Transcendental

Coffee in the Chicago skyline mug, "Pornographer's Dream" by Suzanne Vega on iTunes. I had a completely sublime, completely unexpected, transcendental evening out with Dave yesterday. I have said before that I am just not a live music person anymore--if I ever was. I get annoyed by crowds, bored with standing, and most of the "musicians" of my youth sounded better (much better) in the studio than they did live. So when Dave asked me a week ago if I wanted to see Suzanne Vega at the Variety Playhouse with him I agreed because I love him and so want to do things with him--not because I had any desire to see live music.

And let's face it--right now isn't a good time for me to be doing just about anything. I am *buried* in work getting ready for this show and meeting other professional commitments (writing, writing about teaching, orders, preparing for orders, etc.). I rushed like a mad woman yesterday to get all my work done, have a shower (and wash my hair), and hook up the dvd, tv and receiver so Mom and J could watch a movie while D and I were out. By the time we walked out the door I was really stressed and cranky and would have rather chewed my arm off than go out at all. And to see live music... ugh.

Dave made the mistake as we were halfway down the street of asking me if I was looking forward to the concert. Me and Georges (Washington--not Bush), we cannot tell a lie. I did hasten to add that just because I wasn't looking forward to it didn't mean I wouldn't enjoy it (though I did have my doubts). I was realistic enough to acknowledge that my crankiness might be almost wholly responsible for my dour outlook and there was hope. He was less sanguine and the evning almost got canceled then and there.

As it turns out, my hope was not misplaced. What a great evening, what great music! (What a barely acceptable dinner--though the bass player and other band members, maybe even Ms. Vega herself, sat at the table in the corner opposite us. I recognized the bass player and the woman he was with after the concert in the lobby as being from the restaurant. But back to the other story...) This is my kind of venue and the other people there were my kind of people--they stayed sitting down. Earlier in the day I had groused to Stacy about going to concerts and she said how annoying it was when she went to see the Dixie Chicks with a bunch of women and the people behind them wanted her and her friends to sit down instead of standing and dancing... I dryly informed her that I was one of the people sitting behind her--Scrooge McConcertgoer.

But last night I lounged in my seat and munched my way through a vat of popcorn--washed down with a couple of bottles of (hard) cider--and bobbed my head to the vocal stylings of Suzanne Vega. (Oooh, "Frank and Ava" from the new album just came on--I love that one!) The Variety is a small, intimate venue with a little balcony and great seats throughout. Dave saw both the Drive By Truckers and the Hold Steady there in the past two months and he is very sorry to have missed the New Pornographers and Jason Isobel. I had such a good time that I told him I'd go see anyone there.

But back to glass. Five Days till D-Day and counting. Yesterday I got my article in to GPQ. This morning I need to polish up the class list for Hoy's. I also need to figure out what the heck I've made in the past week and what I still need to make. Sure I have a schedule, but I have been just swapping things around and adding randomly to kiln loads as I could squeeze more in (or needed to change something for an order). I have a little idea what I have... but only a little. Now off to the studio.