In Canada, if you're bad, you get a lump of coal. In New Zealand, you get a sunburn. I burned my face pretty badly Christmas day, and now it looks like my face is falling apart.
But it was still a fun Christmas. I went to my friend Tamau's family gathering in Petone, a suburb just north of Wellington. He showed me around the area, including along the river, where I got most of my sun damage. The meal was fantastic, and was sort of a barbeque, because it was outside in the sun.
It's just me and the cat at the house now, because my other flatmates have gone their own ways for Christmas til the new year. It's been nice and quiet. I look forward to days of quiet practice while I wait for new skin to arrive.
Busking vs Marathon
Except for the fact that they are the exact opposite, running a marathon and busking all night are quite similar activities. There are lots of people clumped together at the beginning, and they thin out at the end. Not all people make it to the end. In a marathon, you run past the audience; busking, they run past you. But the visuals are the same. I suspect that you see more drunken audience members while busking than you would at a marathon. I've never had any desire to "attend" a marathon.
Toward the end of busking, your fingers are tired and sore, so you take longer breaks. But then a group of people will come by and encourage you to play a song. It's like cheering you on to the end. You want to quit, but you have to keep going.
It's a really good way to force myself to play a lot. I don't have to be playing terribly difficult stuff. Just as long as I'm playing. I find it much easier to avoid distractions on Cuba Street than in my room where I normally practice. Plus, you get paid to practice. How cool is that?
Toward the end of busking, your fingers are tired and sore, so you take longer breaks. But then a group of people will come by and encourage you to play a song. It's like cheering you on to the end. You want to quit, but you have to keep going.
It's a really good way to force myself to play a lot. I don't have to be playing terribly difficult stuff. Just as long as I'm playing. I find it much easier to avoid distractions on Cuba Street than in my room where I normally practice. Plus, you get paid to practice. How cool is that?
Sabbatical is the greatest thing in the universe.
I have begun to experience just how profoundly relieving a sabbatical period can be. To simply have the calendar free is wonderful. Nothing looms over you. There is no "but I have to go to work later," or things you should be doing because you have projects or assignments due soon. I take things on of my own choosing, and it's a wonderful feeling. I highly recommend finding a way to afford some time for sabbatical.
I've been working on quite a few different projects since I got here. I have my weekly open mic nights, which I prepare 6 or 7 songs for every week, although it's usually polishing up songs I already know. I have started to learn songs from my #1 hits list, to have more songs with mass appeal, for busking. I have been working with another writer to rewrite 6 episodes of a comedy that will be shot in Auckland early next year. I have also been trying to plan some concerts and a tour for when I get back to Saskatoon in April or May. I have a bunch of guitar compositions on the go, as well as a handful of songs. I have also found my first guitar student for early January.
And nobody told me I had to do any of these projects. They are my own. And that is the fundamental difference between sabbatical and work or school.
I've been working on quite a few different projects since I got here. I have my weekly open mic nights, which I prepare 6 or 7 songs for every week, although it's usually polishing up songs I already know. I have started to learn songs from my #1 hits list, to have more songs with mass appeal, for busking. I have been working with another writer to rewrite 6 episodes of a comedy that will be shot in Auckland early next year. I have also been trying to plan some concerts and a tour for when I get back to Saskatoon in April or May. I have a bunch of guitar compositions on the go, as well as a handful of songs. I have also found my first guitar student for early January.
And nobody told me I had to do any of these projects. They are my own. And that is the fundamental difference between sabbatical and work or school.
The Busker and the New Idea.
I went busking with a friend on Saturday. We played until 5:00am, and it was a lot of fun. After splitting the money, I walked away with $41 (New Zealand Dollars, approx. $30 CDN) for six and a half hours of playing. It certainly isn't the most profitable work I've done. But it was a lot of fun.
I learned some very valuable lessons while out busking. First, my song list that I have made for playing at a venue is poorly suited to the environment of busking. It's a list of microphone music. I need outside music. Also, it's all somewhat obscure music, which I like about it. But when I'm busking with someone else, if I play any Canadian music that isn't Neil Young or Terrible, nobody will recognize it. Which is fine for the people walking by, but bad for busking avec someone.
So I spent the greater part of a day looking through billboard lists for #1 hits from 1958-2009. There's a lot of crap (I'm looking at YOU, 1975!), but there's also a lot of good music. I picked just under 40 songs I want to learn, and tracked down the lyrics to them. I'm going to print them and add them to my binder. I'll make a few notes for how to play them. Next time I go busking, I'll have a better inventory.
I plan to make a full list of songs and laminate it, and see if I can make money for doing requests, or doing Acoustic Karaoke. I've had this idea for a while, but I always imagined it in a venue. Having thought about it, though, I think it works better while busking. We'll see by the weekend.
I learned some very valuable lessons while out busking. First, my song list that I have made for playing at a venue is poorly suited to the environment of busking. It's a list of microphone music. I need outside music. Also, it's all somewhat obscure music, which I like about it. But when I'm busking with someone else, if I play any Canadian music that isn't Neil Young or Terrible, nobody will recognize it. Which is fine for the people walking by, but bad for busking avec someone.
So I spent the greater part of a day looking through billboard lists for #1 hits from 1958-2009. There's a lot of crap (I'm looking at YOU, 1975!), but there's also a lot of good music. I picked just under 40 songs I want to learn, and tracked down the lyrics to them. I'm going to print them and add them to my binder. I'll make a few notes for how to play them. Next time I go busking, I'll have a better inventory.
I plan to make a full list of songs and laminate it, and see if I can make money for doing requests, or doing Acoustic Karaoke. I've had this idea for a while, but I always imagined it in a venue. Having thought about it, though, I think it works better while busking. We'll see by the weekend.
I still have not found work here yet. The recession is kind of a problem. And many of the jobs I would qualify for are not looking for someone on a temporary visa. But I'm still remaining hopeful. It's still been a great experience here in Wellington, and I really feel like I'm having a much-deserved sabbatical.
My flatmate Mark and I have similar tastes in television, and I've been getting into a few BBC series that he has on his computer. I mean... "on DVD." Anyway, I just caught up in Peep Show, a show about two flatmates. They shoot the scenes as they would be seen through the eyes of a character. While it's from their perspective, you also get to hear the inner voice. It's quite interesting.
The other show I've been watching is The Mighty Boosh. It's one of the weirdest shows I have ever seen, but it's quite funny. I'm actually using one of their weird songs as the basis for a guitar piece that I'm writing. It should be a fun project.
My flatmate Mark and I have similar tastes in television, and I've been getting into a few BBC series that he has on his computer. I mean... "on DVD." Anyway, I just caught up in Peep Show, a show about two flatmates. They shoot the scenes as they would be seen through the eyes of a character. While it's from their perspective, you also get to hear the inner voice. It's quite interesting.
The other show I've been watching is The Mighty Boosh. It's one of the weirdest shows I have ever seen, but it's quite funny. I'm actually using one of their weird songs as the basis for a guitar piece that I'm writing. It should be a fun project.
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