Progress in practice

 The most important thing last night is that I practiced. I didn't feel like it but I cued up a semi-interesting documentary on YouTube and got to work. It's becoming easier to play the high notes, cleaner, for more repetitions. 10 times is becoming routine and I'm doing them for 12 often. 

I still felt discouraged about the body of repertoire I have or rather don't have, so I fiddled around with a few things, "Summertime" from Porgy and Bess, and "Hallelujah" and at least verified that I *can* play these things. Then I felt good about the whole thing. 

I think I'm at the stage on shakuhachi that I was on trumpet 10+ years ago when I was still living in Gilroy and was playing and practicing, but had a long way to go. I managed to get out busking a couple of times, was awful and didn't make much, but I had to start somewhere.

I'd prepared and photo'd 15 things to list on Ebay but pretty much ran out of gas after listing 5, so I set the other 10 aside and did my practice and then bed. 

I got up in time to have coffee and nuts, and grab two bags containing 10 cans of garbanzo beans, some pasta, rock candy on a stick, and even the by now rather well traveled daifuku, and two bags of trash and after getting rid of the trash on the way, swung by Tom's and dropped off the heavy bags. 

Then I rode up to Dai Thanh, then 99 Ranch, then H Mart where I locked the bike. I walked over to Sprouts and got two bags of pumpkin seeds, thinking that if I get two, I won't have to run over there so much. 

I got back to H Mart and .... they're all out of the macadamia nuts they sell. I drank a can of Mr. Brown out front and walked back over to Sprouts for some of their macadamia nuts, $10 a lb as opposed to what's got to work out to at least $15. (I tried them later at home and they're better too.) 

Then back to H Mart and around back I got some shiitake mushrooms and peppers and lots of bananas to take over to Tom's. 

I rode over to Tom's and knocked - he was awake. I handed off the bananas, and caught up a little. I asked him if he's recovered from the - and made a drinking motion - and ready to take on the week. He said he hoped so. He verified that he's going to have James living in back and going to go back into his drilling business with James as helper. I said I hope it works out well. 

I probably won't be seeing much of Tom now if he's doing his regular job plus doing his drilling business on the side. Plus I think another factor is: Tom wants a drinking buddy. We had lots of fun that evening we got shitfaced and listened to all kinds of music, but I didn't want to do that any more. Tom wants someone he can get all sloppy and shitfaced with. 

He's told me about following the trail of things he's broken when he was blackout drunk, making his way to the porta-john he has on the side of his building; finding the trail of destruction the next day. So he really likes to tie one on, and if James likes a good snootful which he may well, then it's a good match. 

I was really hoping I could get Tom out busking but that's not going to happen. He's reverting to what he knows, which as an Alaskan is collecting firewood and doing stuff with machinery like drill rigs. Just like I'll like as not be falling back on collecting seashells once I'm back in Hawaii and my interest in music goes back further than I can remember, too. 

I rode back along Old Bayshore/Zanker - lo and behold, there was what appeared to be a zombess carrying things in pillowcases shuffling along the opposite side of the road, it was something like 9 at night now and they're really everywhere at all hours - and got back in here and buttoned up for the night.