Jilly Moose's Birthday Party

Yesterday evening I went to band practice and, for the first time in a while, I felt a little bad about just playing chords while the fiddles played the melody. Sometimes I play more than just chords, and on some songs I actually do play the melody, and usually I enjoy this variety – I can do it all! Then later in the evening I was listening to a CD of Cuban music, and I wished I could play the guajeo line that is usually played on the piano. It’s so exuberant, and I used to play along to it on my mandolin, but I remember some songs were in some weird key like E major that I don’t want to deal with on a mandolin. Salsa songs are rarely in G major, which is all we mandolin players really want to play in. Of course, a lot of salsa songs are actually in a minor key – which is why I love them – but were they in easy minor keys like E minor, which is basically just G major? Not on my CDs! Anyway, I gave up practicing the guajeo years ago since I figured there is exactly no salsa band out there looking for a mandolin.

After band practice, Travalon picked me up and we went to the Nitty Gritty for Jilly Moose’s birthday party. At first there were a ton of people there, but they all left soon after we got there, except for Jilly Moose and OK Cap. I was exhausted and starving and pretty grumpy, but I felt a little better after eating an Impossible Burger. Have you heard of these? They are some kind of vegan “burger” that everyone is talking about. It tasted fine, but guess what? I was hungry again in an hour! I should have gotten the Falafel Burger, since falafel is satisfying. Which makes sense: people have been eating falafel for millennia, so it is a tried and true food, but Impossible Burgers seem to have leaped into existence within the last three months. Jilly Moose and OK Cap had tiny little sundaes, and maybe I should have too – that would have been more satisfying than this vegan creation! I went home and tried to pop the corn from my garden, but it never popped. Luckily I had some other popcorn around that did pop. Maybe my homegrown popcorn needed more time…? I may try again tonight.

Famous Hat