Goal: Play in the Subway 5 hours a day, 5 days a week, for 25 days making at least 1080.00, which will cover all my bills for January.
Need 1080
Below Goal: 125
Above Goal:
Under Hours: 9.00
Over Hours:
Total Days off taken - 2
Days off this week - 0
For Today
Goal: 60
Actual: 44
TIME: 3
WHERE: Monroe - Blue
CD's Sold: 1
Temp: High 19, Low 14, Current 15, feels like 4
Think happy thoughts - Like sunshine - And rainbows. And sand so hot you can't stand in one place.
Alright - I'm typing as fast as I can - Its 11:28 - I had a morning with Joel Collins, who I hadn't seen in ages and ages but it ran a little late, so I'm typing like a Tasmanian devil.
French toast is a beautiful thing. Why have I not made a slice with my scrambled eggs every morning? Its just the most simple addition ever.
At anyrate - Joel came over, we ate french toast, drank coffee, watched Star Trek and talked about old times in college. All the good things. And now I'm off - gona check in at Jackson and Washington today to see if I can nab a spot. Should be able to get a solid 4 hours in if I leave in the next 15 minutes - which - if I stop making mistakes and having to hit backspace 20 times - Can happen.
A Days Rations
It sounds like I'm in a war - when I say it like that.
TODAY - GENTLEMEN - WE GOTTA FIGHT! FOR THE RIGHT! To PLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY
in the subway. <Thank you Beastie Boys>
Also - I've been thinking about boots - A lot. About boots that will change my life. I got a recommendation from Christian Libonatti - about Columbia's 200 Gram Bugaboots - And - I believe - In the next few days - If I can find the right sale online - I'm going to make my first major purchase of the year.
I had a check come in, very very late, from a gig I played back in December, so there's a little extra cash, and I think its time for my feet to stay warm. I think I owe it to them. They work hard.
So - Behold
Columbia's 200 Gram - Stout Cedar - Bugaboots
LOOK AT THOSE! AREN'T THOSE THE SEXIEST, MOST WARM THINGS YOU'VE EVER SEEN IN YOUR LIFE??????????????????
OK! I'm out the door! Later daters!
Ryan
EDIT -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today had a bit of a different feel to it. I cruised to all the spots today. Checked in at Washington, Jackson red and blue and kept cruising eventually ending up at Monroe on the Blue line. The thing that was so different - was that I knew every performer I ran into. And they knew me - And we were all talking spots and recommending things to each other - and none of the really crazy or weird folks were out today. Just a handful of good people. It was my own little ragtag community.
I'd never played at Monroe and the Blue line before and some fun things happened today.
When I got there - a fella named AL, was just singing to the air. Not asking for tips or anything - and he said, "You comin in? You Playin?" and proceeded to give me the scoop on the spot. Where to stand, how traffic would roll in, the times when people were gona show up - Big guy just took me under his shoulder and I could tell he was getting a lot from telling me all these things that I mostly knew already. So I let him. :) I did not, however, have any idea where to stand on the huge platform though - so that was very, very helpful - and saved me time, and lots of moving my case back and forth.
1st of all - the day started with a 5 spot dropped by a lovely woman named Tracy who said, " I really love good music down here." So - Thanks Tracy - I think it's pretty good too. :)
At the same time - I ran into Charday - Prolly butchering your name there girl - but it was loud - and hard to hear. :) She gave me a buck, works for the CTA, told me she loved my voice and friend-ed me on Facebook on the spot.
So I just started out the day feeling loved - wanted - and that - You know that doesn't always happen - so its very sweet when it does. Thank you two.
Lastly - A lady, wearing ear muffs walked up around 4 pm. I was playing Heart of Gold by Neil Young - and she pulls out this wad of dollar bills. And it looks like a stack - like a huge, the most one dollar bills I've ever seen anyone carry down in the subway. And they're tied up with this rubber band. She takes it off, takes out like 2 or three dollars, and then tosses the STACK into my case. - It hit with an audible THUD. I could hear it. Actually hear it. I've never HEARD dollars hitting my case before. And I shot out this, "Thank you" and she was already turned around and walking away - and she didn't look back. It was Fourteen Dollars. one. four. The most one dollar bills I've ever gotten from a single person at one time.
Who knows why she just walked away. That seems to happen a lot when people know they're dropping a lot. Anything more than about 8 dollars. Its like people know they're doing you a huge thing - and they don't know how to handle their own generosity. Or are embarrassed by it - or something. Or don't want other people to know it was them who just made this musician's day. Which, is an interesting problem. Almost every person, save a very special few, that have dropped me 20's, have dropped them, and turn around. Some smile - some don't.
People are all different - But I think we're all good at heart. Even the crazy ones that I'm terrified of. There's good in there - there has to be - Or I have to seriously rethink who I am. Because believing there's good in everyone, is just as important as there actually being good in everyone.
I had a very remarkable experience walking through the Daley Center from Lake to Washington today. I realized I was exhausted. I've been leaving around noon, and getting home around 11:30 for what seems like forever - And - its really only been 8 days. But what i realized - is that I am doing things that I love - and I'm furiously passionate about - all day - Playing, writing music, and then going to rehearsal at Filament - And when you do things you love - It takes - a lot - of energy. And you get home at night - and you just want to lie down - but you can't - because there's a blog to write - and you LOVE that too - And when you finally get into bed - you smile yourself to sleep - because in the grand sense of it all - This - is what people dream about - every day. And i get to live that. Every day. And - how - cool is that? How incredible. How lucky.
I never dreamed I would be this man today. Something like him, assuredly. But this? Heavens. I'm not that crazy.
It's time for bed - I have a Youtube channel to make tomorrow morning.
All my love - Ryan
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