This is an open and unfiltered diary-style journal
on the life of James Robert Smith.
This blog will contain sometimes graphic experiences (both beautiful and ugly),
sometimes stark insight, and all honest and factual documentation of dreams, diet, activity, and thoughts.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Blueberries, and Almond Milk. English
Breakfast Tea.
At the Rec working out and exercising.
PB&J Bagel. Coffee.
Catching up on business.
My dad and his wife are in town. The two of them link up
with me at the house – playing with Elvis. Then, at Music Makers I help get
these band guys set up in the 104 space – they’re all veterinarian eye doctors
from out of town reuniting.
Then, my dad, his wife, Rebecca, and I go out for dinner at
Bubba’s Seafood off Shore Drive. Enjoying the view of the marina with all the
boats passing by while we clobber down crab cakes and oysters.
...
Grabbing some gelato at Gelati Celesti afterwards.
An aquarium in what’s understood to be my room. The water
starts rising up out of it but somehow still maintain the rectangular shape of
the aquarium. I’m tasked with feeding the fish. There’s about 10 or so
specialized goldfish but they aren’t ordinary size. For some reason they’re
called “Pikachu”. Some of them come flying out and landing on the carpet. It’s
my responsibility to save them. It’s understood they truly can’t survive more
than 5 seconds outside of water. Unfortunately, I can’t save them all.
▬☼
Waking up around noon.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Blueberries, and Almond Milk. English
Breakfast Tea.
At the Rec exercising. It’s been so hot out I don’t feel a
strong motivation to go hard today.
Eggs. Kale/Carrots. Bagel. Coffee.
At Music Makers teaching lessons.
Quick dinner of Beans, Quinoa, Pea Shoots, Tomatoes, and
Garlic Bread.
Wes picks me up in his truck for Ladada practice. We just
run through the set pretty swimmingly.
Popped Chips.
Earlier my Mill composter thing came in the mail. I un-box
and set everything up in the kitchen. This thing is pretty smart and automatic.
Just gotta add most anything edible like food scrapings and things. After a few
weeks I can send this compost, which will have turned to dirt, back to the
company, then they will feed chickens.
This stupid clog in our bathroom tub is annoying. Poor
Michael keeps thinking he can rinse food plates in his bathroom sink but it
causes a buildup in ours for some reason.
Driving out to Norfolk for the highly anticipated local show
at The NorVa. Demons, Community Witch, Wandcarver, Rose Milk, and Karacell
brought the big guns to the stage. Mingling with friends. Very proud to be a
part of the music scene. The crowd really filled the place out.
After party at Chicho’s around the block. It’s Drew Orton’s
birthday today also. There’s karaoke, pizza, and beer.
Then, some of us migrate down the street to Bugatti’s, an after
hours bar with Euro dive club vibes. It’s supposed to be a members only place
but somehow Drew used his magical birthday powers and got us all in. Inside it
feels like we’re in another country or maybe even a secret club found at Busch
Gardens – random European murals on the wall with the paint peeling off –
flooded bathrooms – $9 Modelo’s – and very loud house music. I hang with old
friends and make some new. The dance floor is poppin!
After work, Rebecca invited me to dinner with her dad and
his wife – they happen to be in town. He treats us to Hot Tuna then ice cream.
I listen to stories about his building jobs and how he plays guitar.
After that, Wes and I ride out to Ladada practice in
Norfolk. We finally got new shirts printed! Working through all the songs we
know. Chatting late into the night.
Back home. Feeling exhausted. Playing with Elvis and doing
chores.
I keep the car parked at the studio near one of the bright lights
so I can work on replacing all the door handles on my car. It’s always much
more involved than you think it’s gonna be but I stay committed till the job is
done.
Back home after 1 a.m. making a late dinner for myself.
Black Beans, Quinoa, Baby Broccoli, Carrots, and Garlic
Bread.
At the Rec Center exercising and shooting the basketball
around.
Eggs. Spinach. English Muffin. Coffee.
Watching Atlanta.
Meeting a guy out in Oceanview to buy these uniform
containers. He’s got a thousand of these Rite Aid and Dollar General delivery
containers stacked up in his backyard. The mosquitoes are biting me very
liberally during the transaction.
Then at the practice space for Ladada – my plan was to
vacuum the rugs in here, which haven’t been cleaned since I don’t know when.
Meanwhile, Josiah texts me out of the blue saying him and Josh are gonna jam.
So I inevitably join them – it turns out to be a productive Bamm Bamm practice.
...
James Graves links up with us and we venture to Torch Bistro
near Smartmouth in the Chelsea District for dinner and drinks. A post birthday
hang – James buys all my drinks.
Then, we migrate over to Taphouse down the street. Shannon
and Aaron meet us here. Suddenly, Sasha Rigney walks in out of the blue and
joins us with beers. I haven’t seen her in a long time.
At some point its last call. Josh has lost his phone –
something he manages to do often. We all attempt to search with no luck.
...
Despite, some of our group decides to drive up to this hole
in the wall dive bar called PJ’s 19th Hole, a very divey place that
stays open till 6 a.m. There’s underwear strung up across the ceiling – the
smell of cigarettes but not too overwhelming. Allyson and Rusty link up with
us. We mostly stay gathered around the foosball table throwing in quarter after
quarter. Sasha and I stay teamed up throughout the night. I’m over drinking you
could say but it’s good to let loose every now and then.
I end up at Rusty’s apartment with Allyson. I sleep on his
couch for the night.
Congratulations,
Robert. You’ve made it to 39 years old. Happy Birthday!
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Blueberries, and Almond Milk. English
Breakfast Tea.
I decide to treat myself to the gym – haven’t been in a long
while. I really need to get back into the rhythm of exercise. At the Rec Center
listening to music and pumping the iron and row machine.
PB&J Bagel. Banana. Coffee.
Catching up on work.
Later on, Rebecca takes me to a birthday dinner at Hearth.
We almost had to wait a long time but providence got us a table in 20 minutes.
Sipping on an Old Fashioned – enjoying pizza and fries. Across the street we
make it just in time for ice cream at Lolly’s. The dude ringing us up happened
to have a deck of Uno cards. I comment about how slow it must’ve been for those
to be out. Somehow we end up playing a game the three of us – as it’s
sprinkling rain.
...
After all that we organize some of the Broadway stuff in the
storage room at my place. A little play and treat time with Elvis. Then, I help
bring over a desk to her place – meanwhile, playing with her cats.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Blueberries, and Almond Milk. English
Breakfast Tea.
Catching up on business.
Returning this God forsaken shelf to Lowe’s.
Eggs. Kale. English Muffins. Coffee.
Teaching lessons at Music Makers.
Black Beans, Tuna, Salad, Rice, and Garlic Bread.
Wes and I ride out to Ladada practice – it’s of course been
a while – but we kick it big time working on some new songs and ironing out my
harmony parts.
At home. I help Michael lift these giant speakers up the
stairs – probably the heaviest thing I’ve ever lifted in my life. Taking the
recycle out.
Chores – helping Michael lug some stuff from his Jeep.
Eggs. Kale. Bagel. Coffee.
Teaching lessons at Music Makers.
Protein Shake.
Attempting to figure out how to put this shelf together I
got from Lowe’s. It’s supposed to be simple cause it has no bolts or screws but
honestly it makes it more difficult.
Finally finishing the gargantuan shelf in the storage room.
Organizing all the bins and doing more cleaning.
Catching up on business at the computer.
PB&J. Coffee. Fruit.
Later on, Rebecca and I attend the Rich Theatre’s production
of Beauty and the Beast Jr at Spring Branch Community Church. Alexa and Reese
are in it. It’s cool seeing how this show works – they have really good
costumes and set pieces – a really great size room with a good sound system.
Although, some of the kid’s mics were gained way up and often distorted. But
really well done.
Afterwards, we grab some dinner at Las Palmas. We choose the
patio but to our dismay the chairs screech every time somebody moves them –
it’s on par with the jet noise cause you can’t really talk over the horrid
sound haha. Despite we get into some debates over the ELO band – things just
aren’t looking good as far as money and the future of her involvement.
Back in the neighborhood playing with Elvis for a while,
then I hang at her place – her cats are thoroughly entertaining.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Blueberries, and Almond Milk. English
Breakfast Tea.
Eggs. Spinach. English Muffin. Coffee.
Teaching lessons at Music Makers.
Afterwards, I get off early and hitch the trailer to the
truck. At the unit getting all the shelving and big stuff out of there to be
moved into the house.
Vegan Hot Dog with Five Guys French Fries.
Watching Black Mirror.
Then, back to work. I recruit Aluan, the roommate, to help
strategically move the long heavy ass shelves into Taha’s old bedroom. This
whole shelf thing is such a daunting and time consuming task. But I keep
working at it. Working up a sweat.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Blueberries, and Almond Milk. English
Breakfast Tea.
Running errands. Dismantling this heavy ass shelf at the
storage unit.
Eggs. Kale. Biscuits. Coffee.
Teaching lessons at Music Makers.
Afterwards, talking with Rebecca in depth about ELO and
other things. She’s been in a very pessimistic and hopeless state the past few
weeks. I’ve found it really hard to help ring her out of it but most things
involving the band are out of my control.
Black Beans, Brown Rice, Veggies, and Garlic Bread.
Watching They Cloned
Tyrone (2023).
Back at the studio late at night trying to record some
harmonies – mostly just tossing around ideas cause my voice seems to be going
out.
Rebecca and I ride out to Nigel’s house for a meeting with
him, us, Casey, and Ron to discuss all the money issues in the band and all get
on the same page. I think this was important and somewhat productive. We still
don’t really arrive at any immediate solutions to help with the band debt owed
to all of us. But Ron and I are gonna be stepping in to offer consulting.
I drive the bus from Nigel’s to my neighborhood.
Running some errands.
Eggs. English Muffins. Spinach. Salt n Vinegar Chips.
Coffee.
Teaching lessons at Music Makers.
At the warehouse doing a few things and troubleshooting the
electrical on the trailer connected to my truck.
At Music Makers I meet with a lady named Jordan Garrett, a
potential new teacher. We get to know each other a little bit and talk about
Music Makers and everything that goes on. Super knowledgeable and passes the vibe
check.
Catching up on some business.
Running errands.
Eggs. Spinach. Bagel. Blueberry Muffin. Coffee.
I drive out to the Norfolk Smartmouth for Norfolk Day. A few
of my friend’s bands are playing: Pet Name, The Lazy Dangers, and Ana’s solo
project Grass Maiden. It’s nice hanging with friends I don’t always get to see.
Aaron’s working the beer counter and slings some beers Josiah and I’s way.
Grabbing a dog from Ghost Kitchen.
Back home. Organizing things.
Chilling in the living room. I end up falling asleep on the
couch while Elvis knocks his mouse feeders around.
Waking up around noon after dreaming of dirty toilets.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Blueberries, and Almond Milk. English
Breakfast Tea.
Driving over to Nigel’s. Ron and I meet with him briefly to
discuss some finance changes and other issues in the band. Then Ron gives me a
lift to pick up the bus.
Eggs. Spinach. Salt n Vinegar Chips. English Muffin. Coffee.
The rest of the day is cleaning day! I take on the
downstairs and upstairs bathroom – cleaning the toilets, shower, and sink.
Then, doing another load from the storage unit.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Blueberries, and Almond Milk. English
Breakfast Tea.
Running errands. Dropping by the trailer place to inspect
the truck for potentially pulling the trailer with it temporarily. Then,
picking up some premature checks from Nigel’s house. I catch him in the middle
of a hold on a phone call with the phone people to ask about replacing his
phone.
Eggs. Spinach. English Muffin. Coffee.
Teaching lessons at Music Makers.
There’s been a lot of financial unrest as of late, and
especially within the ELO band. We’re trying to plan a meeting later in the
week to address these issues.
Black Beans, Salmon, Kale, Carrots, Brown Rice, and Garlic
Bread.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Blueberries, and Almond Milk. English
Breakfast Tea.
Catching up on business and scheduling.
Allyson is sick today so I come in to work the front desk at
Music Makers – I only had one lesson anyway and just moved it.
PB&J. Coffee.
After work, I drive the bus over to the truck fleet shop. On
the way I witness the most beautiful and unique sunset I’ve ever seen. It looks
like one of those 80’s sunburst pictures.
...
I recruit Roxanne to give me a ride. We stop by Mr.
Shawarma’s for a quick dinner, as a favor. We talk about negativity in life and
how to combat it. She’s been living out of her van during the week. It’s been
kind of cool hanging with her the few times I have.
Back home. A lot of cleaning and organizing ensues – mainly
in Taha’s old bedroom. Downstairs I reorganize the living room to make room for
his black futon couch. Ana’s boxes of stuff had to move also. It really opens
it up in here.
Waking up off and on throughout the morning on the tour bus
– every now and then I shake around – bob and weave while Bob is rocking the
steering wheel sweeping through the windy roads of our route back home.
We eventually arrive at the warehouse in VB – unloading the
trailer and saying our goodbyes. I drive the bus back home – lugging all the
crap back inside. I’m happy to see Elvis.
9 a.m. bus call this morning. Leaving Lakeside, Ohio. We all
pile into the bus and van.
Banana and tea. Then napping in the back.
...
Getting some computer things done.
Arriving at The Murphy Theatre in Wilmington, Ohio. We just
played here nine months ago – they loved us so much they booked us again.
Loading in and setting up the stage. Only problem today is there isn’t any
muscle capable stage hands except for a few helpful older guys.
Sound check goes a little better than yesterday after we
ironed out all the kinks.
They feed us a wonderful homemade pasta filled with veggies
and chicken.
The first half of the show goes pretty well. But somewhere
during intermission Kevin starts losing enthusiasm. Ron and him are talking it
out in one of the dressing rooms. Even though he’s been drinking that’s not the
root of the problem – it’s a mismanagement of money, mainly how Nigel handles
everything.
...
Somehow we get on the stage for the second set but not
without a few hiccups.
The load out and pack takes a bit of extra work on Carlos
and I’s part but we get it done with everyone else’s help too. Out in the alley
we all bid our farewells cause everyone has an overnight drive tonight.
Attempting to sleep in the back of the bus while Bob drives
us through rocky terrain – I think I’m actually getting airtime lol.
We all pile into the bus and van. Driving into Lakeside
Marblehead, a gated community of tightly woven neighborhoods – absolutely
beautiful and quaint.
Loading into the Hoover Auditorium – a vast room with giant
ceiling fans and a tabernacle feel.
...
Things are somewhat stressful today cause it’s been a long
time since we’ve done an ELO show and the whole system needs to be rewired and
lines checked – so everything takes longer than expected. Plus, Nigel wanted us
to dress up for sound check to capture some video footage we don’t normally
have the opportunity to get.
Walking (and some golf carting) over to Lakeside Hotel, a
place built in 1876, for dinner. We ordered ahead of time. They put us at a long
family style table.
...
Then, ice cream from a shop nearby.
...
We talk to a lady walking her dog – she explains how open
the whole area is they have a trust system where nobody uses a bike lock and
barely locks their doors.
The show goes pretty well considering how long it’s been.
Carlos and I take the lead on the trailer pack – we get a
lot of help from stage hands.
Back at the hotel gathering in the mess hall – sharing
snacks on footage.
Driving the bus over to the warehouse to link up with the
ELO crew. We’ve got a couple shows in Ohio this weekend.
I haven’t slept yet so I crawl into the bottom bunk and
attempt to nap through Bob’s driving and all the bumps that make you feel like your
liver just popped out. It’s really, really hot in here. Our AC functions
perfectly when idling but not when driving whatsoever. We’ve all got fans
galore running and sweating profusely.
One Sheetz stop after another. At one in particular Bob cuts
a corner at the pump a little too close to someone’s car and it nicks the side.
As much as we love Bob he really doesn’t have spatial awareness with this bus
(even without it towing the trailer).
At some point we make it to Lakeside, Ohio at a Quality Inn
– right next to Lake Eerie. While Nigel finagles with the front desk to get us
checked in I grab some ice cream from a shop next door and scope out the lake
with Micah, Ed, and Casey. It’s a stunning body of water. Everyone is watching
the sun set right next to a nuclear power plant. Meanwhile, a corgi peaks our
interest.
Later on, I drive Ed, Casey, and I to a nice restaurant
called JJ’s about 10 minutes out. It’s one of the only places open late and boy
did we make the right choice. These plates are to die for along with these
peach margaritas.
Back at the hotel – I sip on some green tea and sit on a
white lawn chair overlooking Lake Eerie. The stars are bright and the water
quietly ripples below the rocks. I can’t help but eavesdrop on the conversation
between a guy and girl just nearby (they don’t know I’m even over here cause
it’s so dark. He’s going on about how he used to do meth and coke back in the
day.
The van/trailer arrives after 2 a.m. Rebecca was with this
crew along with Mike, Ron, and Peter. I show Rebecca the stars and we catch up
on the events of the day.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Blueberries, and Almond Milk. English
Breakfast Tea.
Catching up on business – doing accounting – running
errands.
Eggs. Spinach. English Muffin. Chips. Coffee.
Teaching lessons at Music Makers.
Stopping by the stores.
Back home. Roxanne pops by to retrieve her cooler. I show
her a tour of the tour bus and help with some ideas on troubleshooting things
with her van camper.
Warming up some Eggplant with Tuna and Garlic Bread for
dinner.
At the warehouse – not having practice – but rather
organizing gear and things – making sure we have everything for the tour this
coming weekend. Mike and Ron are here – also Rebecca counting merch. I stay
pretty late working on things.
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