what’s been occupying my time since Wednesday evening in pennsylvania.
in Loved Ones, Thoughts and Feelings
as birth, birth center, black marker, boughs of holly, brand new baby, center, drinking, golden hour, grilled cheese sandwich, house, peanut, pennsylvania countryside, recording, recording music, show, singing christmas carols, sister, tape, time, tiny piano
*visiting my friend’s brand new baby at the birth center*singing christmas carols*attending my nieces’ play*singing at a house show*baking loaves (and loaves!) of bread*wrapping presents with my sister*drawing pictures*making cards*recording music*lots of yoga*eating (drinking?) a peanut butter milkshake*receiving oddly wonderful gifts–i.e.: an old school walkman, complete with large headphones and a real cassette tape with the words, big beats, tiny piano scrawled across it in black marker and also, opening up a box of chocolate covered edamame*reuniting with some friends for life*hearing someone tell me, “If I ever ran into the people who’ve been unkind to you, I’d deck ‘em! And NOT with boughs of holly, either.”*eating a grilled cheese sandwich across the table from a friend I don’t see often enough* telling as many people as I can to have a merry christmas*gazing at the tree–so brightly lit, like it’s trying to get my attention (and it worked)*playing the ukulele*wishing I could give a present to every person I know, just about*loving the pennsylvania countryside, especially during that golden hour when the light is waning*getting laughed at by an elderly female stranger because my shirt and pants don’t match (yeah, I know; I did it on purpose)*missing Latshaw-WEST, cause it’s not the same, not nearly the same, without them*feeling like smiling more often than not lately*still crying sometimes, but realizing that it’s often like a summer storm; the clouds roll in quickly, and just as quickly roll out*wearing dresses and boots*reading stories–real stories!–that have nothing whatsoever to do with me, a refreshing change from self-anlaytical books, I must say*actually, truly, NO REALLY! I AM! looking forward to tomorrow, to Christmas, smiling a little thinking about it, even, so–ain’t that something?
Ain’t that something, indeed.
It’ll do. All of it.
in Performance
as behavior, body, brooklyn, business, cheese, good behavior, grand idea, grilled cheese sandwich, Honestly, kind, Leão, nobody, open mic, rap, subway, tomato, tomato soup, uke, ukulele, Village
What a night.
I got a Facebook message from a guy I
met at an open mic in the Village a few
weeks ago. “I’m hosting an open mic in Brooklyn,” he wrote. “Will you come and play? There’s no piano, but we sure can mic a ukulele like nobody’s business.”
So, first I hung out with my friend Leao for a bit. He reinforced that nobody–NOBODY!–I meet on the subway or the street–or anywhere, for that matter–wants to be my friend.
“They all want more,” he said.
“You don’t, ” I pointed out.
And I thought it was a pretty darn good point, actually.
Then I took capoeira and got all sweaty. Something that always amazes me when it happens. My poor, overheated body so rarely sweats, that when it does, I feel like it’s deserving of a treat. You know, reinforcing good behavior and all that.
So, I got a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup. And what a great treat that was. Honestly, all I ever want lately is grilled cheese and tomato soup. It’s like my body has a grilled cheese and tomato soup deficiency or something, I crave it so much.
And then I jumped on the train to Brooklyn to go play some uke and rap and sing. When I got there, Chris, the host, greeted me with his uncle. “I hear you’re fantastic at the ukulele!” the uncle said to me. Which made me laugh. Because, really, I can strum some chords, and that’s about the extent of it. There are some things I am fantastic at doing. I’m
pretty good at bargain hunting. I think my family would say that I’m a good daughter and a good sister. I’m not bad at being disciplined, as a general rule. And I can write some songs. But playing the uke is not something at which I’m fantastic. Not yet, anyway.
Then Chris tells me that I’m the featured artist. Oh. That I can play as much as I’d like. Oh, again. The place is small, so really, we just share the night. He and his friend play. Then I go. I basically play all my songs that I know on the uke. Then someone has the grand idea that we all play together. Which was amazing. Cause soon, we’re singing Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. And Let it Be. And Landslide. And Respect. It was magical.
My friend Jes was kind enough to come, too. And she brought a friend of hers. It was the sort of good night that makes me so happy to be in New York City.
my jam plan.
in Funny Stuff, I Lift My Eyes Up, Loved Ones, Thoughts and Feelings
as certificate, Christian, conveyor belt, Delaware River, divorce, grease spots, grilled cheese sandwich, jam, jenna, loose leaves, marriage, Monica, plan, security checkpoint
Unbeknownst to most people, I am now living with one of the world’s leading experts on the show, Friends. Seriously, if there were a university somewhere that allowed one to major in Friends, my sister Jenna would be there on a full ride. She knows each episode inside and out; it’s her bedtime story and [...]
