Yesterday was the first day my wife and I have had off together in a long time.
We went to see the house that my friend is buying. I've been through that process recently, and I know it can be stressful, but I'm over the moon for him.
The house is beautiful, the location is almost ideal, the price was almost perfect. (It's a little more expensive than he wanted, but not actually expensive. It's a a slightly worse location than he wanted, but not a bad one.)
After that, we donned our masks and wandered through an apple orchard (orchards are neat in the winter, because everything looks dead, but it isn't dead! It will come back!)
We went to a local record store for some socially distanced record shopping, and I got some Jazz Messengers, some Henry Mancini, some Ella, some Billie Holiday, and a bunch of dad rock.
It's sunday, so it's time for Jazz.
I have many things to say, this thread may Multithread.
I'm kicking off the morning with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Live at the Cafe Bohemia Vol 2. This is a bluenote LP originally issued in 56.
I got a 76 reissue, in duophonic/fake/electronicly rechanneled stereo.
I'd have preferred it as it was recorded, but 1) I've never seen an original, 2) I don't want to spend more than $100 on this album, 3) this one is wonderful.
I'll try to keep this branch updated as I listen to more #Jazz on #jazzSunday
This album really slaps.
I've been listening to a lot of 30s Jazz from that Bill Savory collection, and it has hints in it of what would become in the bebop movement, but just hints.
To jump from being fully immersed in that to this *very* drum driven mid-50s Hard Bop is a Transition™️ that I wasn't fully prepped for.
It's been a great way to kick of the morning, but between that and my coffee, I'm getting a little bouncy.
Ray was a nice division, so I'm sticking with him on "Ray Charles – Ingredients In A Recipe For Soul"
We'll call this a pallet cleanser before I reach for Sun Ra.
Just brought it down here, and we're on vol. 1 as we start our morning. That first track is just beautiful! Thanks.
Mostly, though, we spent a lot of time in a car yesterday.
We just talked, and had a chance to examine all the wacky stuff we've managed to accomplish in the last 10 years or whatever (We've been together for 14? It'll be 15 this year I guess!)
That was good.
At some point during the day, some work stuff popped off, and it was demonstrated to me that I actually do have value, even if that value is just directing the right person to the right task.
We had lunch at a wood fired food truck. We wandered the empty streets of a nearby town, marveling at how much it appears to be Thriving in spite of everything that is going on in the world.
It was good.
I thought a lot about the past. That was good.
Today I'm thinking about the future.
Part of thinking about the past and the future has me really hankering to get back to work on some podcasts.
It happens every winter.
I dunno if I'll be able to muster the energy to keep this going, but I work better when I have collaborators and I have some right now.
that's another thread.
It's not really about podcasts. It's about making media in general.
I need to just *do it*.
We're about 1/4 of the way through a gameboy game for the 1925 game jam. I need to dedicate some time to finish that I have two more weekends, so that should be manageable.
I have most of a script for an Expedition Sasquatch episode finished, and I keep telling @Username_Here_ASAP that I'll get him a script soon.
I have folks that want to contribute to JG...
I need to cede some control out, and bring in other people who can drive projects for a bit. Or, rather, I need to let some other people do real work.
I'm a good project manager, it's what I do professionally. But I only have so much room in my brain, and I can either keep track of the state of 10 projects, or I can make progress on 2.
If I turn over a little control, I can keep track of more, and let people help me make progress.
So I've been talking about doing a maker space in one form or another for 10 years.
I've talked about it here, pretty extensively (Mostly with @djsundog, but also with others.) I've seriously considered opening one, or crowdfunding one several times.
I have a new friend who is very much on that train.
We've found a couple of potential locations, we're looking at 501c3 nonprofit paperwork. I registered a domain.
We might open a maker space.
The old ideas for a maker space always came back to "How do we make sure this thing is making enough money that I can live on it?"
But that's no longer a concern.
The new idea for the maker space is "How do we make sure this thing can sustain itself (financially and otherwise)?"
That's easier in some ways, and much harder in others.
So I'm trying to figure out exactly what it is that will pay the bills, keep the lights on, etc.
Part of this is easy:
Get some equipment in to a place, charge people for access to the equipment. Give them a consumables allotment, charge them when they go over that.
Part of it is harder:
I think a space like this should, under capitalism, have a retail area where folks can sell things they've made on site. Don't discourage people from using the maker space like a mini factory, encourage it.
Part of it is unknown:
Insurance, accounting, depreciation
I read a book a few months ago called Emergent Strategy about community centered, values centered organizing, and I'm trying to apply those principles here.
Which means that I gotta get out of the way.
@ajroach42 one of the complications of allowing/facilitating sales on site has to do with protecting your non-profit status. The IRS is very picky about commercial activity facilitated by non-profits. I don't know all the details, but it's in the "you need legal advice to navigate what you can and can't do in this regard"
My makerspace went through this conversation with an attorney, and while I wasn't deeply involved I remember a lot of complexity and a decision that we wouldn't do it outside of a "festival-style" event a couple times a year.
Andrew (Television Executive)
Andy Valencia ✅
calcifer 🧯