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October, 2011 - October 04, 2011


June 04, 2004

1:15 a.m.

Needles, Nuts & Naughty Bits

Bellows Falls, Vermont, earlier tonight. It was a heart gig as opposed to a wallet gig... but we were taken aback by the lovefest that was our audience! This venue is actually the rather modestly-sized lobby of what used to be a big hotel. Bellows Falls was once a waystation to... somewhere crucial (Canada?) and the hotel did a big business. But it's been closed for years, and the upstairs floors are in disrepair, the plumbing and lighting fixtures having been pirated for other things. The lobby was renovated though, and the Chamber of Commerce had their offices there for a while. Now this folk club has moved in for Thursday concerts. I doubt the room, with small tables set up, holds more than 55 if they're stuffed in. We had 50, many who hadn't seen us before, plus a few ardent fans and another few who had seen us there last month opening for someone. Even though it's a cheap gig, we can get there and back without staying over, and there's all that Vermont cheese. This time we stopped at a farm stand/nursery on the way in and bought nuts and peaches.

My wrist was wrapped in an ace bandage up until playtime tonight, owing to a knitting injury. I know, I know, how can one hurt oneself knitting unless it involves the eyes? But I've been knitting like a fiend for a few days, and a particularly challenging crochet section (my gauge is too tight; I'm uptight when I knit, I know it; but I'm holding my life together) seems to have created a Repetitive Stress situation in my wrist. If I rotate it up and outward in just the right way, I get a knife-stabbing pain right in the joint. This causes much cursing and bending over. So I wrapped it, just to remind myself not to go turning my arm over a lot. It did not affect my playing, as picking and strumming do not require any significant turning of the hand. But I had to be careful loading out, and I can tell it's still affected. Major doses of Aleve should get the inflammation down soon. THANK THE GODDESS it wasn't my left wrist, or I'd have been unable to play the guitar, period.

We drove back without incident. I have tomorrow off, but would very much like to take a bike ride if simply leaning on handlebars is harmless. Someone tonight remarked on my butchgirl biceps and shoulders and asked me if I worked out, or was that just from playing the guitar? I confessed that I did work out, but it reminded me that I haven't much lately and tomorrow's weather is supposed to be divine.

I may drive to Great Barrington tomorrow evening to see one of my favorite old folkies (he'd hate being called that), David Mallett. I used to open for him sometimes and I haven't seen him perform in way too long. He would always hit on me in a big way and I would always say no (well, I let him kiss me a time or two, but came back to my senses), on account of him being a family type man and me being (at that time) rather involved with Dar. So there really was never a "thing" between us -- yet his wife forbade him to email me and I stopped being able to just keep in touch because of all this roiling unrest at home. Frankly I suppose his wife has good reason to be suspicious of everyone, but it was too bad I got accused for nothing. Anyway it was nice while it lasted; I loved touring with him, hearing his stories and laughing at him for being all jaded about not being more famous. He's a great songwriter and a great performer. His sound guy, Tom, is a devout pagan and would tell me debauched stories from his long-ago past involving running around in the woods having sex with various other celebrants, to ring in some day or other. Tom also, against all our moral codes and better judgments, made for me a dub of a totally illegal bootleg tape which he made years ago from the sound board, of Richie Havens singing his Zodiac song, which has never ever been recorded on an album. So you can't get it. But it's my favorite song of Richie's, and I begged Tom to make me a copy when he told me how he had risked not only Richie's manager's ire, but serious legal ramifications if caught, to sneakily and covertly make this recording during Richie's concert. So I have great and abiding respect for Tom, for having done it this one time even though he knew it was wrong, for having gotten away with it in spite of hovering, suspicious managers, and finally, for gracing ME with a priceless copy of the performance.

I feel very special.

So it feels like about time to go see David and Tom again. Unless I'm just too damned lazy to make the long drive, in which case I might go try to see Harry Potter instead. Or, I might take a lesson from hissandtell and think up 21 different terms for the female genitalia.

The possibilities are myriad.


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