere. So for some those young people were why they were marching.

I met some really nice people while waiting to step off on the walk and they were kind enough to let me stay near by them. John took some of the more aerial pictures for me as he’s a little taller than I am. And Sherry kept the evangelical with the portable PA system at bay. Every time he got close, spouting his rhetoric, she started up one of the slogans for the march and we all echoed back to shut him down. I didn’t get a picture with them but they did take this picture of me at the end of the march.

From the march, my plan was to head back to Market Square and watch a gentleman, that I met at the Corynation line, dance Folklorico. I thought he was dancing around 2:00pm but as it turned out, he had danced earlier so I missed it. I did stay to watch the women from a local dance studio perform some Flamenco and Folklorico dances. There were a couple who were quite talented.

I had intended to watch the light show in front of the Cathedral that night as well but honestly, by the time I got back to the hotel after the Market, I kind of knew I was wearing out. Saturday was the day I discovered the only down side to the trip. It rains pollen. Really. I was standing at City Hall for the pre-march rally and saw these weird yellow spots on the people in front of me, and then some on my stuff. And then I saw it fall from the sky. Yep. It rains pollen. Little pollen bombs.

I had hoped to get to see some local music at one of the bars or pubs or whatever but was having a hard time finding it. Possibly because at that point I really hadn’t gotten too far from the Riverwalk area. I might have had more luck if I’d gone a little farther out. And no, the Hard Rock Cafe did not have live music that weekend. I did finally find some Saturday at Mad Dogs. The duo was called Box String Duo. They both sang and one guy was on guitar and the other on cajon. I stayed until they took a break and then kept wandering. But I was about to wear out. Stay tuned. There was even more on Sunday.

 

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Sometimes You Just Have To

Posted on March 27, 2018 by SusanG

Remember how I said I was traveling this week? For those of you that saw any of my social media posts this weekend then you already know where I went and some of what I did. For those of you that didn’t get a chance to see any of those posts or even just a portion of them, I’ll try to fill you in.

My ticket for Olivia Newton-John at the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio, TX on March 23, 2018

I went to San Antonio, Texas to see Olivia Newton-John in concert. It was one of the last dates of performances listed at her website as well as Ticket Master and Live Nation at the time I looked. I dithered for a bit deciding if I wanted to go to San Antonio, the next to last date, or Lake Charles, the last date listed. The Lake Charles performance was in a casino venue and San Antonio was in a theater called the Majestic Theatre. I had never been to either place so both would be an adventure. It came down to the fact that I knew there was a lot to see in San Antonio so it would be worth it to spend the weekend. All I knew about Lake Charles was that the concert was at a casino and I’m not much of a gambler or casino person. So. San Antonio.

Plaque outside of the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio, TX telling about it.

As I was looking up what to do and see in San Antonio, besides the Alamo, I found out that the Majestic Theatre is a historic theatre and considered one of the sites to see in San Antonio. That was a nice little bonus to this trip. I was liking this choice even more.

I don’t like hassling parking for concerts even at home so I tried to find a place to stay that would be close enough to the theatre that I could walk and not have to hassle a parking garage or any other parking. There are several hotels right around there, probably because the it’s only a block or two off the Riverwalk and walking distance to the Alamo. So I chose a place on the Riverwalk and a couple of blocks from the Majestic Theatre.

The marquee of the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio, TX announcing the show for Olivia Newton-John

I don’t like cutting things to close when I travel for events so I flew in Thursday for a Friday night concert. I used Thursday to check out the Riverwalk and find some good Mexican food. And I walked over to the theatre and got a shot of the marquee out front.
The day of the concert I had to wander past the theatre to see if the buses were there yet. They weren’t at first so I wandered over to the box office. There was this line so I walked up to find out what was going on.

They were waiting in line for Corynation tickets. When I walked by the box office the night before I saw something about Corynation but didn’t have a clue what it was. So I asked. It’s a play put on as part of Fiesta that covers the significant events in San Antonio during the previous year. I spent about an hour talking with these ladies about San Antonio and things in general until they were finally able to get their tickets. They were great fun and while I didn’t get their names, they did allow me to snap a picture of their smiling faces and charming personalities.

A really great group of ladies I met in front of the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio, TX. They were waiting in line for Corynation tickets. They were really fun to talk to.

As I was visiting with the ladies in front of the theatre the tour buses pulled up out back. I strolled by and tried to look in the back stage area without being obvious but saw nothing so on my way I went. I wandered around the block again later figuring they might be doing the sound check and I might be able to hear something but it was all closed up by then and if they were doing a sound check then that place was well insulated. I stopped and spoke with someone who works for the Majestic and he was telling me a little about the place. Like, that the constellation on the ceiling is the same as the one in the sky on opening night. Also, he said it seats about 2400 people. Its sister theatre on the same block seats about 800. But 2400 people? Really? Wow, this was going to be a nice intimate setting. It’s also beautiful inside and has great acoustics.

The view of the stage as I walked into the theatre at the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio, TX

When I came back later for the show that same person I spoke with earlier was there working valet. He recognized me and welcomed me back. It was a little before the doors were due to open and he said he heard them rehearsing in there and it sounded great.
Around this time some one else who works there happened by and after a couple of questions she asked about my seat so I showed her my ticket. She said I had an excellent seat because even though it was row E on that side there was no row A. I had a fourth row
seat. This didn’t register completely until I started walking to my seat and getting closer, and closer, and closer to the stage. Holy Cow! I really had a fourth row seat.

The view of the stage from my seat. No zoom used. This is how it looked to the naked eye. Majestic Theatre, San Antonio, TX March 23, 2018

She came over to check on me and then managed to do what was in her power to add a little to the evening. It was not in her power to get me an autograph or back stage, but she did add something extra to the experience. I saw her as I was leaving the theatre and thanked her. As I was looking back at the stage she tells me, ‘she’s not coming back out or I would have told you.’

I could give you a review of the concert and probably a complete set list even but this is already getting to be a long post so, I will try to keep it brief and still hit some of the things that stuck out for me.

We were asked before she came out not to take pictures at her request. And I will say, I think most people respected that. The few that didn’t were very quickly asked to put the phone away. As much as I would have liked to have snapped a shot, I didn’t out of respect. So, all my picture of the stage and theatre are from before the show. You can see pictures of her on the Majestic Theatre’s FaceBook page. There are some good shots.

As far as Olivia Newton-John’s performance? The woman can sing a guitar solo. No really. She sang along with the guitar solo in the song ‘Physical’. After 30 years or so of singing the song it’s not remarkable that she would know it. To me, it’s remarkable that she can, and does, sing it. There is a ‘grown up’ arrangement/version of the song ‘Physical’. I’ve heard it and I prefer it. It’s the version I was hoping she would play. And for a few bars it looked like that’s what they were going to do. Until she announced that she wasn’t ready to be grown up yet. So they switched to the regular version. I was a little disappointed, I admit, and then I realized she was singing the guitar solo. After doing jumping jacks. Yeah.

Her guitarist for the night was Andy Timmons which was cool because I’ve seen where he’s done a few things with her in the past. (Check the liner notes on her 2 CD for starters.) I’ll be looking him up soon as he’s apparently got quite a bit of his own thing going on as well.

I loved the choices of songs for the set list. She did the ones you would expect from Grease and Xanadu, as well as ‘Physical’ and a medley of some of her earlier songs. She did a song from the CD she released, and was supposed to tour for, just before her original bout with breast cancer. She sang a couple of the environmental songs she wrote. Really lovely songs. She did briefly discuss her most recent dealing with breast cancer. I think it was in introducing the song ‘Live On’. This is the point where I think we brought her close to tears. The support, and out pouring you could hear from the audience was incredible. It had a completely different sound and vibe than all the other cheering of the night. This was genuine affection at the word that she’s doing well. Afterwards, I met a man who came with his mother who is also a breast cancer survivor.

Another view inside the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio, TX. This would have been visible from the stage when the lights were up. It’s a small taste of some really incredible decor in the theatre.

Olivia Newton-John was fabulous. She was funny, engaging, she sounded great and seemed to be happy to be there. There were several times in between songs where they brought up the house lights so she could see everyone. The crowd knew the words to most of the songs and there were a few that she probably could have stopped singing and they would have finished them for her. It was something cool to get to hear. At the end she sang her thanks and gratitude by closing with the songs ‘Grace and Gratitude’ and ‘I Honestly Love You’. And then, she and Andy Timmons came out with acoustic guitar and encored with ‘The Long And Winding Road’. 

It was a gorgeous concert. Simple, no flash, fun, and just a great experience. And, were it possible I would do it again, a hundred times. 

And that was just Friday. Already I was glad I had chosen to go to San Antonio. It was turning out to be a really great trip. And I still had two more days in San Antonio. Give me a day or so and I’ll fill you in on the rest of the trip.

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Remembering How to Breathe

Posted on March 20, 2018 by SusanG

Usually when I sit down to write my post I have pretty good idea of what I want to share. It may take me a few iterations and several passes with spell check to get it right, but I at least have an idea of where to start. This week, my head is so full of things going on, things I need to do, events coming up and things I want to get to, that, sorting through it all is a bit like trying to look for something in boxes, behind heavy curtains in a dark room and the batteries in the flash light are dead. So, join me while I sort through a few of my mental boxes and see what I can share with you.

I’m going to start with a nice deep belly breath and a big exhale. Join me. It feels pretty good. Breathing is one of those things filling my head right now. I know, we just do it, why would you think about it? Well for a few reasons. Starting with singing. A friend was watching some of the videos I’ve posted of my Blues Jam sessions and as much as she enjoyed them, she shared with me that she found herself trying to breathe for me. I am very grateful to her for pointing this out. She’s right, I haven’t been breathing properly. It would help a lot if I did though. It would help with my vocals, and it would help with my nerves. Remember those shaking legs. They might still shake but they might try to keep in time with the beat a bit better.

There’s some irony in her pointing this out as well as some synchronicity.

The irony first. I was watching a YouTube of a talk show that had made a visit to a vocal studio and they specifically discussed breathing. Particularly as it related to how a singer could hold a note for so long and whether or not it had to do with lung capacity. It doesn’t, just in case you were wondering. One of the things it has to do with is how they breathe. From the belly. To go along with that, I had been watching a video performance of Olivia Newton-John and at one point, where the camera is, if you know what you are watching, you can see her do that belly breathing as she sings a couple of the phrases, one after the other. It’s kind of cool in a geeky sort of way.

The synchronicity? The next day, after my conversation with the friend about my breathing, I had a yoga class. The focus of that yoga class was breathing. Deep belly breathing and connecting with the breath. If you’ve taken a yoga class, then you are probably aware that breathing is very important in yoga. It is in Taekwondo too, though it’s not always explicitly taught, like it seems to be in yoga. Talk about the Universe trying to tell you something. So here I am, basically, remembering how to breathe. It may be
what gets me through everything I’ve set out for myself and whatever else comes along.

Remembering to breathe will get me through the airport this week. I’m traveling, to go see a concert. I’ll tell you all about it when I get back. Though, if you follow me on social media, watch for some updates. If you don’t follow me and want to, there are some links to the side here. I’m excited about the trip; however, it does cause some disruption to routine and adds a load of stuff to think about and remember. Like what to take. My concert ticket. What to pack to wear. Yeah that’s a whole other issue. What other things to pack. Getting to the airport. Getting a sitter for my pets. Making sure my home is not filthy so I won’t be
embarrassed for the sitter to come in. Taking out the trash before I go. You know the drill.

In all of this I have managed to work on some music and some painting. I worked on that second pass of the Flame Red for the Ovation Painting. I made quite a bit of progress and if I weren’t traveling this week, I’d be finishing it up and moving on to the next step. Which will probably be the blending layer of red. That’s where my thoughts are on this piece so I might as well get those cleared out so I can make space to think about how I want to handle the fret board and a few other areas that will require some color mixing. I took a picture of the progress for you.

Music is the easiest thing for me to work on, or remember to work on. If I walk into the music room and turn on the amplifier and don’t have an exit strategy, I can be there for hours, and like now my tea will be way to strong and dead cold. I poured a cup of tea and forgot about it while I was writing this for you. As a result, I did get quite a bit of practice time in for both guitar and vocal. And yes after my conversation about breathing, I had to go right in there and experiment and try it out.

I’ve been practicing guitar so much lately I have worn the strings on my Gibson out to where they are sounding a bit dull. It’s already time to change the strings that I just put on in December. Unfortunately, I don’t have another pack of the ones I put on there so I ordered some. Since the strings are not here yet I have been playing other guitars. I found two more that needed new strings. Those I had a spare set of strings for each so I have changed them. I have one more that, while the strings don’t sound bad, the ones that are on it were some I was trying out to see how I like them. They are ok. I don’t like them. So I want to change those to the strings I like. Which I have a spare set of. However, this is the classical guitar and restringing it is usually the more time consuming restring of the six-string guitars I have. Oh, but that Schecter. With the locking tuners. Wow. That was a quick and easy restring. Here’s a shot of my tools and one of my string surgery patients.

I suppose, on the surface, it doesn’t seem like I’m that busy. I just come home and play guitar and sing, or paint. It’s not like I’m in a band and have rehearsal several nights a week and performances other nights. And unlike my very talented friend in Austin who is an artist, I’m not preparing for an art show, or writing articles for artist magazines. But that’s just the surface. And all of it takes large amounts of time. But every once in a while, you get an unexpected opportunity that makes you stop a moment, admire and breathe. Here’s one I tried to capture one morning this week as I was getting ready for the day job. My camera doesn’t do it near the justice it deserved.

While you enjoy that, I’m going to take a deep breath and enjoy the song that’s playing on my computer before I plunge into my week. There’s so much going on. I hope to have really fun and cool stuff to share with you when I get back from my trip. No, you won’t have to sit through a slide show of my vacation photos. I’ll try to keep them to an important minimum. See you then.

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