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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.