NAMM Week- 1/13 thru 1/21, 2007

What a week! After a wonderful lunch with Juan we return to the campground for a much needed relaxing afternoon. Saturday is uneventful except for the artic cold that takes hold of California. We wake up Sunday ready for hot showers only to find out that pipes have burst and no hot showers. We are told that the plumber is coming (and the check is in the mail) but no plumber shows because a lot of pipes have burst in sunny southern California and they are working overtime on repairs. No plumber on Monday either (holiday). We decide to check out the next morning (Tuesday) before we head to NAMM and check into a different camp site. We planned on staying in this new site in February, so it’s a good chance to check it out. We head out on Tuesday for the Anaheim Convention Center. Meeting up with Robin Muller from NAMM and she helps secure our parking and the transport of our gear to the executive offices so we can finish up the NAMM amenity project.

So far it’s more than we imagined, a huge conference table, plenty of space to work and everyone is willing to help out. We work until about 8pm assembling gifts and packing for delivery. Our stagehands come back and pick up our gear for load out. We head out to the East Shore RV Park (remember the name, don’t go there) to grab a few hours sleep as we begin our deliveries at 4AM. We arrive at the RV park, head to space F-155 but can’t pull in because of the way others are parked so we pull into another slot for some shut eye. 3AM comes real quick and really cold, we scuffle into our clothes and head to Anaheim. Off the highway at exactly 4AM as planned and start our deliveries. It goes really well, the only way to deliver big projects to hotels is in the middle of the night. We finish 24 hotels by 6:33AM, now off to Denny’s for some hot breakfast and then to the campground. We go to a new space F-156 which has a nice grassy area by the lake and has tons of ducks, geese and coots. This is the only good thing about the site. I feed the fowl for awhile, then ready ourselves for a nap and then lawn mowers start as we lay down, at least it doesn’t last long. Now the one thing I was looking forward to was a hot shower (remember burst pipes since Saturday and this is now Wednesday). We get our stuff and head for the bathrooms, only to find prison type bathrooms in 20 degree weather. Needless to say, no hot water, no shower, my only salvation is getting to John Gabrielli’s on Thursday. That evening back to the truck, tucked in for the night and then bang, Bang, BANG!! on the window. Security guard with an attitude says we need to check in at the office. Long story short and if you know me well, arrangements are made to deal with the situation in the morning. I am not missing my shows or the warmth of our bed for this crap. On Thursday we feed the birds and check out of the hell hole called East Shore RV Park. Of course, the front desk doesn’t care that our stay sucked but I knew they didn’t care by the under maintained facilities that show the lack of pride at this camp ground. They just wanted our money; we just wanted to be gone from there. We head to Starbucks and hang out for awhile on the internet and enjoy a clean place of business. We get a hold of John and he says “c’mon over”. I love you John. We get to John and Robbie’s home, in an undisclosed location. We chat and John heads for the grocery store as I head for a hot shower. It is amazing what hot water will do for you. We spend the weekend eating, watching DVD’s, hanging out and working of course. We go to the NAMM show on Saturday, I am amazed at all the people in one place, the music industry is a wonderful mix of colorful people, all driven by the beauty of music its self. We saw Todd Trent from Ludwig and Garrison from DW Drums and the girls from NAMM. It was a good show – lots of cool new stuff to look at. See you at Summer Session in July. Back to John’s for dinner – a delicious stir-fry and unparalleled hospitality. We make it an early night since we are all tired. At 4:14AM the guy who had been staying in the guest house knocks. He got in a fight with his girlfriend and needed somewhere to sleep. He wants me to open the door. 4:15AM in LA, someone I don’t know – yeah right. Up on Sunday and we have eggs and bacon with John and catch up on more work.