brrr….

Stepping off the plane in Buffalo yesterday it was clear that I had reentered a much chillier world than then one I had left at 6.30am that morning. There has to be about a 20-degree (Fahrenheit) difference in temperature between North Carolina and Northern New York.

I brought back a bunch of great “souvenirs” from the trip and a few not so welcome ones as well. Before anyone bitches about all the heat and sun that I enjoyed, I should note that one or the lesser welcome reminders from the weekend is the great sunburn I picked up. Strangely none of the shops I visited while in Carolina carried sunscreen. Perhaps it was a “get-the-yankee” plot: as soon as they heard my accent they hid all the sunscreen and maps (driving to the festival we got a little lost. I went into a gas station to ask for a map… they didn’t have any. Mind you, this wasn’t a small gas station but rather a Mobil with a full mini mart. They did however have a HUGE selection of chew, snuff, cigarettes, cigars, loose tobacco and other tobacco products I’d never heard of… Sir Walter Raleigh would be proud… but I digress).

Another souvenir I brought back was a cold. Thanks Glenn, it looks like you got the last zing in after all. It’s not too bad, but it’s pulled me off my game. Last night I “limped” through a martial arts class. It was a bad class for a couple reasons. First of all my brain was just not firing at it’s usual rate thanks to the cold. So I ended up getting caught in the right calf with a knee. Not only is that going to leave a great bruise, but it also left me with a great “charlie horse” that I’m still feeling today. But mobility is highly overrated anyway. Then we worked pak and backfist into multiple combinations. A “pak” is a Chinese slap block applied against the mid forearms. I learned a new equation last night:

Slap + Sunburned Forearms = New Pain

But before I ask for cheese with my whine, I have to say that all of this was worth it for the trip I had. Not only did I get to see my brothers, but I also got to experience great music and North Carolina was absolutely beautiful. We spent Sunday hiking in the Blue Ridge Moutains and it was just breathtaking. The memories definitely outweigh any current problems I have as a result of the trip.

‘lil more blog love

The day continues to be pretty amazing. There is a spirit of compartiotism and togetherness that I have never expereinced at a music festival before. Perhaps it’s that the bluegrass tradition is one where just about everyone covers each other material. Much like Jazz or Classical, the creation of interpretation of existing material is as important as the creation of new works. Artists are constantly making guest appearances or recommending other shows to go see. I even got to hear Dan Tyminski perform Man of Constant Sorrow. Dan, of Alison Krauss and Union Station, provided George Clooney’s singin’ voice in Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?.

Also apple slices covered in caramel and nut bits are super yummy. I love festival food (especially when it’s relativly fairly priced).

Cool Beans and Bluegrass

This is going to be short. I’m currently blogging from an internet terminal at the Merle Watson Memorial Bluegrass Feastival in North Carolina. So far it’s been great. The temp isn’t too hot and the music is great. I’ve already heard a great band called Pinmonkey. They managed to pull off Sugar Ray with a bluegrass flair. It was so wrong and yet so right.

Of course it’s also been a usual trip in that it only took us about 10 minutes after arriving for me to get separated from my brothers (no wonder my mother used to keep me on a leash… seriously). I did find them and now we’re off to Mando Mania: an hour plus of mandolin music. Alison Kraus and Union Station are the headliners tonight. In between there’ll be some BBQ goodness as well.

your loss

Blogger just lost my post. Grr… Sorry about that folks. Tune in another day for it. Bleh.

back in the swing of things…. sorta

Last nigth was my first Martial Arts class in three weeks. All and all I didn’t do too bad. The break let me develop a different persective on what we’re doing. Which was good. However, it took longer than I would like to react to certain things. In part, I’m still pretty tired. But more so it’s because I didn’t practice enough in my off time and so my limbs weren’t reacting at the speed I needed them too. Darn this getting old stuff!

I’m still working on a postmortem posting for the play. Each time I try to write it, I find myself not knowing where to begin. I guess that’s because I have not gained enough distance to give me perspective. It’s funny how that goes.