Mauro, his friend Renata, and I go biking from the hotel, which is located in a suburban mall. We ride to the center of town, which I remember from class field trips as being quaint and colonial.
We pass down the usual endless highway of malls, car dealerships, Fuddruckers, Marriotts, and other faceless chain establishments until we arrive at some semblance of a town. Unfortunately, it's been made over and cutesified. It's all fudge shops, Naval Academy t-shirt shops, candle shops, and the occasional restaurant. We find a restaurant overlooking the water for lunch. It's fairly pleasant being near the water; the powerboats chug in and out of the little port area.
Yesterday was graduation day at the Naval Academy so there are lots of midshipmen everywhere in their dress whites.
We arrive back at the hotel and I forgot I have a radio interview at the venue—which is somewhere down a turnoff on the highway we just rode down. I head back out and find the turnoff but miss the road to the venue, which is a converted old high school. I was told to turn at the Graveyard Car Wash. How could I miss it? But I did, and ended up in the countryside miles away. The cicadas are having their 17-year peak and I'm glad one hasn't smacked into me yet.
My mother, father, and sister come to this show. I think the fact that they are there flusters me, because I screw up some lyrics in the first few songs, then the adrenalin takes over and it's smooth sailing. The hall is a former high school auditorium — a nice room, actually - but it does have that public school vibe. I try to make jokes about 9th grade assembly and a fire drill after, but they fall flat.
