23 days, $1150, And One Hell of a February - DAY 4

Goal: make 1265.00 in the month of February.
Bills: Security Deposit on new apartment 425, rent on new apartment 425, Hedgehog deposit 150, Key deposit 50, Food 80, CTA 96
Current Funds: 115.00 from Postering for Macbeth - Thank you Rachel Mayer.
                          74.00 from day 1

                          78.00 from day 2
                          00.00 from day 3
Need: 998



Day 4 of 23

Goal: 50$ by any means possible, and apply for 3 jobs
Actual: 32 + 20
TIME: 2  Hours
WHERE: Monroe Redline 11:40 -2:40
CD's Sold: 2
Temp: High 20, Low -2. Feels like 4.
Poppin 2 pairs of socks, thermal underwear, two jackets, coat, hat, scarf - The Works.

Today, Filament closes our beloved Snow Queen. We opened a month ago, with two weeks of very rushed rehearsals, and I couldn't be more sad to let her go. Some shows are bitter sweet when they close down - this one, could just keep running. I love it. I love the story, I love the people, I love the folks that come to the show, I love the puppets, I love the masks, I love ALL THE WHITE FABRIC. It was a labor of love from the beginning, and when we lay her down to rest tonight, it will be will with the deepest love, and the deepest thanks.

Christian, Mara, Lindsey, Molly, Julie, Andrew, Grace, Luke, Melissa, Jackie, Noel, Allegra - I love you all. What a beautiful ride this has been.
Cheers - to an incredible show, to a labor of love, to Filament stew, to songs around the piano, to whiskey after wine,  to sweeping snow, to sleeping at Christian's, to NIKKI, to....RESET, to roses, to swallowswallowswallowswallow, to Filament Stew, to Mara's apple cheeks,  to burritos up the street, to all the things children say, to the slow buses on Irving Park, to chewing our hot chocolate, to singing I saw three ships, to it snowing EVERY weekend,  to the miles and gallons and buckets of pulled pork we will eat tonight, to getting an entire audience to screech happy birthday, to half birthdays, to Mara, for driving so many of us home, to sailboats, motorboats, big ships, small ships to schooners... and the rest of them, and to the the thing that brings us together day after day, year after year - To Friendship.

Headed to the subway in one hour! Heading back after a day off is always hard - getting back into the groove. I'll prolly get 3 hours in today, which is one shy of what I've been doing. So, we'll see if I hit the 50.

Today, like so many others, is gona be a good day. Some days you can just feel it. You know? Like the sunrise coming on - you just know its gona happen. 

All the love - all of it -

Ryan 

Edit coming tonight, or - tomorrow. I may not come home tonight. Depends on if we bring out the whiskey after the wine tonight. :)

EDIT:

Today was a slow day. It's Sunday, and I was at Monroe, which is not a High traffic stop on a work day. However. A gaggle of high school students from Florida who were on a trip for a United Nations Mock Conference came by. About 20 of them. I sang really high, with alot of riffing, and won the hearts of about 8 of them. They bought 2 CD's and dropped at least 13 dollars in tips - which means they accounted for more than half the money I made. If not for them, I wouldn't have made it. 

Now - the real magic. Dominic Maino, a member of the Filament Theatre board of directors found me after the show tonight and put a 20 dollar bill in my pocket. He said he was thrilled and excited about the things I was doing in the subway and wanted to help any way he could. I didn't have the heart to tell him at the time - but - Without you Dominic, I wouldn't have hit 50 dollars today. I got up too late, only made 32 dollars, and then you rolled along like an angel, and made up the difference without even knowing it. So- I can't thank you enough. For your support for Filament, and your support for me. 

Things have a way of working themselves out. You give everything you have, everything you can give, and then the world makes up the difference. The world is running out of space. In 100 years there will be barely room for all of us - but we will never, never run out of good people.

Cheers friends - to Tomorrow. To good people. To the people of Chicago - who are paying my bills this month. 

Ryan 

23 days, $1150, And One Hell of a February - DAY 3

Goal: make 1265.00 in the month of February.
Bills: Security Deposit on new apartment 425, rent on new apartment 425, Hedgehog deposit 150, Key deposit 50, Food 80, CTA 96
Current Funds: 115.00 from Postering for Macbeth - Thank you Rachel Mayer.
                          74.00 from day 1

                          78.00 from day 2
Need: 998



Day 3 of 23

Goal: 50$ by any means possible, and apply for 3 jobs
Actual: ?
TIME: ?
WHERE: ?
Temp: High 20, Low 16. Feels like 5.
Whoa. Springtime? Naaaahhh. Just warm enough to Snow. :) 

Today will have a different feel. Because I'm still home, its 9:20AM, and I have to be at Filament Theatre by 2 for our matinee of Snow Queen. I slept in today. By about 3 hours. Partially due to the fact that yesterday was moving day (I've completely forgotten to mention I am couch hopping this month----- Moving day is always Friday.) and I was up till 1, and partially due - to these guys. 

Meet Othello and Butters

Othello is the black one seemingly dominating my chest, demanding a belly rub. Butters is the Pomeranian who can't figure out why someone is taking his picture before he's had his makeup done. 

I'm skunked on how to make 50 dollars today. With two shows, the only slot is 8 am to 12pm. But I've slept through it. So, a forced day off. Not really a day off, because there is an entire morning's worth of things to do, and then a double header of shows, but, a day off from guitar. And I've made 152 in 2 days - so minus today, I'm still 2 dollars up. 

So - TO DO TODAY

Laundry. 

Buy food for Filbert

Buy food for ME!

Apply for jobs. ( I actually have time to do this today. Mega score.)

I have three hours. It's go time. I'll update tonight on what Actually got done. :) 

EDIT:
Laundry DONE. 
Grocery Shopping for me and Filbert. DONE. 
Started applying at Whole Foods. DONE. 

The real winner here tonight is that I bought food for my hedgehog-----------

FILBERT, Phil for short

Phil has been staying with my friend Victoria for a week, and will be her till the end of the month. Phil has had a stressful week, because, before last Monday.... He didn't know dogs existed. Now there are two running around his cage. 

I also just ran out of my regular Hedgehog food - Spike's Delight. So I called my mom, she looked up what hedgehogs eat, and - tonight, he's eating Chicken, Strawberries, Pineapple, and Apple. I hadn't seen him in a week, and felt like a bad father - so, I'm attempting to buy back his love with food. The results are inconclusive. I'll let you know. 

Alright - To bed. And Sweet - Sweet dreams. 

23 days, $1150, And One Hell of a February - DAY 2

The Final Countdown.

Goal: make 1265.00 in the month of February.
Bills: Security Deposit on new apartment 425, rent on new apartment 425, Hedgehog deposit 150, Key deposit 50, Food 80, CTA 96
Current Funds: 115.00 from Postering for Macbeth - Thank you Rachel Mayer.

                         74.00 from day 1
Need: 1076



Day 2 of 23

Goal: 50$ by any means possible, and apply for 3 jobs
Actual: 78.00
TIME: 4 hours, 1-5
WHERE: Monroe Stop
Temp: High 13, Low 6 Current wind chill, -14
Still a Thermal Underwear day, but my god, 5 degrees warmer than yesterday. Hallelujah. 

(Please forgive the black background. Technology has beaten me today. Tomorrow - we will do battle. )

Bread got me out of bed this morning. Set to rise at night, ready to go in the oven at 7 AM. Thanks Organic Stone Ground 100% whole wheat loaves topped with oatmeal, brown sugar and agave nectar. Not only did you wake me up, but you'll keep my belly full all day. #perhapsthebestalarmever. 

I'm gona be about 30 minutes late for my "Be at the subway by 9:50 AM every morning goal" but I'm 2.5 hours ahead of yesterday, so I'll call that progress. 

Messes are not always messy. Some are just beautiful.  My beautiful mess is that I play guitar for a living. Who'd have thought? Certainly not me. But, that's what this song is about. Never knowing how we end up where we are, and, for the better, or the worse - we play the hand. Trick is, keeping a straight face, and drawing the Ace of Spades. 

Just another reminder that everything worth knowing in life, can be learned from the movie Mavrick. 

https://soundcloud.com/ryan-westwood1/rw-never-would-have-known

I wish you all the very, very best. 

Ryan 

Edit:
So many amazing things happened today. 

Everyone smiled today. Confused smiles, happy smiles, shy smiles, cute smiles, sarcastic smiles. Just smiles all around. 
Some college kids were shooting something for a film class - and I happened to be in the background. So.... I WAS IN A MOVIE TODAY. 
Also, a guy named Hakim gave me a 20 dollar bill, which, put me wildly in the clear at 78 dollars in 4 hours!!!!! yes, yes that is damn near a full day's work in 4 hours. Thanks Hakim. Makin dreams come true. 

Then I met this guy....

Oh yes. He's real. You should have seen his snakeskin shoes. Oh yeah, and the cane? That'd be a gold wolf head. Yep. 

When I asked James what he had planned for the day, he said, "Same old same old" to which I replied, "Yep. Nother day, nother dollar." I'm still amazed, and humbled, and shocked, and absolutely thrilled that people of James' extraordinary caliber exist in the world. It takes a very certain type of man to carry a wolf head cane, wear snake skin shoes, a mink coat, and ROCK it. 

SO, I don't write much down. I have 40 songs memorized in my head at any given time. Occasionally one will slip, and I wont remember it, and wont play it for months, years even. Some songs get lost. My dad's favorite song I've ever written, Train Ride, is lost. Lost in the back of my mind somewhere.  Maybe I'll remember it, maybe I wont. Occasionally, a song will come out from hiding - today was one of those days. 

I haven't played this song, in 2 years easy. And after I sang it, some guy walked onto the train humming it. 1 verse is the same, one is different, the hook is identical. I wrote it during February 2 years ago when it was 60 degrees. Funny, it would come back on a negative degree day. I literally haven't even thought of the song in 2 years, and then it pops out. Funny, how smart we are. We don't even realize it. 

https://soundcloud.com/ryan-westwood1/summer-days

And the Crem de la Crem of the day - 

A new song folks - and you get it first, here, unkempt, and uncut, just like my beard. 

Recorded today in the Subway just after I finished writing it

Cold Don't Bother me - 

http://space.miidio.com/audio/a9710JcB-.php 

Watch the volume when trains come in :)

So, looking back. I met a pimp. I wrote a song. I made 28 over my goal. I remembered a lost song and recorded it. I got a 20 dollar bill. I was in a movie. And some bloke was singing Summer Days as he got on the train. Nother hellova day. Karma will be coming around the other end soon. Hope I'm ready for it. 

To sleepland friends. Up in 6.5 hours to hit the subway again before a 2 show day.... Gona be a day. 

Ryan 

23 days, $1150, And One Hell of a February - DAY 1

The Final Countdown.

Goal: make 1265.00 in the month of February.
Bills: Security Deposit on new apartment 425, rent on new apartment 425, Hedgehog deposit 150, Key deposit 50, Food 80, CTA 96
Current Funds: 115.00 from Postering for Macbeth - Thank you Rachel Mayer.
Need: 1150



Day 1 of 23

Goal: 50$ by any means possible, and apply for 3 jobs
Actual: 74.00 ----Applied for no jobs. 
Time Played: 4 hours. noon to 4 at Jackson Redline
Temp: High 7, Low -4 Current wind chill, -12
Definitely a Thermal underwear day.

50$ a day in the subway for the entire month of February while I'm couch hopping a week at a time may be the most ambitious goal I've ever set. But if I don't make it, I don't have a place to stay March 1st, and a check that my one of my best friends floated for me will bounce on his account.

I can't let either of those things happen.

The progress will be recorded here. 1 post in the morning, one Edit at night to update the "Actual" portion

GAME FACE

Let the Subway Games begin.

Edit:

Today was one of those magical days. They don't happen often, but when they do, I don't fail to appreciate every little part of them. 
Goal 50.00 - Made 74.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I left at Noon, three hours late. You usually need to get there before 10 AM to get a spot, but the cold today kept the other buskers away from the Jackson Stop today and I landed it at noon. 

There's an unwritten rule at Jackson that you play in 4 hours shifts, SO I played till 4 and then ran off to finish errands, give a guitar lesson, eat some delicious sweet potatoes, and come home to Gizmo. The cat, of the woman I'm staying with this week, Julie Ritchey.

He's a fighter, that one. 

HIGHLIGHTS FROM TODAY:

Julie, a blonde woman wearing glasses that could have only been made in 1952, gave me a ten dollar Starbucks gift card. What a dear, dear woman. Such a treat all those Americanos will be. :)

This big old white guy who Definitely was all over woodstock in the 60's walked up wearing a Chicago Bears beanie, gave me a dollar, looked me in the eye and said, "I like your vibe. You got the BEAT."  Old dude's still got it. awwww yeah. 

I met Sam Raptis and David Finley who would like to be added on Facebook and recommended I look up Neutral Milk Hotel.  (and who i saw 7 hours later off the Fullerton Redline, but couldn't bring myself to say hello. It was just to magical already that I ran into em twice in one day. I just decided to keep it to myself. :) )

I SAW MY FIRST FIGHT IN THE SUBWAY. 2 dudes throwing punches, straight legged kicks, bickering at ends about something and nothing at the same time. The entire platform was laughing at them. It was like watching a fight on the playground between 7 year olds. Hilarious. 

Drunk guy walks up, he's missing at least 78 teeth, says, "You know I'm strapped!" While showing me the 5th of Vodka in his jacket. He claps along for about 2 songs, then starts singing when the train arrives, and keeps singing even after the doors close. I'm laughing, he's singing, the world is smiling. All in a days work. 

Last but NOT least - a brunette, about 20 walks up to me, drops me a five dollar bill, which is as good as gold in my profession, and says, "You know, I usually want to kill myself listening to people play down here, so, THANKS." 

So, in summary, 10$ at Starbucks, helped an old dude re-live the 60's, met two fellas who will read this tomorrow, SAW A REAL FIGHT, got a drunk dude to sing his very own song, AND I SAVED A LIFE. 

Quite the day huh?

A long, hard, cold day and a very special 10 dollar bill.

So today's brilliant idea, was to catch the morning commute crowd in the subway. I'd never done it, and decided it was time. Hundreds of folks hustling and bustling into work would love to hear me play, right?

Wrong. 

If I'd have thought this through a little more, I'd have realized that if it were me on my way to work, the last thing I'd want to hear at 7 AM was some jerk off playing Oasis in the subway. It's 7 am dude. Go back to sleep, and let me walk in my half awake, coffee infused, nope I am definitely sleep walking to work - state.

The long and the short - is that over 5 hours, I pulled in 41 dollars, including a 10 dollar bill from, just the nicest man - which, I'll get to later. This is by no means a terrible day - but considering it was 4 degrees for the most of it, and I was on 3 hours of sleep - She was rough.

However

(Thank you Mom, for the unfaltering optimism you've instilled in me) Some wonderful things happened today.

1. I witnessed a man in a TSA jacket smile - actually smile when he saw me jogging in place while playing Wagon Wheel to keep warm.
2. I met Andy Jacobson, who dropped me a dollar, said he loved my sound, and sent me an email from his phone right then and there so I could put him on my email list
3. I made 41 dollars, that I did not have when I started
And 4 - I met a man who gave me a 10 dollar bill in January - which in unheard of.

---- I don't know his name. But he dropped me a 10 - and said, "My son played guitar. He was murdered 3 years ago, and he played guitar just like that. Keep on playing, you're just blessing me." He asked me to play Arlo Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, Johnny Cash... and I played Woody - he being the only one I know.

The fella just smiled and sang along. He stayed for a couple of songs, and then left with a hearty goodbye. And - it was hearty. In every sense of the word. The way he chewed the words as they came out. "Thanks again." And left, singing down the steps to the Blue Line.

I made 41 dollars today. - And I made that man's day. I know it. Funny part is - whether he knew it or not - He made mine too.

Worse things in the world to do at 7 am then play guitar in 4 degrees you know...

Thank you Chicago. Your dollars will all go to the Zipcar I have to rent to get to a fundraiser I'm playing at for the Beverly Arts Center this Saturday. I couldn't do this without you.

I love you all -
Ryan

a -20 degree day

Today I hit the subway in Chicago for three hours. It was a -20 windchill day. Nuff said.

However

I lost no fingers. I did not die. I watched a little kid in a green coat laugh and laugh and laugh when my hat fell down over my face and I couldn't see while I was playing. And I made the 30 dollars I needed to pay my bills.

So, all in all, a good day.

I'm going to attempt to start blogging again. I need it, I think. Or rather, I wan't to use it to try and ground myself.

More on this tomorrow. For now, its late.

Ryan

The Couch Hop Hustle - Also - Bacon Mustache Levitating

Back in Chicago - I have begun, The Couch Hop Hustle

Moving to a different couch every week for 3 months may not seem like the most glamorous lifestyle, but 2.5 weeks in - It seems alright.

The Back Story

Article 1: Nathan Scheetz. 

He can Levitate. 

He's also one of my best friends on the planet. 

Nathan and I get along like ranch and pizza. And I really like me some ranch and pizza. You see, Nathan,  has a lease that's up on February 1st. That means, that if I can manage not signing a lease until then, we can move in together.  I'd really like to learn to levitate. 

Article 2: Emily Kurash

She can grow a Bacon Mustache.

She's also one of my best friends on the planet. 

Emily and I get along like dragons and Harry Potter. And I really like me some dragons and Harry Potter. You see, Emily, may be leaving her current place of being, and moving to Chicago around February 1st. Which means, if I can manage to not sign a lease until then, she could move in with Nathan and I.

I'd really like to learn to grow a Bacon Mustache. 

Conclusion:

If  I don't sign a lease until February 1st, I can move in with one of my best friends, and potentially two. 

More importantly - I can learn to grow a Bacon Mustache while Levitating. 

Game Plan:

I have been, since October 31st, and will be, until February 1st - Couch Surfing. 

I have 2 or three weeks lined up at any given time. And send out emails every so often to line up the next ones.  I travel with a hiking backpack, a guitar, and my over the shoulder bag. I have 1 weeks worth of clothes, a bread pan, 5 pounds of flour, 48 OZ of oil, 4 OZ of yeast, 1 jar of raspberry jelly, 1 jar of Peanut Butter, and general knitting supplies, as well as the laptop I'm typing on. I think there is a fun size snickers in that bag somewhere, which, will eventually turn up. 

So. Thank you Rick Adams, Nick Ostrem, Sean Gath, Nathan Scheetz, and Morgan Gire - Who, have already housed me while on my quest of learning how to grow a Bacon Mustache while Levitating. And thank you to the many others who will. 

At the end of this - I am sure, there will be a song. But, then again, I've said that and been wrong before. :) 

Catch me performing my cabaret show - 16 Dollars a Day at Davenport's Piano Bar in Chicago this Sunday Nov 18, and next, Nov 25 at 7:00PM

Here's the link friends :) 

https://www.facebook.com/events/369736893116057/

I love you all, 

Ryan