To paraphrase the Staple Singers: Nobody's Fault but mine, Nobody's Fault but miiiine, if I move and don't redirect my mail, nobody's fault but mine..
In fact now that I think about it, this story would be well told through a revised version of their lyrics:
Sing to the tune of 'Nobody's Fault but Mine' (refresh your memory of the song here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpFka5Iu4hw
Australia post redirected my mail,
Australia post redirect my ma-aai-ell,
if I dont renew the redirection
and my mail be lost
nobody's fault but mine.
RTA send to me a form
RTA sent to me a form
Should have renewed my license
but my mail was lost
Nobody's fault but mine
Wanted to rent a va-aa-an.
Went to go and rent a van
Found my license
had expired last week
nobody's fault but mine.
No worries we'll take the car
No worries we'll use the car
Starter motor's missing a few teeth
Nobody's fault but mine.
Went on back to rent a van
To a different place to rent a van
Rosie had to come bail me out
nobody's fault but mine.
Balmain Rentals are really cheap
Balmain Rentals are really cheap
if you drive a van and it smells like fish
Nobody's fault but mine.
Ah that was cathartic and surprisingly information rich.
We had a most excellent afternoon at the Exchange, despite my Starter Motor and License issues. I get the joy of the RTA in the morning (actually they're OK, as long as you take a book/kindle/1000000 piece jigsaw puzzle.
Ah, but enough about the music, lets talk Packing.
Yes folks, amongst the skills you will need on your Musical Adventures, Packing Your Wagon is an essential Man-Skill. For example:
Such a pack. It brings tears to my eye.
Now this would have been a thing of joy, if not for the aforementioned oh-crap-license-expired-cant-rent-this-van-i-have-driven-to-get-on-a-Sunday.
So I figured, hey, Theo has helped get my wagon back on the road, Rosie can come over and drive up to the Newcastle gig with me, until the starter-motor-not-working moment.
Which led to the oh-crap-where-do-we-get-another-van-on-a-sunday moment. Thank heavens for Balmain Rentals (I am not getting paid for the plug here, but they are a a local treasure for folks moving house/plants whatever).
Of course, this meant I had to repack.
SAD! Hulk Make Sad Face! Decent Pack but not spectacular. Need More Stuff!
Alright, enough obsessive compulsive packing. So now we had a working vehicle and a Driver. As Rosie and I climbed gratefully into the front seats and strapped in, we both had an olfactory moment, as a strange and pungent aroma of Dead Sardines surrounded us.
The last person who had hired the van had used it for Fish Transport.
We realised we would both spend the next several hours in a travelling sardine tin, replete with smell.
On the way to Newcastle Peeee-eeeewww whats that fricking smell.
Passing the Tuggerah Interchange - Gaaa-ack - Fish overpowering, must open windows, GAACK!
Fortunately a service station en route had a can of Glen-20 (anti-smelly stuff) and we took extreme spray measures and then added one of those dangly things for good measure:
Rosie suggested I get one that smelled like the Ocean. I bit my tongue and chose 'New Car Smell'
We gave the car a thorough Glen-20-ing and it was MMMMM....So Fresh, with only the occasional fishy waft.
Until we continued driving and
'Gaaack - most open window, disinfectant smell causing dizziness...'
We dubbed our van the FishMobile.
Nobody's Fault But Mine.
So on to the gig report for our trip up to the exchange hotel in Newcastle!
I was touched to find that Suzanne and Claudette had driven all the way up to Newcastle because this is our last gig within driving range for them until February. Dang.
Cheers to Linda, Chris, Dan, Sandi M, Suzanne, Claudette and all the Dancers. Boy was there some dancing, and it started by the 2nd song.
Due to our Gaack and transport problems, we were running late but I am proud to say that we had a record PA setup in 20 minutes, including fold back and in ear monitoring (well, at least for me). Out-fricking-standing.
It was kind of a short set for us today, at just over 2 hours and I am not sure we had realised how short two hours is, when youre trying to play Old Stuff as well as get your New Stuff a run.
The Novocastrians were particularly nice to us and are entirely willing to applaud, sing along and dance. What a fine time. That put us all in a good mood.
At the end of too short a time, we had to bail out and head back to the Fish Mobile for the run home. As per usual, Stormcellar Weather:
Rosie...can you smell something?
Ahem.
We won't be playing Sydney again until the 11th of Feb (Bald Rock) and we have our first gig at the Tamworth Country Music Festival on Wednesday 18th Jan.
I'll be taking my Geeky Components with me so I can post reports from up there. Stay tuned for yet more Fishy Adventures!