Niko at the Django Djam

 

Today I worked on campus, and a colleague came and talked to me so long that by the time I was able to message the colleague I'd walked with last week, she was already gone for a walk, so I just took a short walk by myself. Then I took the crowded 28 bus down to Adoration, and once again I was one of the last people the driver let board the bus, and at the next stop he just blew by everyone because we were so packed. What are those other people supposed to do?? They really need a big bendy bus, or a second 28 bus, or something. I've seen that in the past, a 28X bus, and if I knew one was coming, I'd wait because then there would be tons of room, but the bus driver had no idea if there would be another one coming.

Travalon picked me up from Adoration, and we went to Leopold's to check out the Django Jam (which I think should be spelled Django Djam). I am a big fan of Django Reinhardt, so when that woman from Moldy Jam said she went to this jam, I googled it and found out it was Tuesday evenings at Leopold's. However, Travalon and I saw no sign of musicians, plus there was nowhere to sit. I asked a barista, who said the jam was next door at Fabiola's, the Italian restaurant they also own. We went over there and did indeed hear gypsy jazz swing, and I saw the woman from Moldy Jam playing the mandolin. There was a guy with a violin, a person with an accordion, a guy with a trumpet, a guy playing upright bass, and lots of guitars, and later a young guy played the piano. They were so good! One of the guitarists had set his guitar case on the table behind us, so when he went back there to get something, I asked if it was an open jam, and he said it was. Still, I am not good enough for this jam.

Fabiola's is not open on Tuesday nights, so we couldn't get any food, but fortunately it was Taco Tuesday at Leopold's, so Travalon went over there and got us some tacos. It was a little cold where we were sitting, so he got me a warm (decaf) pandan latte. (If they forgot to make it decaf, I am in for a very long night!) 

Isn't it beautiful? While Travalon was in line, he ran into Cecil Markovitch and the Single B-Boy, so they came to sit with us - good thing I took the table for four and not one of the two-seaters! I thought it was a coincidence that they were there, but Cecil reminded me that I had mentioned this jam on Sunday. He and I were singing along to "Bye Bye Blackbird" as the group played it, and the B-Boy wondered how we all knew the song, which seemed to horrify Cecil. "It's a standard!" he said. "What did your parents listen to when you were growing up?" and the B-Boy said, "Not much." He is not a music-driven individual. I'm the opposite, I totally want to master gypsy jazz swing, but I also want to master Irish fiddling, and also Brazilian drumming... I will never get good at any one thing because I want to do EVERYTHING. I'm just a professional dilettante, well maybe not professional since I'm not getting paid to be a Jackie of all trades and a master of none. Still, I may bring the violin to this jam at some point. Not next week - no jam.

Cecil asked what I gave Travalon for his birthday, so that got us started on a conversation about how wombats poop cubes and honey badgers are fierce. Here is Travalon's wombat from a couple of angles.

Travalon looked up Australian names for pets and found Migaloo, which is the word in some Aborigine language for "white fella," so say hello to Migaloo the Wombat. He can be buddies with Kizi the Honey Badger.

Famous Hat