Today was rainy again, and Seabird didn't want to walk, but Hardingfele was up for it. We talked about going to see Yid Vicious tomorrow, or maybe going to a Quebecois jam. She said it was a pain to drag her violin to work, so I said she could come home with me and borrow my violin, but she said no because it's still all done up for early music, with gut strings and no shoulder pad, chin rest, or fine tuners. I guess it is past time that I get it fixed up for fiddling, but I was thinking of doing an early music course in July. Now that we have a new system coming online at work right then, that plan is dead on arrival. So I said she could borrow my other violin, the one I once found in the trash, and she said, "Your crap violin? No thanks!" But I'll bet our bassist could make that violin sing...
In the afternoon I had a meeting with my University Staff peeps, and when I told them how I'd felt a bit forced to choose the promotion after people were telling me I had to leave committees before I'd even accepted it, the Chair was making me panic with his whole "You'll have no protection as Academic Staff" schtick. True, but my lived experience is that Academic Staff don't lose their jobs unless they are on "soft" funding, and my new boss said we have funding for the next three years guaranteed. Technically at that point I could just retire if my job evaporated. Then the Chair got all worked up and was going to call all these bigwigs about me being forced to choose, so I have made a real mess of things. I can't wait to see what the fallout from all this will be...
Fortunately, after work I went to a ukulele strum, and that melted away all my anxiety. There were even less people than last time, only about a dozen of us, and the decrease in size each time concerns me because I really enjoy these. The rest of the players get together on either Mondays or Fridays to play, but during work hours, so this once-a-month strum is the only one I can attend. Plus, they project the words and chords so I don't have to print the music, since I don't have an iPad. Tonight we did songs that had to do with school, to celebrate the end of the school year. This was at the Lone Girl Brewery, and Travalon met me there so we could have dinner together after the strum. Of course they have taken his favorite item (the black-and-blue burger) off the menu - this always happens to him. Always. But tonight they did have wings, because the last time we came, they were out of them. I'm happy as long as the shrimp tacos are on the menu, and you can get a cup of the tomato bisque added for just a $2 upcharge. (Why does Spellcheck hate that word? It's a super common word. What does it want me to say, up charge? up-charge?)
Today my coworker mentioned that the bar in the same strip mall as Crema Cafe has a bluegrass jam every Monday evening, so I will have to check that out sometime. I keep meaning to go to a Moldy Jam session, but those are every other Monday evening, so I could go to this one on an off Monday. Maybe someday I will join the Russian Folk Orchestra like I keep saying I will, and then I'll be busy Monday nights playing the balalaika. But that won't start again until the fall.
Famous Hat
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