71 Hours

Guess we brought the rain with us from Hawai'i. I'm in L.A. for 71 hours (I've got about 18 left now), and the forecast has been for rain the entire time. Currently, it's very overcast and slightly cold. The thermometer outside my window says 56 degrees (that's 13 degrees Celsius for the weird Canuckans who read this blog). Not bitterly cold, but enough for the spousal unit to adjust the thermostat up. We arrived back from Hawai'i on the red eye that landed on the 3rd of January. But that's not to say we didn't leave without a heart full of warm memories and a carry on full of warm malasadas.Here's the storefront of the most recognized name in malasadas, Lenoard's Bakery. It's just outside of Waikiki and a must stop for the returning local (me) and the sugar and fried dough fan (my wife). For those who were at my wedding, you probably remember these sweet doughy treats. They were the favor that you received when you left the reception. For those of you who weren't at my wedding, or have never been to Hawai'i, malasadas are basically sugar doughnuts with no hole. Often credited to the influence of the Portuguese culture, I have yet to find someone in Portugal who knows what a malasada is.

In any case, two of our closest friends at the wedding were more or less addicted to them. A favorite story from the wedding is of them sneaking them back to their room from the breakfast buffet at the hotel. You know you have an addict when they steal. And seeing as we were there, why not fly home a dozen of them to share with them.

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One day Nicole and I will learn our lesson, never fly the red eye. It's hard not to choose that flight, because it allows us to maximize our time in Hawai'i. Take the last day to tie up loose ends or get in the final gift shopping. But it's always the same thing when we land, we pretty much spend that day in a fog, unable to do much of anything except nap or watch TV. As of this writing (two days later) we still have one bag still waiting to be unpacked.

The only reason the other bags are unpacked is because I had to repack them and put them on a truck that leaves today (Saturday) for the start of the next Blue Man Group leg which starts tomorrow (Sunday). Better to have the bags packed and on the truck to the gig and save me the trouble of hauling them through the airport.

I've been touring so long, I have two sets of everything. I have a whole set of toiletries that stay on the road, and one that stays in the bathroom at home. I've got a four sets of clothes. One for winter touring, and winter home, summer touring and summer home. Granted, there are crossover items that I take with me, but for the most part, the jackets I wear on tour, I never wear at home.

71 hours is all I have at home this time. Day one was spent sleeping, unpacking and repacking. Day two (yesterday) started with a trip to the doctor. It was supposed to be a follow up appointment for a blood test (I have "elevated" cholesterol), which turned into a diagnosis of tendinitis in my elbows (no heavy lifting for 10 days), and iliotibial band syndrome in my left thigh, which means no cycling for two weeks. I'm getting old. The rest of the day was spent at the shop pre-programming the new lighting fixtures for this next leg for BMG. followed by being stuck in traffic for 2 hours in the afternoon because people in L.A. have no idea how to drive when it rains.

Today, well, today I was supposed to go shooting with the boys, but the rain took care of that. Which is fine, because I was able to sleep in at least once before heading back out on tour. And speaking of sleeping. It's very nice to be sleeping with the pack again. One of the nicest things about the cold weather is bundling up in bed and then being joined by the cats And the cats don't just cuddle up with us, they perch on Nicole.Too bad there is no sound with this picture because Nicole is sawing logs and is completely oblivious to 16 pound cat lying on top of her. The cats operate in shifts. When sleeping starts, it's Kolohe (pictured above) who starts in that position. When it's time to get up, the job is taken over by Ipolani, who sit in the same place and meows constantly until one of us gets up to feed her. I wasn't quick enough on the draw to get a picture of Ipolani. As soon as I sat up and grabbed the camera, she realized her job was done, and she ran to the kitchen to be fed.

The only one not allowed on the bed is our dog, Pekona. He has the bear blanket which sits underneath the heating vent to sleep on.He doesn't seem to mind, and will run to the room when you say, "Blanket!" and get in the down position ready for a treat. Sometimes he gets one, sometime not. Gotta keep him guessing.

These are the things I will miss when I get on the plane tomorrow morning. But it has to be done. I've only got a few hours left at home and a number of loose ends to tie up. I should probably stop faffing about on this blog and get cracking....

now.

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