Fifty bucks. And a quarter.

 I'd been up all night listing stuff. I woke up, finally, around 2 in the afternoon because I told myself I didn't have to really be anywhere until much later than that. 

I finally got going at almost 5, and stopped at Nijiya for a can of coffee and to check their "holiday" hours. It comes down to, there, on a holiday, they close an hour early. 6PM instead of 7PM. 

I stashed the can of coffee and rode over to 1st street and down to Ryland Park which the bum at St. James Park had told me has tons of exercise equipment. I rode around and indeed it does. From First Street all one sees is a big rack full of rental bikes and, at least in the past, a few bums loitering around. It's not evident that the park is long and also widens out as you go back. There were no bums, there's actually a big swimming pool, and two sets of exercise equipment with chinning bars, dip bars, etc. 

Then I rode over to San Pedro Square and there were no buskers there at all. Time to put in a half-hour, I thought, before Loud Band or another busker who needs the money more - like Leroy - shows up. 

I set up by the Old Spaghetti and started playing. It actually went pretty well. Well enough that when I'd played from 5:30 to 6:00, I decided to stay around until 6:30, making it a full hour and making it OK with me if Whole Foods is crowded with beggars, hucksters, and all-around psychos. 

There were lots of people with little kids, and I might have done really well to arrive an hour earlier, note to self for next Xmas season here which won't exist for me because I'll be gone. Lots of little kids given a buck to put in the box, and one guy put in a $20 "For beer!" and I joked around about "Barley therapy" which got a good laugh. 

At the end of my hour I'd done enough, played the "Goodnight!" song which I was able to pull off with some extra snap, and packed up. I counted up and I'd made $50. And a quarter. Not bad for an hour. 

I rode over to Whole Foods and locked the bike and had a nice talk with one of the "Save The Children" guys who were still set up with their little booth although it was late (6:45 is late in this town) and cold. "You're read die-hards!" I'd started the conversation with. We talked about bikes and transit and how great they are, then I said I'd better let them get back to their fund-raising and went in. 

I got a nice dish of mushroom and beef meatloaf which I thought might be too much but I chowed it down just fine. This cold weather makes me crave heavy food. When I was done I got the coffee I had stashed away out, and went upstairs to drink it in the warmth from the heaters and watch a bit of the basketball game they had on the TV. I possibly could have played some more there at Whole Foods but I really didn't feel like it. 

I bought some olive tampenade and taurine and thereby used up the ton of $1's I had, and rode home. I rode through San Pedro Square and there were still lots of people walking around, but no buskers. I rode along 1st street to figure out which cross street is closest to this new gem of a park and it's Hensley so from J-town I can take 4th to Hensley and down 1st a bit to the park. 

I wonder how this park isn't a huge bum encampment. Since there are residential buildings all around, I'm thinking there's a sort of system, formal or not, where the cops are called - or maybe there's even security around there - if any bums loiter around. Maybe that's why that one bum told me about it. He may have been chased out of there, and thought that I belonged there and not his "his" park, St. James, a running joke that's often referred to on Reddit as "needle park". 

On my playing tonight: It's going to take time to build up to putting in an honest two hours. The urge to use too much mouthpiece pressure must be some sort of an instinct. Adam Rapa talks about actually building up the muscles *in* the lips, so that these muscles can be flexed and can protect the lips against the mouthpiece pressure, while one must also try not to use so damn much pressure anyway. He actually talks, and said another noted instructor talks, about an "embouchure tunnel" which is a new concept to me in trumpet but it looks like something to pursue. I want a good tone, and easy high notes. I also am trying to work on my posture, and am glad I found that park with all the exercise stuff because I want to really train my midsection for good support - it's no wonder Miles Davis trained in boxing. 

The pieces are easier to figure out these days and I can only blame it on sobriety being better the longer it's maintained. All well and fine to be sober for 6 months, or a year, but the longer it's kept up the sharper the mind can be, and thus the songs easier to just play. 

I guess these days I'm "edge" (for straightedge, don't take anything although I still want to get my hands on some tianeptine which is a legit drug if taken within the dosage it's used in Europe, where it's regularly prescribed and does a lot of good. It's supposed to be the bees' knees for anxiety.)

Would I do as well, money-wise, with a guitar? Maybe, if I had a really good voice. But I'd have to have a really good voice plus I'd have to know all the words which is not only a pain but a lot of songs have words that are stupid. I'd probably do at least as well and probably better, with a violin due to the rule that parents love to linger around and tip a musician who's playing an instrument they want their kids to play. Most parents would rather have their kids play the violin than a damn trumpet, and forget the guitar. Piano, maybe, if you're gonna drag a Rhodes out there but that takes a van or a station wagon, amp, etc. Trumpet seems to be to be the best combination of simple, easy to transport, weather-proof, loud, gets credit for being both hard to play and respectable, and it can sound pretty good too.