Another Wednesday, another fun gig with Tom Hood and the Tropical Sons, the house band for open mic night at Bayou Bistro in Tarpon Springs. It was a fun pre-Thanksgiving celebration, and a chance to play some good ol’ classic rock with great local musicians at a very friendly bar with tasty seafood.
I’m thankful for the opportunity to rock out!
Tell your kids this was Parliament/Funkadelic:
…and tell your kids this was Bootsy Collins:
(Actually, it’s me and the band from the Tampa Bay Ukulele Getaway, which happened a couple of weekends ago.)
For people who often travel between the U.S. and Canada, the NEXUS card is so incredibly helpful. It says “this person is a citizen of Canada or the U.S. and has been pre-screened for faster processing.” Not only does it mean quicker U.S./Canada border crossings, but it also includes TSA PreCheck for quicker security clearance for flights within the U.S..
My NEXUS card expired during the pandemic in 2020, when a number of government services on both sides of the border either slowed to a crawl or stopped completely. I applied for a renewal back then, and…waited.
The NEXUS program has been delayed for a number of reasons, not the least of which was the fact that U.S. Customs and Border Patrol wanted American NEXUS officers to be armed while working in Canada, because America’s the land of gun care and health control.
One flight to Canada, two flights to Salt Lake City, one flight to London, and two years later, my NEXUS card arrived a good two years after I applied for renewal, and wow, am I glad to have NEXUS privileges again.
I do a 10-kilometre (6.2 miles) bike ride as often as I can — typically 4 or 5 days a week:
At least once a week, I stop by the Seminole Heights branch of Spaddy’s, which is a coffee truck in an open-air courtyard:
The place is decorated with all manner of tchotchkes. Here’s the newest one:
I took a perch on the picnic table at the back of the courtyard, where I took this wide-angle shot…
…and while enjoying my Heights Cold Brew (cold brew with a dash of condensed milk), I worked on a proposal for my next article for the Auth0 developer blog. While writing, I noticed this rather cute grafitto that someone left on the table:
After all, if you can’t celebrate your entire birth month, why bother celebrating?
Last year, the Tampa Bay Ukulele Getaway (TBUG for short) took place on my birthday. The 2022 edition happens this weekend, and we’re going to be there!
Anitra wanted to go, and I thought it would be a fun birthday activity to try my hand at a stringed instrument, which I’m normally terrible at playing. (My “keytar” period, and later the accordion, stem from being a frustrated attempted guitar player.)
TBUG takes place at the Sirata Resort on St. Pete Beach, right next door to where we got married:
It turned out better than expected. For starters, Anitra won the grand prize at the raffle…
…I found a very reliable local purveyor of high-quality aloha shirts in Emily and Mike Stehle (my old go-to had closed up shop…
…and I also found Tom Hood, who invited me to join him and his band, Tom Hood and the Tropical Sons, on a number of local gigs!
This year, I’m not just an attendee, but part of the lineup of evening performers. I’ll be playing originals and classic rock/blues covers with Tom Hood and the Tropical Sons, as well as helping out with the special ’80s jams — mostly on accordion, but maybe a little ukulele as well.
Best of all, I’ll get to be on stage on Saturday, which happens to be my birthday. For me, that’s a great birthday treat.
