Just a Check-in

Hi ho, everyone.

Popping in here to say howdy do and that things have been going well. Last weekend we went down to Indianapolis to visit with our son and his girlfriend. Hadn’t seen my son since he came to see me in the hospital, so it was good to see him fluid-less and not in a hospital gown. We took them out to dinner at a fantastic BBQ joint called Traxx Barbecue. It’s in a suburb of Indianapolis called McCordsville.

It used to share space with a fantastic brewery called Scarlet Lane Brewing(RIP). They sadly closed their doors New Year’s Eve, 2025 due to the owner having health issues. They loved Halloween and would decorate to the nines in the fall. And two years straight they hosted a Horror Authors Weekend where different independent horror authors set up tables and sold books and signed autographs. We went one of those years and it was a hell of a lot of fun.

Anyways, the kids loved the food(as did we) and we dropped them off back at home. After that we headed downtown to Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park and saw the ‘SatchVai’ tour, which had Steve Vai and Joe Satriani sharing the stage. They played together, as well as solo and shared the backing band which included Pete Thorn on guitar, Kenny Aronoff on drums, and Marco Mendoza on bass.

I took my mom to see Joe and Steve play two years ago at the Embassy Theater and it was a great show. That time they each had their solo sets, then came out at the end for an encore of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” and Jimi Hendrix’ “Red House”. It was a fantastic night of music and they were on fire.

Vai playing the “Hydra”

Despite having killer seats Saturday night the show wasn’t great. The sound was really off. Way louder than it needed to be, and they had these video accompaniments that just seemed distracting and cheesy. Steve Vai’s guitar seemed very tinny and annoying, while Joe’s sounded much better. Not really sure what happened that night, but we were there close to 90 minutes and then left. I don’t think the sound issues were Satriani or Vai’s fault, but regardless it was just a subpar show for us. My wife noted how hairy Joe Satriani’s arms were, and that the people in front of us had some serious B.O.

And so it goes.

Despite the lackluster show Saturday was a great day for my wife and I. Absolutely gorgeous out. We had some sushi for lunch, and stopped at the Mercantile 37 Exchange, a place with artsy items. She bought herself a Mother’s Day candle and we both got some drinks from their cafe. We also bought a bottle of Hank’s Grape Soda that my wife was a big fan of.

Before dinner and the concert we stopped at my favorite Indy record store haunt, Luna Music. I picked up records from Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Joe Henderson, and MF DOOM. I also snagged a Luna RSD t-shirt cause why not?

Health-wise I’m feeling fantastic. My BP has been on point, with last night’s reading before bed being 116/74. I think a combination of the meds and my walking daily has pushed me over the top. Averaging around 10,000 steps a day and 4 to 5 miles. I’ve been walking quite a bit at work, both around the plant for my job plus taking walking breaks outside since it’s been so nice. I get home from work and then Celeste is ready for a walk as well. This Sunday morning I’m heading over to my best friend’s house and we’re walking the Chinworth Trail, which is at least 5 or 6 miles. We plan on doing that two Sundays out of the month, switching between that and at my place around the lake.

So I can’t complain about life currently. I’m damn lucky to be here and feeling as good as I do. Good headspace and good health space.