It’s been a while. That’s just the way it goes. Sometimes.

     No need to fret about it.

     Peculiar weather today. The steam of melting snow rained down upon. Almost Nordic. Almost Celtic. Sort climate that can get my thoughts going heavy in whichever way or the other.

     Saw a show Friday night. Saw one the Friday before that as well. I know, good for me. Getting out there and doing stuff.

     Different shows in all sorts of ways. And the one that had more commerce flowing through and about it, sort of sucked. All middle aged or older. Spending money whilst flapping their jaws, as though if they ceased they may never be able to start back up again. The band was excellent, both of them. But it was hard to enjoy over a vast majority of the room yapping about who gives a shit.

     The barkeep at this establishment is a friend of mine, though. So cheap drinks. Yay.

     The older crowd can be good for those lot. If nothing else, they’ve got the cash. And enough of them tip well. Just another night out. And it is a blast watching that generation still try to experiment. They’re hilariously amateur drunks, it seems. And I could tell which housewives were rolling face. They’re not as good as covering it as their kids. Though I suspect that is where some of them get their supplies.

     The show on this more recent Friday evening was wonderful. Though I was a bit late. Only caught the end of a friend’s set. Which sucks because I can tell by how it ended that they were on point. The lady I saw up there was kicking ass with her band beside her. And though it was not packed, they held the rooms attention and enthusiasm. A genuine sort of thing. Unable to synthesize even on your best try. Her band is the reason I went at all. Didn’t know any of the other bands, just one of the three opening acts. All good gusto and such.

     My aim is to make the next show and consume the entirety of their set. And they say it is good to have goals.

     Took part in that strange habit yesterday. The one that I’ve been seasonally returning to for the better part of a decade. Well, most of my life really. But you know the deal, walk down the street playing a drum with a bunch of other dudes while a peculiar mix of human beings stands on either side being quite happy that this is going on.

It’s a… whadoyacallit?

Parade, right, yeah. That’s it.

Funny thing, these parades. They keep occurring and I keep returning. Might be conditioning at this point. Might be something else. Cosmic or the like.

But as far as yesterday’s, my enthusiasm was subdued. Might be I’m getting older. Might be the heavy doses of solitude don’t get broken up that well by a generally unintelligent crowd working on rapidly wiping out the few brain cells left standing. Might be the weather and the music and the color schemes can bring about the sad as quick as it does the merry.

Either way, I split early. Got two more to do this year. Lighter load than the past. And I might be a different man.

As for today and the otherwise future, we shall see. I feel a slight compulsion to drive down to hipsterville and try out an open mic. Play some songs for strangers. It is a good day for a drive. And if I end up disappointed, it is good weather for that.

So, I’ll call the place and see if they’re still doing it today. If they are, I’ll go. I’ll bring Darcy, me thinks. She is the friend that I’ve had for the longest continuous run. I’ll leave her in that funny tuning and think of what I’ll play on my way down.

I imagine they allow spectators, if you’re around.