Day 9: Take the bet (Redding to San Jose)

When I got to the venue today, the guys selling merch for the other bands were taking bets on who would make the first sale of the night.

"Not gon' be us," I declined, and continued setting up.

We're first and the most unknown. We usually sell after we make our impression. Later, while I was away from the merch table, one of them called me.

"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." He hung up.

One of my bandmates had made not the first, but the first couple of sales for the day. I was pissed. Not for the thirty dollars I forfeited, but because for someone wanting to be more delusional about self-believe, I'd missed an opportunity to.

Improbable isn't impossible.

Today I had a second straight day of tech difficulties on stage. When we played, we had the lightest headcount so far, yet we almost tied our best selling night.

Both improbable. Both happened.

I'm on tour with someone for whom it's his first time on the road like this. I get a kick out of seeing him piece little things together. Pick up the clues on small things like what type of gas stations to stop at, and other countless unwritten details of being on the road.

It takes me off my high horse of having done this many times before, and grounds me in the reminder that everyday the odds reset. We are already doing something improbable to begin with, pushing normal life to an extreme. So if I'm already taking the big bet, I gotta remember to take the small ones too.

I had felt a bit lightheaded today from lack of consistent meal schedule. I rushed through the day with half a sandwich and by the time we were done playing I was on empty. 911 emergency. I took a walk around the venue looking for vegan food. It was looking dire.

I was captivated by a portrait of David Lynch I saw from the sidewalk and walked into the bar to look at it closer. After I snapped my picture, Miles Davis started coming out the speakers, It was a jazz bar; my favorite genre. The bartender asked if I wanted to see the food menu, "The kitchen closes in 30 minutes."

It was a full vegan menu.

“Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don’t plan it. Don’t wait for it. Just let it happen.” Gordon Cole (David Lynch).