I have to get back into a writing routine. Blogging about school is bringing up ancient childhood reflex reactions.
Mother: How was school?
Child: OK
Father: What happened at school today?
Child: Nothing
What are you idiot stories? On Thursday I got the key to my classroom. On Friday I forgot it. We keep it locked as we have no secure place to keep our things. When I got home, I put it in my backpack which I’m now back to wearing. I carry my school MacBook in it along with my lunch. I will be bag lunching it for the most part. I have more money now but not enough to waste. Thursday’s idiot story was setting my alarm for the wrong time. I woke up on my own earlier, but it was still too late for me to make and eat breakfast at home and to make and pack lunch. That meant stopping at DD in the morning for my breakfast sandwich and coffee, it killed me spending that, then getting overpriced pizza for lunch. That maimed but didn’t kill me.
I am bonding with some of the staff, that’s great. Someone even said how nice I was. I will never get that. I’m not being self-deprecating, but I seem to draw more than my fair share of unsolicited compliments and not-so-random acts of kindness. It’s not that I think I’m not a good person, but that I think plenty of other people are too, and they don’t get their due. It could be something as trivial as having a good smile. That’s not a virtue, just luck. We don’t learn to smile. I know I instantly feel more affection for people with dimples. Unconscious and seemingly trivial prejudices can have a large effect.
I got as far as that yesterday then went down to the laundry room to get my clothes out of the drier. I then did something uncharacteristic; I sorted and folded the laundry. Then I took a shower, and then it was time for me to leave. I then slept late and couldn’t get my motor running this morning so now I’m writing while I watch the Mets play. They are beating the Marlins 4-0 in the top of the fourth.
Where did I go last night? To see the Bev Grant Trio at the People’s Voice Café. The trio is Bev, well duh, Carolann Solebello, and Katherine Etzel, three of my good friends. No way I’m missing that. I gave up seeing Lake Street Dive to go to the show. Subway maintenance threw off my timing. Normally I would take the express D to W 4th street. Unfortunately, the D was only going as far as 34th street so I had to switch from the D to the A at 125th Street. To add insult to injury the A ran local. That cost me my planned dinner time. The People’s Voice Café’s new home is at Judson Church just south of Washington Square Park. That triggered a culinary reflex, Pomme Frites is just a few blocks from there and on the way from the subway. They have the best poutine I’ve found in Manhattan. That made it obligatory to eat there. As I arrived later than I planned I had to call an audible and take out my poutine to eat at the show. When I got there, I found that masks were mandatory, so I had to scarf down my dinner outside. Even worse the poutine was not as good as it usually is. I hope that was an aberration.
The Judson Church is not a welcoming space. The door is locked. You have to knock to be let in. There was no sign indicating it was the home of the Coffee House. You’re met at the door by church not coffeehouse employees who were not friendly. The Coffeehouse people downstairs were their usual delightful selves though the snacks and coffee were missing.
When I ran out to eat my dinner Aviv came by. I did know someone in the audience. I made a poor choice. I kept my seat in the front row for picture taking instead of sitting with Aviv in the rear. That also meant I couldn’t set with my performer friends during the opening act, Bev’s old bandmate Mario Giacalone. I better justify my poor choice of seat by posting pictures.
The show was great. As it’s the Bev Grant trio, they primarily sang Bev’s songs. The one exception I remember is a cover of No Man’s Land written by Katherine’s Bobtown bandmate, Karen Dahlstrom. I liked the arrangement as the three of them have contrasting voices. The only one that I’m used to hear singing the song is Katherine. Bev used her age as excuse to say her voice was tired and let Carolann sing lead on one song. Bev is 80 but I’m not buying it, Bev is younger than people half her age. Maybe she’s preparing for when she is older, and Carolann can be Tao to Bev’s Pete.
After the show I walked with Katherine, Carolann & Felix, Carolann’s son, to the subway. They went to the R the opposite direction of the A, but I just went along for the walk and ended up walking to Union Square to take the Q to the D. My plan was to take the 4 but Google said that the transfer was faster. It was right. Even with the extra walk I fell short of my 3.2 walking goal. I need to go shopping today but I’m feeling lazy and might take the bus. We’ll see. For now, I’m watching the Mets who are now winning 7-1.
I still have to prepare tomorrow’s lesson, write and record Gord’s Gold so I will declare victory. I might even leave for shopping before the Met game is over.
Wise Madness 