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.
Waking up at 9:30 a.m. Packing up my things and eating a
Berry Muffin I picked up yesterday with Tea.
Dad and Patty see me off as I make the trek back home.
A sunny but easy drive of 5 hours to Virginia Beach.
Multi-tasking with the Music Makers phone dealing with scheduling things.
Talking to Mike Mosgrove over the phone for a long time about ELO business and
things he’d like to contribute to help what I do with the bands at Music
Makers.
...
PB&J. Coffee.
Arriving home. Elvis shed about a thousand pounds of fur
while I was gone. Him and I take a power nap in my room.
Teaching lessons at Music Makers.
Apple and a Granola Bar.
After work, Rebecca and I grab some dinner at Plaza Azteca.
I catch her up on everything from the past few days over Tacos and Guac.
Catching up on things back home – cleaning and organizing.
Waking up around 9 or so in the morning. Dad awakens me a
few times.
Dad, Patty, and I ride over near the fishing pier of Kure
Beach to check out this breakfast place called Ocean View Restaurant. I enjoy a
hefty stack of Lemon Blueberry Pancakes with Bacon and Coffee.
Then, we check out Fort Fisher State Historic Museum, a very
famous Civil War battleground. We take a stroll around the big mounds where
long ago the Confederate army lost to the Union, a pivotal victory in the Civil
War. Nearby a big group of Marine guys are taking a field trip. We hear a few
fake gun shots go off I guess for a reenactment. It’s interesting to read about
what happened here though.
Then, we have our hand at fishing on the pier at the
recreation center near the cottage. We catch a few small fish, not worth
keeping though. But my dad catches a mantis shrimp, the ones with the punchers
that can break shells at 50 mph. My dad said he never saw one before in his
life. Nearby, a few old guys with Vietnamese wives try to catch crabs.
Getting dinner at the Hang Ten Grill. Enjoying some Mahi
Fish Sandwiches with Fries.
Later on, shooting the basketball around. A dad and his
little kid are on the other hoop. He offers to play me 1v1 for fun. Then, Patty
and I shoot around.
Over by the pier we decide to lounge on the end watching the
sun go down. I put on some CCR station on YouTube – “Born on the Bayou” plays
in the background appropriately to fit the surrounding pier sight with the
waves rolling in the moonlight. Dad and I talk about some family history,
music, and politics.
All cleaned up and lounging back in the cottage.
Snacking on Popcorn and watching Lord of the Rings.
Waking up in this tiny bed in a Kure Beach cottage around 11
a.m.
Earlier in the morning my aunt left. Eating some Blueberries
and an Egg at the table.
Dad and his wife Patty and I take a drive and catch the
ferry across the Cape Fear River to Southport, a small little beachfront town
with all kinds of quaint antique stores and cafes.
We spend a substantial amount of time looking through old
things. Then, down at the pier exploring the shoreline and skipping rocks.
Back on the ferry across the river. Exploring up the way at
Carolina Beach, a little more trafficked part of this strip of Carolina beach.
Reminds me of a blend of Virginia Beach oceanfront and Outer Banks. There are a
lot of cool local spots. We hit up Shuckin’ Shack for dinner where they serve
oysters, shrimp, and crab.
...
Afterwards, I find us a dessert spot called The Peach
Cobbler Factory.
Back at the Fort Fisher cottage area. I pump up the
basketball. Finding some hoops up the way. Patty and I get some exercise
throwing the ball around and breaking a sweat.
Relaxing in the living room of the cottage catching up on
events of the day while dad and Patty watch The
Kingsman on TV.
Waking up around noon. Elvis lies patiently by my side.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Blueberries, Flax Seed, and Almond
Milk. English Breakfast Tea.
Catching up on computer things.
Packing up a suitcase and a bunch of stuff then running a
few errands.
Hitting the road at 5 p.m. Driving to Fort Fisher North
Carolina – about a 5 hour trek, a calm drive. I catch up on communications with
people and start practicing singing Joy Division songs. I spot a rainbow along
the way!
At night I arrive in Kure Beach. My dad and his wife along
with my aunt Pansy and Peter are staying in a little cottage on the military
base. Of course my dad has retired military connections here. I get settled in
– warming up some pasta for dinner. Enjoying the company. We talk about some
family members and what’s going on.
Later on, I take a walk at night. I stroll a couple blocks
to the beach where I’m taken aback. Standing before the vast dark ocean where
the only light comes from the twinkling stars and flash of lightning in the distance.
The whole scene is ominous yet comforting. Thinking about the people I love
(and have loved) in my life. I look up and imagine my body being lifted,
pummeling gracefully up towards the uncertain skies.
...
I turn on my flash to hunt for any shells that washed up on
the shore.
Back in the cottage. My aunt is watching Fifty Shades of Grey on the TV. We chat
about diet and how important nutrition is.
My room has these tiny little twin beds. I cozy up and try
to get some shut eye earlier than usual.
I drive out to Toast for the Lava Mini Fest – out in the
gravel parking lot they’ve got a wide stage set up for two bands at once to be
set up. All kinds of local and regional acts perform…
It’s fun hanging with everyone eating sandwiches and
drinking things that make you happy. My band, Ladada, gets on and of course all
kinds of things go wrong but no one notices. It doesn’t matter that Wes broke a
guitar string, or that the back lined bass rig didn’t work, or that Bobby ended
a song early, or that I couldn’t hear myself. We had a blast and so did the
crowd.
Back in VB I stop by the studio to finish organizing all the
gear leftover from last night’s show.
Home. Doing laundry and whatever. Rebecca stops by to spend
time with Elvis and we catch up on the day’s events.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Blueberries, Flax Seed, and Almond
Milk. English Breakfast Tea.
Thomas, Anna, Megan, and I load up the trucks at Music
Makers and transport all the gear and equipment to Smartmouth Pilot House for
the big Modern Day Warrior gig tonight.
...
Setting up the stage area by the garage door. It takes some
time to get all the cables wired around in between amps and tweak all the
settings.
Enjoying a pizza from their new in-house pizza oven.
All the kids are excited and ready to perform. I had the kid
band that’s been practicing all summer open up for MDW – they killed it bigtime
– lots of original tunes.
Then, Modern Day Warrior captures the hearts and ears of the
crowd – it’s absolutely packed in here. They do all their hits along with a few
new tricks up their sleeves like this Stranger Things theme song introducing
Separate Ways.
Afterwards, everyone chips in to gather all the cables and
load up the trucks.
I have a long talk with Anna afterwards about her journey in
joining this band and how much the group is growing and tightening up.
Back home finally ready to gather my breath. Eating some
Black Beans, Quinoa, Kale, and Eggs. Watching Lord of the Rings.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Blueberries, Flax Seed, and Almond
Milk. English Breakfast Tea.
Wes and I ride out to WHRO Studios in Norfolk – meeting up
with Josiah and Bobby. Ladada is recording a few songs for Paul Shugrue’s Out
of the Box radio segment to be aired later this evening. We do a minimalist set
up with tiny amps and an open mind.
Then Wes and I brave the rush hour traffic back to VB so I
can make lessons on time. Snacking on a PB&J and Coffee.
Teaching lessons. Meanwhile, my car is next door at Discount
Tire getting brand new wheels and tires. The manager, Keith, is real nice and walks
over back and forth to keep me updated.
Dinner: leftover Pasta with Kale, Carrots, and an Egg.
Modern Day Warrior is having their final rehearsal in the
104 space. I have the whole sound system set up with an intricate spaghetti of
cables and mics all over the place. They go pretty later than usual cause they
haven’t been keeping up with regular practice.
...
Afterwards, packing everything up with some of their help.
Stopping by Alpha to buy a few mic stands and things –
chatting with Thomas about music festivals.
PB&J Bites. Popped Chips. Coffee.
At Music Makers getting the 104 space set up for the kid
band – they have a final rehearsal before their show on Friday. They run the
set a few times and we clean up unclear parts. Vlad picked up some pizza from
Pizza Chapel to share with all. I have Rebecca and Allyson check out the tail
end of their set for moral support.
Repairing the toilet in the main studio – picking up some
parts from Wal-Mart – meanwhile, handling some business over the phone.
Trying to troubleshoot ways to plug in guitar lines and drum
lines to the limited PA system I have set up. Sometimes it’s just a racket.
Finally back home snacking on some Salad with Crackers and
Hummus.
Waking up to the incessant sound of banging from next door –
I guess maintenance is renovating the apartment next to us. It’s about 9 a.m.
and my mind gets distracted with all kinds of thoughts, for some reason, things
I’d like to tell Ana. I haven’t spoken to her in quite some time and I still
feel the need to express stuff to her. But there’s like this wall.
...
Either way, I need to get back to sleep. I crank up the A/C
unit and hope it drowns out the noise.
Breakfast Bar. Tea.
At the warehouse meeting with Nigel, Kevin, Mike, and
Rebecca to discuss upcoming ELO related business.
Afterwards, I do some cardio at the Rec for a half an hour.
Eggs. Spinach. Bagel. Coffee.
Teaching lessons at Music Makers.
As soon as I’m done I need to high tail it to The Shack at
the oceanfront for a Ladada gig. WRV and 17th Street Surf Shop are
having a gathering there and they hired us to play a set. I scarf down a Crab
Cake Sandwich with Fries and a Lemon Crush.
...
We do alright considering the low grade PA we have to play
through. And then, some fun stuff happens. I break the low E string mid song
and Josiah falls off the stage lol.
At the studio trying to figure out the band room set up and
sort cabling everywhere.
Catching up on business and crunching some numbers.
At Carol’s house out on Inlynnview for the Broadway cast
party. We had the show last weekend and now everyone can just bond and have a
good time. There’s fun with pool noodles, investigating the periwinkle snails
and skates that roam the bay, digging up fresh mussels, and Cards Against Humanity.
...
The rain comes just in time politely asking everyone to
leave.
I browse T.J. Maxx in search of some shelving and task
chairs.
Back home. Cooking pasta for dinner along with the mussels.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Blueberries, Flax Seed, and Almond
Milk. English Breakfast Tea.
Catching up on business things.
Going grocery shopping at Kroger and Whole Foods.
Eggs. Spinach. Bagel. Coffee. Salt n Vinegar Chips.
Running more errands – stopping by Smartmouth to put up some
flyers for next weekend’s show – returning some mats to Wal-Mart – browsing
Lowe’s for cabinets.
...
Stopping by the storage unit to add this plastic top to the
Broadway garment racks. I run into a problem when trying to exit the facility.
The gate hours are until 10 p.m. so I assumed once you’re inside you can leave
but to my dismay the gate box says “late exit denied”. So I call the afterhours
hotline and eventually a manager calls me back 20 minutes later and explains
I’m not supposed to even be inside the property after 10. Wow, what a dumb system. I literally tried to leave at 10:02.
Back home. Cooking dinner for myself. Peas with Baby Cauliflower,
and leftover Pad Thai.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Blueberries, Flax Seed, and Almond
Milk. English Breakfast Tea.
Coaching a band session for the kids.
PB&J Pita. Melon. Coffee.
Teaching a piano lesson to Chase.
It’s time to clean! I vacuum all of the living room and
staircase – mostly Elvis’s fur balls everywhere. Then, I scrub down the outside
of the fridge – quite a process.
Later on, I take Rebecca to get sushi at Volcano. It’s been
a minute since we just hung out non-business related. She’s not into cucumbers
whatsoever – typically sushi places serve small plates of pickled cucumbers
that have a relish-like flavor to them. She surprises herself by liking them. I
enjoy a Salmon and Avocado Roll and Sweet Potato Roll.
Cleaning up some things at the house. Rebecca and I finally finished watching season 4 of Stranger Things. Now the story has concluded but of course
everything is left over for a season 5.
I have to drive out to The Hermitage in Norfolk. Ladada is
performing outside right in front of the ancient museum. I order something from
the Philly food truck before we go on cause the line is crazy long. There’s
tons of people and families in lawn chairs having a great time.
On the long drive from Terminal Blvd to 64 to 264 I ponder
things. I can’t stop feeling a sense of loss – my mom – Ana choosing to leave
me. What can I do but continue on.
...
Stopping by Wal-Mart for some ice cream but end up getting a
few storage bins and tools.
Working out at the gym – finally! But I have to squeeze it
in cause I’m glued to the Music Makers phone dealing with all kinds of things.
Pineapple.
Eggs. Figs. Bagel. Spinach. Salt n Vinegar Chips. Coffee.
Teaching lessons then coaching a band.
Grabbing some dinner from Whole Foods.
Then, Ladada has a practice at the studio. It’s nice to do
it here near home and in a different atmosphere. We clamp down our set list –
feeling tighter as a band on the new songs.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Blueberries, Flax Seed, and Almond
Milk. English Breakfast Tea.
Catching up on business and scheduling.
Running errands.
Eggs. Bagel. Spinach. Coffee. Salt n Vinegar Chips.
Teaching lessons at Music Makers.
Working with Billy and Anna of Modern Day Warrior – they’re
supposed to have band practice but not everyone showed up.
Tofu Pad Thai with Broccoli.
Meeting up with Bobby at his house to get the finishing
touches on this Christmas Broadway video. It’s been a long time coming but
we’re finally getting to it. While his black cat seeks attention on my lap we
sit there on his laptop making edits.
Then, attending the last showing of Something Rotten at the
Little Theatre of Virginia Beach with Rebecca, Reid, and a few of the older
cast members from Broadway.
I’ve never stepped foot inside here – always known about it.
Even for how small it looks on the outside they make use of the space inside.
Stage is perfectly designed. It’s cool seeing some of the numbers we performed
yesterday being put on in a professional setting. A lot of talent on this
stage.
Back home. Taking care of things and catching up from the
weekend.
Leftover Pizza with Beets and Spinach.
Watching Godless (2017).
At the studio organizing all the things that were just left
from the Broadway show – cleaning the mic packs and putting things away. Taking
the recycle out. A gang of wild geese are hanging out by the water – almost
every time either ducks or geese can be found here.
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