Well out of a hundred days in Asia, I'm cruising into the forties, and it's been remarkable for how predictable, unexciting, repetitious and absolutely wonderful it has been. I suppose each trip is a discovery about where I'm at at a particular time in my life, sometimes it's about putting on the miles, seeing lots of different things, and sometimes it is the opposite. This time it's about routine, breathing, yoga, music, friends and a looking inward. I'm a 'terrible tourist', don't do the tourist things, don't care about the elephants or the hilltribe folks or the tigers. I don't want to go trekking with a bunch of Europeans, don't want to go 'white water rafting' (allegedly) or do the zipline through the jungle canopy. I did a little of that my first year here, it was ok, not interested anymore. Don't want to rent a motorbike, maybe a bicycle once in a while. Don't want to get on the minivan up to Pai, or go down to the islands and sit on the beach. Don't want to smoke and drink and chase women (or ladyboys). I'm a terrible tourist.
Instead I'm just super content to go for the morning coffee, read an article or two in 'The Best of Buddhist Writing 2011', walk through the old city to the park, rent a straw mat, do a yoga practice for an hour or more, have some water, maybe grab a bowl of noodle soup on the way back through town, go to the internet place and do some reading and visiting with friends, head back to the guest house for an afternoon swim. Head up to the room for a nap, since I can't seem to stay asleep more than 5 hours at night. I might work on some music in the room, and then I'll head off to some kind of gig or other most nights. I'm up to 4 nights a week at the restaurant, and that gig is financing my stay here. I play about 3 hours, include a lot of originals, try to meet the needs of the diners... sometimes I'm in the background, sometimes I 'perform' more, get some interaction going, get some laughs. Every night is different, but what's the same is going there early, getting a meal, getting set up, plugging in and playing music. Routine.
My visa is up on January 28 which means I need to be leaving the country by then, or else applying for a one month extension, which is available for about $55. It's undecided at this point... My friends really want me in Cambodia, I'm kind of the meal ticket because with me there, we can earn pretty good money... (plus we're friends). But there are a few factors, one of which is the precarious state of the Thai political situation. This coming Monday there will be an enormous rally by the opposition party whose goal is to shut down Bangkok and drive the caretaker government from power. Force their hand. It's a very complicated situation and very fluid as well. The main interest seems to be what the response of the military will be. There is lots of talk about a military coup and takeover, and there is much potential for violence. So any transit through Bangkok is potentially problematic in the near future, though it's likely that the airport will be spared. It would be stupid to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs (tourism). So if I go to Cambodia, I'll likely forego the night train to Bangkok, bus to the border option, in favor of flying above it all to a landing in Phnom Penh. No decisions yet, I'm watching carefully... especially on Monday the 13th D Day.
As far as staying in Chiang Mai, there are things that favor that option. For one, I'm in a stellar healthy groove, feeling good, got my Asia body on, I've dropped the usual 10-15 pounds which I carry in Eugene, I'm making a ton of music and paying my way here, which is a thrill. And I've been connecting with some of the best musicians in town, and there is talk about maybe recording some of the Asia tunes I've written over the years. That would be fun and I'm looking into what it would take in terms of personnel and money. I got called up onstage the other night at a big jam at Yummy Pizza, and the players loved what I did, they friended me on Facebook, and we're getting together on Sunday for a different jam. Turns out the drummer, Rod, (who is excellent) has a home studio and the capability of recording well, and the bass player Randy is great, there's a good lead guitar player who I'm gonna rehearse with this afternoon, and even some fantastic horn players available. The trumpet player is local legend Roddy Lorimer, 60 from Glasgow who has played with the Stones, the Who, the Waterboys and others. He and his sax playing buddy jammed with me the other night at Yummy, wrote horn lines on the spot and it just lifted the music. It would be SO COOL to record with them. I'll know more soon...
I guess the main theme of the first 40 days is the yoga and the Buddhist reading and reflecting. I'm quite calm, even centered, happy on a daily basis, just really pleased to be in the sun and the warm, eating good food, talking to interesting people, making music with some great players and some not-so-great. So happy to have my good guitar here, with the good case, the case gets a lot of compliments and attention. It's a backpack style tan affair, real solid and comfortable to carry around. Thank you Parkwood Company (a subsidiary of Guitar Center). Between the music and the meditation, I don't seem to lack for anything, well there's one thing, but that can wait until I get back home. It's just a blessing to have this great city of Chiang Mai which feels like a second home to me. My dental work is done, I have many friends and associates, people to hang around with, a place to swim and to do yoga. And as the young French woman said in a conversation about how lucky we are to be in this part of the world during the winter, 'I choose to be lucky'. And apparently so do I. 'I choose to be lucky'.
Off the charts!
Still buzzing from last night's party at Yummy Pizza. It was some kind of anniversary of the business so they had a big band on hand, including some American guy on keys and squeeze, along with the best of the local players. I was purely audience last night, eating pizza, visiting with friends. But then after the set I was told they were calling me up on the stage, so what the hell, sure. Didn't have a guitar with me, had to borrow Tony's, got it plugged in, ran over a few chords with Randy Fournier (bass) and Oliver (lead) and off we went on Same Same. It went well, swung into Bhang Lassie, it went well and then onto the next. I asked the horn section if they would join me for the next song and up they came from their break to return to the mic.
I don't know the sax player's name, but the trumpet player is local legend Roddy Lorimer, 60 from Glasgow who had a long and very distinguished recording career in Europe, appearing with the Stones, The Who, the Waterboys and many more major acts. He's incredible, he and the sax can just improvise harmony lines on the fly, and WOW! what a sound!. So when we played Boom Boom, it was a total party. The accordion guy jumped up on stage as well, so it was a 7 piece rocking groove that the audience loved. And I got to band lead from the microphone, signalling breaks, calling solos, bringing down the volume as needed. Totally fun and entertaining. I was jumping up and down, pizza belly notwithstanding. Somebody called out Jambalaya and I sang lead and conducted that one as well and it was just incredibly satisfying. For me the best part is that these professional musicians loved my stuff and wanted to be there That's a great feeling. And since my ride was wanting to go back to town, I had to scoot out of there and get on the road. (Not a bad idea, actually, better leave them wanting more rather than less). The same crew gets together on Sunday at some hotel on the river and I'm gonna make it this time.
Oliver Benjamin (aka The Dude) is an excellent player and very talented writer. He developed a website called Dudeism.com which is a hysterical tribute to the Big Lebowski and it's just funny start to finish. He has asked me a few times if I've recorded these Thailand tunes and I say no, but now that I've hooked in with a bunch of great players who like them, hmmmm I could see making it happen here. I'm gonna look into that when I meet with them on Sunday. Wouldn't that be something! And if I do that, then I'd probably stick around Chiang Mai, extend the visa which I can do by a month... To be determined. But it is powerful to play with a great rhythm section, horn section etc.
The fun onstage more than made up for the bad headache I had all night. I wonder if I've officially gone into the 'gluten intolerant' phase of my life. I get headaches occasionally, but this one was bad and I ate a bunch of pizza. Got kind of gluttonous and paid the price. No more of that, surely. But my morning coffee, a great yoga workout in the park, and I feel great again. Ready for some food now, and I'll go to the place round the corner from my guest house, the one that caters to the high school students on their lunch break. I get a nice plate of rice with veggies and pork, along with a bowl of consomme for $1. Tasty, healthy and good. Can't beat it. Have I mentioned that I love Chiang Mai? And then I get to play 4 out of the next 5 nights at the restaurant, make some money, make a bunch of music... Heaven!
I don't know the sax player's name, but the trumpet player is local legend Roddy Lorimer, 60 from Glasgow who had a long and very distinguished recording career in Europe, appearing with the Stones, The Who, the Waterboys and many more major acts. He's incredible, he and the sax can just improvise harmony lines on the fly, and WOW! what a sound!. So when we played Boom Boom, it was a total party. The accordion guy jumped up on stage as well, so it was a 7 piece rocking groove that the audience loved. And I got to band lead from the microphone, signalling breaks, calling solos, bringing down the volume as needed. Totally fun and entertaining. I was jumping up and down, pizza belly notwithstanding. Somebody called out Jambalaya and I sang lead and conducted that one as well and it was just incredibly satisfying. For me the best part is that these professional musicians loved my stuff and wanted to be there That's a great feeling. And since my ride was wanting to go back to town, I had to scoot out of there and get on the road. (Not a bad idea, actually, better leave them wanting more rather than less). The same crew gets together on Sunday at some hotel on the river and I'm gonna make it this time.
Oliver Benjamin (aka The Dude) is an excellent player and very talented writer. He developed a website called Dudeism.com which is a hysterical tribute to the Big Lebowski and it's just funny start to finish. He has asked me a few times if I've recorded these Thailand tunes and I say no, but now that I've hooked in with a bunch of great players who like them, hmmmm I could see making it happen here. I'm gonna look into that when I meet with them on Sunday. Wouldn't that be something! And if I do that, then I'd probably stick around Chiang Mai, extend the visa which I can do by a month... To be determined. But it is powerful to play with a great rhythm section, horn section etc.
The fun onstage more than made up for the bad headache I had all night. I wonder if I've officially gone into the 'gluten intolerant' phase of my life. I get headaches occasionally, but this one was bad and I ate a bunch of pizza. Got kind of gluttonous and paid the price. No more of that, surely. But my morning coffee, a great yoga workout in the park, and I feel great again. Ready for some food now, and I'll go to the place round the corner from my guest house, the one that caters to the high school students on their lunch break. I get a nice plate of rice with veggies and pork, along with a bowl of consomme for $1. Tasty, healthy and good. Can't beat it. Have I mentioned that I love Chiang Mai? And then I get to play 4 out of the next 5 nights at the restaurant, make some money, make a bunch of music... Heaven!
'I choose to be lucky'
Yup another day of yoga and music and coffee and mindfulness. I think I love the familiarity of it, the predictability and the rhythm, the sweat and the callouses, the 2pm coffee with the grey haired guys, the comfort of knowing the sound system at Dash restaurant, getting efficient with the tuning up, the transition from recorded music to live music. I tend to start the same way each time, with a couple of instrumental pieces that make a seamless transition into live music. There are some tables that are close to where I play, and I want to give the diners a smooth entree into my set, don't want to come on too strong. It's a ritual, I suppose, and I'm drawn to ritual. So I start with a couple of mellow songs I wrote some years ago, each one has a time and a place (to me) and there's something satisfying about that as well. It's the fact that this music is cumulative, it keeps building over the years and now I have an opportunity to express the sounds of a lifetime in this particular moment. Hmmmm that's kind of a Buddhist thought, though I can't quite put my finger on why, just yet. But we have this moment and it's a moment in the context of the vastness of the universe, the eternal now, and I get to make a soundtrack of it 4 nights a week.
And the longer I do it, the more things are coming out, the more memories, thoughts of friends, some departed, they're all here when I play the songs associated with them. My soul brother, Howie Lawrence from the Keys taught me 'Island in the Sun' and that one came out the other night, along with his memory. Katie Hunter from Tallahassee taught me 'Paper Moon' at a singalong on her land cooperative, so I think of her departed spirit as I sing the song. I pulled out 'There's a Place for Us' the finale of West Side Story, the other night, and that song was my absolute favorite composition ten years ago. And that's the spirit of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, two giants. So these memories are flooding my spirit as I sing into the mic and try to touch the crowd. They're not just songs, they're little universes.
It was 9pm last night and I had finished two hours, there was some crowd but not huge, so I asked Dash if he wanted me to stop or keep going. He said it was up to me. If I keep going, that's an extra ten bucks, so sure I want to play that next hour, but I wanted to give him the option to say, 'That's good for tonight'. But he turned it back to me so I kept playing and a few parties showed up to be part of the music and it turned into a great final set. Made some tips, some folks were singing along, making requests, we had some laughs. What a great gig this is!. Made close to $50 between the pay and the tips and that's a nice 3 hours of work here, where my room costs $10 and I can get a good bowl of soup for $1.
Then I headed around the corner to play some at CU Corner, my former (and present stomping ground). Ended up on the stage there, got a great response and a lot of appreciation, invited Noel up to sing a few songs, he's an older Irish gent, very funny, fluent in Thai, loves my tunes and sense of humor, one of the good connections I've made this visit to Chiang Mai. It was his last night in town so it was fun to give him the spotlight, and he's got an amazing voice (for a heavy smoker). Just one of those gifts, I suppose. We sang, Bye Bye Love, What a Wonderful World and I Can't Help Falling in Love With You. People didn't really know what a great singer he is so there was surprise and appreciation. And then Billy (Aussie guitar player 62 years old) asked if I could play that song 'One Little Glance' from that Oregon songwriter chap (me). It was the first time anyone requested that one and I happily obliged. It's a really solid jazz tune that I'm proud of and folks dug it a lot.
And then Pavel and Daniel, the gypsy jazz guys showed up to play at 11:30, so I switched to bass and anchored their virtuosity, read through the charts, and once again it was a great and well appreciated hour of jazz and swing, Django Reinhart style. It's such a thrill to get to play with great guys and great players, to earn their respect and appreciation and to provide music for the customers. I played 5 and 1/2 hours of music last night, was fed a great meal, got my drinks paid for. What a gift it is to make music!
And the title of this piece, which seems to fit the way I'm feeling was uttered by a young French woman who I met this morning as she and her friend were waiting for the minivan to arrive and take them up to Pai, in the north. I was having coffee at Noi's (different Noi than the restaurant owner), and we had one of those, where ya going, how's your trip type conversations. We agreed that we are so fortunate to be spending the winter in SE Asia as opposed to the States or France and she said, 'I choose to be lucky'. I love the sound of that... it's got that little bit of whimsy that captures well this moment in time. I choose to be lucky too.
And the longer I do it, the more things are coming out, the more memories, thoughts of friends, some departed, they're all here when I play the songs associated with them. My soul brother, Howie Lawrence from the Keys taught me 'Island in the Sun' and that one came out the other night, along with his memory. Katie Hunter from Tallahassee taught me 'Paper Moon' at a singalong on her land cooperative, so I think of her departed spirit as I sing the song. I pulled out 'There's a Place for Us' the finale of West Side Story, the other night, and that song was my absolute favorite composition ten years ago. And that's the spirit of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, two giants. So these memories are flooding my spirit as I sing into the mic and try to touch the crowd. They're not just songs, they're little universes.
It was 9pm last night and I had finished two hours, there was some crowd but not huge, so I asked Dash if he wanted me to stop or keep going. He said it was up to me. If I keep going, that's an extra ten bucks, so sure I want to play that next hour, but I wanted to give him the option to say, 'That's good for tonight'. But he turned it back to me so I kept playing and a few parties showed up to be part of the music and it turned into a great final set. Made some tips, some folks were singing along, making requests, we had some laughs. What a great gig this is!. Made close to $50 between the pay and the tips and that's a nice 3 hours of work here, where my room costs $10 and I can get a good bowl of soup for $1.
Then I headed around the corner to play some at CU Corner, my former (and present stomping ground). Ended up on the stage there, got a great response and a lot of appreciation, invited Noel up to sing a few songs, he's an older Irish gent, very funny, fluent in Thai, loves my tunes and sense of humor, one of the good connections I've made this visit to Chiang Mai. It was his last night in town so it was fun to give him the spotlight, and he's got an amazing voice (for a heavy smoker). Just one of those gifts, I suppose. We sang, Bye Bye Love, What a Wonderful World and I Can't Help Falling in Love With You. People didn't really know what a great singer he is so there was surprise and appreciation. And then Billy (Aussie guitar player 62 years old) asked if I could play that song 'One Little Glance' from that Oregon songwriter chap (me). It was the first time anyone requested that one and I happily obliged. It's a really solid jazz tune that I'm proud of and folks dug it a lot.
And then Pavel and Daniel, the gypsy jazz guys showed up to play at 11:30, so I switched to bass and anchored their virtuosity, read through the charts, and once again it was a great and well appreciated hour of jazz and swing, Django Reinhart style. It's such a thrill to get to play with great guys and great players, to earn their respect and appreciation and to provide music for the customers. I played 5 and 1/2 hours of music last night, was fed a great meal, got my drinks paid for. What a gift it is to make music!
And the title of this piece, which seems to fit the way I'm feeling was uttered by a young French woman who I met this morning as she and her friend were waiting for the minivan to arrive and take them up to Pai, in the north. I was having coffee at Noi's (different Noi than the restaurant owner), and we had one of those, where ya going, how's your trip type conversations. We agreed that we are so fortunate to be spending the winter in SE Asia as opposed to the States or France and she said, 'I choose to be lucky'. I love the sound of that... it's got that little bit of whimsy that captures well this moment in time. I choose to be lucky too.
Deeper....
I seem t be getting deeper into the spirit groove of this winter retreat, and it's a beautiful thing. I used to say that Chiang Mai was an artist's retreat for me, and that may still apply, but more than the art, I'm finding that it's about the breathing, the mindfulness, the interior landscape. My book is really helping in this shift. Every day I read a few chapters from 'Best Buddhist Writing of 2011' and the cumulative effect of it is permeating my awareness. Like today I was reading the piece by Thich Nhat Hanh, who among other things is known for his meditation walking, and it got me more tuned into the walking, the breathing, the seeing, the peace. It was a lovely stroll over to the park for the daily yoga practice.
And in yesterday's yoga convergence, three of us got together and Satia, who claims to be a yoga teacher, led us. She was great and the thing that she said which I hadn't quite internalized before is that yoga is not about a workout or a competition. It's a coordination of the breathing with the movement of the body. So this pose is on an in breath and this pose is on an out breath and it brings the breath and the body together. I kinda knew that on some level, but hearing it now, it totally made sense. And of course the more I do it, the more it becomes second nature, and the deeper we go.
Which is not to say that I'm turning into some kind of guru dude, far from it, but I am acquiring some very useful tools along the path of (hopefully) wisdom. That's what it's about, right, this 'getting older' thing? It's not about consuming more or eating more dinners at fancy restaurants, it's about becoming more wise, and more compassionate, both inside and out. It's not about controlling the thoughts, or squelching the impulses. Those are going to come, we couldn't stop them if we wanted to. It's about accepting them, making peace with them, allowing for them, letting them pass.
I never thought that I could 'meditate'. It seemed so foreign, like you had to say these esoteric words and sit forever, and it just isn't me. But the idea of sitting and observing what my mind does, without judging it, learning how to do that... yeah, I could do that kind of meditation. And I seem to be doing it more and more... Yup it's official... I'm definitely Jubu now. (jewish-buddhist), maybe going all the way over to purely 'bu'.
On a more mundane note, I'm finding myself quite obsessed with keeping track of my money, counting it at least a few times each day, it's sort of comical. (not that I'm judging it, of course). But ever since I went to 4 nights a week at the restaurant, I've been able to live in Chiang Mai without going to the ATM. I have the exact same amount of money I had when I last went to the bank machine 18 days ago...15,000 baht, about $500.00. And that calculus of earning my keep here is kinda thrilling for a person like me. Such a gift to have found a way to pay my way in this lifestyle by doing something I adore doing, making music. It's almost of too good to be true, but it's true for now. (of course I didn't pay for the dental work out of my playing, but the regular day to day of living here, yup, that's from music)
And speaking of music, I've been busting out lots of tunes from the recesses of my brain. They're in there, and now they get to come out and get sung into the microphone. Last night I played 'There's a Place For Us' from West Side Story, always LOVED that song, and now that I haven't had a toke for over 5 weeks (but who's counting?) I can hit the high notes easily and it sounds good. (And Noi likes it, which is always a consideration). She's been so supportive of what I'm doing there, best boss ever. I get to do it again this evening, make my next 1,000 baht, keep the music and the lifestyle flowing... Dreamy....
And in yesterday's yoga convergence, three of us got together and Satia, who claims to be a yoga teacher, led us. She was great and the thing that she said which I hadn't quite internalized before is that yoga is not about a workout or a competition. It's a coordination of the breathing with the movement of the body. So this pose is on an in breath and this pose is on an out breath and it brings the breath and the body together. I kinda knew that on some level, but hearing it now, it totally made sense. And of course the more I do it, the more it becomes second nature, and the deeper we go.
Which is not to say that I'm turning into some kind of guru dude, far from it, but I am acquiring some very useful tools along the path of (hopefully) wisdom. That's what it's about, right, this 'getting older' thing? It's not about consuming more or eating more dinners at fancy restaurants, it's about becoming more wise, and more compassionate, both inside and out. It's not about controlling the thoughts, or squelching the impulses. Those are going to come, we couldn't stop them if we wanted to. It's about accepting them, making peace with them, allowing for them, letting them pass.
I never thought that I could 'meditate'. It seemed so foreign, like you had to say these esoteric words and sit forever, and it just isn't me. But the idea of sitting and observing what my mind does, without judging it, learning how to do that... yeah, I could do that kind of meditation. And I seem to be doing it more and more... Yup it's official... I'm definitely Jubu now. (jewish-buddhist), maybe going all the way over to purely 'bu'.
On a more mundane note, I'm finding myself quite obsessed with keeping track of my money, counting it at least a few times each day, it's sort of comical. (not that I'm judging it, of course). But ever since I went to 4 nights a week at the restaurant, I've been able to live in Chiang Mai without going to the ATM. I have the exact same amount of money I had when I last went to the bank machine 18 days ago...15,000 baht, about $500.00. And that calculus of earning my keep here is kinda thrilling for a person like me. Such a gift to have found a way to pay my way in this lifestyle by doing something I adore doing, making music. It's almost of too good to be true, but it's true for now. (of course I didn't pay for the dental work out of my playing, but the regular day to day of living here, yup, that's from music)
And speaking of music, I've been busting out lots of tunes from the recesses of my brain. They're in there, and now they get to come out and get sung into the microphone. Last night I played 'There's a Place For Us' from West Side Story, always LOVED that song, and now that I haven't had a toke for over 5 weeks (but who's counting?) I can hit the high notes easily and it sounds good. (And Noi likes it, which is always a consideration). She's been so supportive of what I'm doing there, best boss ever. I get to do it again this evening, make my next 1,000 baht, keep the music and the lifestyle flowing... Dreamy....
One of the exceedingly rare blues tunes I've ever written. (not a jazz chord to be found)
The groove is like Wilson Pickett's 'Midnight Hour' (old school R and B)
I gave you what you said you wanted
So I thought we would be OK
Girl I'm not the kind who can read your mind
But I sure listen to what you say
And now that look in your eyes is haunted
I gave you what you said you wanted
I gave you what you said you wanted
Yes I followed the recipe
I must have been a fool for stickin' to the rule
Because you up and turned your back on me
I may be down but I'm still undaunted
I gave you what you said you wanted
chorus
Guess we're gonna find out what we're made of
No better teacher than the one we're most afraid of
Don't have to fear it, no we don't have to hide
Can't wait to see you on the other side
I'm sure not saying that I'm any better
In fact I think we're just about the same
We could let it be, or we could set each other free
And neither one should take the blame
Not gonna front, and I ain't gonna flaunt it
But I gave you what you said you wanted...
I seem to have...
I seem to have a yoga practice these days, and I know this because even though the teacher is off on a 5 day break, I've been continuing to do the postures, focus on the breathing, work on the alignment and flexibility. My body and my mind want to continue this, so I do. And it's been a lovely adjunct to life in Chiang Mai. My ritual this week has been to have my morning coffee, then walk through town to the park on the SW edge of the old city. I rent a woven mat, take off my shirt, roll up the legs of my workout pants (hey, I'm multi-tasking, getting some sun) and then do about a 50 minute session. It's not cool to walk around without a shirt (except in the park), so it's a nice way to work on the tan, work on the breath, work on the body. Work work work, (he said with a laugh).
And what a beautiful walk it is to get where I'm going. Past the temples, including my favorite one which is just before the park, down the lanes, hearing the birds, avoiding the fried chicken and other grease which calls to me...mellow stroll a mile through town and it gets me in the mood to do yoga. And afterward, another jaunt home, or to the internet like today, stop off for a bowl of soup from a friendly woman who smiles and is happy to have the farang customer. I carried on the most rudimentary of conversations today, and for the first time, I regret not being able to say more. My contribution was this, 'Happy New Year, noodle soup with rice, thanks, not cold today, nice nice, delicious, thank you, see you later'. I've accustomed myself to the notion that I won't be learning Thai... too hard and I don't really need it in the life I'm living here.... but I think I'll learn a couple of phrases for the next time I stop in for the meal. 'I'm happy here, the people are so nice, I love Chiang Mai' Yeah, I ought to be able to say those things...
Today is January 2, and I am officially one third of the way through my hundred day visit to Asia. It's been anything but adventuresome, or even 'travel' for that matter. I simple arrived here, went back to the place I was familiar with, started living. And it's been great, and what makes it great are friends, yoga, dentistry, music, more music and the ability to earn my keep here, reading, sun, Buddhism, no weed, I've been totally straight since I've been here. The Buddhism piece has come to the fore in the past several days. I've been reading a book I enjoy a lot, 'Best Buddhist writing of 2011' a series of short pieces from different authors, and it's been a wonderful way for me to learn and to try and apply the lesssons to my life. The main thing seems to be to realize that the stuff that goes on in your mind isn't 'you'. You are bigger than that, that stuff is just a movie, and if it's a fearful movie, or a covetous movie or a selfish movie, I have the ability to transcend that script, let go of the fear and the want, and just enjoy the big picture. I'm working on it these days, seeing my fears for what they are... not reality, just a not-useful script and the more I maintain that awareness, the better off we'll all be... So I keep on that path...
New Year's Eve was just great. Played a fun couple of sets at Dash Restaurant, was in a very good groove at different points, great response, accompanied Dash himself as he was in a singing mood at the end of the night and he really appreciated it. Made some tips and salary, always nice, then walked down to watch the fireworks which don't really do anything for me (except make me wonder 'why'?). But the highlight of the night was cruising into CU Corner after midnight as Pavel was taking the stage. He's a great player, sings in English and Spanish, plays excellent electric guitar, good material, total pro. Billy from Australia was sitting in for a few songs on bass, and I said, 'Hey Billy, when you get tired, I'd love to play a few'. He said, 'Last one, Richard' and then it was my turn. Pavel does this thing where he tunes his guitar down half a step, so he can hit the high notes in a couple of vocals. Seems dumb to me, and it drives people nuts who are trying to jam with him. you either have to transpose, or else tune your own instrument down a half step. Why, dude? But anyhow, I can handle that... my musician brain can do the calculations and I was in good form, and he was digging the support. His buddy Drew from Hawaii was playing Cajon (that wooden box you can play rhythm on) and we were sounding GREAT!. There was a big crowd of friends, including a bunch of regulars who had just arrived back in town, so it was like old home week.
I had been feeling blue earlier in the day, missing my girlfriend in particular, wanting to be with my loved ones, and this party was a pretty good antidote. There's Coco, queen of the lady boys, there's John, Irish guy living in Majorca, just back in town, there's Keith, big biker dude from the Isle of Man, hadn't seen him until this night. There's Matt and Debbie just back from Maui. Oh was very nice to me, setting me up with a couple of drinks, a hug for the new year, it feels like we're friends and that's a great thing. She was in full-on Oh mode, charging through the crowd, keeping the drinks coming, smiling, dancing her way through, she's an unbelievable waitress, everyone loves and appreciates her and it was something to see her doing what she does. She's supposedly off to France sometime this month when her visa comes together, off to be with her 'fiance' Michelle (guy) sp? who everyone says is great. I'm very happy for her.
So we're playing song after song, the people are loving it, toasting, dancing, celebrating and then it's time to finish so others could play. Pavel picks, 'I'm a joker' a song I've always really liked. And the combination of seeing the old friends, seeing Oh, feeling like a part of something over here, jamming hard on the bass, feeling the teamwork with the musicians, singing harmony for 'I'm a joker', it just lifted me into some kind of altered state, (that plus a couple of rum drinks, but I digress) and I was filled with joy, really lifted up. Gratitude for that and for all of this life...
And what a beautiful walk it is to get where I'm going. Past the temples, including my favorite one which is just before the park, down the lanes, hearing the birds, avoiding the fried chicken and other grease which calls to me...mellow stroll a mile through town and it gets me in the mood to do yoga. And afterward, another jaunt home, or to the internet like today, stop off for a bowl of soup from a friendly woman who smiles and is happy to have the farang customer. I carried on the most rudimentary of conversations today, and for the first time, I regret not being able to say more. My contribution was this, 'Happy New Year, noodle soup with rice, thanks, not cold today, nice nice, delicious, thank you, see you later'. I've accustomed myself to the notion that I won't be learning Thai... too hard and I don't really need it in the life I'm living here.... but I think I'll learn a couple of phrases for the next time I stop in for the meal. 'I'm happy here, the people are so nice, I love Chiang Mai' Yeah, I ought to be able to say those things...
Today is January 2, and I am officially one third of the way through my hundred day visit to Asia. It's been anything but adventuresome, or even 'travel' for that matter. I simple arrived here, went back to the place I was familiar with, started living. And it's been great, and what makes it great are friends, yoga, dentistry, music, more music and the ability to earn my keep here, reading, sun, Buddhism, no weed, I've been totally straight since I've been here. The Buddhism piece has come to the fore in the past several days. I've been reading a book I enjoy a lot, 'Best Buddhist writing of 2011' a series of short pieces from different authors, and it's been a wonderful way for me to learn and to try and apply the lesssons to my life. The main thing seems to be to realize that the stuff that goes on in your mind isn't 'you'. You are bigger than that, that stuff is just a movie, and if it's a fearful movie, or a covetous movie or a selfish movie, I have the ability to transcend that script, let go of the fear and the want, and just enjoy the big picture. I'm working on it these days, seeing my fears for what they are... not reality, just a not-useful script and the more I maintain that awareness, the better off we'll all be... So I keep on that path...
New Year's Eve was just great. Played a fun couple of sets at Dash Restaurant, was in a very good groove at different points, great response, accompanied Dash himself as he was in a singing mood at the end of the night and he really appreciated it. Made some tips and salary, always nice, then walked down to watch the fireworks which don't really do anything for me (except make me wonder 'why'?). But the highlight of the night was cruising into CU Corner after midnight as Pavel was taking the stage. He's a great player, sings in English and Spanish, plays excellent electric guitar, good material, total pro. Billy from Australia was sitting in for a few songs on bass, and I said, 'Hey Billy, when you get tired, I'd love to play a few'. He said, 'Last one, Richard' and then it was my turn. Pavel does this thing where he tunes his guitar down half a step, so he can hit the high notes in a couple of vocals. Seems dumb to me, and it drives people nuts who are trying to jam with him. you either have to transpose, or else tune your own instrument down a half step. Why, dude? But anyhow, I can handle that... my musician brain can do the calculations and I was in good form, and he was digging the support. His buddy Drew from Hawaii was playing Cajon (that wooden box you can play rhythm on) and we were sounding GREAT!. There was a big crowd of friends, including a bunch of regulars who had just arrived back in town, so it was like old home week.
I had been feeling blue earlier in the day, missing my girlfriend in particular, wanting to be with my loved ones, and this party was a pretty good antidote. There's Coco, queen of the lady boys, there's John, Irish guy living in Majorca, just back in town, there's Keith, big biker dude from the Isle of Man, hadn't seen him until this night. There's Matt and Debbie just back from Maui. Oh was very nice to me, setting me up with a couple of drinks, a hug for the new year, it feels like we're friends and that's a great thing. She was in full-on Oh mode, charging through the crowd, keeping the drinks coming, smiling, dancing her way through, she's an unbelievable waitress, everyone loves and appreciates her and it was something to see her doing what she does. She's supposedly off to France sometime this month when her visa comes together, off to be with her 'fiance' Michelle (guy) sp? who everyone says is great. I'm very happy for her.
So we're playing song after song, the people are loving it, toasting, dancing, celebrating and then it's time to finish so others could play. Pavel picks, 'I'm a joker' a song I've always really liked. And the combination of seeing the old friends, seeing Oh, feeling like a part of something over here, jamming hard on the bass, feeling the teamwork with the musicians, singing harmony for 'I'm a joker', it just lifted me into some kind of altered state, (that plus a couple of rum drinks, but I digress) and I was filled with joy, really lifted up. Gratitude for that and for all of this life...
Happy New Year from Chiang Mai...
12 minutes until the clock strikes 12 and rather than be out in the maelstrom of Tae Pae Gate which is the Times Square of Chiang Mai, I'm ensconced in the internet place that is right there, with music blasting outside, hundreds of vendors hawking grilled meat, noodles, corn on the cob, deep fried this and that, all kinds of food and all kinds of clothing, knick knacks, tee shirts, yoga pants, the usual deal. The street is closed off and it's a see of Asian faces, some Farang, everybody from babies to old timers. In the sky are hundreds of lanterns, some going up, some coming down... it's a big business on a night like this, must be a hundred or more vendors selling them here. And people light them, pose with them, and set them aloft,carrying their dreams for the new year... or maybe it's just a photo op.
Had a rough day of missing my girlfriend Julie who has been off the grid with friends for a few days, so we didn't have a chance to chat or skype lately and for some reason, it's hard at the new year, I felt pretty lonely there for a few minutes, but that gives way to the next feeling and the next and the next so it's not something I dwell in. But wow, there was an ache there for awhile. I've been reading a great collection of 'the Best Buddhist writing of 2011' and it's really getting me to think in a different way. I'm drawn to Buddhism and this is an excellent way for me to get a foothold. Different articles from different walks of life, each one digestible without having to wade through a serious tome that would feel like work. This feels like knowledge and I'm into it.
Two minutes to go... and I have zero interest in being part of the throng, though I will step out to watch the fireworks, so I guess yeah, I'll be in the throng. I wish I was with my love at midnight, I miss the kiss and the connection. Part of the price for being a road dog, and yup I have to pay it.... And it's OK
Well it says 12:00 so Happy New Year, Sawadii Pii Mai (in Thai) There's the cheer, there's the explosions, I'm sitting indoors with headphones and glasses on... like a nerd... and it's OK
Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom
Had a rough day of missing my girlfriend Julie who has been off the grid with friends for a few days, so we didn't have a chance to chat or skype lately and for some reason, it's hard at the new year, I felt pretty lonely there for a few minutes, but that gives way to the next feeling and the next and the next so it's not something I dwell in. But wow, there was an ache there for awhile. I've been reading a great collection of 'the Best Buddhist writing of 2011' and it's really getting me to think in a different way. I'm drawn to Buddhism and this is an excellent way for me to get a foothold. Different articles from different walks of life, each one digestible without having to wade through a serious tome that would feel like work. This feels like knowledge and I'm into it.
Two minutes to go... and I have zero interest in being part of the throng, though I will step out to watch the fireworks, so I guess yeah, I'll be in the throng. I wish I was with my love at midnight, I miss the kiss and the connection. Part of the price for being a road dog, and yup I have to pay it.... And it's OK
Well it says 12:00 so Happy New Year, Sawadii Pii Mai (in Thai) There's the cheer, there's the explosions, I'm sitting indoors with headphones and glasses on... like a nerd... and it's OK
Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom
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