Last night, lost and wandering in Bethesda, eventually we reached our goal. We set up and played out and strained to make ourselves heard to the rapidly emptying South Beach Restaurant. We did ok – met some good people.
But the drive home was the wonderful thing – I find that the best thing in the world is driving home from gigs with Amy and Heather in the car – playing CDs and letting them fill the cabin with added harmonies. Heather with her lilt and Amy with her husky throatiness.
A good night.
Today it’s been a slow start, it’s 4.17pm and we’re JUST getting on the road. Not a big deal, I suppose, as there’s nothing in particular on the schedule at the Susquehanna Music and Arts Festival that I NEED to go see right this minute, it’s more a matter of the way my brain works and WANTING a coherent schedule.
As it is, we’re racing North to run away from the thunderstorms. I just bought a new power inverter, and we’re testing to see if it will ACTUALLY charge my Alienware monstrosity off the car battery, or if the Alienware monstrosity just THINKS it’s charging off the car battery.
In the meantime, we’re taking backroads all the way out to Darlington – third gear and two hands on the wheel. I always forget how rural Maryland can be – how beautiful just a mile or two out of suburbia.
What can I say? The day turned to shit, but it’s the other guy’s fault. Heather’s mom picked us up off the side of the road after a State Trooper and a guy with a broom cleaned the remains of Heather’s Saturn off of state road 165.
But Heather and I are alive. A silver Volvo turned across traffic in front of us and we plowed into it at around 40mph. I didn’t see it happen. I was working on the website, typing the above and Heather said “Oh shit.” A very calm statement, and I looked up very calmly – and there was a silver Volvo coming through our engine.
God, my body just hurts.
Heather and I are bruised – Heather’s burned from the air bag… I was aware for a long time of sitting in the car as it filled with smoke, Heather was calling me from the side of the road – and I just couldn’t get myself to move. I remember falling out of Aunt Penny’s cherry tree and winding myself… it felt like I was detached from my body and I just felt too tired to answer.
Heather and I are alive, but I felt like we failed or something, being dragged back to start, watching the road roll back in reverse as Mara drove us home. We hadn’t played, and I just felt like we’d been caught and were being dragged back by the scruff of our necks.
And my chest just HURTS.
Heather says she feels like she had a makeout session with sandpaper.
It sucks to be heading to page 300 – a turning of the third hundred and we watch our Saturn get swept up by a tow-truck driver.
Heather is sprawled on one couch, I’m huddled on the other. Tomorrow is just going to be worse. I think we’re going to play a really gentle set in Frederick tomorrow.
