SOTD, job update, heckuva good story

• Song Of The Day: Dimming of the Day

I had forgotten how much I like this. It's just lovely. Simple and sweet and lovely. B gave me a mix tape many years ago with Bonnie Raitt's recording on it. I'd somehow never heard it before. I was reminded of it today as I heard bits of this week's PHC - go to their website to catch Ms. Raitt and what I believe is the composer himself singing the song live: http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/. That girl's got some pipes.

PHC is a grand gift to humanity. It's so good to know the old time radio variety show still exists. And with music to rock anyone's world. I laugh, I cry. Every week.

Anyway, back to SOTD: The song was written by Richard Thompson and first recorded by him in 1975, I think.
Lyrics and suchlike here: http://www.richardthompson-music.com/song_o_matic.asp?id=74

• Job update:

I found out as of Friday that I am going to be full time. My job is changing in ways I don't care for much at all, but I'll be able to pay rent and buy cat food. I have no reason to complain: we're losing 34 folks from our building alone. 34. Out of something like 70-80. Granted, some are transfers and a few are retiring, but... 34.

We had a big breakfast meeting at the OCB on Friday and among other things, my boss asked all leaving to stand and be recognized and thanked for all they've done. She read off the names of everyone who was leaving. It sounded like she was reading off a list of war dead. God. And then to make the comparison even more unfortunately apt, they showed a PowerPoint with pictures of all those leaving with some sappy song as the soundtrack. Luckily for me, the song contained Willie Nelson, so I was able to keep some perspective. Still, not my favorite meeting ever.

This whole thing has sucked for months now and even though I finally have some vague clue what's happening, it's going to continue to suck. It's just going to suck in ways I don't yet fully comprehend.

Anyway.

Not totally related, but as the job is much slower in the summer I've spent the weekend coming up with a list of summer projects. It's huge. I get so little done during the other months. Finally thought of a decent way to describe my job. Nine months of the year I belong to other people. Three months I belong to myself.

And, well, it's closer to 9 1/2 and 2 1/2, but that's another thing.

• So here's the best story I've had for quite a while.

Several of us went out after work on Thursday. We went out after work on Wednesday too, but I digress. Anyway. We started at an establishment on campus, had a couple of coneys and then wandered across the street for a fishbowl. Life was good - hey, we weren't at work. We hopped back into our cars to drive maybe 1/2 mile south to yet another establishment. It was closed, but the biker establishment next door was open, so we wandered in. What nice people. A bit of a townie (not in the British sense) place - everyone knew each other's names, they had pull tabs, everything was dirt cheap - but we like that kind of place. Everyone was terribly friendly, including our waitress.

So for whatever reason, J and K wanted to do pull-tabs. I tend to avoid that sort of thing as Throwing Money Down A Rat Hole Which I Can Ill Afford, but what the heck, it does go to charity, and we were celebrating. K calls pull-tabs "paper crack," which is easily the best definition I've ever heard. Anyway. We all chuck in a few bucks, J goes over to the booth which is in every townie establishment I've ever been in, and brings back the paper crack.

We begin to pull. Papers litter the table. I'm all proud of myself as I've pulled a couple of $2 winners, even a $4. K pulls one or two winners as well. Then J says, "Oh my God."

What? What?

He just pulled a $599 pull tab.

Then K and I say "Oh my God." ARE YOU JOKING?!? He shows us. He wasn't joking.

No. Way.

We promptly started squealing, high-fiving, taking pictures, and calling and texting everyone we could think of. We could hardly believe it. What were the chances?

So I am now approximately $200 richer than I once was, and contemplating how best to spend my windfall. K got a massage. J is considering spending it on gas, which I hope I nipped in the bud. I mean, really. At least get gas for your boat, for Jah's sake. And me? Idunno as of yet. My mother suggested a new vacuum. I, of course, laughed.

Our day continued with a trip on the light rail in the rain, more food, more drink, and a game of Candyland. In Spanish.

It was a good day.

The Last Full Measure

" We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm. " - George Orwell


Gettysburg Address - Abraham Lincoln

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

(More Lincoln Portrait stuff here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4165357)

Today's amusement

OK, this is pretty funny. And yes, I sucked.

http://www.televisiontunes.com/game.html

Was also fun to head to the home page and browse through the thousands of TV theme songs they have. I found M.A.S.H., Hill Street Blues, and The Office, of course, but also Antiques Roadshow, Masterpiece Theatre, Skippy the Bush Kangaroo, and Nova. How many of you remember the MST3K theme song from when it was on KTMA? Yes!

I love the Internet.

I'm still sick; not so pumped about that. Better, though. Likely will be better just in time to have my projects done and finally be able to take a day off work. Ah well.

SOTD

Been a while since I listed a song of the day. I guess this means I need to spend more time watching You Tube and less time whining about my life. Anyway:

Rosie Thomas: I Let Myself Fall

Sorry about the JAM mash-up vid; least of evils (I could have given you a Gilmore Girls one, after all).

Hadn't heard of Thomas before but think I really like her stuff. Check out her Myspace for more listening loveliness. So far I like all I've heard. I like "Much Farther to Go" as well.

A good song makes every part of me alert, even while my whole body relaxes.

In the And Now For Something Completely Different category: The Gipsy Kings covering Hotel California. Absolute unadulterated coolness. Talk about guitar playing.

While on that subject, check out the Rosenberg Trio and their cover of Don't Mean A Thing. Lord. Well, and Bireli Lagrene, for that matter. Here's Minor Swing with all of 'em. And yes, it is pronounced MEE-nor. Get it together, wouldja?

And, of course, the Kings themselves:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebaYm65RC5Q

What Django does with only 2 fingers, for all practical purposes ... man.

I hate colds. That is all.

Conspicuous Consumerism

I have way too many CDs.

Well, really I don't. But I do. But I don't.

I generally feel my CD collection is pitiful. Just pitiful. I have no Nepalese music in the stacks, for instance. Buddhist monks and Catholic monks chanting (2 separate disks, natch), folk music from Uganda, the Wisconsin Badger Marching Band, and the Minnesota Orchestra's recent recording of Beethoven 1, but nothing from Nepal. This may seem silly to most folks but it came back to haunt me at work today when I got caught a bit flat footed knowing nothing about music from Nepal. Long story.

(http://www.ccoder-usa.org/, if you must know)

Anyway, that was fairly fresh in my mind when in a fit of work avoidance this evening I decided to put my CDs in some semblance of order. Hence the "too many CDs!" "not enough CDs!" plaint. In the too many category: What a storage nightmare. Not enough shelf space so things are jammed in every which way and I can't see what I have. I ran across at least two CDs that I'd totally forgotten I own. They're sorted loosely by category, but with lack of space I can't do much more than that. ABC order might be even too anal for me, but I'm getting to that point.

But yet. No music from Nepal. One lousy CD from Australia. One! Only one CD of Japanese music as well, and it's orchestral - no folk music. I still don't own U2 Joshua Tree or Beatles Sergeant Pepper, which is a travesty. I mean, really.

CD thoughts remind me of a stand partner from long ago. Professional ensemble, but this was a young kid with much to learn. Much. OK, middle of rehearsal, swear to God:

"I have 200 CDs."

Really? Wow. Amazing. Now:

KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT DURING REHEARSAL, FOR GOD'S SAKE!!!!! WHAT ARE YOU, TWELVE?!?

He was annoying in many ways, but I really coulda smacked him after that one.

Freakin' phone was out much of yesterday which also meant no internet; drat you Qwest.

Random thing that has nothing to do with the previous (two) rant(s): My loud upstairs neighbors reached a new low today. Beautiful out there this evening (i.e. up above 60) so I opened my patio door to let in sun and air and let the cats smell smells and see sights.

Problem is, the neighbors thought the same way. They sent their two elephants disguised as small children out to their deck just above mine to go play. Lovely.

SQUEEEE! BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM SQUEEEEEEEEE! BOOM BOOM SQUEEEEEEEE!

Oh. My. God. Cats were looking at me like the world was going to come crashing in on us at any time and I was fairly certain they were right. The "BOOM BOOM BOOM" noise was familiar to me as that's the soundtrack to my life on a regular basis - I think they may be interior designers as they're continually doing something that sounds like moving furniture - but the "SQUEEEE!" is usually more muffled.

Almost makes me wish for cold weather again... but not quite...

Happy Easter to all, and to all a good night.

One of my all time favorite songs: The Vatican Rag

A Three Hour Tour

Geez, but I'm tired.

As a civilian, I kind of like Holy Week. As a musician, I can't stand it.

Am on hour 18 since getting up. Been one of those days that you run from the minute you leave bed. Got back about an hour ago from a three hour rehearsal for the church gigs I have for the whole Triduum. Three hours. This is on top of the regular work day, plus the weekly guitar lesson. And I've been up for the past hour since I got home sorting through the music folder for the three days and trying to figure out what the heck is going on. Not my favorite.

(Side note - a blog post from my cat: 52222222222222222222222222222223)

And I have to work again tomorrow - the alarm is ringing at 5:15, same as always. So I'm going to have another glass of wine and hit the hay.

Most people like holidays. Musicians learn early on to hate December and March - or April - whenever Easter is.

I dunno, maybe it's cause I'm so stressed. But this song makes me cry every time. Every single one.

Song of the day: Death Cab for Cutie, "I Will Follow You Into the Dark".

New Year music

Happy last day of 2007.

It's snowing again.

We've had... I dunno... maybe 17 inches so far this December. That's close to normal, but less than the past few years. I somehow think maybe I've forgotten how pretty it is when there's fresh snow, when there's snow all the time. It just keeps coming and coming. Instead of getting all depressed about it, I'm enjoying sitting here, staring out at the big puffy flakes as they drift down to join their mates.

Songs of the day, or rather song versions of the day:
Fields of Gold
Time After Time
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
What a Wonderful World

These are all Eva Cassidy's versions. Just lovely. That woman had some serious pipes. Really serious. Damn.

Here's some stuff from Nightline about her:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

More in the Songs of the Day category - the Minnesota Orchestra's versions of the Beethoven symphonies. I've heard and/or performed these things... I don't even know how many times. But these recordings are different. Non-musicians, and even some musicians, may wonder why on earth we need yet another recording of any of these. Non-musicians don't always get what any good classical musician knows immediately: there ain't ever going to be two interpretations that are exactly the same. I don't even know how many versions I own of the Bach 'Cello Suites, for example. So new versions of old pieces can be great. But just like any remake, you have to ask yourself - is it worth it? Is there anything new being said? I hate note for note, exact interpretation remakes. What's the point then? Studio time is expensive, and for an orchestra, out of this world (see the Mpls St Paul mag article below for deets). So do we really need another recording of the Beethoven symphonies? Oh yes. This one... mmm... I just purchased the 1 and 6 one, which is brand-new; don't yet own the others that have been released (4-5, 3-8, 9).

Nice stuff. Really nice stuff. Osmo has a tendency with his musical interpretations to stick close to the score. He has a reputation as a perfectionist and taskmaster. He pushes his musicians. Hard. Thing is, they like him, and they work for him, and you can really tell. It's hard to play softly well. It really is; much harder than louds. The piano quality the Minnesota Orchestra is achieving these days... really masterful. Unbelievable. I haven't been fortunate enough to hear a ton of world class orchestras live, but these days I think Minnesota is up there with the best of them. There's a just flat out LIFE to this recording I can't remember hearing from others. These people aren't going through the motions. They're laying it all out on the line with all they've got. I noticed things I never noticed before. Amazing.

Brief historical info
MN Orch Archives and pictures
Mpls St. Paul Magazine article
St. Paul Pioneer Press article
MPR Article - "Does the world really need another Beethoven's Fifth?"

My concerts are done. I could sing.

OK, that's an exaggeration. One more. And then I'm done. I can hardly wait.

Normal people don't get how much December sucks for musicians. We're constantly on the run. I'm just tired in general of being stressed. And tired. And cold, come to that. But it's been that kind of year. I'm in a lull between major projects. Things should get truly hideous right around the first of the year, lull again in early April, then suck through to June. Or something like that. The writers' strike is killing me. It would be nice to be able to watch decent - for lack of a better word - TV to relax. But no. We get such crapola as Gladiator. Who thinks of this junk? And PBS, as much as I love them, is in the middle of a fund drive. So the Roadshow and This Old House get preempted for the likes of stinkin' Andre Rieu, who I hate. *sigh* When you can't count on PBS, you can't count on nobody.

Anyway, concerts are almost done, shopping is almost done, wrapping is almost done, decorating is almost done, baking is almost done... huzzah. Cards need to occur. But it could be a whole lot worse. That aspect of stress at least is under control.

Tomorrow will be a relatively easy day at work. Most of my projects should involve sitting on my derrière and listening to other folks. Little thought or preparation involved for me. Hallelujah. My brain is starting to shut down. OK, wrong tense there. But you know. Going to have a review on Thursday, so need to prepare for that. But shouldn't be too bad.

And then there's today's puzzler: why do the cats, who have a perfectly good water bowl mind you, insist upon drinking from the humidifier basin whenever I take out the tank to refill it? Not to mention the little one, who persists in ripping my Santa window cling down so she can chew on it. Not making me happy. At least they haven't knocked the mini tree over in a few days. And they haven't ripped down any of the Christmas lights. Granted, December is still young.

OK, 9 p.m. and therefore time for bed. I don't get to bed by 9, I regret it the next day. Granted, I've been yawning since 6. Oh adventure, be my wild partner.

Song of the week: Coffee Shop. Yes, I know it's in a commercial. In spite of that, it's lovely. Sorry to not be able to link to the real vid - this was the best I could find on You Tube. I think I like his other stuff too. His music isn't deep, but it's decent. For what I've heard, Coffee Shop is my fave.

Went to what should have been an excellent concert last night: Strauss Metamorphosen and Beethoven 4. It mostly was an excellent concert, really. Except for That Woman.

In this particular hall there's a tier of seats that goes up and around the main floor, doing a 360 including behind the stage. It lends an interesting perspective for those who want to get up to see the conductor from much the same angle as the orchestra. Problem was, some idiot was up in the area behind the stage and insisted on taking pictures for most of the Beethoven. So the $%^&@! orange blinking light of her camera was flashing out at pretty much the entire audience. I could cheerfully have thrown her off the balcony. As could the rest of the audience. You could hear the undercurrent of grumblings every time she lifted that devil device and at least three people got up to talk to the usher nearest me in an attempt to get someone, anyone, to go find that woman and make her stop.

Unfortunately, no one did.

She would take a picture, turn to the woman next to her to look at the digital display, raise the camera, take another picture, scoot along the bench to find a different angle, raise the camera, take another picture... This has hands-down got to be the rudest behavior I've ever seen exhibited at a concert, and that includes people reading the paper, watch alarms going off, and cell phones bleeping. And I'm way past losing track of the number of concerts I've been to.

I don't know what the heck was in the minds of the usher corps, but I'm thinking not a single person in the audience would have called the cops if we happened to notice That Woman having a quiet accident. We'd have applauded.

Hey lady - if by some strange chance you're reading this, do us all a favor and stay home until you learn how to behave in public.

Song of the Day: "Out Of My League" by Stephen Speaks

it's her hair and her eyes today
that just simply take me away
and the feeling that i'm falling further in love
makes me shiver but in a good way
all the times i have sat and stared
as she thoughtfully thumbs through her hair
and she purses her lips, bats her eyes as she plays,
with me sitting there slack-jawed and nothing to say

coz i love her with all that i am
and my voice shakes along with my hands
coz she’s all that I see and she’s all that I need
and i'm out of my league once again

it's a masterful melody when she calls out my name to me
as the world spins around her she laughs, rolls her eyes
and i feel like i'm falling but it's no surprise

coz i love her with all that i am
and my voice shakes along with my hands
cause it's frightening to be swimming in this strange sea
but i'd rather be here than on land
yes she's all that i see and she's all that i need
and i'm out of my league once again

it's her hair and her eyes today
that just simply take me away
and the feeling that i'm falling further in love
makes me shiver but in a good way
all the times i have sat and stared
as she thoughtfully thumbs through her hair
and she purses her lips, bats her eyes as she plays,
with me sitting there slack-jawed and nothing to say

coz i love her with all that i am
and my voice shakes along with my hands
cause it's frightening to be swimming in this strange sea
but i'd rather be here than on land
yes she's all that i see and she's all that i need
and i'm out of my league once again

Darn that Ken Burns and curse PBS. I should know better than to watch that station. I get sucked into a program and then before I know it I've lost a week. Happens every time. The music is particularly good; generally Burns sticks with folk and popular music of the time but this time he included some classical stuff including the Faure Elegy and I think I might have heard Beethoven 7 at some point. As usual from Burns, incredible work.

Gotta go now - 3rd installment on any minute now.

"Personally, I feel that some such setback as that -- tragic though it was for many Americans, for whom it would always be too late -- was not entirely a bad thing. It was all right to have a good opinion of ourselves, but we Americans were so smug with our cockiness. We somehow felt that just because we were Americans we could whip our weight in wildcats. And we had got it into our heads that production alone would win the war."
-Ernie Pyle on the disasters in North Africa

A banner day around here - the letter "p" on my keyboard has worked almost the entire day. It crapped out on me sometime around March. Notice how I haven't gotten around to returning the thing yet... I've been operating with cut-and-paste, mainly. Laziness combined with a crazy life, most of the time. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. Nowdays it's just lazy. ;)

But today I can "p" again. Don't know why it disappeared in the first place or why it occasionally returns... poltergeist?

Boy, is it a joy to type with a working keyboard. Poltergeist poltergeist poltergeist. Peter Piper picked a pack of pickled peppers. Yeehaw!

I even practiced today. Will wonders never cease? Figure I should get the hands back in shape - I have a gig coming up next week - wedding gig, for people getting married on...

FRIDAY THE 13TH (bum bum buuummmmmm)

I'm sure we'll end up playing the Taco Bell, which I hate, but just about everyone else seems to like. There's no accounting for taste, i.e. the majority of the world is stupid. ;) Worked on some Bach today, mainly. I'm not sure what we'll be playing for the wedding, so didn't bother much with that. You can't go wrong with Bach, in any case. Did some old stuff and some newish - E-flat truly is an evil key. Yeesh.

Spent the last couple of days getting out a couple of Evites and starting a blog for a family gathering coming up. A cousin of mine used to run the thing in conjunction with an aunt but she got smart and quit and I, being dumb, volunteered. Smart girl, my cousin, not that I've done much work at this point.

My cousin is extremely good at throwing parties - thinks of those nice little touches that bring things that couple of steps up to something really neat, that I would never think of and would never have the patience for if I did. She's organized, thoughtful, and takes the time to make things special. If she has her hand in a party, it's going to be a good one. I, however, have the advantage of being impervious to whining, complaining, and things not going as planned, and I rarely if ever take things to heart. I ain't got that kind of time.

I'm really an anomaly in the family on many levels.

Oh - and then H gave me a Webkinz, of all things. This really is one of the strangest darn things. You get a stuffed critter and then have a virtual version online that you feed, bathe, decorate their room, and hang out with and play games. Her nieces are addicted to the things and they got her onto it. So far mine has a bed, two chairs, a TV, and a bathtub, although it really is contrary to my instincts to give a cat a bath. Very weird. I've decided I think I like playing the Cash Cow, but I'm a little ashamed to admit it.

Song of the day: American Idol Loser Song

Spent today reconnecting with old friends from long ago. Went and walked around the mall with someone I go back to 7th grade with. A prime example of the funniness of life. We had art class together, first day, first quarter, new school, and then discovered we happened to ride the same bus and go to the same church; we've been friends ever since. Part of what's so funny about it is we're really very different people on many levels and I'll be willing to bet that many of the people who know both of us can't quite figure out how it works. But it does, and it's good, if for no other reason than to help me remember that not everyone is quite like me or has the same life and same concerns that I do. I can sometimes forget that, rarefied little world that I live in. She helps me keep my mind open.

Also ended up on the phone with an old friend who has become a colleague of sorts and another old friend giggling over something silly and planning a girls' night in July. I got lots of stories from the former about his job. Can't say as I envy him at all - something rotten in the State of Denmark in that place.

That's been one of the best parts about coming back here - connecting with old friends. Makes me feel both young and old, generally at the same time, and more like myself than I have in quite a while.

Song of the Day: "Feels Like Home," written by Randy Newman. It's been recorded by any number of people but is originally from Faust. It's sung by the girl Martha as she seems to fall for the Devil himself. She, of course, later dumps him cold, after which he sings "Bleeding All Over the Place." In spite of the context, it's really a sweet, sweet song. This video has a version by Chantal Kreviazuk (I think) and is set to scenes from The Office. For Randy himself singing, click here, and scroll down to Segment 5.

Anyway, how can you not appreciate a musical that casts James Taylor as God, Elton John as a ticked-off British angel, and Don Henley as Faust?

The Devil, incidentally, apparently has a cabin up by Duluth on Lake Superior. Take that as you will.



"When you get older, you have to make a conscious decision -- especially as a man -- to be brave enough to feel and allow people to love you." - John Rzeznik

Talk about a different day than yesterday. So hot!

Well, it's apparently only 78. At least, according to both the Weather Channel and the local paper online. But they lie. It really must be somewhere in the 90s. I swear it.

Four hours in the sun will add up.

My mother, you see, got the bright idea that we should go to another parade, this one more of a band festival, really, in a little town not far from here. The parade route winds through the whole town, pretty much shutting everything down. There were something like 15 bands, including the army band that started things off and the host band. No floats, no politicians, just the grand marshal and the bands.

All the bands really did well. Lots of nice playing and creative choreography. We felt so bad for the kids - we were hot, but we weren't wearing long sleeved heavy coats with long pants, gloves, and a matching plumed hat. We also weren't whipping flags around, tossing rifles in the air, or running down the street at top speed to hit our mark on time. They looked like they were dying of the heat, and we were sitting near the beginning of the route.

Marching bands are serious around here. Band competitions throughout the summer, and it's not just march down the street and play Sousa, but march and dance and twirl and jump, more like a college half-time show. I, of course, rooted for the home team. If they don't win, it will certainly be a shame, but they may have gotten #2. We'll find out.

So now I'm sitting in the house, drinking a Coke with ice in my glass, mighty happy to be out of the sun. My farmers tan is looking mighty impressive.


p.s. The home team did win, by a couple hundreths of a point. Nice.

Cold today, surprisingly. I thought today was supposed to be the second day of summer. What the heck?

In any case, a nice day. Met an old friend that I haven't seen in a while for lunch, with her husband, son, and mother-in-law. I love seeing the world through an almost-two-year-old's eyes. Everything is fresh and new and amazing. After lunch we went on a couple of roller coaster and other type rides. Boy, did he giggle on the race car ride, especially when the cars whipped around the corner. Very fun.

This evening headed out with M to a free orchestra concert in a park. I love this orchestra - they specialize in family friendly concerts. All concerts are free and open to kids of all ages. They do real music and do it well, but the program is short, light, and entertaining. A former teacher of mine plays in the orchestra, so it was great to see her and say hello. We froze, though. That's just wrong.

Not much going on the past week, which in many ways is exactly how I like it. Had training for work on Monday and Tuesday, which wasn't as boring as it could have been. We actually got some stuff done the afternoon of the second day, although we were pretty punchy by that time. Thursday was yet another local festival - celebrating potatoes (don't ask). Quite the parade - high school marching band sure has changed since I was in school. Very elaborate routines, more like college bands. But competition is fierce around here, and the kids are stepping up to the plate. Saturday was fun - the annual party out at L4's. My guy friends have still not yet grasped that they aren't 16 anymore, so watching them run around was a good time. I'm sure they paid for it on Sunday. This week holds more meetings for work on Thursday and B coming into town for her brother's wedding on Friday but that's about it. Mmmm... laziness. Gotta love it. Maybe I'll manage to get the house a little clean... nah. ;)

You know, for as boring as I am, I sure have managed to have adventures lately.

Saturday, M and I decided to celebrate the summer and go out and about. We headed first to Downtown to the big outdoor jazz festival. Oh, the people watching! Nobody does outdoor festivals quite like Midwestern towns in the summer - we have such a short time with good weather we have to make of it what we can. The place was packed solid. Kids and dogs and grown-ups with beer and barbecued ribs. Not too many strollers in the large crowd, which I appreciated, but I did see a very large woman with huge tattoos on her bicep flab with a beer in one hand and a stroller in the other, which held a chihuahua in a baseball T-shirt, slightly too large for him. Then there was the guy with long grey hair in a ponytail, missing front teeth, and a short black skirt. Interesting. Not to put too fine a point on it, but for a jazz festival there sure were a lot of white people. Sad and hopeful all at the same time - great that the music is accepted for the amazing stuff that it is, sad that so many kids in the culture it came from don't know it or appreciate it.

So we were sitting there with our hot dogs and roasted corn when M recognized the guy with a crisp white dress shirt and jeans that cost more than my violin bow headed our way. A reporter from the TV station across the street, trolling for quotes. Amazingly enough, he stopped by us and asked us if he could tape us for the late news. M thought I was nuts, but I said yes. He asked us what we thought of the whole thing, and we said something or other about how we were down there for the fun music and the kickoff to summer. Even more amazingly, we didn't end up on the cutting room floor. I'm kind-of impressed my hair looked as OK as it did, the humidity being what it was. Ten seconds worth of our 15 minutes of fame, checked off the list.

We got ice cream soon after that and headed back up the street to the car and the trip a mile or so across the river to our next adventure of the night. Turns out I knew two guys in two bands that were playing gigs about 4 blocks from each other. We thought, what the heck? We didn't have to be at work the next day. We'll go.

The first was for my cousin's band - a little pop, a little rock, a little punk, and lots of fun. The bar was a real trip. Never been there before and so wasn't prepared. This was a real workingman's establishment. First clue? The old guy with no teeth and scraggly, thinning hair who took our cover charge money. Second? 70's supper club decor that likely hadn't been dusted since it was put in. I was a little afraid to sit in the chairs. Third? Pabst Blue Ribbon on tap. That said, I liked the place. The bartender was friendly and knowledgeable, the prices were reasonable, and even though we were obviously Not From Around There, everyone was very nice.

C's band was the second of three, so we sat down to listen to the first and wait. The first band was... earnest... *sigh* The instrumentals were OK but the lead singer wasn't quite in the center of the pitch. OK, he was nowhere near the center of the pitch. The intonation was killing me. But his heart was in it, and that's more than a lot of people can say.

As we sat there waiting, the place got more crowded and the table next to us was taken by three guys. They asked if we could have our spare chair and we of course acquiesced, not realizing that one of them would take that as a sign that we actually wanted to talk to him. So we did the standard light bar chatter, what's your name, what do you do, etc. He informed us that he moved mountains for a living, quite a trick in country scraped flat by the glaciers long ago. Turns out he drives a Bobcat. This is my prejudicial snottiness coming through, I know, but really.

Anyway, not being either stupid or naive, M and I are being friendly but not encouraging, but he's apparently too dumb to know the difference. Mr. Suave starts out by asking us if he can hang out with us the rest of the night as he's not getting along too well with his pals at the next table. Again, as we are neither stupid nor naive, we don't bother beating around the bush and just give him a flat-out no. One would think this would be a clue. But not for Mr. Suave. He continues, asking if he can go home with one of us. What, are you nuts? We just told you that you can't hang around with us for the rest of the night and you think that somehow this means one of us might allow you to come home with us instead? For dumb. We tell him no again. Then things really get entertaining. I'm trying hard not to bust out laughing as it is and then he decides to lay it all out there on the line: he asks us for a threesome.

I mean, really. How dumb can you be?

How I managed not to laugh in his face while telling him no for a third time I really do not know. M tried to let him down a tiny bit gently telling him he can always hope - with someone else - but I'm meaner than she is, generally speaking, and just tell him that no, he probably shouldn't even hope for that.

Then, a miracle occurs. A man from across the room gets up and comes to sit at our table.

In a town of this size, you wouldn't think this would happen, but in the It's A Small World After All category, turns out a colleague of mine is buddies with one of the guys in C's band. He saw me from across the room, came over to say hello, and unintentionally chased Mr. Suave off to another table to hit on another group of women. I have never been so happy to see E before in my life. We told him what had happened, and he didn't believe us. Who would? But I owe him big.

The next time we go out, we really have to remember to prepare fake names and cover stories.

Anyway, C's band started warming up so when Mr. Suave was distracted we headed to the other part of the bar to see them. Loud! Even with my earplugs in I had to cover my ears at times. But they were full of energy and fun. I really enjoyed it.

Being the whole thing was on Bar Time they started playing a good hour after I figured they would so we were late getting to Establishment #3 - an Irish bar just down the block. Yet another colleague of mine plays in an Irish band and I was hoping to get to see them as well. M seemed both surprised and pleased to see us. I guess another colleague of ours had shown up earlier in the night but no one since then. I'm glad we went. They were fun, although not as traditional as I thought they'd be, and they played a couple more songs before hanging it up for the night. The power of music being what it is, the place was empty when we got there - the band was taking a break - and as they played people out on the street heard them and the place was full by the time they were done.

So the upshot of it all is we went to one music festival and two bars, saw two bands, got hit on by an idiot, and didn't end up getting home until 2 a.m. I am prouder of us than I can say.

At this rate, who knows what the summer will bring?