pop stand: blown! my snowy egret count is OFF THE CHARTS!

so, after years of no summer vacation, i am on the road! this afternoon i am sitting on the 5th floor of a holiday inn in charleston, sc. i made the drive up from st. augustine, fl yesterday. i'm doing a little road tripping, seeing some my morning jacket shows and minor league baseball. i took the pic above somewhere between savannah & charleston. i thought to watch out for fire ants as i walked up to the sign, b/c last time i was in nc i got bitten by one. and there was a fire ant hill right by the sign! i avoided it/them and am feeling pretty good about that. :)

you may know i'm an armchair birder. comes from living next to the bird sanctuary in arcata. i started counting birds when in got to FL. heron: 1, snowy egrets: 2. on the drive yesterday, my egret count went off the charts. this territory is ALL marshes, creeks, swamps and rivers: water fowl turf, so i am all agog. it's a wonder i didn't drive off the road.

the bit below is what from what i posted on the mmj forum (blogs, forums. really? lord.) about the show in charleston last night. so far, it's just about the preservation hall jazz band. i've got to go outside, so more on the show later.

**pic of me before waiting for the show to start.**
just slept 10 hours, showered and have ordered up room service coffee.

got to see the show last night with ruckus and his pal, jordan! it's always great to be around people in the crowd who are there to see the show. sounds like a no-brainer, but you know, there are those who go to a concert as an event, and those that go to see the performers. i just find the peeps there to see the show make better company. :)

i left st. augustine at about 11:15. turns out the hwys between FLA and SC run through a lot of little towns, so the trip took a lot longer than i'd expected. add to that a the street i wanted to use to get from one hwy to another in one of those towns (speed limit 25mph) was shut for a bike race/street fair/butter churning. i don't know, but it made finding my way out of there challenging.

anywhoo.

i got to charleston, checked into my hotel (populated by 175 teens, a youth group or something. apparently the room next to mine was party central. oof)

the venue was lovely. who knew? i expected it to be much bigger, but it didn't seem massive. the light & sound boards were on the ground level at the end of the court.

there was not a cloud in the sky. really, just beautiful. the crowd was really slow to file in. it's such a funny thing about when an act tours with a supporting act. everyone is in the lot or lobby until just before the headliner takes the stage. i've done this, but when you're inside seeing it happen, it's just weird.

bear antics: when pooch & denise came out stan* (name changed for discretion) put them with denise stage left, pooch stage right. but before the show started, someone else came out and swaped them. what cracks me up is that there is a particular arrangement of who goes where.

Preservation Hall Jazz Band:

--jelly roll
--short dressed gal
--a bad ass song that reminds me of "sing sing sing". it's just drums and trumpet for most of the song. cannot convey the swing of this song.
--ole man mose
here, mark braud introduces the band, then brings out jim for...
--tennessee hustler (when jim came out the girl next to me said to her boyfriend, "he's cute!")
--a jimmie rodgers sounding song that may have been blue yodel...jim was yodeling, some of the phjb were singing along. wonderful!
then patrick, carl, bo and tom come out to play percussion (lots of shakers!) for...
--st. james infirmary sung by clint maedgen

i think this was the last song. my end of set notes are always spotty b/c i get in the momentum of the show. at the end of the song, clint m. sat down. there were a couple of looks exchanged among the band and they ended the set. they probably had another song or two to play, but cut it short. either b/c of the late start or b/c st. james was such a blow-out.

the crowd for the start of these PHJB sets has been SMALL. small enough that as the band takes the stage you can see them marvelling and shaking their heads at the hilarity of it all. and when they start playing some of the crowd seems not sure what is happening, but two songs in and the crowd loooooooves them. which is fantastic.

i watching them last night i kept thinking that this tour is really special. that we're getting a chance to see PHJB like this, outdoors, small crowds, swinging, swinging, swinging. fucking brilliant.


snack note: room service coffee, fruit salad
groovy tunes: wilco "theologians" on the shuffle

finished!

in brief: after much languishing, i've finished the 50's dress in fish fabric! this is a pic from the inaugral wearing. taken used photobooth in my dark office, so not the most flattering.
but you can see there are pockets. (!)

the keen-eyed office supply aficionado will spot the heavy duty 3-hole punch on the table.
bonus points if you can pick out the pic of Pee-Wee Herman & Cowboy Curtis sitting on Chairey.

don't you need zoning for a day care?

**this from an unfinished letter to my sister. it's on what is possibly the most adorable stationery i've ever used.
after more than 2 weeks of it sitting unfinished in my back pack, i'm putting it in the post tomorrow.**


4.2.10 Friday, 1pm

Today is a union holiday: Good Friday. I decided to spend some time @ a cafe that I usually visit on the weekend. It's in an old residential neighborhood in Echo Park. I have to drive here.
On the weekend it's pretty quiet. The patio out front has a tall bamboo hedge along the sidewalk which helps temper the bus noise & stuff. The week days, however, are proving to be a different story...something i'd not noticed before: there is a pre-school across the street. or maybe it's just day care. (some of those kids are at least 7 yrs. old.) They are all running, playing and HOLLERING. In the house next to the cafe (directly behind me) there is a small dog who has been barking for at least 20 min, and who shows no signs of stopping.
Usually in this situation I have headphones on, but i've been reading a book. (oh my god, one of the kids actually just said this, "nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah." i'm going in for a coffee refill, then coming out to put my headphones on.)
{ok, i'm back w-a fresh hot cuppa joe. and as if by miracle, the children have gone indoors! hooray! also, the little dog is quiet. perhaps the two were linked.}

There is a young guy working in the cafe, I've not seen him here before. When i went in for my 1st cup I ordered drip coffee and asked him what the difference is between the 2 they have brewed. When I chose the one he described as "lighter but stronger" he actually had a "yes!" reaction that was really funny. It felt good that the cafe guy thought i'd made the right choice. ha! i'm a dork. but he is cute.
I'm in a bit of a weird state today. I blame 3 things:
1. this is a holiday wknd but i may have to work tomorrow, but don't know yet.
2. I'm starting to get crampy
3. i'm doing a dance with fed-ex to receive a pkg. I paid for 2 day shipping, but it will be 4 days before I can get it. it's my fault: i thought the pkg was being sent via US Post, so i gave them our mail room address @ work, not the office address.
Also, my job ends in a few weeks and i haven't made an effort to find my next one. This is b/c i've got a short road trip planned at the end of April. I don't want to back to work right away.
I am really hoping that "Mercy" gets picked up for another season, or my old boss' pilot gets picked up for series. Either way I could take a couple months off knowing I have a job to come back to. Next week i'll whip up an "i'm looking for a gig" email and send it out. That will do for now. :)
(wow, the temperature has dropped about 10˚ since I got here. And the clouds are rolling in. am now lamenting my decision to wear flip-flops, not sneakers. hmmm. I'm also learning that trying to write a letter w/o wearing my headphones is difficult b/c i am easily distracted by other peoples' conversations.)
How are things in Yuba City? Are you feeling settled? I'm hoping that since you've been there for awhile drama and newness are starting to taper off. :)
i've been loosely formulating a road trip up north to see family. I don't have any dates yet, but would like to hit the Bay Area, Sacramento, Yuba City, see some baseball...Again, i'm hoping to have some time off this summer. :)
~~~~~~~~~~~~
now 4.18.10, sunday night-- i never got back to finish this letter. thought i'd send on what i'd written. 3+ pages and i feel like i was just ramping up...

**if all goes well, i will have this in the post tomorrow.
beer of note: rogue dead guy
radio: gary calamar just played "white girl" by X**

choice of self expression

finished! over the summer break i'll find a frame for this. i plan to put it up in my next office.

in between working days i've been working steadily on the Endless Stripey. i am now knitting the Last Ball of Yarn on this blanket. it's been cooking since january 3, 2003. cannot wait to get it out of the "in progress" stack and onto my bed.

also: last weekend i FINISHED the 50's style shirt dress! i had to do some damage control where the front pleats and facing meet, but am happy with the result. i laundered it. it needs pressing. the ironing is the true test. once it's pressed i'll post a pic.

i could use an iced coffee. anyone?

day 14: still no sign of land

for a long time, in the "what's cooking" column to the right i've had listed as "currently knitting" the Endless Stripey blanket. i started knitting this blanket the first week of january, 2003. i remember the date b/c i've got a quilt on my couch that i started at the same time, and the date is embroidered into the quilt back.

i'd been knitting for less than a year when i started this. i intended it to be a baby size blanket. bad math, and ignorance of how cotton will stretch conspired to make this much bigger. when it out grew portability it languished: for a few years i spent very few nights knitting at home. and it's tough to bring this kind of project on the road. :) the blanket is so wide that each row takes me about 20 min to knit (or one episode of 30 Rock.)

during the writers' strike i started chipping away at all the unfinished projects in my craft closet. this blanket came out of retirement. i've not finished it yet. kind of on the home stretch. i've got one ball of each color left.

currently it's about 4 x 5'. this isn't necessarily an accurate measurement b/c i "measured" it when i spread it out on the couch and laid on it.


YET ANOTHER THING I'M KNITTING

4 or 5 years ago i bought a bunch of yarn at a bag sale down in san diego. i still have most of it in the closet. (last year i sent a full bag of 12 balls of raw silk to a friend in missouri. done!) i was on the verge of sending 20 hanks of this multi-colored, bouclé/slub yarn to the goodwill when my pal (enabler) petra convinced me to use it.

i'm combining the multi yarn with some cheap but nice black mohair looking lion brand yarn i bought at jo anne's. i know, i know. it's acrylic. i'm knitting a blanket, but instead of knitting it as one piece (endless stripey method) i'm knitting this one in one foot wide strips. this way it stays portable. (i got a lot of work done on the second strip while sitting on planes a couple weeks ago.) this blanket is really pretty, but not as soft as wool. it has a great weight to it, though.
it's not photogenic, but in real life it's cute.
i've been working long days for 2 weeks straight. i'm starting to pine for some good knitting and sewing time. [as is evidenced by this post.]

i have tickets for a couple of shows coming up this week. am hopeful that work won't keep me from going. perhaps if i get more work done tonight (ie: wrap up this post) i'll have a better chance of attending those shows...mrh.

omg. wtf. bbq. -- more postcards from kentucky

it's monday, presidents' day. it's snowing heavily and windy outside. i'm set to fly home this afternoon, but i'm starting to feel some doubt about whether that will actually happen. hmm.
i do have to check out of my hotel soon, so i best get this show on the road.

this first card is a pic of the then new, louisville greyhound station, circa 1970. i'm basing the date solely on the rear end of a car that looks like a '68 dodge coronet. i could be way off on this. am sending this to my pal, u. in san francisco:

2.13.10
I'm going to try to recreate something -- i hope this works out...
I just saw this drawn on the wall in the w.c. at the Heine Brothers coffee attached to Carmichael's bookstore in Louisville. Quite possibly the best graffiti i've ever seen. (is there an e in possibly?)
The 3 kids @ the next table just called their mom & begged her to come pick them up. awesome.
Hope you're having a great time up north!

*inset is my rendering of best graffiti: banner reads:
OMG. WTF. BBQ.
inspired comedy. :)*


i love a good window. one of the reasons i keep staying in my hotel so long in the morning: i just sit at the desk watching the snow over the new and very very old buildings here. reminds me a little of downtown san jose in the early 80's (but for the snow). anywhoo, all this window staring and cold weather...put me in a contemplative place.

this card i'm sending to my friends m & b in portland. b writes the blog bags of wind.

2.14.10
Winter! in Kentucky: It's Sunday afternoon. i'm sitting in my fave coffee spot in Louisville (Highland Coffee) with a great view out the window across the small parking lot to homes and falling snow. i was ready to write a letter. About snow, family, my fascination with family photos, my seeming imminent contact w-my long absent dad. My choosing to drop a lot of $ to come to KY by myself rather than visit my brother (who has had an epically shitty 8 mos.) or my mom, who is recovering from hip surgery. I wanted to tell you about the nephew I haven't seen in 16 yrs, who lives in Austin & sings in a Pantera-inspired Heavy Metal band and the photo of my dad I took when i was 10: Him standing in our backyard holding up the 20ft. C.B. antenna he was going to mount on our house, smiling big. But I don't have any paper. so, for now it's just a list. also a Gillian Welch song that reminds me of my dad has been positively haunting me. more soon.
ps. was thinking of B when i bought this card. --> natch. :)

bookstore -> book -> burrito = ode to downtown san jo

when i was in high school i used to spend a lot of time in a used book store in downtown san jose: twice read books (a note by Bay Area Books). [just looking online for a picture of the store has me waxing nostalgic about all those rainy days spent at twice read. i'm going to put off the love letter to the old, rough around the edges downtown of my formative years and get on to the post i'd intended to write. but only b/c it's after midnight and i have a long work day tomorrow...]

when i was sorting through my storage closet i found a book that i'd bought at twice read at least 21 years ago. it's a gorgeous illustrated book of poems by JG Whittier printed in 1886. i'm not a dedicated reader of Whittier or poetry, but this book is beautiful.

so, it's been in my storage cabinet for at least 6 years. before i moved into this apt, i don't know where i'd kept it: likely in another box somewhere. i pulled it from the closet and brought it into the living room.

this collection of poems was first published in 1848. When the 1857 printing was published, Mr. Whittier was still alive and wrote "A Note From the Author" to be included in the book. he regretted that his poor health kept him from editing the selections.
i love this bit:

"That there are pieces in this collection which i would "willingly let die," i am free to confess. But it is now too late to disown them, and i must submit to the inevitable penalty of poetical as well as other sins. there are others, intimately connected with the author's life and times, which owe their tenacity of vitality to the circumstances under which they were written, and the events by which they were suggested.
The long poem of Mogg Megone was in a great measure composed in early life; and it is scarcely neccessary to say that its subject is not such as the writer would have chosen at any subsequent period.

J.G.W
Amesbury, 18th 3d mo., 1857"


how wonderful is it to know that rolling one's eyes at our own bad, teen-poetry is something that's gone on so long?

{these pix of the Whittier book are crappy. i took them with the laptop while sitting in bed. if i can get it together i'll replace them with more representative pix soon.}

**the pic of Twice Read was taken by Avi Morgan. i don't know Avi, but found this pic among some of his shots of downtown San Jo. i got sucked into looking at all his shots of historic san jose. lovely and evocative. i logged a lot of miles on foot and bicycle checking out all the old nooks and crannies of downtown and still have a tremendous fondness for it. since i left san jose in 1989, i have this recurring issue: every time i go home to visit, my favorite places are gone: not just shuttered, but buildings razed and replaced. during the 1990's even streets would go missing, replaced by new highways.
my mom sold the family house (a large craftsman bought by my grandparents in 1964) about 10 years ago. when i do go back to san jose the only thing that really brings me downtown is La Victoria Taqueria. the picture on this yelp page is of the original location on e. san carlos street. they've since moved to...what is the name of that square? fun fact: in this pic of La Vic, you can see a fast food joint next door. it is the same jack in the box where i worked in high school.**