Jumping Off the Porch: Issue 1

You kinda get all worked up about whether or not everything will go like you'd planned it. Only you'd just planned it in the sort of ¼ arsed way you always planned things. Because you can. Somewhere along the way you realized that you were able to get by with what you consider to be less effort than what should be expended. It may be obvious to analyze this and say you secretly assume that were you to really try and give this thing 100% instead of 60 the results of your extra 40 would be astoundingly improved. But no, this is not your real fear. Your real fear is if you give it that additional percentage it will yield absolutely no significant results.

--Syba, after packing her doggy care pack, post ant-invasion

Of course Rob and I made some preparations too. Here I am sending out posters, DVDs, and CDs pre-trip.

What to bring with you when you leave your home and create another, smaller, moving one for a year? Well, there are the obvious choices, being in a band and all.

Mostly, as I told a few of you, this process is almost like preparing for your death. Every object or momento we own was given a harsh interrogation. "What is your purpose?" and "Who sent you here?" etc. I can't bring myself to get rid of certain things (they pleaded their case well) but ultimately, someday, this won't matter a bit. Here are some things we thought we'd need for the next year:

• I opted to leave behind the tv tray that my keyboard was going to sit on instead of my floor tom. Otherwise, we brought everything, down to the gig rug with dog hair;

• Rob's two guitars, the one handmade by my cousin/uncle Steve – he's amazingly creative and precise, difficult qualities to balance. See this picture for a glance at the guitar...with “Beloved Binge” etched on it;

• My screening pack stuff...DVDs, literature, mailing list.

• Merch – CDs, DVDs, stickers. Most of this fit handily under the back seat, in a cupboard I call the 'toybox' because I don't know why.

• Literature from Vegan Outreach that mostly Rob will be handing out at colleges;

• Clothes. Rob said I brought way more than he did, but a quick comparison yields this assessment...........false! Though I did bring way more many pairs of undies than he did boxers.

• My favorite cast iron frying pan. I love this thing. It's heavy, and I'm not certain how I'll lift it in a few decades, but that's why I do push ups and pull ups on neighborhood monkey bars, pushing aside small children;
  

• A large sauce pan for making things like seitan, boiling noodles, and steamin the veggies.

• A screen kindly prepared by Kim of Subdivision 67 so we can make shirts. I really like it – I drew our heart logo with “i don't like people...but I'm tryin'” on it. We're going to go to thrift stores and buy stuff to print onto.

• An “office” bag with CDs, DVDs, envelopes, and a small case with stamps, one-sheets, etc.

• Tennis rackets, a hacky sack, and a deck-o-cards so we can exercise our limbs and minds.
  

My favorite things are those that make Weston feel like home: art and care packages from our friends. People were so kind to us. Yes, you. And you, too. Can't believe what nice folks we know.

Things we brought but shouldn't have:

• Toaster oven. I mean, sure, I might make biscuits in it, or maybe heat up a burrito, but not often enough to warrant carrying the thing around.
  

• An extra sweater (eleni).
• Too many t-shirts (rob).
• Three too many boxes of dog treats (Syba).
  

That's not too bad. After several people made fun of me after saying the blender was a necessity (particularly as we're touring for Blender Theory) we left it at home. No smoothies for Rob. Just smashies. (This is what you get when you take a potato moosher and pound blueberries and bananas with Silk Soy Yogurt.)

Our 2^nd night we spent in a park, “Country Park.” This is right in Greensboro, and even better than free camping is that it has a dog park attached. Syba got to hang out with her kind and smell things.

Weston's Vegan Cafe
For breakfast, I made hash browns and we ate plums. I spinkle a little nutritional yeast to cheeze em up. Real good.

Don't let the picture fool you, I made them. I needed to offset my domestic tour promo shot with this one of Rob mindin' the taters.

For dessert, I ate more of Chef Shirle's amazing vegan cookies she sent along with us for different themes. This one was 'spreadin the werd about the bird' since we both did this. Syba also got a homemade dog cookie made by Chef Shirle.

For lunch/dinner, I went to Earth Fare and bought a bunch of stuff, and then we headed to aforementioned Country Park and I made a Mango-Chile stir fry using the sauce of same name, tofu, broccoli, portobellos, and garlic-parsley noodles. Then I ate more cookies. But only those of the correct theme.

Pre-Porch'n...

8/30: Ponchos = We Love Them

In a silly flurry of not-enough-time-ness, we still headed across to the right to Wilmington to play Ponchos from Peru's CD release party.

As I said in my email to the list, I feel like we knew them when they were eating mashed peas and now they have PhDs and we're helping them with their research.

These guys put out an amazing album, and I want you to buy it, once they get it all online-setup. For now, listen here.

These silly Ponchos were still assembling their CDs a couple hours before the release.















They made us vegan pizza (pictured here is Chef Matt Poncho) and we brought vegan cake.

8/27: 506 Networking Night
This turned out to be amazingly well attended considering the downpour and that it was the first of a series. Standing room only.

The panel went over about an hour, and next time they will most likely take more time for questions from the audience, because there was a lot of interest in booking strategies. Stay tuned for another event in October, most likely. I was happy to be a part of the first.

We had food too - all vegan 'cept the Reesees: 'chicken' salad & nuggets w/crackers/chips, apple pie, cookies, and creamy onion dip.

Alla the time: Amazing Friends
Leaving Durham for about a year was hard, and we're certainly going to miss people. Thanks to everyone who has been kind to us and supported what we are doing.