wknd bender

Just returned from my 2nd Colombian coastal tour as a traveling saxophone blower.

HIGHLIGHTS:

#1: Tubed down a tropical river during a heavy thunderstorm.

Safe? Genuinely not sure.

10X more fun with rain and thunder? Yes.

Highlight #2: Played way better compared to my last tour.

My musician stats have increased. I attribute this to daily practice.

Athletes watch game tapes to improve. I watch the Instagram stories of my shows.

I hear where I mess up and then get pissed off. Then I practice those parts over and over.

Highlight #3: Had an incredible afterparty after the last show.

We had all the DJs from the venue come and play until sunrise.

It was spontaneous and wicked fun.

This brings me to…

LOWLIGHTS:

#1: Got kicked out of Airbnb due to afterparty.

Don’t worry we didn’t trash the place. I’m not a dick.

The owners were strict. We went over max guest capacity.

Worth it?

1000%. Just had to find a last-minute stay for our final night.

#2: Left my saxophone in the trunk of an Uber. Had to get a rental to play the final show.

In Call Of Duty terms: I lost my custom loadouts and had to play the final mission with standard-issue weapons and perks. IYKYK. NOT fun.

Got my sax back the next day. Gracias a Dios. 🙏

#3: Lost some momentum due to overall crazy weekend.

The after-party was on Sunday night and most definitely derailed the start of my week.

The best solution here is avoidance. Don’t host afters on a Sunday.

However, sometimes throwing down is necessary.

In such cases, the only solution is to lock-back-in as fast as possible.

This comes naturally to some people…

Dennis Rodman for instance:

This man once embarked on a 48-hour, substance-filled Vegas bender during the 97-98 NBA season.

He was in so deep that Michael Jordan personally went to Vegas to pluck him from his hotel.

Rodman played the next day. Really well. He grabbed 11 rebounds and the Bulls won 111-72.

We should all strive to bounce back like Dennis Rodman.

How?

By deploying…

My Patented 4-Phase Bender Reset System:

STEP 1: Avoid Getting Too Fucked Up: Consuming zero alcohol/substances is ideal. I’m also not here to lecture you. If you consume then aim for moderation.

STEP 2: Reset Body & Mind: This is the hardest step but most important. The best way to reset your meat vehicle is movement and extreme temperature. Do a hard workout followed by sauna + ice bath if available.

STEP 3: Reset Physical Environment: Immaculate surroundings calm the mind. Make your bed, clean your bedroom, clean your workspace.

STEP 4: Reset Digital Environment: Clean up your computer desktop and email inbox. Same concept as cleaning your physical workspace.

Every time you complete this process, say: “I get back on track with ever-increasing ease and speed.”

This will strengthen your identity as someone who can right their ship at will.

Make chaos your lil-bitch - whether it’s self-inflicted or externally imposed.

I will stop writing now.

Till next time you filthy animal!

Graydon

Cool things I found during my weekly internet stroll.

AI is getting really good at decoding elephant and dog sounds. Google Translate for animals is going to be wild. 🐶 

Latest heart scan technology can predict heart attacks up to 10 years in the future. We are inching closer and closer to Medicine 3.0.

Japanese researchers are working on a humanoid robot that can drive cars. All I can think of is the clunky Johnny Cab scene from Total Recall. 😂 

Dream Machine is the latest text-to-video AI model and it’s insane.

Served up by Spijker & me.

Blomst | Meera (NO)

Sierra | Argy, Baset

Mas Que Nada | Oliver Heldens, Ian Asher, Sérgio Mendes