BennyEast.Com/Blog The official blog of Kenny West

Musikfest And Other Fests

Last night I hit up the final night of Musikfest.  It was pretty sweet.  A friend of mine met me there with her friends.  I feel like anymore... I just want to drink beer with people.  I've started jam packing my calendar full of events.  So I pretty much go out every single night.  My thing is... I think I've given up on dating or meeting someone.  If it hasn't worked with anyone by now... Screw it.  I'm just going to enjoy my 30s and basically go out a lot of be a 30 something single person that lives alone.

So, instead of doing that whole family or relationship thing that all my peers are doing, not by choice, because I'd LOVE to meet the one and get married and settle down and have kids and all that but I just haven't meet her yet I guess.  Instead.... There's beer and events.

Musikfest was just one event in a long string of upcoming events.  I figure if I pack my schedule full of things to do, I have a better chance of bumping into her.  I have a better chance of one day finding that one that I will marry and spend the rest of my life with.

I've tried online dating and that just never worked out.  So instead, I go to various beer events.  It's interesting because the more I go to, the more I find out about.  There's a LOT of them.  I had no idea there were so many festivals in this area.  There's tons of Spring, Summer, and Fall events.  I'm not sure how many winter events there are, but I imagine there are some.  One of them I found is a comedy improv festival up in Bethlehem that is in February.  I've already added that to my calendar.

But, I think I'm done looking for love.  If it's going to happen... It will just have to find me.  I'm not going to bother doing that whole going on dates anymore thing.  I'm just going to go out and mix and mingle and drink beer with people.  And if a spark happens... It happens.

It's not like I don't have time, I mean, I'm 33.  Some people don't meet sometimes into their late 30s or even 40s... So if I spend the next 2 or 5 years just going out to all these different beer festivals before I meet her... Then that's just how it goes.

Tonight I'm playing a show.  I'm going to practice a bunch for that today.  I definitely want to play more shows and work on more music.  I have two songs that I've been working on that are coming along.  Neither of them are anywhere near being completed, but I'm starting to get back into that after not working on music a ton for the last year.

Anyways so Muskifest was awesome yesterday.  We just ate and drank and walked around and checked out lots of different and interesting thing.  Performance art, music... Etc. Etc.

It was a great time.  I plan to go back again next year.  I also plan to go to Celticfest and as well to the Oktoberfest that they have up there.

So, while all my friends are getting married and making babies... and what have you... I'm going out to as many festivals as I can find.

I just found a new one today that is at Yards Brewing next month... It's a fundraiser for homeless cats!  Now that's a cause I can get on board with.

Who knows, maybe one day I'll end up like all those people that are in relationships, or in love, or married with kids.  But for now.... There's festivals and events and beer.  Or sometimes wine.  I don't always drink beer, and when I don't, I drink wine.

Acting Class

I've decided to take an acting class.  Two nights ago on Wednesday night I went to this Theater and Film Artist Exchange networking event.  It was SO much fun.  Also they had one of my favorite beers on tap, Yards Brawler.  So that made it even better.  I sat and chatted away making new friends and enjoying my Yards Brawler.

Most people there were super serious and all business, as they should be.  Some were just there to say hello to old friends but aren't really into the film scene as much anymore.  A lot of people were just there to try and connect up and maybe get another part in another film.

So, when most people think of movies they think mostly what's in the theaters.  Or on DVD.  But for every major motion picture made there are hundreds, if not thousands, of indie films made.

So, all of these small films need actors and directors and writers and... You name it!

I found out that Philly has a vibrant local film scene.  And the people are SUPER fun and cool to hang out with.  They are also very supportive of one another.  Sure, they would all LOVE to make it all big time Hollywood... But a lot of the people there just do it as a side hobby outside of their day job.

Basically everyone there had fancy headshots and acting resumes and business cards.  I had none of those.  I mostly just went out of curiosity.  I decided though, to sit down with a couple of the casting people and directors... They all were more than willing to help me and give me information and direction and notes.

The basic rundown is like this... If you have no or very little acting experience here's what you do...

1. Take an acting class.  Acting classes are crucial.  You network with other actors and film people and you become friends.  A lot of the business is all about who you know.  Especially if someone you first meet in an acting class is a nobody now, but then a year from now they are getting some pretty major roles... They can kind of pull you in by recommending you to the director or casting agent.  Etc. etc.  Classes are also usually run by casting agencies who will then help you get a role in some movie... Even if it's just a tiny little extra part to start building your acting resume up.
2. Headshots!  So if you liked the class and you think you might want to get into the acting biz.  Go get professional headshots.  These are what you hand out to the casting people to help you get gigs.  Always have fresh ones and make sure you look like a million bucks... Or at least look professional.  The last time I had photos professionally taken I fell in love with the girl taking the photos... She snapped up my heart as she was snapping photos of me on her camera.  So, there's always that possibility.  I fee like it's worth the risk though of falling in love with the photographer in order to get good headshots to possibly get cast in something and try my hand at the acting thing.  If nothing else it will just be something to add to my personal character and life experience.
3. Build a resume.  If you get a gig.  Write down everything about it.  Write down who you worked with and the experience you had on set and the producer and the writer and director and other actors.  Don't just show up and spit out lines and go home.  Take notes.  Write down your entire experience once you get home in an anecdotal journal to refer back on.  Memory is terribly unreliable and we usually remember things differently from how they actually happened.  If you have a written account of the events that occurred on set and you can thumb back through them, you can always refer back to that if someone has a question for you at a later date.  You can always beef up your acting resume too with something that you may have forgotten about or might not have thought was important at the time and didn't really think much of it, but then someone later on brought it up at a networking event and you say, "Wait... I think I DID do something like that!  I'm going to look that up when I get home and maybe add that in."  What you might not think is important, could be exactly what someone else is looking for.
4. Keep on networking.  Network, network, network!  Go to pretty much any event that anyone invites you to.  This is how I ended up at the networking event on Wednesday.  I went to my neighbors play, then I went to the movie premiere screening, then I went to the network event... Where is this rabbit hole leading me next?  I got an invite from someone new that I met on Wednesday to an event called 'American Kidz' and it's taking place in September at Dave and Busters.  So, I said... "I'm in!" and she sent me the invite.

I feel like those are the basics.  The whole idea is to also start small and work your way up.  A lot of people there last night had IMDB accounts.  So they are trying to build up their IMDB list.  I spoke with one guy about my music and he said that I need to do ASCAP and BMI and look into songwriting rights.  That way I can license my music for film and TV.  You can collect royalties on songs.

I feel like this can be applied to any profession in general.  Keep learning and taking classes, keep networking and meeting people in the industry and making new contacts, keep going to new events, keep learning new ways to do something that might help you.  Just stay involved and stay present and keep your name on the tip of everyone's tongues.

And know that... It's a lot of work.  It's going to be a lot of work.  Anything that you want... IS going to be work.  But if you are having fun doing it and enjoy it... It won't seem like work at all.

Anyways so out of all that I decided I'm going to start with the acting class.  I'll take it from there.  If I like the acting class then maybe I'll get some headshot photos taken.  I'm almost positive I'll do this anyways... I don't know, it's kind of exciting!  I'd love to get a small part and then go to the movie screening and see myself in some scene up on the screen.  All of the people there on Wednesday were in various small films.  A lot of them have all worked with each other multiple times.  It's a pretty thriving scene.  They mostly all just seem to do it for fun.  I'm not sure many of them get paid much for it, if at all.  But that experience seems like good experience to use elsewhere in life.  Making a movie requires a lot of patience and hard work and teamwork.  Which are good skills to have to stick on the resume.

It also is a great way to make new contacts and friends.

So... Keep an eye out for my acting debut one day on the big screen!  Haha, you never know.  It could turn into something big.

I might one day star in a TV show or movie.

But most of all... It's just fun and I had so much fun meeting all these people and chatting and learning all this stuff about the film biz.  It's all new and fresh and fun to me!  So, I'm just going to go with it.

Sometimes the best stuff in life happens completely by chance and accident.  This was definitely something I didn't see myself falling into 6 months ago.  I had no idea I would be possibly taking an acting class this fall or getting professional headshots to then audition for a movie of some sort.  But it looks like that's what is going to happen next month.

We'll see...

Don’t Try This At Home!

Okay, Tuesday I went to Science after hours for the "Don't Try This At Home" themed science after hours.

It was fun.  Lots of stuff happening as usual.  Mostly they had lots of things involving liquid nitrogen.  Basically anything that could freeze and smash and explode was fair game and fairly popular as well!

I missed a lot of stuff though, that's for sure.  What I did do was the following:

Giant soap bubble monster thing that exploded and got soap everywhere

Filled up with Sodium Hexafluoride instead of Helium to talk super LOW instead of super HIGH sounding.

Watched fireworks things, like a guy lit stuff on fire out of his hand and threw it into the air.

Learned out watersheds worked, although I already knew this... I mostly was just listening while waiting for them to refill the free iced coffee station that Saxbys was running.

Got free iced coffee.

Tight roped walked in the Fels Planetarium, then watched a trapeze artist do various tricks and things involving balance and gravity and such.

Learned that pressure built up behind a cork... No matter HOW snug that cork on that bottle is... Will eventually result in someone losing an eye if they aren't watching out!  No one actually lost an eye when the cork popped.  But it was close!

Smashed frozen bouncy balls frozen solid by liquid nitrogen, hammered nails into wood using bananas also soaked in liquid nitrogen.

And a few other things.

I definitely missed the rubber band watermelon.  They had a display setup where you could add a rubber band to a watermelon.  The more rubber bands the more it became less watermelon shaped and more like it was going to burst into a million pieces from all the pressure behind all the rubber bands...

Eventually, it burst into a million pieces.

Missed the ball pit explosion.

Played a little bit of quizzo.  Mostly because I was just waiting for a beer in the beer line which happened to be the same place you play quizzo.

Watched various other puzzles and games be solved by people while sipping on the beer.

Anyways, there's SOOO much stuff to do.  I mean it's always impossible to be able to get to all of it.

Towards the end of the night though I started talking to two girls that worked at Penn.  They actually know the ICU docs that treated my mom.

I started to tell them about my mom and all the stuff she had like liver transplant and dialysis and her being in the ICU.  They kept asking questions.  One of them knows her GI doc.  She was going to tell him I said hello.  I met him a few times as well.  My mom totally thought he was super cute.  She would always tell me that.  He's married with a kid.  But my mom told me she thought he was cute.

Anyways one of them is a member and so members get access to this little member area.  I'm going to sign up to be a member too at the next event and hang out with them.  The other girl is supposed to become a member I think too.  Even if we don't become members we can all just hang out anyways.  They said they go to pretty much every single one.  SO that's kind of cool.

Although then on the walk back to my car after it was over I just was thinking about my mom a lot and missing her.  I had talked to the two girls for a good 20 or 30 minutes.  They kept asking questions about her and like all the times she'd been to Penn and all that and all the stuff she had.  They aren't actually nurses or doctors but they just work with the doctors in various departments.  So they knew a lot of people that treated my mom.  They even knew the one ICU doc that I had sat down with to discuss things towards the end with my mom.

It was kind of a little emotional.  But we had an interesting connection there in the train room of the Franklin Institute.  We became social media friends.  So anyways I'll try to find them next month.  I'm definitely going to go to ALL the science after hours events.  It's one of my most favorite things in the world at the moment!

So there you have it.  Cool stuff for sure.  Just make sure not to blow things up, freeze things with liquid nitrogen, or light anything on fire at home.

Toaster!

I have two blogs to write.  One is about science after hours and the other is about the film and artist exchange networking event.

I'll write them hopefully tonight, or tomorrow night.  For now though... Enjoy this hilarious video about a toaster!

 

CrashPads Part 3

So, today I had an actual legit practical use for CrashPads as an app.

On demand lodging.  When you want it, where you want it, for as long as you need it.

Here's a real world example:

Saturday night I'm going to Independence Beer Garden... Going to try out Tinder Social and see what that's all about.  So far my one friend Justin is in.  We're looking for a third or fourth single guy or girl to join our group.

Singlin' and minglin' hoping to meet that love of my life!  Or at least just drink a couple beers and have a decent Saturday evening out on the town, maybe make a new friend.

I mean, I'm always up for new friends.  I'd LOVE to find love.  Believe-you-me, I'd LOVE to meet that forever girl that I end up tying the knot with.  I really can't wait for the day that happens.  But the problem is... I don't know when it will happen.  Or, IF it will happen.  There's always the possibility that I never do meet "The One".

That would suck.  I try not to let my thoughts go down that road, you know?

The idea that I'll just keep aging and keep going on dates, or whatever... Keep going out on nights out with friends and just never actually meet her.

I don't know, it's such a depressing thought!

Hopefully that won't be the case and I'll be married at least by the time I'm 40.

Okay so ANYWAYS... we're going out.  I'm considering taking the train.  BUT here's the thing, the Philly SEPTA train system, it doesn't run all night.  There's a last train.  IF you miss that train?  You're stuck in the city until early morning when the next train comes along.

Right so... What if you don't want to pay for an Uber or a cab ALL the way back to your house?  Because what if you live in say, Doylestown?  DO you know how much an Uber from Independence Beer Garden ALL the way out to Doylestown would cost?

Definitely way more than a train ticket that's for dang sure.

Okay so... In this hypothetical situation, imagine that you've missed the last train.  Now your options are, currently...

1. Wait until morning for the first train.
2. Phone a friend.
3. Uber.
4. Cab.
5. Walk?
6. Hotel room, which by the way will be an EXPENSIVE hotel room because it's center city and you didn't book in advance.
7. Or.... something else?

So what is this something else?  Well... You guessed it... It's a CrashPad!

So you open up your CrashPad app, you find the nearest pad and you crash until the morning train.  The nearest crash is only 4 blocks away!  And it's only 30 bucks for a 5 hour stay.

Look at that... You get 5 hours sleep in a comfy bed, you shower, brush your teeth, and make it in time for the very first train back out of the city!

CrashPad.  Because sometimes you just want short term on demand lodging and not a hotel room or an Airbnb.  You just want to crash for a few hours at someone's pad.

A "pad" by the way is just another name for someone's apartment, or their place.

Like... For example:

"Dude... Let's go over to your pad and we'll play Cards Against Humanity and order takeout."
"Bro, totally, my pad works for that.  I just cleaned this morning and everything!"
"Right on dude."
"Cleaning rocks!"
"Yeah it does.  I love cleaning and organizing and doing laundry and folding clothes."
"Oh my God Bro!  It's like you read my mind."

CrashPads Part 2

So, tonight I'm at my brother's for a few and I brought up the idea of crashpads.  But as in a place that you could stay for the night when you were too tired to drive home.

I then quickly came up with a slogan on the spot...

"Yeah, like... crash so you don't crash."

CrashPads.  Then the conversation bounced back and forth a bit.  And it turned into just a few hours of sleep, or even just a bathroom and a shower and brush teeth and freshen up.

It became... So, Airbnb  or a hotel room are something you rent for the whole night.

What if you don't want a whole night?  What if you just want...

4 hours of sleep?  What if you are driving 12 hours to visit a friend.  And you just want to stop after 6 hours to rest.  You don't want to sleep in your car.  You don't want to pay for a whole hotel room.  You don't want something astronomically priced.

You want a quick 4 hours of sleep and a bathroom to shower and freshen up.

You want a CrashPad.

Maybe it's an hourly rate.  So maybe you pay from when you "check in" until you "check out" on the app.  So I have a guest room and people are traveling through the Philly area.  Let's say there's a recent college grad.  They are traveling all the way to Philly for a job interview from 8 hours away.  They just want to drive in, stay for a few hours before going to the interview.  They are on a budget.  Maybe that's a bad example.

Let's say they are still going for that job interview, but the interview is in... DC and they are traveling from, let's say... Boston.  They are in NJ about to make their way through Philly when they realize they are just TOO tired to make it all the way to DC.  So instead... They crash here.  They stay 5 or 6 hours, take a shower, brush their teeth and freshen up.  Then continue on.

Or maybe they are just going to visit a friend.  Let's say they are driving from Richmond, VA and they want to head up to Hartford.

CrashPads are just quick stops to grab a quick bit of sleep.

Or maybe it's not my place.  Maybe it's a condo that I rent and like Airbnb it has an overnight option.  But instead of booking in advance, it's an on demand booking.  It's sitting ready and waiting for you.

Just like Uber the person has an app and they push the little "request a place to crash" button.  Then it looks up the 5 closest places that have vacancy.  You then book the place depending on how long you want to crash for.  Maybe you say you only want 4 hours of sleep.  But my minimum is set at 6.  I'll drop off the list.  You can then say what your hourly rate is.  Maybe you are 10 an hour.  SO if the person wants 5 hours sleep, that's 50.

If the person only wants an hour maybe the rate is 20.  SO you have a minimum hours of booking and a minimum rate.  Then the person accepts the room and rate and they can stay to get a little shuteye before getting on their way.

There's no booking process.  Basically they show up and go right to sleep.  There's no complicated check in and check out.  The alarm on the phone goes off when your time is up or just before to give you a warning.  Then you push the checkout button to check out and you pay.

It was a fun idea to kick around in conversation.  Realistically I'm not sure how viable it is.  Probably would never really work as far as logistics go.  But sometimes you don't want to waste money on a hotel room.  Sometimes when you're traveling you just want a couple hours break to rest.  Sometimes you just want a shower and a freshening up.

I feel like on a long road trip the whole "stopping for the whole night" just almost feels like you are wasting precious time AT your destination.  There are a lot of times when you can drive on through, just a few more hours, but you are so tired it becomes dangerous to drive.  You literally could end up crashing if you fall sleep at the wheel!

If only there were a service where you could safely just pay 20 or 40 bucks and get a couple hours sleep, just a few clicks, pull up go right to bed, then get up and go on your way.

No frills.  No check in and check out process other than click and go.

CrashPads.  For those long road trips when you don't want a full service hotel for the night.  You just want a quick place to crash so you don't crash.

You want that long weekend with that old childhood friend.  But that 10 hour drive just makes it impossible to get there with enough time on a regular 2 day weekend.  If only you could leave work at 5... Drive 5 hours... Sleep 5 hours then drive another 5 hours... And still make it to your friend's place in time for brunch Saturday morning.  And then you only need a quick 2 hour nap on the way back just to break up the drive.

Again.  There's probably no realistic way to make this happen.  But it would be kind of cool.  Cut out the whole book ahead of time thing.

Basically it's the future of travel lodging...

On demand lodging.  Something like...

CrashPads...

Stay as long as you need to, when you need it, where you need it.  All completely on demand at an hourly rate.

Traveling just got a little easier.  Weekend road trip?  Check.  Business travel?  Check.  Goodbye to long hotel check in and check out times and expensive flat fee rates that need to be booked months in advance?  Check and check.

CrashPads.  Download the app today!

 

Iced Coffee

So, life, is a bit like having an iced coffee at your favorite coffee shop.  The next time you go to your favorite coffee shop notice everything the way it is when you sit down.  Then notice the way it is when you leave.  This is more true when you plan to stay for a few hours to do work by yourself and not when you go with a friend and are only there for a short period of time.

This also works in bars.  When you get there, notice how it's different from when you leave.

Change is all around us.  But the problem is most times change works against us if we buy into it, or get sucked into it.  If we rise above it and arm ourselves with knowledge and the tools to maneuver the rapids, we'll be okay.  This happens anywhere.  When you move somewhere new.  When you get a new job.

When you make new friends.  Or in love and relationships.

The problem in it all is that we are attracted to how things are now.  And not future prospects.

This is the same with stock trading.  Most people buy stocks at their peak when they are extremely overvalued... Then when the price falls they sell in panic.  No one wants to let go of something good, but they run for the exit on bad news... Even if it's only temporary.

This is where the good traders make money.  Buy on fear, sell on greed.

The key to most things is being able to see value and potential in anything, in future.  Finding something undervalued.  Finding a gem of a worker to hire who does solid quality work over and over again and not someone that thinks they are hot stuff but can't accomplish a single task on time.

Nothing stays static.  Everything changes from the moment you first encounter it.  Be it a person, a place, or a thing.  You have two options, it either gets worse, or better.

When you buy a new car and drive it off the lot, it starts to immediately decline in value.  However let's say that new car is bought and then used for Uber.  Now you've added future value to an initial investment.

The problem with a lot of change is it can't be predicted.  Sometimes there are signs or small indications.  But mostly, there's a LOT of noise.  But what can be done is using constant feedback to adjust course.

Research.  Paying attention to what is happening and using that info to make decisions.

If you get to a bar or a coffee shop and you sit down in a spot that is near people that seem quiet or nice.  Chances are, they will get up and leave at some point.  And a rowdy group or belligerent drunk will take their place.

What was a good situation when you initially arrived turned into a problem situation.

Now you can't do quality work at the coffee shop because kids are constantly bumping your table and running around making noises and picking up things and their parents are telling them to put the thing down that they just picked up "Put that back down!".

Now you and your friend can't enjoy your beer and conversation at the bar because this belligerent drunk is next to you telling you all about some conspiracy theory of his on the current news up on the TV screen.  About how the Zika virus was introduced on purpose by some secret world elite power as a form of population control.

And you you just want to smack him in the face because you've recently completed listening to a college lecture course on the very topic of virology from Columbia University and you know more than 99 percent of people on this planet as to how virus evolution and transmission actually occurs.  And if he had even a clue he would know that governments spend BILLIONS of dollars a year on research for vaccines and treatments for viruses just like Zika.

Zika is a real threat and has already had a damaging effect on the children of many mothers that were infected with the virus during pregnancy.

Zika is another example of the change theory I'm discussing.  The Miami area now has a small outbreak of the virus.  While it's predicted that it will be contained, one never knows what it might turn into.  Viruses have the ability to evolve and mutate at any time.  The key to controlling any virus is controlling the way it's transmitted.

This is why, for example, condoms are the number one way to stop STDs.  It's just a  fact.  It's not debatable.  If you stop the mechanism that transmits, you control the outbreak.

Miami is a luxurious alluring spot to live and vacation... Or at least that's the image that it portrays.  When you tell people you live in Miami, or anywhere in South Florida... There's always a "Oooooo!".  Same with Southern California.

It's not the same as saying you live in Columbus, Ohio.

But people that moved to Miami even last year... Now have a change.  Just like sitting down at the coffee shop at that quiet table, and sitting down at the bar next to that old married couple.

Zika is like the belligerent drunk that's now yapping in your ear and won't stop.

Yes, Zika isn't on the scale of something like Ebola.  After all it only causes symptoms in 1 in 5 people.  But that's kind of what makes it even more dangerous as it has the possibility to infect many people who will then infect many more and not even know they have it.

The problem with a massive outbreak will be that many young mothers who might have maybe recently gotten married and think all is heading in the right direction in life, could then suddenly find themselves with a child they weren't exactly expecting to have.  Their whole life changes now.  If that child survives and lives a full life, it will need care.

"Zika has been linked with other birth defects, including eye defects, hearing loss, and impaired growth." - http://www.cdc.gov/zika/parents/what-parents-should-know.html

Life can change just like that.  It can go from a young happily newly wed couple expecting their first child to a whole new set of challenges for that family.  It could strain the marriage.  Maybe they end up divorced.  Maybe the child doesn't survive.  Maybe the father or mother become so depressed they commit suicide.  There are real far reaching effects.

And here this belligerent drunk is spewing misinformation about how Zika is a secret world elite/government plan and was introduced on purpose.  It's just offensive.

Life is always changing.  It's challenging.  And the best way to handle it is to enjoy the iced coffee and know that there will be unknowns anywhere you go.  But on the flip side, sometimes you sit down next to someone that brightens your day a little.  Sometimes you forget you had a free iced coffee card at your favorite coffee shop and remember it when you are flipping through your wallet to pay for the drink.

They key is to separate the misinformation and noise from the good stuff.  To know the facts and know when someone is a babbling idiot by continuing to learn more about the world and suck up knowledge and weed out the hype and junk from the real deal and value.  When you arm yourself with knowledge you arm yourself with the single most powerful tool anyone could ever arm themselves with.

Musikfest And Alhambra

Last night I went to Musikfest.  Probably wasn't the BEST idea since I had to work today.  Surprisingly I wasn't super tired.  Also work went fast.  So it's all good.

The other thing that happened today was that I got a phone call from Alhambra, which is a place I've never heard of, but apparently it's in California.  It just kind of made me smile.  I literally laughed at the voicemail when I listened to it.

I plan to go to another Musikfest night.  I'm thinking the final day/night.  That's next Sunday.  Bethlehem is about an hour drive.  It's not too far away, it's just a straight shot right up the turnpike, and I'm use to that drive because we did it EVERY weekend in the winter when we were kids to go to the ski area.  My mom would teach skiing and we'd ski.  Well, one season I went through a phase where I didn't want to ski, so I would just sit in the lodge and read books all day.

Musikfest is awesome.  There's a lot happening.  But somehow it works.  It's kind of like an adventure.  I only got to explore the Northside.  There's a Southside as well.  There's a shuttle that goes between the two as well.

So I just kind of wandered around for the night.  Well, okay I initially went to see a specific artist.  What's strange is that the artist I was there for actually has a similar name, or basically the same name as another artist that I saw years ago.  So I went... And it turned out it was a different band/guy.  I got a small beer in one of those little disposable plastic cups.  As I was sipping that and watching the wrong band, I started talking to two veterans of Musikfest.

They informed me that I needed to get the official Musikfest mug.  Then I bring the mug back every year to represent how far back I go with the festival.  So the older your mug the more people are like... Whoa yeah, that's an old timer over there!

I got a mug.  Also I needed tickets to buy food and drink.  I bought tickets.

I then wandered around more with an empty mug.  Then I finally filled the mug.  I needed food.  I browsed the food options.  SO MANY CHOICES!  And all amazing stuff.

Meanwhile I'm sipping beer but haven't had food yet.  SO I was getting a little tipsy.  I then found the Martin jam tent.  Well, so much for food.  There I am kind of chatting away and filling out chances to win guitars and things.  They said I could get some strings and picks if I played a song on the jam stage.  It was just a little makeshift stage facing the people walking by.  SO, I decided to bust out a tune.  I got picks and strings.  Win win.

One song for picks and strings?  I mean, technically that kind of qualifies as a paid gig.

Next I got food.  I ate.  I also got cake for dessert.  Now the two girls that I first talked with had told me that I should try the red velvet cake.  It was to die for.  Well... They ran out by the time I got there.  So, instead I got cheesecake.

Now, I did have to work today so I was thinking... Okay I shouldn't stay out TOO late.  Well that's when I struck up a conversation with a random guy about how he owns his own kickboxing gym.  That was interesting.  We chatted for a while and I decided to fill the mug again with an apricot wheat beer.  Delicious stuff!  Next up I was checking out this one band that was playing like throw back and modern rock pop covers.  Good times.

After they ended I walked around a little more just to let the beer wear off.  Apparently everyone on the North end finished their sets by 11, but there was another set starting AT 11 on the South end.  If I didn't have to work I honestly probably would have gone to see it.  As well lots of the bars were still open.  By this point with an hour drive, I knew I had to get a going.

I love the festival.  There's a parking garage that is 10 bucks to park in for as long as you please.  And it's literally RIGHT there next to the festival.  It's so easy to get to as well.  Basically it's almost entirely highway from my house to the parking garage.

Honestly though?  I like Bethlehem.  It's so cute.  I might buy a small condo there.  Or maybe rent an apartment.  You know, I was thinking... Just because I have this house doesn't mean I can't ALSO have an apartment.

Like theoretically I could rent an apartment and each year just rent one in a different city.  Or, it would be smarter to buy a condo in a new city or town around Philly each year, I live in it the first year... but also live here.  Then after I don't want to crash there for the night anymore I can either sell it, OR start renting it out.

SO then I'm just collecting apartments.  I just use the rent from the previous one to pay the mortgage for the next one.

I'd qualify for a mortgage with no problem right now...  That would be a smart thing to do.  And real estate is always a quality investment.

Maybe I'll look for something up in Bethlehem.  Just a little condo near downtown.

I'd call it my crash pad.  I could start collecting crash pads everywhere.  Eventually have one in some major cities.  Airbnb or rent them out when I'm not using them and then when a lease is up on one of them, that's where I'll travel to next.  Then I can go out on the town and party and just come back to my own place.

So, I made it home and fell asleep.  Today while I was at work I got a phonecall that I couldn't answer.  It went to voicemail.  The voicemail was from Alhambra, Ca.  It was a number I'd never seen before.  At first I figured it was a telemarketer, but after I got home and listened to the voicemail I just kind of laughed.

It was a little kid that had obviously picked up the phone and dialed random numbers... My numbers.  He then left a voicemail.  I had trouble really understanding it, you can definitely tell there are parents in the background and you can tell he's talking, and it sounds like he's pretending to talk on the phone like either is mom or dad does.  It was the highlight of my day. Some random kid called me because he probably picked up his phone when his mom or dad wasn't looking and wanted to be like them on the phone and so he's pretending to talk to someone on the other end.

It's such a random thing.  I think the reason why I liked it so much is because it's proof that the best stuff that will happen to you or come into your life... You won't see coming.  You don't have to go out and find it.  You don't have to figure out exactly where it is or when it will happen.  You won't even be expecting it.  It will just happen out of nowhere.

I guess it just makes me feel better about being single.  Like almost as though... Just like the little kid randomly leaving a voicemail.  He could have hit ANY phone digits in any sequence.  But some how he hit my number.  He randomly dialed my number on his phone and then proceeded to talk away as if he were on the phone.

So I feel like love is kind of like that.  My number just hasn't been dialed yet.  I just have to wait and be patient and know that one day... That number will come up and that's when it will happen.  My phone will ring and she'll be on there on the other end of the line.

It'll just happen without warning.  Without trying to make it happen.

For the time being I'll maybe work on a roadmap to buy my first crash pad.  Maybe it will be in Bethlehem, or maybe one of the other small towns around Philly.  Or maybe I might buy one IN Philly.  I don't know yet.  The kickbox guy said that he owns a handful of condos himself that he rents to college students.  He renovated them so that they have the most easy to service/reliable/longest lasting and most durable items in the apartment.  He said renting to college students isn't too hard because their parents always co-sign.  So it's an extra level of protection on rent because most times if the kid can't pay rent the parent will usually step in and pay for them.  Plus after a semester or a school year they are ready to move out.  Usually the repairs are basic and the security deposit generally covers them.  And as long as you have a good enough place in a good location there's always a new batch of students ready to move in.

For now... I'm really into going to more festivals.  It would certainly be sweet to have a place where the festivals are to crash at.  But I'm not there yet.  Right now I'm still dealing with things with this house and my mom's stuff.  But that's hopefully going to be wrapping up soon. And then I'll get into maybe buying my first of many crash pads.  Because sometimes you don't want a new place to live, you just want somewhere to crash for the night because you don't feel like driving all the way home.

Hmmm... Hey that's not bad.  Maybe I'll start something like Airbnb but instead of booking ahead of time, it's an on demand thing.  It's like a combination of Uber and Airbnb.  You're out late and you just pull up the app and see what is available for you to crash that night.  You click book and pay for it through the app and then you go there and crash.  There's even a disposable toothbrush and a little mini tube of toothpaste for you to use.  Because nothing is worse than crashing somewhere and not being able to brush your teeth before you go to sleep.  I hate that.  It's the worst.  I have to brush my teeth before I go to bed.  I just have to.

A Tale of Two Sisters (Updated)

So, lately I've just had almost too much stuff happening to blog about.  It's hard to keep up.  So, I'm paraphrasing.  Or just generally being concise.  There's so much stuff that doesn't make it to the blog.

Anyways, the latest news is...

So, here's a new one on the disaster that we call dating...

I start talking to a girl maybe 2 or 3 weeks ago?  We send a message or two back and forth pretty much on a daily basis.  She's moving back to this area from the west coast.

She's staying with her sister temporarily.  We get to know one another more and more.  We keep chatting.  Then Saturday... Communication stops.  No return message to my last message that I sent her way.

Oh well.  That's dating sites.

Then, yesterday morning ish... I match with someone on another site.  She says hello.  I say hello back.  We chat.  Then today... I realize...

It's the sister of the one I had been talking to.

So, I tell her that I was talking to her sister, but her sister seemed to have lost interest.  She (the second sister I recently started talking with) is still interested.  SO I guess we'll keep chatting. Apparently the first sister was going to tell me that she thought that her sister would be a better match for me anyways, so it's fine that we're now talking as opposed to the other sister.

So that's the tale of two sisters.

Two sisters is a fascinating dynamic.  I mean okay, so think about when you are born.  You have no choice which sibling scenario you get.  That's completely out of your hands.  You can't choose what combination you get.

You could be a two sisters.  You could be two brothers.  You could be a brother and sister.  You could be a brother and two sisters.  You could be a sister and two brothers.  You could be any other combination of... Or an only child.  You could have twelve siblings.

You have no choice.  You can't pick and choose.  You can't choose if you get successful siblings, or siblings that can barely wake up in the morning.

That's completely out of your hand.  You could have two sisters and one is disabled.  And the one that isn't disabled cares for the other.  Or you could have two sisters and one is a doctor and one is a lawyer.  Or you could have two brothers and one is a pop singer and makes 100 million dollars.  And the other is a social worker and makes less than 30k a year.

You can't choose that.  You can't at all.

You just get what you get.

My mom was a two sister scenario.  Her sister and her never got along though.  They were always at ends with one another.  Always butting heads.

Today as I write this, or as I'm actually hitting the publish button, yesterday, marks 9 months since I lost my mom.  I couldn't tell you what my aunt is thinking or feeling.  I have to wonder if she realizes.  She might not.  I guess some sisters are close.  Some are not.  It's all luck of the draw really.  I haven't actually spoken to my aunt about anything but money related to the trust.

So I'm not sure she's really all that aware.

Some sisters are super close though.  I feel like I don't have a reason why I think the two sister dynamic is fascinating.  I just have noticed in general that when you have a two sister scenario they seem to be more interesting than any other sibling setup.  Of all the girls I've dated, when there's a brother involved, or more than just a second sister, it's not the same.  It's like.. When there are just two sisters, there's a much more... It's kind of like they have this thing where it's almost like a second half of the one sister.  It's like they are two pieces of one whole.  But sometimes they do their own thing and sometimes they work together for something that joins them.

I mean my mom and her sister had this trust thing of their parents that they shared.  So there was just that whole dynamic.  I think there was also a competition aspect there.  Where they wanted to kind of always try to compete with one another for who's better.  It's like half competition between two sisters and half working together.

I guess that's why I find it interesting/fascinating.

So anyways I think I'll go on a date with this one girl and see where it goes.

It's an interesting scenario.  I started talking to the one and she basically decided she wasn't interested.  So then by luck I matched on a completely different dating site and started talking to the other sister.

Life is weird like that.  Who knows, lets say I decide to go on a date with this girl.  And then we start dating.  And then I'm spending time with her... She seems to be close to her sister from what I can tell of the conversations I've had with both.  What if one night we hang out and I meet her sister.  The one that wasn't interested in me.  What if via text we didn't have much connection, but what if in person we find there's WAY more of a connection than with the other sister.

Then it's complicated.  It's like wait.  Maybe we messed up!

That's dating though.  It's complicated.  It's messy.  I know people that have had a group of friends and there was one girl and two guys in the group... And she dated this one guy but realized that the second guy and her had WAY more chemistry.  She had to break up with the one guy and then when she tried to date the other guy... things got messy.

But that's love.  It's never simple.  It's always messy.  You always realize you love the person that is the most complicated to be with.

Tonight I went out to play some quizzo.  It was this one new bar in Phoenixville I've never been to.  Stable 12.  It was cool.  I mean so we were outside.  There was a quizzo host and he also DJ'ed some pretty good music.

I went inside though to use the bathroom and they had country music playing.  You know, I can't explain it for the life of me, but I just can't get into country music.  I think it's the whole southern voice thing.  I just find it annoying and twangy.  I could never live in the south.  I'd just be like annoyed by everyone that speaks.

Who knows?  I just find country music so... Uncomfortable to listen to.  It just makes me feel like uneasy.  It's like the complete opposite of when I hear a song I really like.

Weird right?  I don't know, it just feels "wrong" to listen to it.  Like I'm breaking some law.  It's that feeling you get when you are doing something you aren't supposed to do.  That's every time I hear a country song.

With the exception of Johnny Cash.  That feels fine.  Oh and the guy from Hootie and the Blowfish.  For some reason I can stand his newer music.  I think it's because Hootie and the Blowfish was so awesome that even though that guy changed from rock/pop to country I'm okay with that.  Although to be honest, Darius Rucker really needs to go back to making more rock/pop music.  I guess he's technically a singer/songwriter.  So really he's just kind of a cross genre artist.

But all other music in that country genre?  I don't know.  I just can't seem to get into it.  The songs just don't stick for me.  I just can't seem to get them to mesh well with my eardrums like alt rock/pop music does.

Who knows.  I guess it's a good thing I have no plans to move to the south and I guess it's a good thing quizzo was outside tonight and not inside.  Although they probably would have turned off the music to have quizzo.  So I guess the point is moot.

I'm telling you though, I'm probably going to fall in love with a girl that loves all the stuff I don't really like.  Country music, football... She'll just basically be my completely opposite.  Just you watch.  That's how fate works.  It's cruel and unusual and has a twisted sense of humor.

In the mean time, you know... I'm kind of just okay with the whole single life.  I mean there's nothing wrong with just enjoying your 30s being single.  Tonight especially I was reminded of this... So the quizzo I went to was with a meetup group.  There were divorced people there.  And... Honestly?  I'm glad I'm not divorced.  I know, it sounds awful.   But... I'm actually glad I never even met someone to get married to, to then get divorced from.

I'm almost appreciating that I HAVEN'T met someone and that I've just stayed single.  I feel like I'm almost better off as never having gotten that far in a relationship.  Things right now for me are simple.  It's just me and the cats in this house.  I work, I play, I have very few major responsibilities.  It's just a decent time in my life actually.

I mean all things considered, it could have turned out worse.

I mean I just ate some little individually wrapped mini chocolates, followed by some olives from the Wegmans olive bar, and then ate ice cream with a spoon right out of the pint container.  If that isn't living single... I don't know what is.

Tonight I had a couple pints of beer at quizzo then went to wegmans and now I'm about to head to bed.

I mean, life isn't too bad.  Tomorrow night I'm off the Bethlehem for the musikfest show.  I have a half day from work.. I plan to come home and get things done here at home, knock a few items off my chore list... Then drive up and enjoy a beer or two and some live music.

I've kind of... Well I haven't "given up" hope... But I'm just like... You know what... If I stay single, maybe it's because I'm being saved from meeting someone that I would only later end up getting tangled up in some very messy divorce.  Maybe it's just better to stay single.

New life goal: Avoid falling in love with a girl that likes country music.  Or just avoid falling in love in general.  Avoid getting divorced.  Avoid falling in love with the other sister if I end up dating the one sister.  Avoid mess.  Avoid complicated scenarios.  Just go to quizzo, and concerts, and work on music and books and focus on my own life... What's the phrase?  "You do you".  That's what I'm gonna do.  Just going to do my own thing.

As you can see there's lots going on.  Just trying to stay busy and keep my head up.  Which is tough especially because I hit another monthly reminder of my mom being gone now 9 months.  But, I just keep going and doing and letting life happen.

Ice Cream and Goats

So tonight I went on this date.  It was okay.  We just talked and what not.  It was kind of a two part date.  Went for a walk outside because it was nice, and then went to go get ice cream.  I got birthday cake in a dish, she got a soft serve in a cone.  Cones have the possibility of having it melt all over your face and clothing.  It can get messy.  Especially when you have facial hair.  It can really just get all over the place.

So, I opted for the dish and a spoon which proved to be more manageable.

We went over to the goats, oh, so this ice cream place is kind of like a farm that has ice cream too... It's in King of Prussia.  So after you get your ice cream you can go look at the goats and bunnies and chickens and such.  The goats just kind of wander around.  They have a super crazy jungle gym kind of thing happening in their goat world.  We tired to coax them into coming over our way, but they had better things to do.

Anyways so the ice cream was my treat.  It was just super like... I mean it was okay, but it's weird, it didn't feel natural.  I felt like I couldn't just completely be myself with her.  Like I wanted to make voices of what the goats were thinking.  SO one of them turned into this God Father type voice like the goat was talking to the other goats and plotting an escape.

Then it turned into a king and queen goat.  Which she kind of went along with.  I was making a voice like one of the goats was a king and I was doing like a bad lip reading type of episode where the one goat was calling for his queen and the queen was back talking him.

She put out the vibe like... "This guy is weird".  Yeah.  I am weird.  Deal with it.  If you can't handle who I am when I'm trying to be funny... Then it's not a match.

I definitely want someone that I can do whatever the heck I want in front of her and she doesn't seem to mind.  And the same for her.  She can do whatever it is she wants in front of me and I won't mind.

I've decided that's how I'll know I'm at least on to something.  When we aren't trying to impress each other or act differently than we could when we're at home alone.  If we act in front of each there how we would act around friends or at home alone... That's how you know you've got something.

If you have to pretend or curb your personality or tone it down.  I feel like that's a sign or signal that it's just not going to work in the end.

The oldest dating saying is... Just be yourself.

I feel like that holds true.  Be yourself.  If the person doesn't like it.  Oh well.  That's on them.  They should like you for you... Blessed Union Of Souls type of like you for you.  She likes me for me... Not because I look like Tyson Beckford with the charm of Robert Redford oozing out my ears... well you know the song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSdbQLXpmPQ

Anyways.  If we go on another date we go on another date.  If not, we don't.

That's dating.  You just go with the flow.  All I know is my Facebook status won't be updated unless it's love.  So, until I'm like...WOW... THIS GIRL ROCKS (and she says that about me)!  My Facebook status will be kept at 'Single like individually wrapped cheese slices'.

I'm not sure there were any sparks tonight.  Just goats and ice cream.  The only thing I know is that there was goats and ice cream.  So I mean at least there were goats and ice cream.  Better than nothing at all.

Tomorrow night I'm trying to decide between yoga, and a meetup group that is doing quizzo.  I might go for the quizzo.  Although I REALLY should go to yoga.  On the OTHER hand I have a 1pm Friday so I can always go to yoga after work on Friday.  Friday night is seeing a show up in Bethlehem, PA.  So, it's a tight schedule.  Saturday I have to work.  But my Saturday night is open.

Oh, and finally... NIGHTSCAPE is now happening at Longwood Gardens!  SO I need to hit that up.  Maybe next Thursday.  I feel like there's so much going on lately!

I'm definitely interested to see what this thing on August 10th is all about with the Xfinity artist Xchange thing.

So, lots of fun activities to keep me busy in the coming month.

And if I have a night with no plans but I don't really want to stay home... I can always go get ice cream and sit and say hello to the goats.