The Tour from Hell pt2-cleaning up the mess.

DrayMiles · #1 03-26-2009, 10:09 AM

Well...
Tb'ers, I would like to say "Thanks" for all of the support I've received from "you'se guys."

I really believe that the community of Musicians, that are collectively known as "bassists" are truly a breed apart. I am going to continue to write this thread until it reaches it's own natural conclusion. I almost stopped, again, but you folks are incredible. I can honestly say, that if it wasn't for this community, I'm not sure I would still be fighting to stay afloat. Good, bad, or indifferent comments have either been food for thought, or fodder deemed worthy of spreading on the intellectual compost heap, intellectual contemplation forthcoming after the fact.

I will be in touch and let "ya'll know" (I'm in the south...sorry,couldn't resist!) what "Hotel, Motel, Holiday Inn" "The Tour from Hell" decides to rest at...

Ya'll come back now.. Ya here?

Ciao,

D.

Mod edit:
Continued from here:

Rick Auricchio · #2 03-26-2009, 12:01 PM

How goes college?

DrayMiles · #3 03-26-2009, 03:33 PM

Struggling... boy am I struggling.

Elmo Oxygen · #4 03-26-2009, 04:12 PM

How ya holdin' up with mom?

Limpingbass · #5 03-26-2009, 04:16 PM

subscribed.

txbasschik · #6 03-27-2009, 03:11 AM

Nevah Surrendah!!!

I mean it...don't you give up, you hear me, sug?

Subscribed!

Cherie

DrayMiles · #7 03-27-2009, 06:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elmo Oxygen

How ya holdin' up with mom?

Getting along... Thank God! Can't complain..

jbo · #8 03-27-2009, 01:06 PM

subscribed! I'm prayin for ya man!

AndGabrielFell · #9 03-27-2009, 04:28 PM

Hey Dray! Who will you be touring with? How are the classes going?

The Funk · #10 04-06-2009, 07:33 PM

Dray, S here from London. I watched an Oscar Peterson trio performance from the '60s on BBC Four with Ray Brown on bass on Friday night and decided "That's it - I'm getting an upright!". It had to happen sooner or later. Wish you were in town to get me started down the right track.

How much longer with school?

DrayMiles · #11 04-14-2009, 08:29 AM

Well..

Hopefully one more year. But to be honest, the financial weight is killing me. I'm trying to get financial aid, but how do you explain to people that most of that stuff doesn't leave a paper trail? How many gigs will require you to file a W2? If you're living in a van, is it a residency? What if you spent time sleeping on the beach, trying to save money to send home like Jaco did?

I wonder....

txbasschik · #12 04-14-2009, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrayMiles

Well..

Hopefully one more year. But to be honest, the financial weight is killing me. I'm trying to get financial aid, but how do you explain to people that most of that stuff doesn't leave a paper trail? How many gigs will require you to file a W2? If you're living in a van, is it a residency? What if you spent time sleeping on the beach, trying to save money to send home like Jaco did?

I wonder....

Right? The financial aid process is byzantine under the best of circumstances. Do you have any kind of help with that from the uni?

Befriend one of the financial aid clerks, and get them to help you come up with the right language for the forms. Buy 'em a coffee and a muffin or something, you know? I worked for UT for 17 years, and if there's one thing I've learned about dealing with large ed institutions and governments, its all about the language. Not what you say, but how you say it. Getting one of those overworked clerks to smile upon you and take you to raise will help you a lot.

Cherie

DrayMiles · #13 04-14-2009, 10:02 AM

I have..

she's the only person i'll talk to..

Having lots of doubts

txbasschik · #14 04-17-2009, 07:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrayMiles

I have..

she's the only person i'll talk to..

Having lots of doubts

Doubts musically, or academically?

Don't you give up.

My guitarist had to go back to school, and finished two years ago. He's 56. His wife was unable to work anymore, so he had to cut back his playing dramatically for a couple of years in order to get that engineering degree and earn enough to support them both.

He did it. It was an awful struggle. They had to live in a terrible, rotten little single-wide in a bad area, and do without a lot. But they made it. They have a beautiful home now, and are happy, and he's playing again.

You can do this, man. You *can*! You're smart, you have endurance, and you can do this thing, man.

Cherie

wkbryan · #15 04-17-2009, 08:08 AM

Bless your heart!

Where in the south are you?

BTW--it's "y'all", and the possessive is "y'all's" (with 2 apostrophes). :-)

AndGabrielFell · #16 04-17-2009, 11:23 AM

Totally Dray! Stay strong. The end is worth the struggle. Plus, you'll be a helluva blues player afterwards. Isn't that where the greatest songs come from? Hang in there. Keeping you in my prayers.

DrayMiles · #17 04-17-2009, 03:43 PM

Well,
took a quiz on Tuesday. I bombed it so bad.. I gave up and wrote on the quiz:

"Sorry Professor, I can't handle this today."

I took the zero. I don't understand binary search trees. My Professors are cool as anything. They truly go beyond the call of duty. I'm just stupid like that.. I'm sitting here looking at an assignment due tonight and I'm clueless. I wonder, if I can pass the class, there aren't any pre requisites in the curriculum, but I'm stalling emotionally, physically, and spiritually. It doesn't matter, I'll do the best I can... So be it. Although I'm sat here with a temperature of 101. I know other people have done this, so I need to buck up and do it.

By the way "Funk" my brother.. Thanks for the offer. If you're going to play upright bass, study with a classical teacher. IMO.. Get the bow happening brother. Forget your electric technique or you'll hurt yourself IMO.

To youse other guys, thanks... I'm seriously appreciative. A kind word is all a person needs sometimes... Thanks for the kind words..

txbasschik · #18 04-17-2009, 09:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrayMiles

Well,
took a quiz on Tuesday. I bombed it so bad.. I gave up and wrote on the quiz:

"Sorry Professor, I can't handle this today."

I took the zero. I don't understand binary search trees. My Professors are cool as anything. They truly go beyond the call of duty. I'm just stupid like that.. I'm sitting here looking at an assignment due tonight and I'm clueless. I wonder, if I can pass the class, there aren't any pre requisites in the curriculum, but I'm stalling emotionally, physically, and spiritually. It doesn't matter, I'll do the best I can... So be it. Although I'm sat here with a temperature of 101. I know other people have done this, so I need to buck up and do it.

By the way "Funk" my brother.. Thanks for the offer. If you're going to play upright bass, study with a classical teacher. IMO.. Get the bow happening brother. Forget your electric technique or you'll hurt yourself IMO.

To youse other guys, thanks... I'm seriously appreciative. A kind word is all a person needs sometimes... Thanks for the kind words..

Being sick makes everything else suck more than normal. I hope you feel better soon!

Ask yourself why you are stalled on so many levels. Are you pursuing this degree because it is what you'd like to do, or because it is a field in which you can earn a good living? Ideally, your major should provide both. If it doesn't...could you change your major to a related field that you have more passion for?

Cherie

AndGabrielFell · #19 04-18-2009, 12:50 PM

Being from North Jersey, I greatly appreciate your usage of "youse." Feel better Dray.

DrayMiles · #20 04-20-2009, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndGabrielFell

Being from North Jersey, I greatly appreciate your usage of "youse." Feel better Dray.

I was wondering if anyone knew about some of the "subtler"

in jokes I throw in!

Being born in Philly, you dig where I'm comin from!