It's a Small World After All!

Hello ladies and gents!

Thanks for tuning into this week's blog.  Today we're going to jump into the exciting world of being in a small German town by taking a look at how small the world really is. 

We'll take a look at:

• An on-the-spot performance to get booked
• Knowing everyone in town
• Running into someone from Denver who runs in the same circles
• A new perspective

Shall we? Let's!

Booking a New Gig in an Irish Pub

Lately one of my new friends in town has been showing me around and they know EVERYONE. They know the owner of every bar and constantly runs into people they know.  It has been one of the most amazing things having someone introduce me to the townsfolk.  Because of this, it's been a delight to meet so many people and so many bar owners.  It has that small-town feel which I enjoy and boy does news travel fast!

When I met the owners of an Irish pub called the Blarney Stone (whiskey selection pictured above), they had heard about my performance over at the Red Lion and they were interested in booking me.  

As we were talking about my abilities and the music I play, karaoke night started and people were hopping up on stage to belt it out.  The bar owners asked me if I would sing a song so they could get an idea of what I sound like.  "Well, this may sound silly" I said "but I feel naked on stage without a guitar in my hands." (stage with karaoke singers pictured below)

Own of the owners promptly went to the back and came out with a guitar and told me to get on up there.  I tuned the guitar, hopped up on stage and ripped "My Hero" by the Foo Fighters.  Everyone in the bar was singing along at the choruses and I finished to a roaring applause.

Needless to say, they hired me on the spot!  I'm greatly looking forward to my performance there in November and will keep you all updated on how it goes.

Familiar Faces

Because of the small town feel, it's really easy to see familiar faces of people that you've run into before.  I happened to run into some folks that had attended my last performance at the Red Lion so I went up to them and chatted with them awhile.  This turned into a lovely afternoon (read: late night) of hanging out and drinking a couple pints.  It's nice to know people in a town where you're new and I can already see that it's an everyone-knows-everyone sort of deal.

For those of you that know me well, I'm quite the gregarious spirit so I love to meet and hang out with new people.  This town is wonderful because I'm already forming a bit of a social circle which is usually one of the hardest parts about being in a new town.  It helps when you're feeling home sick to hang out with people you enjoy and they can also impart their knowledge of the local scene to you.  It's been a great experience.

Speaking of people I know...

This Shouldn't Surprise You...

The world is tiny.  I'm 5,000 miles away from Denver and it turns out that one of the more prominent locals here is a Denverite.  He and I met through various new local friends and we friended each other on Facebook.  We took a look at our mutual friends and it was INSANE at not just how many friends we had in common, but which close friends we had in common.

We had a couple video chats with said friends and they answered the call from either he or I and just stood there in disbelief when the other one of us popped into the frame.  Most of them said, "What the F*ck?!" and we just laughed and laughed.  It's been a fun time over here no doubt!!

I'm really looking forward to spending more time with these new friends in the future and most likely meeting a lot more.

Last but not least, I want to talk about a huge self-improvement activity I've been undertaking.

Waking Up

At the suggestion of some great friends, I've been meditating almost every day and listening to various lessons on consciousness.  It's been a really fascinating path that arouses new questions about life at every turn.  I've meditated 28 times in the last 28 days and it's really been such an improvement to my overall outlook on life, daily mood and how I deal with emotions in the moment.  

I personally have been using Sam Harris' Waking Up app which I thoroughly enjoy, but there are plenty of free guided meditations out there to help you focus on what needs the most attention in your life.  I strongly recommend having discussions with others who are also meditating because it really helps bring out new perspectives in life.  We can ALL use more perspective.

I will leave you with this lovely photo from the train station and I sincerely hope you have a wonderful day!

Tony G