The Drummer

The year was 2008. In Los Angeles, on the Northeast Corner of Pico and Robertson, there was a Starbucks. If you started walking east, you'd pass a Subway and than you'd come across a music venue. It was called the Joint. Abe Horowitz passed it every day on his way to pray at shul. Was he religous? Kind of. But it was more a sense of duty that kept him (religiously) going to synagogue. That, and the tasty pastries and beverages. And friends. He recently had retired from his job at a small accounting firm. He had 4 children and they'd all flown the coop. One of his sons, Sy, was in a local band, Ginger, playing bass- and he often played at the joint.
    Usually, Abe would forgo venturing to his gigs because they were too late. But one night after a game of backgammon with his wife Alice, he slipped out the door to catch his son's band at the Joint. They were opening for a more famous band called Redub Orchestra. He didn't know their music but he knew that his son was  a huge fan.
    When 65 year old Abe sauntered into the Joint, his son was already there on stage, rocking out on his fender P bass. Abe went down to the front near the stage. His son did a double take. Than he nodded down towards his father without becoming too distracted. A waitress came over to take his order. He tolder he didn't want anything alcoholic, just a 7 up. Than he focused his attention back on the band.  They were a 4 piece rock band, with Sy on bass. They were pretty good! Better than Abe expected. If this had been 1992, an A&R guy may have come in and signed them to a record deal. But it was 2008 and they sold CDs to cover gas money. They didn't make a lot, but it was fun and there didn't seem to be any reason to stop.
Abe was actually impressed. He'd had low expectations of what the band would be like. The singer reminded him of Cat Stevens, but with slightly more testosterone. The guitar player Dave had some very tasty licks, and his son was a very capable bass player. But he was most captivated by the drummer. It wasn't something he'd noticed before. He was entranced by the athlecticism of drumming.
    "How could he keep up with those hard beat for an hour or even more?" He thought excitedly. Sy noticed his dad seeming to enjoy himself and cracked a smile. He was glad to see his pops having a good time for once. He was happy he finally had retired, and the whole family had been trying to get him to slow down for years. Maybe he would come down to gigs more often!
   The waitress came over with his 7 up. He opened a tab, figuring he could be thirsty later, and also he was certain his son and other band members would appreciate a drink. After a little while, the band finished up.

shut up ego

When I am at my happiest, my ego is at it's quietest. Whether I'm training, biking, singing, or writing. My ego has shut up and is listening to what the universe has to offer. My hubris has been shut down. I am beyond criticism and praise. I am here to improve myself in order to better serve my people who surround me presently and my ancestors who are responsible for my current existence.
It's time to move beyond the past.

Kyle walked the Petaluma streets carefully. It was his new home for now after years living in Los Angeles. A safe distance from his hometown Santa Rosa, about a 20 minute drive, yet enough newness to keep him from being bored. There were some cool venues, like the Mystic. Right now, though, money was tight. He decided to put out feelers for jobs. He saw that there was a sign up at a sushi restaurant on the main drag looking for dishwashers and servers. When he walked inside, he was greeted by an older Japanese waitress who was eager to seat him.
"Can I get an application?"
"Wait here," She said politely and dissapeared into the back. Within a half minute she was back with the owner, Ray, a Chinese man around 40 years old. He had a youthful vigour about him, and playfully inquired whether Kyle had any experience.
"Yeah, but a long time ago." Kyle had avoided restaurant experience the past 5 years after working for a small mom and pops cafe in Los Angeles that went out of business. He found that the businesses that paid well were more corporate and the ones that were nice to work for didn't pay well. But at the minute he needed whatever he could get.