Reflections

Many years ago I was what might be qualified as a frequent flier
I flew so often that I got so tired of the whole concept
re fly, so you can be there much quicker than you would be if you drove.
I got to SO want to drive
because it meant more quiet time for me

In the pre 911 days flying was much more enjoyable
security was basically non existant
you could carry your stuff without scrutiny
no one cared, nor did they pretend to

I always stressed over the connecting flights,
many were the times that I was reduced to an OJ Simpson parody,
madly dashing between terminals
almost always missing the connecting flight
only to be told that, hey,
too bad, kid.

I found that if I pounded the countertop with my fist
and raised my voice
I would get comp tickets
and sometimes the ticket person would actually call a competing airline and get me a seat!
Back then, they would also comp me a room
now they let you swing
no more rooms, it got too expensive for them
and I got too tired of having to amp up to get anyone to deal with me.
They usually wore me down
and I would walk away


Other times I remember layovers of many hours
walking from one terminal to another.
At least the large cities had a lot of diversions in their airports
I can remember doing things like going into the stores
reading books and magazines,
going into the arcades and playing video games
always losing, BTW
Tasting the extremely overpriced foods.
Finding my way to the bar and sampling the horribly overpriced drinks
Watching local crap on the little TV set.

Walking around
looking at the people
and the ATM machines
and the stores
and the insurance machines.
I never bought any insurance from them, though.

One thing that I thought was kinda cool was a massage table set up in Ohio.
One could get rubbed down for $25
I was always too cheap to spring for it
I knew, in the back of my mind,
that I was a better masseuse than the people manning the table
Sometimes it is easy to feel things about people by looking in their eyes
and those people had dead eyes
So I never went in for it.
I did think that ,
Hey, I could do this someday,
if I ever needed $$ bad enough

Security was composed of fools back then
in those innocent days
Which makes me wonder just how much better (or worse) security could actually become.
I think a subversive could always find ways to beat the system,
which is a scary thought.

I always had trouble breathing
when I returned home
and took the bus to the long term parking lot
wondering if my ride was still there

it always felt good to see it sitting there
waiting for me
yet I had to walk around it
and look for new dents, or flat tires
Rarely was I disappointed

And as I drove north
seeing the "Entering Massachusetts" sign always felt pretty good
as did driving down familiarly named streets
Returning home always felt good

Being away stirs strange emotions
I was always the oldest one in the classes
and the kids always went out to party after classes

Dinner
then many drinks
and always felt like crap in class the next day


The older I got, the less I was interested in joining in the festivities
I got to the point where I would
hit the restaurant closest to the hotel
and then head to my room
leaving the party people to revel without me

I always took note of the house bands
Holiday Inn bands are composed of the same people
They are low rent wannabe's
Over the course of 15 years
I watched the SAME BAND
at the same hotel in Ohio
they kept buying more equipment over the years
yet
their talent was marginal at best
and they had worked the same place for more than a decade and a half
Can you say Twilight Zone?


I would watch their shows and ask to sit in
after a few years they knew me
and would make a big deal out of inviting the bluesguy from the northeast up to their stage
and I would drag their terrible rhythm section through a shuffle or two

There ain't enough $$ for me to do that for so long
they looked so worn down
yet that was all they knew
if they stopped doing that
they woulda had to wait tables or wash dishes
and They thought they were SO special
so they were trapped in the prison of their own making

When I travelled
I spent most of my time as an observer
I watched the kids from the sticks
get loaded and get into trouble
I watched the foreigners from overseas
get sidetracked by drunken hillbillies
All I ever wanted was to just get the hell outta there

Sitting in the room
watching TV
in another tonezone
is very strange

locals are settled in
yet it's so early
I could never sleep enough
when I was on the road
I sat up alone
wondering what was I doing there

Watching the weather on the local TV channel always made me sad
the weatherperson would point to some unfamiliar area of the map
while giving out the forcast
sigh
I just wanted out

At the end of the seminars
I would always try to finagle an early exit
back in those days you could call the airport and reschedule your flight out for free
so I would

They started charging $50 to reschedule flights
towards the end of my working career
which kinda killed the whole "get out of class early" thing for me
I got to the point where I never had the desire to fly again.

So I thought
hey,
a cruise would be so cool

Until I read about the people getting sick while on a ship
so that kinda killed the ship thing for me

Now I think quiet nights looking at the full moon are just fine

The Pines Theater

The Pines Theater, located at Look Park in Northampton, MA, is a wonderful outdoor venue for experiencing live music. We were lucky enough to be invited back, (for the 6th year in a row) to be a part of the 23rd annual Picking in the Pines festival, put on by Roger Salloom.

www.Rogersalloom.com

Performing outside is always special to me. Watching all the families out there on their blankets, with their small children running nonstop all over the area, makes me appreciate summer even more.

Next week: Biker party in Monson!

Got Strings?

If it's got strings, I'll try to play it.

Spring.

Turn off the oil burner for the season. Get some propane for the grill. Prepare the bike for riding. Hang the clothes 0utside on the solar clothes dryer (clothesline)
Hang up the heavy coat in the closet. Swap out the snow tires on the bus. Record Janet's solo CD. Write some tunes for my solo CD. Learn new tunes for the live show. Book some festivals.

It's going to be a great summer...