February 12, 2016 - 11:47pm The lady taking care of the hotel breakfast area was nice enough to leave the room unlocked well past 9am for us... mind you we got there at 8:30am... she could tell we could use the extra time... plus we did a good job cleaning up quite a bit of what was left... we raided it "zombie apocalypse" style. ... I guess there's a skating competition going on in the area. We saw a few girls with their parents (in team jackets) pushing around luggage carts with garment bags... those jackets that have no business being in -20C weather. We got on the conversation (a few new parents I know have joked about it), about how they hope their kids are either really good at sports or have no interest at all since it's so expensive. I think team sports are great for kids but unfortunately some kids turn into lottery tickets/retirement plans for some parents. It's one thing to be supportive, it's another to be insisting. We related it to music but really... there isn't much money in music anymore... as people know it at least... the model has changed too much for most to recognize it as a career choice... or a retirement plan for their folks. I'm not saying you can't make a living in music, being proof of that, but the money isn't is insane as it was 20 or even 10 years ago. It can be a living wage though... regardless how many people poke fun at the idea you do music for a living... or play in a band... a band they probably haven't even heard of. ... back to the sports thing though... I think it's a very delicate balance when it comes to support. You want people to give you the nudge when needed but not force you to stay the course. Music, like sports, is a choice... and if your heart isn't in it, it's better to walk away... and either find something else to fill the void or... I guess... carry on with a smaller heart... slightly jaded and bitter. ... but I always think things are going to work out (one way or another) in music... which creates drive. We got on the topic of concussions and I half joke to myself about maybe hitting my head too hard when I was younger... and that is the reason I haven't "grown up" and grown out of music... the way I see music as a career at least. ... still... seeing them walk around the hotel... is the luggage cart following their daughter, or is their daughter following the luggage cart...? ... ... I took a lot of fruit before we left. Today is basically a travel day... 3.5 hrs to head to Winnipeg and pick up Seb (our FOH = front of house = "sound guy") at the airport. Gas is so much cheaper in the US... so is food. We tried to going to some place... Culver's(??) for lunch. We walked in... I looked at the pictures of the food on the menu and my gut said no... the way I see it... if the food needs that much colour correction to look appetizing... it probably tastes awesome but will leave you feeling like garbage soon after... and I'm doing my best to eat somewhat well... since McDonald's at 2am takes you downhill fast when you're already getting barely any exercise. We ended up at Subway... I had a craving for pickles and olives so it worked out alright. Crossing back into Canada was easy. We have nothing to hide but we are also not complaining one bit it's been so smooth... 2/2! Oh... just before, Tim mentioned we couldn't bring fruit back with us... again, I'd taken quite a bit from breakfast... so I consumed as much as I could to avoid having to toss it... I was pretty fruited up. Tim brought it up to the border officer and he said fruits/vegetables are ok (aka "it don't matter"). Just a heads up if anybody needs cauliflower... let me know... I'm back the end of the month. There was some blue sky today on the interstate... it's been grey for a while now so it was refreshing... getting to Winnipeg though... I don't know why the GPS insists on driving through it instead of around it... and by the time you realize it, it's too late. Same thing, every time we're here. We picked up Seb and headed to the hotel. The girl at the front desk (and I use the term girl for a reason) had a bit of an edge to her while dealing with Matt, Tim, and I. She had that "slightly bitchy older sister" vibe about her... which was fine... I thought it was funny... but she didn't think we were too funny unless it was at our expense... and once she found out we were from Toronto (Matt, always assuring people he wasn't born there), she said it (we) all makes sense now... whatever that means. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ *cough* The hotel is the kinda hotel that didn't put the hotel rooms in the hotel. The girl at the front desk was laughing at us for trying to find how to get to the rooms. "Sorry, you have to go outside to get to your rooms." The rooms are fine though... it's actually really good to be getting to bed somewhat early tonight... although I wish I was able to sit in the lobby... I like hanging out in them... and I don't feel like I'm buggin' people who are trying to sleep. We ended up going for dinner at a pretty good restaurant across the street... the Jets VS Bruins game was on AND it was wing night... terrible combo for my diet... Reid and I split an order of wings to pre-game our entrees... they were super good though... could've easily eaten 3lbs... $3.99/lb... dangerous! Dinner was awesome actually... pulled pork sandwich, coleslaw, and fries. I had a good chat with Reid and Seb on the way back and stopped by the front desk (in the hotel) to grab some more towels. ... queen sassy pants seemed to be in a better mood now when I asked her for more towels... although her sass flared up when she asked how many and I said 3... as if 3 is just a dumb ass number of towels for someone to ask for. I asked her name (no name tag... or maybe her name tag is in the desk drawer... considering this is the type of place that didn't put the hotel rooms in the hotel) and thanked her by name. She then asked where we're playing in town. ... I looked over at the TV on the wall showing the Bruins Vs Jets game. "Oh, uh... MTS Centre..." She was caught off guard and I'd known what'd I'd done... but I thought it was pretty funny. The timing was too good. She asked the band name and said she thinks she's heard of us... I'm going to assume she hasn't since she said she "thinks she has". I said we're out with Disturbed and Saint Asonia (who she has heard of)... she said that sounds like a pretty awesome tour to be on... good luck and have fun! ... I assured her we certainly aren't doing it for the money... it is pretty fun though... Pretty low key at the hotel tonight though. A bit more post-mortem on the show last night but mainly just enjoying sweatpants, TV, and convo. ... and now Snoretallica. Aiming to be at the venue for 1-2pm tomorrow... hopefully the van starts... it's friggin' cold outside. ... got to wear my legit adult winter boots to dinner though... glad I brought them! Mike :-)
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Mike Langford - Official BlogBeing on both sides of the glass, I get the chance to wear many hats in the music industry. This is a place to share my thoughts, views, predictions, rants, stories and news! Categories
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