The wrap-up, 2023 Edition-how was your year?

[skipclone 1]

Hey everyone-happy holidays!
I haven't been around much lately, sorry about that.
Anyway once again ready or not, it's that time to reflect on the good, the bad and the wtf of 2023,
and hopefully look forward to 2024 with a sense of optimism.
Spring had our epic cherry blossom party after a three-year hiatus, even though the weather was terrible. Our beer research group had to seek shelter in a park, and ended up sharing it with
a bunch of guys with a giant tank of sake. Much fun and little consciousness was had. In July some of my fellow performers and I premiered our third independent film,
after five years of seemingly endless delays. It was quite a project and features a music video, which I performed, music done by one of my friends in Sweden and lyrics by one of the producers. They are working on a few tweaks for the latter part. Hopefully it will get some well-deserved attention.
Some of you may have heard about how hot Summer was in Japan. It wasn't that hot. It was worse. I saw at least three older guys overcome by the heat. I tried saving money on air conditioning one day in August. I woke up the next morning and before I could get out of bed and stand up, I fainted. My eyeball hit the wood floor. I was sure I had detached a retina, or gone blind. It took most of a week to recover. 
We had some great shows. This is leading up to something. The fourth and final version of my own variety show is scheduled for February 2024. After 25 years, I am looking at
a possibility if not a likelihood, of leaving Japan and relocating back to the U.S. 
Why-despite the good points, my life here has kind of stalled, and the family situation back home has become complicated. Part of me wishes I didn't have to deal with it but, it feels like  a change is needed. I hope it goes well. I read the post about transporting guitars interstate. If anyone has advice about doing that internationally, assuming a private jet is not an option, thanks in advance.  
How about everyone else? how was 2023?

[Winston Psmith]

Damn, brother, I'm glad your eye recovered!

 

Good work on getting the film project to completion!

 

I'll have my answer for you in a bit, just trying to organize my thoughts, such as they are . . .

[Larryz]

@skipclone 1,  Glad to hear from you again Skip!  Sorry about that eye falling out and glad you recovered.  I've never heard of it getting that hot and causing such an injury!  Hope you make it back to the States and take care of the family issues.  I'm thinking you may look into shipping the guitars and bypassing any transport hurdles.  There are guitar companies that sell and ship guitars to the States, maybe they can give you some useful information on how it's done.  You have lived a successful hardworking life in Japan and I have no doubt you will do well doing the same back home.  Very happy to hear your projects are coming to fruition! 

 

My life has been good so far but I'm playing at home and avoiding any gigs as my memory is fading.  I still may get out and play an open mic now and then as I only have to remember 3 or 4 tunes LoL!  I have renewed my Sun Style Tai Chi study and practice this past year and do it for health reasons to keep my back and shoulders and diabetes in check.  I've retired from my other martial arts and guitar gigs.  It's hell getting old but it beats pushing up daiseys! Just added a new guitar to the harem and hope I can contian myself and start selling some of the 13 others I just can't seem to depart with.  I guess I'm a horder LoL!  Thanks for checking in and keep us posted on the new adventures!  😎👍

[Sharkman]

The first five months of 2023 were fairly uneventful.  Business was really good, my stock portfolio was doing good, I was riding my Waverunner in mid April and looking forward to a great summer of riding and relaxing.  Then on June 7th, my brother died unexpectedly from an aortic aneurysm.  After I left the hospital that night, I went to his house to take his dog home with me.  Two years earlier, he told me that he had a will, and that I was his beneficiary.  I searched his house all summer long, contacted several lawyers whose numbers were in his phone, checked with the county probate court, had all his computers searched by one of the top private investigator computer experts in the state, and in September I came to the conclusion that he never actually made a will.  So now, his son, who didn't bother to show up at the funeral (which I paid for) will be getting his house, his cars, and everything in the house.  Even though my brother told everyone he knew that he didn't want his son to get anything, tough sheet, he should have made a will.  So now I have a legal battle going on, and who knows when it will be settled.  So much fun.

 

In July I finally retired from the gun show business, after more than forty years of doing gun shows all over Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana.  I will still do some big hunting and fishing shows, but for the most part, all my time is now consumed by my new dog and the stock market.  By the way, the dog isn't too crazy about my Les Paul.  I'm thinking that sometime in 2024 I am going to get a really nice bass guitar, since I will only have any kind of need for just one.  I'd like to find an Alembic on Ebay for $5-7,000.  I found several that looked good a couple years ago, when I wasn't planning on buying one.  But, there is no urgency, so I can hold out for a great deal to come along.  As I love to tell people, I am not manic depressive, but my life is.

[Winston Psmith]

 

Sounds like I'm not the only one who's had a roller-coaster ride lately.

 

The Good -

 

Back in January, my wife and celebrated - well, sort of - 27 years of marriage, and I turned 68. FWIW, by the time my father was my age, he'd been dead for nearly 10 years, so I guess I win, or something? So far, everyone in our household is in good health, for our respective ages, so . . .

 

In no particular order otherwise -

 

Novparolo had some very fun gigs, made some new friends, and kept putting out Music, at our usual rate of about three or four new tracks every time we get together, which is about once a month.

 

My wife had a very successful gig as the on-site chef for a yoga retreat in Sedona, and the next job is already on the calendar.

 

Got to see some of my Guitar heroes live, including John McLaughlin with Shakti, Hot Tuna's "Last Run" tour, and Steve Hackett's "Foxtrot At Fifty."

 

I'm finishing up a fun, if challenging, album project, which will leave me with only two other projects to get back to. I've made some major advances on clearing my Music Room, including stacks of magazines and books, a beat-to-hell computer desk and old but sturdy bookshelf, and so on. Among other good things, that allowed me to start digging into my FX Rack once again!!!

 

Different friends asked to care for their dogs or cats, or gardens and houseplants, while they were away, so I've had a lot of good animal connections. One hound mix who stayed with us decided that he wanted his bed next to where I sleep, and a neighbor's German Shepherd thinks of me as his "Fun Friend," because I was taking him for walks and sessions of tennis ball, while his person was away. This weekend, I start another week of cat-sitting for my current favorite cat buddy.

 

I got a few cool toys, mostly Delays, but perhaps the coolest was the Schecter Sustainer Guitar another EM friend gave me a little while back! A Sustainer Guitar had been high on my Holy Grail Gear list for a long time, so having one drop into my lap was a surprise, to say the least!

 

The Bad - feel free to blow by this part . . .

 

Around three weeks into January, one of my oldest and dearest friends, brother Musicians, and former housemates died, after surviving a heart attack and several strokes over the last few years. As a morbid bookend to the year, one of my wife's oldest and dearest friends died unexpectedly just over a week ago, leaving a family behind. Doubleplusungood.

 

Back in the Fall, another old friend mentioned, almost offhandedly, that they had cancer, and were getting ready to undergo a series of radiation treatments. Haven't heard any news yet as to how that's going.

 

Finally - I hope - just about one week before Christmas, my wife was essentially squeezed out of a regular private chef's job, one that the previous management had asked her to take on as a personal favor!?!? There were (unsubstantiated) rumors concerning the previous chef, and the circumstances under which they left the job, none of them good. To add irony to injury, yesterday, my wife got an automatically-generated "Happy Birthday" message from the same people who'd just let her go from her job!?!?! It's like something out of "The Office."

 

Still, having said that, let me go back to the beginning - everyone here is in good health, we have other, possibly better work already ongoing, and no real crisis hanging over our heads, at least not as of this morning. Today, I'm going to pick out a nice fat Yule Log to burn this evening, and for the holiday weekend, I'm planning to watch all of my King Crimson DVD's, and dig back into my KC and Mahavishnu transcripts. I'm thinking that Sustainer Guitar might be just thing for some of those tunes. Idle hands, you know?

 

Wishing all the best to all of you, whatever you celebrate!

 

[desertbluesman]

Happy Holidays everyone. We had a decent year health wise in 2023. Both of us have old age health related issues but they have been fairly easy to deal with so far.

 

Stay healthy and happy for '24 all of you.

[Sharkman]

17 minutes ago, desertbluesman said:

Happy Holidays everyone. We had a decent year health wise in 2023. Both of us have old age health related issues but they have been fairly easy to deal with so far.

 

Stay healthy and happy for '24 all of you.

About seven years ago, I was walking down the aisle at a large trade show, and as I walked past a booth selling some kind of pain relieving stuff, the sales rep said to me "Excuse me, do you have any pain?"  I looked at him and replied "I'm 57 years old.  What do you think?"  😄

[surfergirl]

I've had a very interesting, to me, year. Our lead guitarist left, temporarily, for the mainland to be with his girlfriend while she finished school. The 3 of us remaining are practicing a couple times a month, but not doing any gigs.

We have a new roommate, my 13 year old half sister. After schools reopened she was afraid to go back to school, and she went from an A student to just passing. Our father and her mother thought it would be good for her to go to a smaller school, 100 per grade as opposed to 900. It has been sometimes challenging, but her expenses are paid and our grandparents help out. Her grades are back up and she has a lot of new friends. 

On the music side, her and I are busking and just having a lot of fun. 

No major purchases this year, just a few pedals. Still figuring them out.

Hopefully I will be able to start my own business next year. I have secured most of the tools I need, hope to have the rest by Christmas day. I'm waiting for the building inspector to ok enclosing, expanding and wiring my carport. Looking forward to 2024. Hope everyone has a happy holiday.

[Dave Bryce]

On 12/21/2023 at 8:26 AM, Sharkman said:

About seven years ago, I was walking down the aisle at a large trade show, and as I walked past a booth selling some kind of pain relieving stuff, the sales rep said to me "Excuse me, do you have any pain?"  I looked at him and replied "I'm 57 years old.  What do you think?"  😄

I like to say that I have SHED Syndrome - Something Hurts Every Day. 

 

Musically, good year in the studio, not so good gig-wise.  Part of me is bummed about the decrease in gigs, part of me is just fine with it. 
 

I did unexpectedly lose my main job a few months ago. Long stupid story there. Maybe time to change industries - can you do that in your 60s?
 

dB

[Ivan May]

I graduated from high school earlier this year, which is probably my biggest accomplishment in my life. I also got a job walking my friends dog, but she had health problems and I was forced to give it up as a result.

 

 I hope to travel and relax more in 2024, I might visit some family in Florida sometime around February.

[Scott Fraser]

Not the best of years, not the worst of years. Mostly just more of the same. My main gig, mixing for Kronos Quartet, continues & we had a sold out night at Carnegie Hall a couple months back, as well as finishing mixing a new album last week. Not looking to retire any time soon as I march on into my 70s. Oh, I picked up the guitar from time to time, but mostly too busy. I tell myself I will apply myself to playing more next year.

[KuruPrionz]

This year I took a break from playing music for a while. I needed to re-think what I wanted to do. 
Most of my adult life I've played in bands, usually as lead guitarist on electric guitar but also some bass gigs. 

I decided I want to play acoustic/electric guitar and put a set of K&K Mini in my Rainsong OM-1000. Those sound much better than the system it came with. 

I also decided that I would like to play most gigs as a solo act. I started playing lots of open mic nights and working on my vocals. I've improved in the realm considerably while also becoming less reliable at remembering all the lyrics. Most of the audience don't notice or care as long as you sing the chorus. 😇

I've got a weekly gig coming up in February at a local restaurant/bar that has a pair of JBL subwoofer/pole stacks and a decent Mackie mixer so I don't need to bring much to play. That's the good. 

The bad.

My brother passed on about 6 weeks ago, he was 69. I will miss him. There are other minor negatives but that I will remember always.