There are so many things I've been wanting to blog about, but even with all the technology we have to make things like posting a blog "easier" it still always seems like extra work on top of all the things I HAVE to do. So I don't get around to it. In the meantime I figured I'd just do a quick summary of some of the things I've been up to, and hopefully soon I'll have the time to expand upon some of them.
First, a little over a month ago, Dylan and I took an easter road trip to Las Vegas and Palm Springs, just to get out of town. The impetus behind the trip was that was got tickets to see Love, the Beatles show by Cirque du Soleil, in Vegas as a wedding gift. So we left work a little early on Good Friday and drove through the desert, having to make a couple of last-minute detours on the way, finally arriving in Sin City around 10:30 p.m. We checked into our room at the gorgeous SLS Hotel and did a little wandering and slot machines. The next day we took advantage of the swimming pool and explored some more before we went to see the show, which was amazing! There were so many memorable parts of it, and overall had such a peaceful, inspiring vibe. After the show we went and rode the High Roller at the Linq, which is a huge wheel similar to, but even larger than, the London Eye (which I was lucky enough to experience back in 2012).
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| Dylan posing in front of the SLS Hotel in Las Vegas. |
The next morning we met our friend AJ and her girlfriend at The Plaza hotel for brunch at Hash House a Go-Go. It was delish! Then we got in the car, said goodbye to Vegas, and headed south towards Palm Springs. We exited the EXTREMELY slow moving 15 FWY at Nipton Road, just a few miles south of Primm. I drove for what seemed to be an eternity through the desolate landscape on a two-lane highway when finally we reached the ghost town of Amboy, where we filled up with a little gas (it was pretty pricey there!) and took some pictures of the old hotel.
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| Derelict Roy's Motel in Amboy, CA. |
We finally rolled in to Palm Springs after sundown and found our Air BnB condo on the west side of the city, very near to the road that leads to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. We finally got to ride the Tram the next day, after wanting to do it for so long! It was a very cool experience. I actually got really scared on the way up, as we lost electricity due to strong winds messing with the power lines, and I was afraid we were going to be stuck there forever, until the tram fell off the wire and crashed into the mountainside below! Right as my knees started to feel funny and weak, and I had to sit down before I barfed or fainted, the tram started moving again! After that it was relatively smooth sailing. We had some drinks and hiked up at the top and then rode down, which was much less eventful than the ride up.
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| Dylan loved hiking up in the San Jacinto mountains. |
I had to take Amtrack back to LA the next day as I had tickets to go to LACMA's Rain Room exhibit. It's a darkened room where water falls in droplets from the ceiling, but cameras detect human movement and thus shut the nozzles off directly above you. That way, you don't get wet - in theory! In actuality we did get a little damp from the experience, but it was worth it!
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| A moody shot from the Rain Room. |
Since then, I've been working really hard to finish the Devin Tait & The Traitors album, "Mixed Signals," which I hope to release in June. We completed all the vocal recording by May 1 and now I'm just mixing and waiting on a few instrumental parts from my brother Brandon and uncle Ronnie. We're going to be filming a video later this month, and hopefully another one next month!
On April 22, my friends Ryan, Creighton, Jordan and I went to see Tiffany perform at The Mint, where she was celebrating the release of her new album "A Million Miles." There were many other people we knew there, and we had an after party back at Ryan and Creighton's which was a super fun night!
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| Hanging out with Tiffany after the show. |
On May 2, one of my dreams came true when I got to see Duran Duran perform in a small theatre, The Belasco, downtown Los Angeles. I was so close to the stage. I never thought I'd see Duran Duran in such an intimate setting. I've seen them in huge venues before, where I was pretty far away, but being right there where you could see every facial expression, every drop of sweat, was really something else!
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| I think this was during "Come Undone" |
I also got to attend the California Downtown Association's West Coast Urban District Forum (I know that's a mouthful!) in early May up in Oakland. It's basically a conference attended by people who work for business improvement districts, downtown organizations, and other groups that are working to make urban districts better places to live, work and visit. There are speakers, seminars, mixers and lots of information which leads to great ideas that we try to implement once we're all back home in our own districts. It was great to see not only so many old friends from the BID world, but to also get to stay with my friends Von and Jessica, and meet up with Elene, the original keyboard player in the Traitors, who lives up there now.
In mid-May, Dylan and I went to Palm Springs to stay with Brandon and Angie in one of her client's houses, which was very very nice! We had a great time, went to the Summertramp party on Saturday and then made a big dinner that night for some friends who came back to the house. On Sunday I drove back early to go to MOTA (Museums of the Arroyo) Day. 6 museums in the Arroyo Seco were free but we just wanted to see Heritage Square and the Lummis House which are right near each other so it was really easy. I met Jarod and his parents and we explored the houses and buildings, and then had lunch at the Panda Express Innovation Kitchen, which was delicious!
More adventures coming soon! I have another trip to Palm Springs for memorial weekend, and then a short visit to Kansas City to spend time with my niece and nephew, Eva and Emmett, and the rest of the family!
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