...to be able to read the message inscribed on the back of an SUV that's written in Tolkien runic and translate it to 'Stormcrow,' then to know exactly to whom Stormcrow refers?

Although The Galway Tribes is a bit of a drive from Oak Park, it is a great place for a session. The beer was grand, the crowd was enthusiastic, and the tunes were awesome. Declan, Pat, Davey, ottery and myself sat around for a few hours, playing and enjoying each other's company. The pub is beautiful and is fairly new. The owner truly loves the music, as was evident by the way we were treated and the atmosphere.

I picked up a lot a good tunes from Declan. Unfortunately, I probably won't be able to recall most of them... though I did scrawl one down frantically in ABC format for my reference. Hopefully we will be able to work it into our contra dance repertoire.

ottery and I had a fabulous time there last night and hope to make it back again soon.

So I went for a stroll today and took some pictures, mostly to share with Mom and company, but I uploaded them to Flickr if anyone is interested.

At least in the Arctic.

Here is an excellent article which discusses how the Democratic Party can "win back" the religious moderates. It's a great read and makes some really interesting points. Here is my favorite part of the article:

I personally know at least a dozen Republicans who voted against their party in last November’s elections in part because they recognize...that their party has been hijacked by those who’ve taken scissors to their Bibles and cut them so severely that their version now begins with the Old Testament and ends with Revelations, with little resembling Jesus’ teachings left in between.

At some level, I think I've always known that this was true, but having it laid out in words somehow really hits the point home. Right-wing Christians believe that, once they have been "saved" by Jesus, they can do anything they want to their neighbor, their environment, or their soul, and God will take care of them regardless. Us leftwardly-leaning Christians to some degree also believe in the concept of being "born again," though most of us believe this on a more abstract level. To be "born again" means that you want to follow the teachings and principles of Jesus and model your life after his example. This is a constant struggle, but all we can do is our best and strive towards that destination. The Christian Right, however, believes that they have already reached the destination the minute they are born again, and nothing else matters. Jesus had a lot to say about this type of thinking, and none of it is kind.

Very strange thing happened today at work. I was using the restroom at one point today, minding my own business, when the guy in the stall next to me starts snoring. There he is, on the can, fast asleep. I mean, the guy must've been very, very tired or had a steel ass to be able to pull that off.

Has anyone else ever encountered this situation before? Has anyone ever fallen asleep while going about one's slower form of business?

...folk music and science fiction. Am I the only one who hasn't heard of Filk?

My entrelac sock pattern was published in an online magazine. I suppose it is a bit of a stretch to say I'm published, but there you go.

In other news, we found out last night that the parents of a local fiddler I know both were killed as the result of a domestic dispute (the father stabbed the mother, and the police shot him while attempting to disarm him). The fiddler was also injured but is doing well. I think I'm still in shock. I know the guy fairly well, and I've danced with his mom at contra dances. It's going to be really strange at the dance tonight, if anyone even shows up.

...on Flickr.

So I had to walk to the southern part of downtown today to get my bow rehaired. I go to this violin shop on the fourth floor of the Fine Arts building. I love this building for several reasons. First of all, it has that wonderful "old" building smell to it that reminds me of college. Secondly, the only way to get up to the fourth floor is to take a manually operated elevator. You ring your floor bell, and eventually the elevator appears, fully equipped with elevator operator sitting on a little stool. He opens the gate, you walk in, state your destination floor followed by "please." He closes the gate, holds the "up" lever, you watch the floors go whizzing by, he slows down to a stop as he approaches the fourth floor, he opens the gate and wishes you a good day.

There was also someone practicing a trumpet in one of the high-ceilinged rooms nearby. It put a smile on my face. I found it hard to believe I was still in Chicago.

I feel like my weekend has started already, not because I've checked out of work, but because I'm starting to feel inordinately busy. September is always one of my busiest months, and this one is proving to be no exception.

It all started yesterday. I had to drive to work so that I could get out to the northwest suburbs by 6 for a rehearsal with the step dancers. By the time I got there, massive thunderstorms had rolled through the area and knocked out the power at our rehearsal space (a school cafeteria). We rehearsed for about a half hour under emergency lights before the custodian instructed we needed to leave because of liability issues. Then I had to drive through the pouring rain to get home. The rain had stopped in Oak Park (or maybe it missed us), but anyways I was intending to go to the grocery store after dropping off some used clothing at a donation center. I took a wrong turn and ended up in front of the local tea merchant's place, which just happens to be open late on Thursdays. I walked in and wanted to know more about white tea, then promptly got sat down for a tasting. He explained that white tea is for drinking when you are free from distraction and can simply sit down, watch the lea leaves dance as they brew, and enjoy a nice cup or two. So that's what we did. It's extremely subtle stuff. You have to steep it around 170 degrees, otherwise it will taste like black tea. He explained to me how virgins in China pick the best tea leaves, which I thought was a bit odd. He went on to tell me that it's because women with small kids pick the leaves with their kids strapped on, and when the kid fusses and the mother needs to take care of it, she falls behind and therefore hurries through the picking to catch up with the rest of the women. Sounds a bit far fetched to me, but hey... what do I know?

After about 40 minutes at the tea merchant, I forgot why it was I wanted to go to the grocery store, so I just came home. I finished spinning the rest of my single and plied the yarn from both ends using this Peruvian technique of wrapping the single around your hand. It was quite exciting stuff. I set the twist in this morning in a sink full of hot water, and now it's drying over the bathtub. Fortunately, the cats aren't tall enough to reach the hank. Or, at least I hope not.

Tonight is the Redmoon Theater performance night down in Jackson Park. Tomorrow I get to drive to Hartford, WI for the dance gig. The following weekend I will find myself in Spencer, a 5-hour drive, for another dance gig, then I will have to be back in Chicagoland by 11:30 on Sunday morning for a Cosmic Otters gig. Then we have to get a playlist going for this week's radio show.

I think my weekends are busier than my weekdays.

Cape Breton Live is even better this week. And I didn't know that was possible! I really hope they let me play a sample on the radio to promote their show.

It was a good weekend. It started off with the inaugural concert of the World Music Festival in Millenium Park on Friday night. We picnicked with some friends and had a fun time. On Saturday, I drove to Kalamazoo to play with Donnybrook in their Irish festival. Bohola was there as well, and of course they were incredible. We sold a bunch of CDs (close to 80), which is a record since I've been in the band, and that's going on five years now. Hard to believe, really, that I've been with Donnybrook that long.

On Sunday we dorked around the house a bit, then we headed downtown to catch Celtic Fest. Saw Tim Britton in the piper's tent. ottery found it hard to believe he was so young. Actually, he's much older than he looks. He does a lot of meditation and yoga, so it makes you wonder if these things keep you young. Anyways, he said he would listen to our show on WHPK if he was passing through the downtownish area around that time.

We saw the back half of the show with Liz Carroll and Daithi Sproule, then the Old Blind Dogs, and the first part of Baka and Beyond. We also saw the Brock-MacGuire band. Excellent music, and it was nice to here Enda plunk it out on banjo again. We also saw Vishten for a bit (Maritime Canada / PEI) and a Quebecois band, though I don't remember the latter's name.

We arrived in Hyde Park in plenty of time for the show this week. The studio was chaotic when we got there, however, as the guy before us was doing a call-in show with a bunch of guests. He managed to get out of the studio relatively on time, but I wasn't able to slide a CD in for recording, as he was recording off of both. It was just as well, because the show had a rough spot or two, the largest of which was me forgetting to turn off the studio mics after I started some music. This resulted in us muttering over the air waves, "Why can't we hear the music? Oh, I think it's coming out of the earphones over there. Did you turn the volume down?" Fortunately, I turned off the mics right before I cursed like a sailor. I also managed to cue up the wrong track on the Mary Jane Lamond album, but it was a sweet track, too, and no one knew the difference. It was a good show, though. We definitely were more relaxed this week.

...informed ottery that the King of Togo was upset over the use of his country's name by the food chain Togo's and was suing them? She swears it was I who told her this, driving back from Evanston one day, but I don't recall this at all. If you are the culprit, please fess up the comments section of this post.

Thank you.

The temperature was absolutely perfect for sleeping last night. As a result, I had some of the most pleasant dreams in recent memory. I dreamed that Meg and I were in Cape Breton again, at the dance hall in Glencoe Mills. Buddy MacMaster was there on the fiddle. Chirps, a Chicago old-time fiddler, was there for some reason as well. I think I got up on stage and played with Buddy for a set or two. Can't remember if it was piano or fiddle, but it was a blast. We were invited to a ceilidh (house party) immediately following the dance over in Mabou, where there was sure to be lots of great music until the wee hours of the morning. The dream didn't make it to the ceilidh, unfortunately, but it was still an awesome dream.

Someday, I want to go back, only this time I want to do it better. The last time we were there, it was really fun, but I don't think I really understood the music or culture as well as I do now. As beautiful as Cape Breton is in the fall, I don't think I would return for the Celtic Colours Festival. I would either attend the summer music school in Inverness, or just go in the summer and seek out ceilidhs and do nothing but play and listen until the early hours of the morning.

Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy have started a new Internet radio show called Cape Breton Live where they feature live performances of Cape Breton music from all over the island. I took a listen to it today, and it is absolutely amazing! Recordings of Cape Breton music are usually quite excellent, but there is something about live performances that just blows studio recordings away. Granted, this is true in most genres, but I think it's especially essential with Cape Breton music. It's so incredibly raw and intense; there's nothing like it. Listening to the show makes me feel like I'm back in a community center in Cape Breton, listening to great music again.

I really hope that the five-week trial proves to be a smashing success, and that they continue on a permanent basis. Have a listen, even if you've never heard Cape Breton music before.

An article on the Chicago Tribune web site today tells of Chicago aldermen who are pushing a citywide ban on the use of foie gras, citing the practice as inhumane. While that certainly sounds like it's true, do Chicago aldermen have nothing better to do? Where are their priorities here? If aldermen are truly concerned about animal rights, shouldn't they be banning the purchasing of chicken raised in inhumane conditions, a much more common problem? Illinois doesn't even produce foie gras! If you are morally opposed to the consumption of foie gras, by all means don't eat it.

So here's the laughable part. After the article comes the Google Ads. What's the first one? "High Quality Foie Gras: Serve This Delicious Delicacy Foie Gras Shipped Fresh Overnight!"

I got this courtesy of Red Molly.

Read I Just Got Back From a FEMA Detainment Camp

Not that I'm advocating conspiracy theorists or anything. Just found the post interesting.

So, a busy weekend. ottery drove me up to the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool festival. She got a bunch of natural dyes, and I got my first drop spindle and roving. My first attempt at spinning produced some really awful-looking thread, but eventually I think I figured it out a bit better. I did it, though. I wound two singles and plied them together, so now I have 5 meters of yarn. I will have to spin a bunch more so that I can do something useful with it.

Today I spent 5+ hours in the car, driving to Rock Island and back, for the Quad Cities Irish Fest. Quite a bit of fun. Declan was subbing for Andy, and he's a mean box player. He's also a chick magnet. Being handsome, Irish, and single helps. He received a kiss (on the lips) from this woman who was married with two kids! He was actually quite shocked that a married woman would want to do this to him, so I suggested perhaps she took the "Kiss Me, I'm Irish" sentiment to heart. But anyways, we sounded really awesome! If you haven't heard the new Donnybrook line-up, come check us out sometime.

Immediately following our last set, I ran over to my car and floored it back to Chicago, in an attempt to make a timely appearance for our first radio show on WHPK. Though I was a little late, we enjoyed ourselves. We were both wound a bit tightly from driving all day and maybe need to work on our radio personalities a bit, but I think we're off to a grand start.

...than waking up to the sound of a chainsaw and a tree-eating machine at 4 a.m. Apparently the tree next door decided to fall on a power line early this morning, knocking out the whole block. The tree people had to hack up said tree before the electric gnomes could scamper in to restore power. All the while, the fan in our bedroom was off, and it got very hot and sticky.

So the power goes down in the house for a few hours in the middle of the night, causing me a relatively minor inconvenience, and the response by the utility company is almost immediate. The power goes back up about 4 hours later. Though my gut reaction is to be upset about the loss of sleep and about the potential loss of items from my refrigerator, this seems inordinately petty. It seems especially petty in light of the New Orleans tragedy, where the response for help was so inadequate and so many lost everything. Who knows when the city will return to normal? It will certainly never be the same.

It reminds me of how lucky I am. Even though I have my problems, they seem surmountable, especially with people like ottery to help me get through them.