![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
catsittingstillHi, I guess I should start with I’m alive; sorry I’ve been gone so long.
I’m actually back because it has been a weird day and this is the best place I know to unpack thoughts that might take some time.
I found out this morning that my friend Beth died last night. It wasn’t a big surprise; we knew she was very sick, but at the same time it was pretty sudden. I saw her about 10 days ago and she wasn’t well but she was still at home. The medication she was on was making her feel pretty rotten and I didn’t spend much time with her. I had actually been thinking, earlier this morning, that I should give her a call and find out if she was feeling better and if she’d like me to come visit and play some songs.
So I guess the take home from that is that friends are treasures we don’t get to keep forever, and you should tell them you love them now, while that is a possible thing.
I was supposed to play instrumental tunes at the Wild Plum (a tea house about an hour away, in the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area) today. I kind of spaced it to the point where I had to call ahead and say I was going to be late, but I did go. Playing on a shaded porch for three hours was actually just the ticket—I was really into the laments today but it was very peaceful and the people were all friendly and kind and I had a couple of groups that went out of their way to sit near me specifically to listen and say kind things between songs.
I made $39 in tips, which is $29 after gas money, but I’m not complaining. A lot of why I do this to desensitize myself to having an audience. I was having a lot of problems with 40% of my playing ability evaporating the moment I got up in front of people and I feel like playing at the Plum is really helping with that, and I’m grateful. Today I also felt genuinely useful; the Plum has only one chef (and right now only 1 server, at least on Friday) and so people without reservations (and sometimes people with) have to wait quite a while sometimes. At a couple of points I was playing for about 15 people. Some of them had to wait 40 minutes or so to get a table, and I only saw a couple of small groups give up and leave. So that made me feel good.
I need to learn some more peaceful pieces; the energetic pieces are good, but it would be nice to have a larger repertoire of calming things for when people are getting restless.
I also need to think about writing a lament for Beth, maker of jewels, painter of mimmoths, keeper of the knowledge of flowers.
I’m actually back because it has been a weird day and this is the best place I know to unpack thoughts that might take some time.
I found out this morning that my friend Beth died last night. It wasn’t a big surprise; we knew she was very sick, but at the same time it was pretty sudden. I saw her about 10 days ago and she wasn’t well but she was still at home. The medication she was on was making her feel pretty rotten and I didn’t spend much time with her. I had actually been thinking, earlier this morning, that I should give her a call and find out if she was feeling better and if she’d like me to come visit and play some songs.
So I guess the take home from that is that friends are treasures we don’t get to keep forever, and you should tell them you love them now, while that is a possible thing.
I was supposed to play instrumental tunes at the Wild Plum (a tea house about an hour away, in the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area) today. I kind of spaced it to the point where I had to call ahead and say I was going to be late, but I did go. Playing on a shaded porch for three hours was actually just the ticket—I was really into the laments today but it was very peaceful and the people were all friendly and kind and I had a couple of groups that went out of their way to sit near me specifically to listen and say kind things between songs.
I made $39 in tips, which is $29 after gas money, but I’m not complaining. A lot of why I do this to desensitize myself to having an audience. I was having a lot of problems with 40% of my playing ability evaporating the moment I got up in front of people and I feel like playing at the Plum is really helping with that, and I’m grateful. Today I also felt genuinely useful; the Plum has only one chef (and right now only 1 server, at least on Friday) and so people without reservations (and sometimes people with) have to wait quite a while sometimes. At a couple of points I was playing for about 15 people. Some of them had to wait 40 minutes or so to get a table, and I only saw a couple of small groups give up and leave. So that made me feel good.
I need to learn some more peaceful pieces; the energetic pieces are good, but it would be nice to have a larger repertoire of calming things for when people are getting restless.
I also need to think about writing a lament for Beth, maker of jewels, painter of mimmoths, keeper of the knowledge of flowers.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-14 12:35 am (UTC)I'm sorry for your loss. Having lost someone recently, I can sympathize. If we remember right, you like hugs. (((Here are some))) if you want them.
We're in Ohio now-though I wish we could have come to your performance, that would've been fun.
-T^SPC~
no subject
Date: 2019-09-16 05:40 pm (UTC)Whereabouts in Ohio, if you don't mind my asking? I live in East Tennessee, in a small town called Jefferson City.
Are you coming to OVFF (the Ohio Valley Filk Festival) near the end of October? It would be great to see you there.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-16 06:00 pm (UTC)We're in Painesville. It's about 45 minutes outside of cleveland by car.
We're a licensed massage therapist there now, and are trying to get pledges of massage time in order to pay our way-and no one has responded yet.
We wre at last years )Our badge is usualy Fallon&
we_are_spc, or something similar; we were the ones who requested Least of our Kind last year, and ended up with an entire "pack" of werewolves. :d
We're in the negative on the bank account right now because we haven't got a steady clientell, so if we can't find around $150 or so, we're stuck here. :(
-T~
no subject
Date: 2019-09-14 03:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-09-16 05:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-09-14 01:53 pm (UTC)But glad to hear the gig went well, sounds like you had a good time.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-16 05:41 pm (UTC)And yes, I did feel like the gig went well and I had a good time.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-16 05:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-09-16 05:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-09-16 07:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-09-26 12:29 pm (UTC)