My Year of Meaningful (2011)

Here are the symptoms:


1. sudden onset of high temperature
2. extreme fatigue
3. some sneezing
4. general body aches
5. flush-ed-ness


That's about it. Whatever it is, it's the answer to how I am doing? today. yippeeeeeee.....


I hate to admit it but onset of illness aside, I have well and truly officially run out of steam. My post-holiday glow is gone, my well-restedness is nowhere to be found, I can't open my eyes earlier than the alarm anymore, patience with those around me is waning, and I just can't be bothered to put up with the all-around shyte.



-sigh-



But I suppose one good thing can be said for the past week and that is that I have managed to put text to paper and have formed the basis of a few research chapters. Bully for me.


No wait, actually it is bully for me - I mean it's something I haven't managed to do properly yet for the entirity of 2010 so there we go. Something to be happy about. Woo hoo.


12,000 words, huh?

So far I have 187+ 755+663... let's see, that's 1,605 words. Oh goodie only 10,000+ more to go. Blehhhhhhhh


This weekend was pretty fun, although admittedly I could already feel the positive energy being sucked out of my bones. Saturday night we went over to Jac&Mar's for dinner and it was all fine but we realized what a Negative Nelly that Mar can be which I suppose was kind of grating on my already-fragile state of mind. Just normal unnecessary stuff.... doesn't like the food here, doesn't like people, doesn't want to spend money on anything, doesn't like dogs, doesn't like much. It really kind of made us realize that if it wasn't for Jac being her hubster it would be a pretty ill-fitting match of people to socialize with. But what the hey, we had a nice dinner and some vino and that was that. To be honest, when Jac suggested playing poker (which normally I would be all over, seein' as I love me some card games) I even was kind of ambivalent and made up an excuse about how we had to wake up early for the Super Mountain Hash the next moring. I can assure you if it had been K&H our Belgian friends/neighbours we woulda been there til 2am at least. Social Fail on my part. :-(


Sunday the LJJ was feeling a lot better and the Hash was a lot of fun - the annual K-hill Ascent complete with Gin & Tonics at the summit and believe it or not a very serendip-ppity-doo-da-day experience for me.... this new Canadian guy (we'll call him The Pirate) was in attendence for the first time ever and as we got to talking somehow the subject of music came up and I mentioned what a lonely ol' banjo player I am these days because my only guitar-weilding companion done kicked the bucket on me (JB, whom he actually knew). Lo and behold he tells me about this blues & folk festival that he's organizing for October in a wee cow town just south of us, where all us non-conventional musician types are going to get together and jam and clinic and connect and what-what-what. I was elated!! I literally almost skipped all the way down the mountain. Hot diggity! An outlet for my pickin!!


However then it was when I realized that I don't have a band, and the only real way that I could make any progress on this "Moo-fest" as they be callin' it, is to join up on the FB site. Which I promptly did. So hopefully a bit of networking before October and I may be in luck.


For some reason playing again is weighing heavily on my mind - I think it was just the extacy of playing with the guys in the basement back home in July that awoke this corner of my brain that had been dormant since JB died. Honestly if I had a gun to my head I would have to say that it was that moment (those few hours) that defined the happiest that I have been for as long as I have been living here, which is pretty scary if you think about the fact that I'm doing next to nothing to get up and at 'em again at the moment (outside of playing with the geriatric quartet and along with my iPod)!!


I guess a little bit of that serendipitous meeting on sunday was responsible for this strange, eerie, creepy premonition that I've been living with throughout the rest of the week til now - which is that around the corner somewhere lies a band, and I'm in it. Woah. Heavy. I guess it never occurred to me to "start your own, dummy", but now it has and I'm wrestling with the idea which doesn't sit naturally with me because I'm such a viola player (read: I'm such a non-leader, more of a stage left type, more of a backgrounder, definitely NOT a singer/frontgirl/organizer) so therefore I guess I have always just waited til the dudes come to me and organize the "just for fun" screw-around sessions I have loved & lived for since I was a teenager. So it feels weird, but I see this "thing" forming in my imagination and over the past few days I have been thinking about it a lot - even coming up with a few shadows of an idea or 2 about a couple local musicians (one guitar player, one fiddle player) who I am just gingerly coming to the decision to approach with my wild & woolly "bluegrass in BW" idea. All I need is some balls.


Although I feel like rubbish, I'm trying to look forward to good stuff on the horizon. Like a couple weeks from now when we're off to Jozi to hang out with Uncle Alan and go to the GTF show. It will be kinda like his late birthday party, and we have to spend heaps of time with him whenever possible now that he's decided to piss off and hitchhike up to Sudan or wherever-the-hell starting in October for 6 months. I mean he might not survive, right!? HA! Anyhoo he's going to take me to his saturday morning hippie-yoga-in-the-park class which I am desperate for since it has been since-Lucy-left that I have been to yoga class (since her replacement is not my cup of tea). Also he is turning funny because his social circle now is quite hippie-centric after meeting all these funny friendly space-cadet girls in his yoga classes. I can't wait to meet them and see how my little antichrist brother-from-another-mother is rolling with these earth mammas. HA!


uh oh, I think my eyeballs are boiling. That can't be a good thing.


good lord I have no idea how I'm gonna make it through the Hash mismanagement meeting tonight at the B&B bar, if I feel like this now. Good thing it's my day to work from home tomorrow.


Done!

Labels: music, school

OMG OMG! I have to hurry with this... we're getting ready to leave for the fambly reunion and I'm in a rush. But I had to update my iTunes so i figured what the hey, I'll log on and do some computerizing.

So basically this trip has been the following:
exciting
hurried
rushed
awesome
fun
friend-filled
musical, and
legendary!!!!!

It's always like this, isn't it. I have so much fun when I come home and then I just BARELY get everything done that I want to by the skin of my teeth, and then realize.... oh that's right, I was supposed to do some relaxin' too. Uh oh.

But nonetheless, I can't go through every last detail because of the time crunch but for now I'll just say I'm on top of the world because last night Dave and I were able to squeeze in a jam session!!! It wasn't in Gary's basement like old times, but the only gang he could manage to shuffle together was this bluegrass band that he plays with sometimes who are just now sort of starting to form, so they're all laid back and unrehearsed and unpolished and relaxed.... just perfect for someone like me who just shows up and hasn't played other than solo-with-iPod for over a year now. IT WAS SO FREAKIN LEGENDARY I CAN'T STAND IT!!! And Gary did come over (he doesn't know these guys either) just so he could see me, so that killed that bird off the fence too, which was great.

I met Dave at Paddy'O'Whatsits for a drink first, and then we went over to "Nick's" house. Now, I was like "Nick Whoever...." because of course I didn't think I"d know this friend of Dave's. (He's one of the guys from the bluegrass trio... that's all I was told) and lo and behold what do I see in front of me when we get there??? (besides the super cute bassett hound named Roscoe) My old buddy Nick from FREAKIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL!!!! WHAT ARE THE ODDS?!?!? and then moreover, what are the odds that the mandolin player would be one of the consultants from my dad's big client??? but it was! He knew my pops really well, and even knew that he was a banjo player. Small freakin world. We played and played and played for hours and it was so great I'm still floating on a cloud. We did some Split Lip Rayfield, some traditional bluegrass (with me playing lead), some of Dave's originals, some Wilco, some Grateful Dead, even me and Gary's old 2-part harmony standard from the old days: "You Aint Goin Nowhere". And it was so blissful I didn't want it to end. They offered me a spot in their band, and I was all "hmmm, it's very tempting but I believe the commute might kill me" (truthfully, earnestly and seriously turning down the offer broke my heart to say the least) So after all the boys packed up around 11 (It was a school night after all and they all have real jobs) Gary and I decided to go back to Paddy's and have one beer just to wind it up since I wouldn't be seeing him again til my next visit. we had such a great time. And we stuck to the 1 beer too! (it was just one beer on speed level 1, so it lasted for EVER). I bumped into an old friend from school there too, and she really wanted to talk to me but i just wanted quality gary time so i kind of cold shouldered her til she made some excuse to go away but then she came back again later which I guess was good because I could atone for my earlier distantness, even though I still was kind of -meh- about her bogarting my gary time!!! But still, humans are humans and we gotta love one another and all that rot, so I sucked it up and included her in our banter. He (Gar) and I were right in the middle of a good old deep & meaningful and the 3rd wheel was kind of a pain, but oh well, that's part of being a lover not a hater these days, so I rolled with it the best I could.

The consolation prize for having to say goodbye to music whenever we leave this place, is that now through the miracle of technology, Dave and I have vowed to write some songs for his band together, over the interwebs, as well as him sending me some tracks to fill in some banjiggity on, and send back. Blessed are my friends for they are the ass kickers.

A noteworthy aside to this story is that The Mr. turned me loose for this night because he has some serious work-related issues that he had to take care of and I have been distracting him from this the whole week, so he finally just threw his hands up in the air and said "just please go by yourself" and I said "great timing, because I doubt you want to sit around in some stranger's basement and listen to amateur music hour!!" so it all worked out like magic.

But this is only the tip of the iceberg of awesomeness!!!

Obviously Adelly's visit from Houston was a highlight as well (combined with the fact that she and Uncle Brandon are friends too which means it was an OARSOME FOURSOME!!!), and she just left on Tuesday so I have been mourning her departure for the last couple days (although the musical Cloud-9 helped a lot). You know how empty house syndrome goes. Well, not that she was in our house, but rather in Brandon's house, but still. She will surely do a much better recap than I will, but I'll give it a whirlwind go before walking out the door here... in reverse....
The Levon show on Monday was stellar, but of course with its attached sadness on my part because I always get whimsical and sad about my favourite musicians getting old and tired when I see them fading before my eyes (therein lies the bittersweetness of loving musicians of someone else's generation). I was really impressed with Justin Townes Earle although I find him a bit of a fraud because he looks like a junkie but apparently in real life he is clean and sober, plus he acts like a sly dog but in real life he is engaged and in a stable relationship. See? Damn these musicians and their fakeness and "stage personas"!!! Posers!!! Nevertheless, awesome show, awesome night in KC.... convenience store snacks and all.

Brandon was kind enough to drive our asses up to KC and the ride up was full of fun and iPod hooliganism amongst the 4 of us. The best part though was that he enjoyed the show, which the other 3 of us were concerned about since it was a long trip up there and we didn't know if he would dig it since he's never listened to LEVON before.... as he kept ensuring to remind us by calling him "Warren Zevon" all the time.

4th of July weekend was excellent because it was a combination of exercise, hanging out, fireworks, drinking, not drinking, eating, not eating, and general merriement. The best part was that I got to/had to combine brotherly/sisterly bonding time with friend bonding time and it worked out pretty well (the bwuddaman was only in town for the very same days that Adelly was in town, because of his job) and everyone got along and laughs were had in bucketloads. I even managed to keep both family AND friends happy by making all my appointments and arriving punctually to everything that had been micro-scheduled throughout the weekend. It was all good.

The LJJ saw her first ever fireworks at about 10pm on the night of the 4th, and she didn't scream or anything (I got worried about this after hearing the story from my mother that when I was a baby and taken to my first downtown fireworks display on the 4th, that i screamed bloody murder for an hour straight, including the ride all the way home!) and she fell asleep on my lap, even, during the last few blasts. This was a good thing since it was way past her bedtime.

Brandon has been a godsend this past week, being on tap for squeezing in hang-out time, whenever I have a space to fill, as well as acting as (relatively) sober chauffer and pickup artist as well as organizing the Mayor's email address for me so that I can write to him finally and confess my huge fanship. This is a silly thing but it was one of my goals to meet the mayor while i was home this time because HE IS AWESOME and i have been secretly following his blog for over 2 years now. I just now finished my email to him which took me over an hour because I didn't want to sound like a stalking freak, but at the same time wanted to tell him how I genuinely appreciated his efforts at holding my little ol' hometown together.

OK like I said, this is rushed, so I'll probably think of a million and 10 things to say in "Memories of my 2010 Holiday to USA" blog posts to come, but at least right now I have the fambly reunion, the Tom Petty concert, and Vancouver to look forward to... so no more mourning what has passed.... it's all onward and upward!!

(but then why do I feel so sad...) :'(

Labels: holiday recap, music

We are putting together our "Pièce de résistance"  as a company today and tomorrow (one of the things that has been keeping us up at nights, sending us to Zambia, sending us to the loony bin, etc etc for about the last 4 months) - our biggest project ever as a little company.  It's a major African Devpt Bank funded conundrum between 2 countries who can't agree - a huge EIA for a giant bridge that will be built across the Zambezi river, including a One-stop border post between the countries of BW and ZAM, and pedestrian underpasses for elephants crossing below deck, etc etc.  Whatever. Hundreds of pages have been written and figures drawn and drawings figured and what-what-what, and the Client has to have a draft tomorrow.

So it's a madhouse around here.  But almost over.

Anyway I was just thinking, as I was listening to this week's This American Life podcast - I'll remember 2009 as the year I discovered podcasts.  I downloaded a TAL episode when we were back in the US for xmas, and The Mr. and I played it in the car for the first time on the way back to BW from Joburg after landing back on African soil.  Every week since then I've happily collected my TAL, & All Songs Considered podcasts, which have now also over time blossemed into episodes of Onion News Broadcast, Mark Twain stories, Banjo video tips, Car Talk, and some others which have came and went. I got kind of nostalgic for 2009 just there for a second - don't know why.... if anything listening to all those NPR type broadcasts makes me think about how nice it would be to live in the US again at some stage and have all these things at my disposal at the flick of a button.   Well anyway, in my brief spirit of whimsy, I got online and finally got around to donating 10 bucks to TAL, since after all, I am thriving off their bandwidth and giving nothing in return.

OK so getting back to Crazy E from DC (see 2 blogs ago), the other day guess who sends The Mr. a message pleading with him for all this crap?  Yeah.  Well I told him "it's in your court now, pal", but he has the same annoyances I do.  On the other hand she did bring up a good point in her email of request to him (which she so politely managed to feign interest in our life in a few sentences within, good for her. A wee personal touch helps, as I was saying) - that good point being "it's not anything that you wouldn't already have to fill in on your entry card into the US when you fly in to visit".   True.  For the most part.  Albeit I don't remember "name of employer" being one of those questions.  But I digress!

The very next day, SuperFriend and Personal Legal Advisor Extrordianaire, SheofDC wrote me an email after reading my blog saying "that's all BS!  She obviously can't read the fed govt application - she only needs that stuff if you work for a foreign govt!" (paraphrasing, of course).  Which then took me from "over it" to "annoyed again!!!"  But also teaching me a valuable lesson:  Get this issue off the table already before it drives me insane!!!  (Which is SO anti-2010, yo!)  So I let myself have a wee rant to the boys at the office during coffee time, the next day, got it all out, re-hashed it for the last time, and have dually moved on, not even asking The Mr. whether or not he's going to comply with her orders.  Gone & forgotten.

So this weekend promises to be interesting, if nothing else.  Mainly based on the fact that I received a phone call from Frau Meister (the 74y.o. violinist from my geriatric quartet) instructing me to come to her 75th bday party, and to bring something to eat, and my viola.  With which we will play a few movements of something or other for the other party attendees.  Then there will be a meal (of the food we all bring).  There will be some drinks.  Then, she continued, she will put on a video tape of a famous violinist, und ve vill watch it!  OK!!   So that's what my posse is doing between the hours of 5 and 8pm on saturday anyway!  Whew!  No more wondering, there!

I made the mistake of, when I was repeating my instructions (for confirmation & understanding, of course) back over the phone, saying "something to drink, and something snacky" while going back over what I would bring.  "NO! Not snacky!"   This was a MEAL we're talking about here.  As in pot-luck dinner.... not snacks!!   OK!  OK!   Got it!!

I make fun of Frau Meister only because I do really love her.  She just is "that way".  But hey, she's like a 75 year old 5-foot-tall Quaker lady and in very poor health and weighs about 60lbs (not to mention an amazing violinist) so really I mustn't give her too hard a time. I have to say, the last time I moaned about being "summoned" over to play Dvorak just before Xmas and I had been so flat out busy and didn't have time to practice - I went in with a bad attitude, and ended up playing really well, and enjoying it thoroughly, and then having mega residual guilt because I had been so mean about being summoned in the first place.

OH speaking of playing can I just say I CAN NOT WAIT for July - - - as I have had no one to jam with (banjo) since Jeremy died last year, I am freaking DYING to have some sort of social playing session with ANYONE... seriously, my teeth are itching and my skin is crawling and I find myself desperately playing along to my iPod.  I'm so freaking musically lonely!!!  aghghhhhh.  So I mentioned this to Dave (back home) and he said not only would he organize a giant Hometown Basement Concert for Bangladesh with all our old buddies (in Gary's basement) for my homecoming, would I also sit in on banjo with his band for a few tunes at their gig at the Winery on the 2nd!?!!?  How much louder can you type "HELL TO THE YEAH"!!?!?! 

Well, gotta git on with this deadline now so that's all.

Labels: music, work

Can I just say how I am over the moon about how almost everyone I know has very excellent NY's resolutions this year.  I have a good feeling about 2010 and I am double-proud most of all of Brandon and his Life Overhaul 2010 that puts me to shame in terms of comprehensive awesomeness.

But otherwise, it's that time again where my friend Dave sends around his big-ass group email soliciting musical inspiration for the new year.  I think there's about 30 people on our list and I always end up finding myself some good booty out of the lot.  Just for the record, this is what Dave's got going on from 2009:

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Dave’s Annual New Music Extravaganza and Winter Clearance Sale



Many of you know that I have the Little Feat lyrics, “Two degrees in bebop, a PhD in swing; he’s a master of rhythm, he’s a rock ‘n roll king” in my signature line. This, of course, is tongue and cheek, as I hold none of these degrees or titles, but I do aspire to them! But I rely on my music-loving friends to help me to learn the music ropes of the times. So again, I come to you with questions about the world of music (and, yes, I just got Christmas and birthday iTunes gift cards).

This year I want your thoughts on three areas:

Two best new CDs, LPS, cassettes, 8 tracks, etc. you encountered this year. Give me the name of the band, the name of the album, and a brief review (if there’s a web link to the recording, all the better).


What were two songs – new to you – that you have not been able to shake all of 2009? Artist and song (and a little about it, please).


As always, what album from the past came back into your life – or came to you for the first time?

As always, please reply to all! (I’ll put a final compilation together in a week or so).

Here’s my feeble attempt (again, tipping my hat to my main musical resources Kelly and Adrienne):

Two best albums:


The Shins “Chutes Too Narrow.” It’s not a new album by any means -- coming out in 2003 -- but musically, it’s just a pop treat, and it was new to me. Great melodies, clever hooks, and lyrically strong. (“Kissing the Lipless” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5H2E1zvQhI&feature=related)

The Decemberists “Hazards of Love.” (released March 2009) The critics liked, but didn’t love “Hazards,” and I can see why. It was hard to top “The Crane Wife, (and this doesn’t), but it’s still a great album. Seeing them at the Blue Note for what was probably a Top Ten all-time show for me probably moved this selection up the list. Still doing their high concept album stuff, but this one is slathered with guitar. (Here’s a taste: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp_MVc3abXU&feature=related)


Two singles you couldn’t shake:


“Wild Mountain Nation” Blitzen Trapper. Channeling The Band, the Grateful Dead, and about 15 other artists of similar ilk, Blitzen Trapper is my current favorite throwback band. http://s0.ilike.com/play#Blitzen+Trapper:Wild+Mountain+Nation:7821309:s1929430.11204473.20188534.0.2.23%2Cstd_629d4ac575b14d3faf70ba3b3f80fe9c

“Go On, Say It” Blind Pilot. Like Blitzen Trapper, I have to give a nod to Adrienne for introducing me to this one. She listens to an online program called “DayTrotter” which introduces new music (from a live studio recording). They then post the live recordings for free downloads. This is a very simple song, but appeals to my singer-songwriter sensibilities. http://www.daytrotter.com/dt/blind-pilot-concert/20030774-3738086.html


Album that has come back from the past:


Iggy Pop “New Values” In 1979, I started school at Mizzou. My brother Jack was living in Columbia at the time and I remember him playing Iggy Pop for me. I knew about Iggy, but really hadn’t paid much attention, but I bought the album “New Values” and loved it. It’s been on the shelf for a long time, but I recently bought it on iTunes and can’t get over it. It’s a little inconsistent, but there are five songs that are pure gems. Just for fun, here’s a recording of “Five Foot One” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SvngIbImus (and one of “I’m Bored” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGDb8X8limY&feature=related)
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And here, for the record, was my 2 cents:

Two best new CDs, LPS, cassettes, 8 tracks, etc. you encountered this year. Give me the name of the band, the name of the album, and a brief review (if there’s a web link to the recording, all the better).



Only two?! This was a great year (or should I say "2008" was, actually - since I'm always behind) for music, but if you insist...! I'll take one from the beginning of my year and one from the 2nd half. And I'll be good and stay within one year of the present, for once.


Band: Mudcrutch
Album: Mudcrutch
Released: 2008

This is Tom Petty's "boyhood" band that, while it does include 2 Heartbreakers, brings back his old pals/bandmates from Gainesville for the proverbial "basement jam" that never quite got them famous back in the olden days - albeit finely polished in the studio and with excellent production. It's part covers (Shady Grove, June Apple, 6 Days on the Road, etc), part originals, all very much more bluegrassy and folky than normal TP stuff but with that same rock n' roll undercurrent that makes it impossible to forget who is the driving force behind the album. Childhood mates, now older, fatter & balder, back together jamming just for fun and not contract obligations, without pretentiousness, etc. It's just a great story and the album is a lot of fun. I think this song was a single in the US (?) : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXMllRDBQvk&feature=related

Band: Railroad Earth
Album: Amen Corner
Released: 2008

I don't know what to say about this album except for it's just close to perfect. For anyone not familiar with Railroad Earth, picture Split Lip Rayfield and The Jayhawks going away for an intense working seminar in the Appalachians under Levon Helm & Robbie Robertson, and this is what they sound like when they come back to society??? Everyone has a hard time pigeonholing this band, so I'm not going to be able to do any better, but let's just say here's a little bit of what they can do: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXMllRDBQvk&feature=related (don't get used to the horns though - it's not a standard part of the band, but it does illustrate how they are all extremely multi-talented and you'll never know what kind of instrument you're going to get on the next song) and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NTUYeTulYw. P.S. Anyone under the impression that these guys are what they call a "jam band" (gag!) must just be aware that no song on this album exceeds 7 minutes.


2. What were two songs – new to you – that you have not been able to shake all of 2009? Artist and song (and a little about it, please).


Artist: The Hold Steady
Song: Stay Positive
Released: 2008

Having this tune as my ring tone doesn't help the "not able to shake it" factor. I discovered this album/band early in the year due to "All Songs Considered" (a podcast I only just subscribed to in January AFTER the Annual Online Luther Music Discovery Seminar). What can I say, it's real Rock n' Roll in a period of what I'm beginning to get frustrated and sick of in terms of wussy spineless whining over synth-noise or as Bob Boilen insists on calling *absolutely everything*, "folk". At this rate, he'll have that gosh-dang Animal Collective in the "folk" category by the end of the year. And then I'll hang myself. I love The Hold Steady so much, though, that I keep listening, always hoping for another one of these gems. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY3V4ObYRsA (Side note: I also did kinda appreciate Blitzen Trapper this year, same song as you, Dave)

Artist: The Black Crowes
Song: Good Morning Captain
Released: THIS YEAR! OMG!

I would've put this album (Before the Frost...) in the first category because it is a FANTASTIC "reason-to-believe-in-rock-n-roll-again" new album, but I'm trying to stick to the rules. So I'll take the best song off of it (and I LOVE that song) and use it here to at least make sure the Crowes get their mention! This song is definitely the way to wake up in the morning. It's like the Allman Bros got a banjo player in their "Enlightened Rouges" phase for a ragtime-influenced song, and everybody got equipment "that goes up to 11". The production on the album is amazing (and no doubt influenced by the spirit that hangs around in Levon Helm's barn in Woodstock, NY, where it was recorded - live) and the musicians are great. In fact this is my favourite Crowes album since ...Money Maker waaay back in the day, it's just great. See for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2c9ciPYlCE (this is a live performance unfortunately missing the banjo from the studio version).

3. As always, what album from the past came back into your life – or came to you for the first time?

Artist: Bob Dylan
Album: Nashville Skyline
Year: 1969

I listened to a lot of Dylan this year for some reason. But this one I hadn't heard in so long - it gave me goosebumps to hear that jangly sound and awesome piano and rhythm section that he got for this album. Upbeat, uptempo, romantic Dylan with fantastic production for that period, the kind where every instrument can be seperated out by ear and enjoyed individually. Did I mention I love these backing musicians? The relaxed drumming of Kenny Buttrey, Bob Wilson's raggedy piano, Pete Drake's pedal steel, and of course the legendary Earl Scruggs on banjo on "Nashville Skyline Rag".

Labels: 2010, music

...is a frickin nightmare!  I've got so much damn music!  All these mp3s that need organizing!  Hell I have a 16G iPhone and it still won't fit everything - so I have bits and pieces on the iPhone, I have bits in my iTunes, I have a bunch on the computer, some on CD, everywhere... it's everywhere!  And I am so NOT a clutter-hound, I like my stuff organized.  So this is just weighing on my conscience that I have stuff all scattered about, some of which I haven't even listened to.
Just another thing to add to the bloody list.   grrrrrrr.

I miss my friends again. Am just thinking all the time about Adelly's impending singlehood and how many cool things she's going to be going out and about and doing... all the live music, all the dinners and arts & cinema events, etc etc.  I tell you what it's darn near enough for me to want to move to Houston.  And then there's everyone in DC... again, enough with the Restaurant Weeks and Cinemas on the Greens and rooftop parties already!  you're killin me, kids, you're killin me!  Can't everyone just stop having fun until I get some?!?!  Sometimes I still think of living in DC one day, but am still completely clueless as to what I could actually DO as a JOB there... and the amount of money I would have to make in order to have the lifestyle we have become accustomed to is just mind boggling.  not sure how that one would pan out.

Yesterday I came home from my very long, very hot, very sandy, very exhausting weekly trip up to the Dust Bowl of BW, stripped down, jumped in the pool, and thought about how nice it would be, if this time next year Adelly and Brandon would be here and we would be sipping pina coladas (ok that might be an overshot, let's say boxed wine, or hell, a nice Bombay martini - I can make those) on my big flat rock out in front of our house, watching the sunset and planning to do the same thing again tomorrow.  Ahhhhh, other people's vacations... how enjoyable they are for me! 

I was talking to T & A on the phone the other day and again reminded of how BAD i want to go to their wedding in Aus... again, another rendezvous with great friends and some TIME OFF for me and the Mr., which would soooooooooo do me good... but alas we're still passportless over here on the Joo front.  GAG! Not to mention the surprise party for M. that I really want to go to in Joburg in October - hell I just need to get to SA soon, that would be enough for me.  Some civilization, some good food, some friends... ahhh

It is ALMOST the Mr.'s birthday!

OK bad segue, but.... I am back in the throes of studying.  I have committed to myself that this semester I will not let everything pile up into one big cluster f%$@ that kills me at the end of November.  So I am off and running again with the wake-up-1-hr-early strategy.  AND I need to come up with a thesis topic. Haven't got a clue on that one yet.

On the Animal Peeps front, I just can NOT get motivated to write articles and to update the website. It's also weighing on my conscience.  I hate having that kind of guilt.  The kind of guilt where you know you should be doin something and you know that something is actually not rocket science nor is it terribly time consuming or painful, but you still just can't bring yourself to kick it off.  That's like the "you're pathetic" type of guilt.  Not the "you've royally f'ed up" type or the "can't sleep at night" type, but more like this nagging, "you're lazy and lame and just get it over already" type.   What is my problem!? I am so dilligent about everything else... this is my last year on the committee, so I only have to get through 5 more months or so... come ONnnnnnn!

One thing is for certain, I have definitely learned to stop taking too much on.  Damn, I mean one needs some time to stop and smell the roses for pete's sake!  I gotta have time to strum the banjo and sit on that big flat rock and drink sundowners.  My yoga teacher is pressuring me to do Teacher Training (which by the by would include me taking a MONTH of my time down in the Cape... as if!) because SHE's pissing off and there's no one else in town who can fill her shoes... I nearly caught myself agreeing to consider it, the other night after class.... why?  Because I CANT SAY NO!  Which, ironically, is exactly what I give my dear husband a lecture about nearly every other day.  Hello pot, it's me, kettle.  But then as I drove home the first sentence of this paragraph came to my mind (probably as I was just getting ready to give the Mr. a lecture about it!) and I think I can get up the balls to firmly, yet politely, decline... the next time the subject comes up.  The difference is that The Mr's weakness is all work-related, and mine is all personal-life related.  The geriatric string quartet is probably going to call me up next month when Violinist gets back, and guess what I'm gonna say "YES!"  Of course I am!  Because I CANT SAY NO!  ughhhhh.  Can someone just sign me up for a class in how to say "no"?..... I'm sure I could squeeze it in somewhere.... oh wait....

Frickin Kanye.  What a jackass.  And Serena.  Both of them.  Idiots.

OH but you know what I'm looking forward to... a few weeks from now.... which involves neither international travel nor saying YES to inflating my already annoyingly full schedule.... the annual Greek Night right here in G-city!  We have missed it 2 years in a row now because we were gone.  FINALLY, it's at a good time, AND 2 of our new friends from the Hash are actual Greeks so we will go with them & sit at a big fun table with other Hashers. Plus there's free babysitting at the venue.  Awesome.  Tzaziki, Bouzouki, and plate-breaking.  Now that's my kinda event.   OK sure you shouldn't have to pay 400 bucks to break plates and eat garlic, but hey I love Greece and need to be with my people! 

In the meantime we bought a yuppyland 1-BR condo on the Plaza in KCMO and I have to say I envy my future renters because this place is fantastic.  I also have to thank SheofDC for letting us borrow her bank account (since my pathetic hometown bank will not do int'l transfers!!) to run the money through.  But other than that little glitch, it all went down smooth as silk and I highly recommend buying property in cash because boy howdy if that doesn't help you drive a good bargain in these times of financial turmoil and property owners needing the cold hard green stuff.  Compared to our place in Ireland (mortgage, etc), this thing went off like butter.   One of my brother's friends may rent it straight away and if so, then hey, it was no sweat off my back from start to finish.  Touch wood.

That's all for now.

Labels: animal peeps, mis amigos, music

I am in a cave!

I can't see the way out!

Help!

And by "cave", I mean a black hole, and by "black hole" I mean a mess, and by "mess" I mean I AM NOT A HAPPY CAMPER!!!

I am getting it from all sides again - work, school, Animal Peeps newsletter, volunteerism, friends, non-friends, clients, the whole lot.

Maybe I'm going about this all back-asswards... maybe what I *NEED* is a cave. Only not one that sees me being sucked dry of all my spare time and sanity, maybe I just need to go and FIND a cave, a real one - not a metaphor-for-"mess" one... more like one of the granite variety.

In the meantime, just to top all the madness off, I have to squeeze some more time-blood out of the time-stone to start playing viola again. I'll admit after years of nothing but banjo strings under my fingers, borrowing that little old lady's instrument and playing a few tunes at her place the other day, gave me chills and an adrenaline rush. I couldn't believe my eyes as they rushed over the notes and my fingers knew EXACTLY where to go (well mostly). I really have to practice to get my game back, so I can play this Dvorak string quartet that they want to do, but I'm willing to give it a go. If the inspiration sinks its teeth into me successfully, I would consider having the 'rents pack up my old boy (currently collecting dust at their place) and sending him down, so this old bird (we'll call her Frau Meister, or maybe FM) can have hers back & relax a bit. God knows she was crazy-texting me after I left going "you know not to ever leave it in the car, right???"

Labels: music

So I'm having my lunch of "a" cracker and listening to my unearthed Jayhawks cd "Hollywood Town Hall", a pivotal album of my life that I guess you could say I "overlistened" to during my teen years, subsequently shelved in my 20s, and have only just now gotten up the gumption to resurrect! What a blast from the past!

OK anyway so the Mr. is highly grumpy today and taking it out on everyone else, likely because the inlaws are on their way back down from K-town, and we're just gearing up for the crap.

So I will try and just ignore his ranting and go to my happy place. That's right, focus on something positive.

Like stuff that makes my friends happy! For example, Brandon and Adelly and my old HS friend Tessa will all be rendezvousing in San Antonio this weekend. Rather than mope because I can't be there, I will just read their smsing and mmsing and email and FB posts over and over and imagine myself there, double-fisting a Shiner and a Margarita.

The Animal Peeps have a new Sech in lock-down at the moment, and they really want us to take him, as he has a very sordid past of abuse & neglect - just like Sech - and needs some work. Lots of work. OK he doesn't have half a leg hanging off his body, but instead, he has no meat on his bones and is so frightened it took us 30 minutes of gentle coaxing (and meat) to get him to even stand up and walk 10 paces out of his kennel. The Mr. has been looking for another "project", and I believe this guy is it. The Animal Peeps really don't want to rehome him with anyone around here, because they know he's going to be a serious rehab challenge. Even though as soon as the general public know there's a nice big boerboel in the kennels, we get a wave of people all of a sudden desperate to adopt a dog and make the world a better place. Uh-huh. Nice. But what about this 5 year old street mutt? Um, no thanks. Not cool enough, right? Anyway, we took Reilly over to introduce them to each other and see how he would do with other dogs. He was so stressed out it was unbelievable. Reilly, on the other hand, is always a champ with dogs of any demeanor. She could really be a therapy dog, I believe. She knows exactly when to turn her head away and be "invisible", and exactly when to sniff, or not sniff, or lay down in submission or bristle in warning. Made a lot of progress in just 1 hour. But, I see long hours ahead of me. (yea!) We're getting him snipped Monday, and will bring him home with us Tuesday to see how he does. Fingers crossed.

Soooooooooooo off we go into the bush with the M/FIL this weekend. Nice safari lodge booked. I'm keeping my mouth shut. It'll be nice and "shut" when the FIL decides to rank, review, and pontificate on ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING and how "different" and "inefficient" everything they saw and did in K-town this week was, and likewise whatever we get up to in the bush Sat-Mon. I swear it must be hard to know abso-frickin-lutely everything about the whole universe and everything in it. I mean it just must be a real weight on your shoulders to have all that knowledge after only 58 years on earth! I bet his head hurts a lot... To be such a genius on all topics stemming from American politics, to what africans eat, the far superior conditions that The Netherlands has got going for it, to his profound observations along the lines of "black people smell different". Winner!!

Podgey says I just have to remember that these are the people who gave birth to the love of my life, the man I can't live without and who has made my life worth living. Now if I can just make some sort of catchy mantra that is easy to hum and I can dance to it, so it won't keep slipping away from my memory... he's right though. Serenity now...

Labels: aggro, animal peeps, music

OK so yesterday I had a short list, and I completed it. There's not much to blog about regarding the whole 2 things on it (um, I sent the Mr. to the store to get the dish soap while he was there getting smoothie stuff anyway, and Eric & I stopped off at the Gallery to get the big framing job on the way back to the office from our airport audit - it looks great! Photos to come. Oh yeah, the background of that ((I suppose this is what Brandon meant about "do it and blog about it"?)) is that for xmas this year, back in the hometown, my old friend the Tisheroo -who's an amazing graphic designer- had made us a ginormous canvas wall hanging of our corporate logo, all jazzed up with some african landscapes, etc. Once we got it back here, we had to get it mounted so we could hang it up. It's like over 1x1 meters in size.)

Today is also short, but here it is. At lunchtime and I already have several scratched out already:

* pick up new car (done!)
* go running
* go for romantic afternoon coffee with the Mr. after big presentation (done!)
* confirm dinner with the Chinese guys for tomorrow
* edit SPCA articles & compile

Here's the "in other news" part -
We've been watching movies. Burn After Reading, which I thought was great compared to No Country for Old Men, but PLEASE, Coens, can you not just make SOMETHING even HALFWAY comparable to Fargo? Jeez like that's all I ask. Although I have to say (and rarely do I say this) I absolutely LOVED Brad Pitt's character. Gawd, he was hilarious as Chad. I loved, loved, loved it.

Music. I'm really enjoying The Hold Steady's album "Stay Positive". It's just Springsteeny enough to make me rest assured that Rock n Roll is not dead, but not Springsteeny enough to make me gag (I'm not a HUGE Bruce fan). The Mr. is enjoying Sheryl Crow's "Detours" album, and I CAN NOT GET ENOUGH OF Mudcrutch. For those who wouldn't know (because they're not me, i.e. obsessed with Tom Petty) that's Tom Petty's old band from his High School years in Florida, and although they were together for several years, they never released an album. Imagine that - waiting 30-some odd years to release you debut album.

OK well there, that's all I've got. And now with the new self-betterment policy, I'm going to have to try harder to actually think of things other than The Notebook to pontificate. Difficult. Oh, and Brandon: SheofDC is mad at you b/c this whole thing has bumped me off her gchat radar. So take THAT! :D

In the meantime I am still missing a "punishment" for if I fail on my end of the bargain. Help. But technically I think the challenger has to issue it, considering that I came up with the whole "he has to get a landline, if he fails" part of his.

Labels: music, the bet

In 2 hours we hit the ROAD!

off to the Waterburg in SA to go hiking for the wknd with P and Alan. I'm excited! Ever since I stopped being REALLY excited about the xmas holiday, I've been focusing on this weekend. Cooking on the fire, eating, drinking, hiking, playing cards, possibly a spot of Cranium, and good friends. And now it's storming!! Apparently it's storming all across southern Africa - WTF!? Even my "NEW LOOK" gmail is telling me it's storming. (that's because I picked the "tree theme" which changes its image to look like whatever the weather currently is in your neighbourhood.

My new fad is http://www.playlist.com/. You get on there and set up a playlist for yourself from all the songs in the whole world wide web library of songs (unfortunately I like a lot of obscure music, which isn't on there, but the classics and most anything that has ever been mainstream is no problem to find). You type in any song and it adds the song to your cyber playlist. That means where ever you are, as long as there's internet, you can listen to your playlist. Of COURSE it's secondary to iTunes which holds all your own mp3s, but to listen to your playlist you just go to your individual website and hit play and let the rockin' begin. Mine is www.playlist.com/(my nickname from ireland). So anywhere you can open up the www, you can listen to your playlist. Work, home, someone else's computer, etc etc. A list can hold up to hundreds of songs.

Last night in setswana class The Mr. informed everyone that he would NOT be buying an iPhone for his wife, on holiday in the USA, because it is too expensive!! Talk about a christmas buzzkill!!
But it's ok because I'm not entirely sure I want an iPhone, I'm also considering the google android and the HTC Touch Diamond too. I WILL GET A PHONE THAT IS SMARTER THAN ME IF IT KILLS ME!!!

Labels: camping, music, setswana

OK NOW is the time... it's FINALLY that time when all my favorite bands will have gotten off their ASSES and planned their dates for late autumn/early winter. This is important to me, as Priority 1 (well one of the many, many Priority 1s) is seeing live music while we're back Stateside, as we are literally starved of it, here.

When we first made the decision to go back for the xmas hols, I was on Pollstar.com STRAIGHT AWAY. But lo and behold the only December/Jan info that they had for any city ("specifically", WashDC, anything geographically between DC and St. Louis, Kansas City, Columbia, New Orleans, and anything geographically between New Orleans and DC) was like Big Bill and the Cowpokes or whatever other Hooterville nobodys who plan their winter tours 7 months in advance...

But now is reasonable. Now they should have dates. Now I get to find out what decent rock/blues artists that I like actually play in the winter chill of December...

I need to get on my horse and start making plans!!!!!!!!!!
Seriously! Like Operation Priority 1 in full effect!!!

At least my parents live only 25 minutes away from the Blue Note which means even if there's nobody I'm DYING to see, at least there will be something.... please God don't let it be some college kid half-assed reggae cover band... who was it that was ALWAYS at the Blue Note way back when....? Who was that....? Agh! I can't remember, but whoever it was it was like the "aw jeeez, not THEM again" kinda lame-ass semi-famous ska band.... we all used to just groan and say "what do they do, a perpetual bi-monthly Central-Time-Zone-College-Town-Only tour??"

Labels: music, trip planning

Also NB about this show is the fact that it was advertised to start at 1pm. We thought we were going to seriously miss out by not being there until 3. Little did we know that we actually caught the FIRST BAND!! Talk about genuine African punctuality! In general, most people came around 8:30 pm or thereabouts.

Yes that is a bicycle wheel on his head:

It was like tumbleweed City until they brought back on the HARD ROCKERS!!! There was one mega metal band from SA, and the rest were pretty local. I swear I never thought I'd see the day when I'd be watching about 150 africans in black leather and Iron Maiden shirts moshing to the sounds of RRRRRAAAAAAAAWWWWWWRRRRRRRR!!! KILL THE BEAST!!!!!! I AM SATAN'S BEARER OF PAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIN!!!!!!!!!! The remainder of the 200-strong crowd were those of us whities who kinda showed up just to see if it was real.

I do have to say it was worth it though! Well notwithstanding the warm beer that only arrived at around 6pm, and the 4 or 5 token non-rock bands who were just... zzzzzzzzzzz. It had only been one day since Reggie died and we weren't exactly looking for a huge party, so we left around 10 but I think that was sufficient. I got my rock on. Our friends were all there and we had a good time. Even the boys liked it.

Labels: goin out, music, photos