The Vanishing Woman at Starbucks

Wednesday, 31st October 2007

[ My contribution to the RBJ October Collaboration Project ]

Recently, I tried checking all my archives of everything I’d ever written online. I was looking for my experience with the old woman at a Starbucks in Redondo Beach. And, I may have told the story on the RBJ forums, but I guess I never told it here…

…or, perhaps that story mysteriously disappeared like the old woman at Starbucks?

The year was 1999. The first part of the year (I forget which month).

The big band, Big Time Operator, had been on a short tour through the Los Angeles area. And one night we ended up performing at a nightclub in Redondo Beach.

It was an interesting night, because the legendary rock artist Dave Mason was performing before us that night. So, we were early and had to wait awhile before he finished his set.

Three of us, trumpeter Mike Bogart (who had performed with Maynard Ferguson and now performs with Tower of Power), Jim Weiss (a busy saxophonist in San Diego) and myself… we walked across the street to a nearby Starbucks to get some espressos and coffee.

Once inside, we ordered our drinks and sat at this long countertop on stools, facing the window and looking outside.

After a few minutes, an old woman walked in. She was dressed in white and carrying a metal basket on wheels, pulling it along behind her. She wore an old hat and her face looked wrinkled and care-worn. She looked extremely old (perhaps in her 90s) and her face had the look of anguish. As if suffering from some emotional or physical pain, or both.

She slowly walked passed us and I noticed that all three of us couldn’t help but notice her.
And she had to somehow squeeze past us in order to get to the restroom. And that’s what she did. I noticed that the Starbucks employees didn’t seem to notice her, but the three of us noticed her come in.

Anyway, we sat and talked and sipped our beverages. After what seemed like 15 minutes to a half hour, I think I remember a point where we all sort of looked at one another and wondered if the old woman in the restroom was okay. I mean, she really looked old and fragile and she hadn’t come out of the restroom yet.

I remember Mike walked to the restroom and knocked on the door, asking if the old woman was alright. No answer. He did this a few times and then tried to open the door.

It wasn’t locked.

He looked inside and… the old woman wasn’t there!

Could we have somehow not notice her when she got out? I think that we would’ve noticed because the old woman would’ve had to squeeze passed us again on the way out.

She just seemed to have vanished into thin air. And we all noticed her come in through the front door of that Starbucks.

I remember that we all sort of shook our heads in wonder. And soon after that we had to get back to the nightclub because it was getting close to downbeat time.

Was this the very first time I had seen an apparition? A ghost?

Who knows for sure….

Years later. Well, not too long ago. I approached Jim during one of our gigs and asked him
about that day when we saw the old woman. I asked him for confirmation that we had witnessed her vanish. And he told me yes, he’d remembered.

To this day I am puzzled by what I had experienced.

The more I think about it, the more I figure that if she were a ghost, she may have walked into that restroom and passed away there… that seeing her was the remnants of that event superimposed or embedded into the location. Who knows…

The tale of the vanishing woman was probably the most paranormal thing I’d ever experienced. Aside from smelling burning candles in odd places… or the smell of flowers where there aren’t any… or cold drafts in old buildings.

Anyway, Happy Halloween to everyone. Stay safe, and if you see a very old woman walking around, just ask yourself, is she real, or not?

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Tagged: Blog

Asian Backstreet Boys

Monday, 29th October 2007

This video was sent to me by Nathan with the following message:

Dude – if we want to be famous we need to seriously work on our image and stage presence!

And though I never was a big fan of the Backstreet Boys, this lipsyncing mockery of the Backstreet Boys’ “As Long As You Love Me” is quite hilarious!

And yes, I need to work on my stage presence so I can be just like these guys! haha….

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Tagged: Blog

NaBloPoMo

Monday, 29th October 2007

Currently listening to: Nessun Dorma from Turandot. Theme from Schindler’s List. Imagine by John Lennon. Bridge of Light by Keith Jarrett. Blackbird by The Beatles. Andalucia. Pepe Romero playing Recuerdos de la Alhambra. Music from The English Patient. Tres Lindas Cubanas by Chucho Valdes. One Melody by John McLaughlin. Cimarosa Oboe Concerto. American Tango by Weather Report. Sparks by Wynton Marsalis.

I signed up to participate in this year’s NaBloPoMo.

At first I was frightened by the thought of blogging every day for the month of November. But if you check my entries for the month of October, I’ve already blogged more than 30 times this month.

So, I think I’m confident I can blog every day in the month of November. I’ve had enough practice! Especially with all the updates I’ve made regarding the wildfires in San Diego county.

Anyway, if your a reader of my blog, let me know if you’re going to participate this year. And, we can give one another some moral support. Blogging each day in November is really easier than it sounds.

You don’t even have to come up with long entries every time. Just start blogging and it feels like the creative thought will surely follow…. well, it seems like that with me. Just getting one’s “feet wet” is the major hurdle, then one doesn’t have a problem finding things to write about.

Okay, I must do all my errands and chores for today.

Later on tonight I have to go to the recording studio and help by recording some handclaps and doing a final mixdown of our Flamenco Music.

Visit NaBloPoMo

Anyway, you guys and gals sign up for NaBloPoMo now… so I don’t have to feel like I’m the only one doing this, even though there are already a gazillion bloggers ready to blog away in November!

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Tagged: Blog

USS Midway New Years Gala!

Monday, 29th October 2007

I’m going to really promote Big Daddy Orchestra’s performance at the USS Midway aircraft carrier on New Year’s Eve because this one is open to the public.

If you’re looking ahead for a place to celebrate the New Year, and haven’t been on an aircraft carrier before, and you’re in the San Diego area on the week of New Year’s Eve, then you should go to the downtown San Diego Embarcadero near Seaport Village. Along Harbor Drive, you can’t miss the USS Midway.

This event is going to be pretty crazy as there is expected to be 1,500 people and more attending. The big band has a lot of fun playing this, and we’ll be doing everything from Big Band Swing to Top40/Dance Music to Latin/Salsa. I think we’ve been doing this event every year for the past 3 or 4 years now, and it keeps getting better and better each year.

Here’s the link with all the info:

Peartrees’ New Years Eve Gala Aboard the Midway Aircraft Carrier

Prices:
Individual Tickets ($159 per ticket): $0.00
Purchase a Table (10 Seats): $1,590.00

Online Reg. Closes:
January 1, 2008 11:59 AM Pacific Time

Seating Preference:
If you would like to sit with a group, please purchase your tickets together, in order to be placed at the same table.

Cancellation Policy:
$15 charge per ticket for refunds before December 1, 2007. No refunds after December 1, 2007.

Here’s a more detailed description of this New Year’s event:

Fill Your New Year’s Eve With Magic Aboard The Midway Aircraft Carrier Museum.
Permanently Docked At The Navy Pier, The Midway Is The Most Exciting Venue Downtown.

Enjoy Views Of The Bay, And Sip Champagne While Watching The City
Lights From The Flight Deck. Extravagant Dinner Stations Prepared By
Award Winning Peartrees Catering.

HOSTED OPEN BAR INCLUDING MIDNIGHT CHAMPAGNE TOAST

ELEGANT DINNER STATIONS
Including An Alluring Display of Charcuterie and Cheese;
Jumbo Shrimp Cocktails, Coastal Baby Lettuce Salad, Chicken Champagne,
Bowtie Puttanesca, Chef Carving Stuffed Steak Piedmont
And An Elaborate International Dessert Table

DANCING TO THE LIVE MUSIC OF THE B!G DADDY ORCHESTRA

$159 Per Person (Tax and Gratuity Included)
$1590 for Tables of 10 Priority Seating
Black Tie Optional

A Portion Of All Proceeds Will Be Donated To The Ongoing Preservation and Restoration Of The USS Midway

The Manchester Grand Hyatt and Hilton San Diego Airport, Harbor Island
Are Offering Special Discounted Room Rates Based on Availability
Contact Peartrees Catering for More Information

Make Your Reservations On Line at www.peartreescatering.com
Or Call Peartrees Catering at 619-575-5500

And I hope to see you there. So, make your reservations early….

Filed under: Music
Tagged:

cd’s cd’s cd’s

Sunday, 28th October 2007

Last night, Big Daddy Orchestra performed at the U.S. Grant Hotel in the Celestial Ballroom on level B1. It was a big wedding reception and the wedding couple looked fairly young. The bride had a pretty large and prominent tattoo artwork on her back. And it looked like many of the couple’s young friends had tattoos and body piercings as well. I just wanted to make note of that because of all the wedding receptions I’d done in the current century, I hadn’t seen a wedding reception with so many tattoos and body piercings before. But I’m so out of touch with that world, so it was something that stuck out in my mind last night.

Also, there were a LOT of children at this wedding reception. Usually, children aren’t really a prominent feature of the wedding receptions I’ve been performing at. And there were many last night, and it was a joy to see all the children dancing to our music.

Anyway, we had some problems with the Valet Parking staff, who said that we had to pay for Valet Parking. In virtually all hotels we perform at Valet Parking for musicians is complimentary. After all, we are like employees of the hotel, so why should we have to pay $15.00 for valet parking? Anyway, the bride and groom were kind enough to straighten that problem out for us.

I overheard one lady say, “This was the best wedding reception I’ve ever been to.”

Well, I thought to myself, “Well then, I was honored to be a part of it.”

It was probably one of the better wedding receptions I had been a part of. Between the band and the wedding planners and the hotel staff, I’d say we all did our jobs extremely well last night. Maybe it was the wildfires raging still around San Diego County, that makes everyone appreciate the good things in life, and to not take anything for granted, and to really live life to the fullest.

Also, this past Friday, Flamenco Nova also performed at the Fairbanks Ranch Country Club. And I was quite surprised to find out that we would be performing there after all, after the devastion and the fires still raging around. One waiter said that he lives in Rancho Bernardo, the hardest hit of the commiunities in San Diego. He said his apartment complex was partly damaged from the fires, but his apartment seemed to be intact. Two of the managers said they had to evacuate, one was in Carmel Valley. The country club itself was unscathed by the fires, but some 50 palm trees were knocked down by the strong Santa Ana winds. That was how truly powerful these winds were… enough to carry the hot embers from the wildfires all throughout San Diego County.

At the country club, there was a big crowd dining and listening to our music. I was a bit surprised, but maybe the thought about the wildfires perhaps had an impact on that? Maybe people truly need to get out and enjoy life and take their minds away from the devastation?

So, it was a good weekend for gigs, and now I have Sunday off and have pretty much done nothing extremely physical today.

But I AM suddenly sorting through all my CDs and trying to organize them. These include a lot of homemade CDs of favorite song compilations. And many are blank with no titles whatsoever. I have to listen to them and see what’s on them. I’m finding CDs of favorite albums in which the actual CD was separated from the CD Jewel Case. That’s how disorganized my CD collection is.

So, that’s pretty much what I’m doing today…..

Filed under: Blog, Music
Tagged: Blog