Home again home again – and we all know what that means, right? Traffic. In typical MD / VA / DC-area form the drive from Baltimore to our show at Parallel Wine Bistro has already taken two hours and we’re still a good hour away from the venue… tonight when traffic is “normal” it should take us about an hour to get home. It’s infuriating. And people STILL argue against telecommuting? How is that even POSSIBLE?!!
It’s a rainy, grey day – and that’s certainly not helping. A Perfect Circle croons from the speakers, the swish of cars moving at a steady-ish 11mph and the gentle steady plopping of the weather. The momentary spike of warmth and moisture has been enough for the local flora, and the roadside bamboo has gone absolutely nuts, shining bright green against the browns and greys of the highway.
I must admit – I want to go FAST. I’ve managed to watch Death Race 2000, Death Race AND Death Race 2 within the past 24 hours. I’m not proud.
Our last show on the road, in Pittsburgh, PA, was uneventful and a little low-key. For as much as it was great to really have a room mostly owned by fans and friends, I think personal morale was low. We were all tired and I was certainly wishing I could have the stamina to take on the 4.5 hour drive home. Kristen’s come down with a nasty throat-ailment and hasn’t sung for the past two days… not that she sings MUCH but I’ve grown to really expect her vocals coming in on “Crazy as a Good Thing” and “We Can Work It Out” – and I miss the depth of sound when they’re not there. I’ll probably miss the cello a bit tonight too, but there’s also a purity and fluidity that I really enjoy when it’s just Heather and I. I feel like we can sort of switch directions a little bit more swiftly when it’s just the two of us… I like that feeling of turning on a dime and not having to worry whether or not we’ve ever played a song with Kristen or not.
Cause, you know, Heather and I have been playing together for ten years. There’s comfort in that.
One other note. I think that cars that don’t use their blinkers should be evaporated by orbiting traffic-control platforms armed with x-ray lasers. Or air-lifted via helicopter and taken to re-education camps where drivers are retrained until they’re ready to rejoin polite society. I’m only half-joking.
