And Now For Something Completely Different...

BassicNerd, my musical alter ego. Yes, he's a tye dye monkey. If you know me, this is not surprising.

So it's been a while.

Like, more than a year.

They say you learn more from failure than success. It's true, but I really had enough "learning" in 2024. Too many changes to count. And for those that joined me at the start of this site/blog, you caught me in the middle of a MAJOR midlife pivot that would re-examine pretty much all of my values, boundaries, relationships, and environment. Too many changes to count, but the major highlights:

What's The Same (or even moreso now)

• I remain curious about people, systems, and people's places in those systems. I try and favor, "Be curious, not judgmental" as long as possible. Hat tip to Lasso and/or Whitman.

• I spend my non-summer weekends as an audio tech, running sound for concerts, open mics (which I also host), public agency summits, and even a TEDx day of talks.

• I perform music on a pretty regular basis, both for myself, with others as my backing band, and as backup for others' lead projects.

• I have an amazing partner of 26 years, Terri. I am forever awed by her talent and wit.

• I spend my summers at Renaissance faires, making people smile and, in the evenings, sing!

• I maintain Earthbound, a 9ac forest/campground-in-progress in Hoodsport, WA.

• Sapphire, our 18 year old cat, continues to thrive.

What's Changed

• I keep downsizing my life. I don't have "nothing", but continuously reducing my clutter and footprint. From a 3000sqft home to a 720 sqft apartment, I couldn't be happier with the latter. Something I couldn't have imagined 10 years ago.

• I don't have a car anymore. The last two cars I've owned have been total losses, and have been in two multi-car accidents. I occasionally use a ZipCar, Turo, or even Enterprise rental, but that happens less than once a month. Great saving of time and sanity.

• I have started clearly drawing boundaries against toxic influences in my life. The most notable of these, aside from the disenchantment with cars and suburbia, has been the departure from big tech and ending some long-term relationships.

• I regularly speak, facilitate panels, and author content for the Washington Festivals & Events Association (WFEA). My primary topics these days are AI (pros and cons), and Privacy.

• I went to school. Shoreline Community College (SCC) is an amazing institution, with a staff that works in the industry they teach, so it's both expert advice and practically applicable to a career. I can't decide if I'm after a major/degree or just using it as a glorified conservatory, but I love the immersion, practiced humility in learning new things from peers half my age, and opportunity to mentor on areas I'm well-experienced in.

• I went to church. What started out as just an audio gig at Unity of Seattle has become a community haven for Terri and I. We sing in the choir and are active in other community endeavors.

• I got a tattoo! Hat tip to Maya at Foundation Body Arts in Everett, WA for an amazing rendition of my concept. The application itself was... interesting. Like a scratch that just keeps getting more annoying and irritating, but never quite passes over to something else. Note that the latter statement became less true as the needle neared my inner elbow.

• Terri and I became partners in Teamatorium, selling ice cream, frozen cheesecake, cotton candy, and roasted nuts at local renaissance and fantasy faires.

• Terri wrote a book! It is being edited and world crafted, and should see a big end-of-2025 launch in time for Christmas. I even get to help on some outlining and concept art.

• Sapphire stopped peeing on everything! She really seems to like the new apartment.

What's Going On?

• Music Matters in concept has been reborn as BassicNerd's Piano Jam (BNPJ). I'll try and do this at least quarterly, and it has a bit more structure than Music Matters, as there's a fixed setlist. Hopefully the "house band" will establish enough songs that we can return to on-demand jams, but this seems to be working really well. The next one is on Jan 18, 2025 at The Hidden Door.

• Musical Shenanigans (MusiShen) is a highly collaborative open mic experience at The Hidden Door on Sundays from 7p till it's done. Signups at 6:30. Open jam at the end.

• I'll be speaking at the WFEA Spring Conference in Suncadia, talking about and demonstrating practical applications of AI in event planning and management.

What Comes Next?

More regular content. Finding a cadence that is workable is some of it, committing is another. And not over-committing. And maybe blogging about some of the bullet points above.

But mostly, remaining curious about what that question even means.

~BN~