tiredI ended up heading to a beach party with my buddy from Philly Monday night. They hold them every week during the summer at a remarkably isolated beach on the lakefront in the city, but i've always avoided them because they're only on Sundays (or Mondays in the case of a holiday) and i need to work the next day. Now i think i might have caught the bug. I had thought it was just a bunch of hippies there with their dogs and maybe some family and a DJ playing tunes, but it's a full production with security and lighting and several hundred nutters dancing and hooping and lolling around on blankets. When the sun set it was a full moon and a bunch of people let off fireworks (it was Canada Day holiday). I danced barefoot in the sand for the first time in years and it was such a therapeutic experience. The official music stopped at 11 (permit runs out), but tons of people hung around playing drums or ghettoblasters or just chatting. I sat with my feet in the water for a bit and then headed home.
What i didn't realize until the next day is that i had gotten extremely drunk at said party. It's not licensed, but there is plenty going on inconspicuously. I might have poured a bit too much gin into my water bottle. I felt like utter shit Tuesday, worse than i have in quite some time (though admittedly that might've been a compounded hangover from the previous four days). Nevertheless, i grabbed a ZipCar and went to the music store to buy a new soundcard and some monitor headphones. I've been writing music on a crappy computer headset and i know the mix is suffering. Then i went on an hour-long mission to find some speakers so i could actually hear my music when my ears need a break from cans. I ended up buying a cheap pair of computer speakers because a stereo or monitors is something i need to both plan and save up for. But even just those $30 speakers are better than anything i've had in fucking years. I gave up my stereo when i moved to the US in 2001, and since then i've lived off roommate's stereos, and from 2007ish i've had none at all in the house. Just being able to put a song on in the living room and hear it while i'm cooking dinner is amazing. I guess i could've done it before, but i never wanted to bother my partners with music i know they don't like. Well, now, fuck it. I bought a few tracks on Beatport, finally, and it's been the second best thing i've done for myself in the last 10 years (after starting to write music again). When i can afford it, i'll upgrade to the kind of system that'll get me noise complaints again.
I emailed my parents about what happened last week and a few days ago i got a random email from dad saying he was going to fly through Toronto on the way to a conference in Houston. Considering he was in NYC a couple months back and didn't tell me till he was there (which really upset me, because it's such a short trip from here), it was a big surprise. A good one, i think. Of course he'll be here on the weekend when i'm usually kinda wrecked, but it's going to be great to see him again. My relationship with my parents is odd. We don't talk much, and with dad it often feels superficial, but they invariably come through for me when i need it. Looking forward to it.
Guess i should get some sleep.
