anticipation

I was pleased to find that Noah emailed the other day to say we can and should still have that Heima movie night whenever he gets back to Oakland. I've been wanting to show Heima on his projector since January and they've got that spiffed up basement now, so this is all very exciting. Especially if we can have movie nights in the plural. I think I really like watching movies, but I never get around to watching them on my own.

And then there's this weekend and the not-working I'm doing on Monday in honor of my birthday. I feel like every year the last few weeks of July are filled with dread at the prospect of this Day. For all the nice weather on summer birthdays, they always seem to coincide with every single person you know's vacation plans. It's the kind of holiday to remind you what a boyfriend would be good for. That and needing to get your wisdom teeth extracted. Boyfriends would come in handy there as well, which reminds me I need to have a little chat with my dentist about whether he realllly thinks I need to have mine out or if we can't just say I'm better off keeping them.

If I'm lucky though, and it looks like I may just be lucky this year, I'll have stepped out of the dread phase in enough time to be resolved to action. Camping didn't pan out although I still would like to go camping one of these days, but the band seems to approve of my having invited everyone I know to our practice this Sunday. And, really, I'm lucky. I'm lucky that I get to have these lovely band practices nearly every weekend. That I seem to have created something that really strikes a chord with people. That really hits the spot. I am impressed. I'm still surprised every time someone asks me what I've been up to all these years and that in response I say honestly that I've started a band.

And here I thought this would be a short post.

I was listening to Ani DiFranco the other night on City Arts and Lectures - fantastic series, that - and she was talking about how she was so young when she started doing her thing. That she had no idea how to do it or what was what, but she just did it. And I find that so admirable. I really hope that this whole band practice/party thing takes off. I mean, being famous would be great and all, but what I love is just the concept. Getting a bunch of people together to make music in the park. If only because practice space is so hard to come by and it hasn't rained in months. There's just something about acoustic instruments and the out of doors that feels so right to me these days. I'll be happy to get in on Noah's electronic project too if he gets around to it, of course, but what I'd love is if some kids heard us in the park some day and thought to themselves - that looks like fun; I want to get my friends together and do that too. And there would be more music in the world and more goodness because of it.


We're up to twelve members now, and I simply can't believe that this all started from my love of banjos, of twang, of simple, honest sound. I never thought anything would come of it, but look what love gets you.